October 18-20 | Tucson, AZ

The Research Institution GAP Fund and Accelerator Program Summit

HKIC, Gobi Partners and HKU team up for fund backing university research start-ups | South China Morning Post

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October 16-17, 2025 / Seattle, WA

The annual summit for research institution gap fund and accelerator programs, including proof of concept programs, startup accelerators, and university venture funds

The Story

Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC), the government’s investment arm, has teamed up with venture capital firm Gobi Partners and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to launch a fund on Tuesday to invest in technology start-ups spun off from the university’s research breakthroughs, according to an HKIC statement.

Gobi-HKU Fund I made two investments at its launch: Manifold Tech, which develops spatial intelligence for robotics, and AilsynBio, which focuses on artificial intelligence-driven drug design and recovery.

“The launch of Gobi-HKU Fund I, along with its swift and substantive deployment of capital, demonstrates the HKIC’s steadfast determination to foster synergy among the core sectors of innovation and technology – namely investment, industry, academia, research and government,” said HKIC CEO Clara Chan Ka-chai.


Source: HKIC, Gobi Partners and HKU team up for fund backing university research start-ups | South China Morning Post

Consortium For Gap Fund and Accelerator ProgramS

The Consortium provides a dedicated, institutional coordinating forum for collective insight, program refinement, and structured engagement with aligned commercial, investment, and philanthropic partners.

GAP are an interdependent institutional innovation and capital strategy that includes:

  • Translational research

  • Proof of concept programs

  • Startup accelerators

  • University venture funds

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