Founded by Stan Group, powered by INFINITUDE and co- organised by The Wave, The STILE Initiative has progressed to Cohort 2. The investment- backed accelerator programme has officially started calling for application from across Asia, targeting start-ups specialising in property tech, fintech, living tech, and other technology. The finalists will receive free workspace, business matching, venture capital opportunities and other perks. 

The STILE Initiative Cohort 2 continues with the goal of "Seeding your venture, growing your future", assembling start-ups with high business potential across Asia to participate in the accelerator programme. “To shape the future business world, we need next-generation entrepreneurs and innovative ideas. The STILE Initiative is the platform designed to foster both,” stated Mr. Stan Tang, Chairman of Stan Group, “and along the way, we envision to build the business ecosystem of Stan Group, which drives changes and brings breakthrough to the market, as well as the society." 

The STILE Initiative Cohort 1 was immensely successful, attracting over 500 start-ups from 11 cities in the Asia-Pacific region. After multiple rounds of interviews, five start-ups spanned across areas in digitisation of assets, portfolio management for crypto assets, microfinancing, hotel reservation, and property management were selected for the four- month programme. They gained extensive industry knowledge and business development opportunities through practical experiences in the programme. After the programme, 60% of the teams obtained commercial contracts, 60% received investment from Stan Group, and 40 % received external investment funding. 

The STILE Initiative Cohort 2 recruitment will focus on property tech (including sustainable property technology, digital transformation for property management, storage/ warehouse management, urban eco-friendly technology, and other related applications), living tech (including hospitality, smart ageing, co-living, retail, media & PR, STEM, and other related applications), and fintech (including markets & exchanges, wealth management, payments, lending & financing, insurance, and other related applications), but other technology clusters are also welcome to apply. 

The three-month accelerator programme includes a series of bootcamps, workshops, business networking sessions and mentorships. Bootcamps and tailored mentorship will be led by experts for hands-on support. Other benefits include business matching opportunities with Stan Group’s business unit and affiliates, free office space and facilities at prime locations, free accommodation for non-local start-ups. Perks value up to HK$120,000 per team. 

The STILE Initiative Cohort 2 is now open for applications. The deadlines for non-local and local start-ups is 30^th April, 2020. The programme will begin in June and graduation night will be held in September 2020. For more information about The STILE Initiative, please visit https://www.stileapac.com/. 

About The STILE Initiative 

Founded by Hong Kong’s influential Stan Group, and powered by signature change-driving entrepreneurial attitude: INFINITUDE, The STILE Initiative is an investment-backed accelerator programme based in Hong Kong, which focuses on balancing and integrating business development and investment. Through a collaborative project which strives to combine the drive of entrepreneurs with the full force of Stan Group, The STILE Initiative aims to create sustainable and mutually beneficial business growth and investment by helping start-ups to build traction, achieve market expansion, and establish partnerships in Asia. 

About Stan Group 

Stan Group (Holdings) Limited (“Stan Group” or “the Group”) is a leading conglomerate rooted in property with a wide array of diverse businesses. Committed to sustainable business development and social investment, the Group manages a HK$75 billion real estate portfolio in strategic partnership with the Tang Shing-bor family and operates more than 40 respected brands across five business pillars: property, hospitality, communication services, financial services and The STILE, innovative businesses with social purposes. Dedicated to innovation, collaboration, human focus and entrepreneurship, the Group’s core values empower it to achieve the vision of driving the vibrancy of society, and the mission of creating shared value (CSV) for shareholders, business partners, customers, employees and the community at large. For more information, please visit our website: https://www.stangroup.com.hk/. 

About The Wave 

The Wave provides start-ups and SMEs with a complete entrepreneurial ecological environment. It is the pioneer in Hong Kong incorporating event spaces, co-working spaces, serviced offices, pop-up stores, and F&B floors all under one roof. Its mission goal is to help the next wave of passionate entrepreneurs and SMEs to realize their dreams and grow their businesses beyond limits. The Wave leverages the resources at Stan Group, like spaces and network, and extends those to start-ups and SMEs, creating a platform for innovation, knowledge sharing and business matching. 

For more information, please visit: https://thewave.com.hk/