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We are a crossborder Scalerator
A platform to grow urbantech companies in China & beyond

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Scale through the Greater Bay Area!

2019 Mobility Scalerator

This year our growth stage, cross-border scalerator program has focused on technology, innovation and IP that have mobility-related applications under the “urban tech with impact” grand theme.

Eight world-class companies — including Deon Digital (Switzerland), Hanshow (China), Kyyti (Finland), Liftango (Australia), Ultra-MTS (UK), Ubitricity (Germany), Prophesee AI (France) and Xenon Automotive (India) — with proven products and services were selected as the finalists into the GreaterBayX scalerator program.

The eight-week program has concluded with a two week Roadshow with events, workshops and business meetings in key cities in the Greater Bay Area as well as a Urban Summit.

Why this program?

China access

Scaling in China is tough for everyone and we know that well as we’ve been there, done that. This program is designed to make this hard job easier, so we assembled a team and network that are experienced in facilitating investment and business between China and the rest of the world.

All costs covered

We are here to move as much friction out of the equation as possible and lower the barrier of entry for the startups we think should be in the region. As a consequence, we decided to cover travel and accommodation costs to make sure the best founders can focus simply on business.

Efficient model

No time wasted and no equity taken. We are committed to business value and we are not here to run an innovation theatre. We believe in quick decisions and we offer great exposure via our multi-partner platform and . Capital is important, but time is the ultimate resource. We can bring plenty of the first and we waste none of the second.

Unparalleled network

This is a trustworthy environment where you can scale your business with leading enterprises, investment funds with deep local expertise, city governments and the #1 university in China. We have the people with us that have grown Uber, LinkedIn and Evernote in China as well as the team that brought Tesla to Europe.

Program details

Timing – 2019

Application: July-August
Selection: September
Preparation: September-October
Roadshow: November

Locations

The Greater Bay Area (GBA) is the biggest megacity in the building. It consists of 11 cities, 3 legal jurisdictions, 4 official languages and offers endless opportunities. These cities are rapidly integrating and growing with their combined GDP of USD 1.5 trillion expected to triple over the coming 15 years. It is also designed to be both the innovation center of China and the conduit with the rest of the world. Running a cross-border urban tech innovation and investment program is thus most appropriate in the GBA.

Hong Kong

Where East meets West, Hong Kong has been ranked as the freest economy in the world for 25 years in a row. The city is one of the biggest financial, trading and logistics hubs in the world and has seen a recent surge in innovation activity and ecosystem growth. It is also #1 for IPO placements.

Macau

The gaming capital of the world, generates more revenues than Las Vegas. The city is not only about hotels and casinos, but it is also serious about diversifying its economy through innovation and technology and it heavily invests in infrastructure.

Shenzhen

Considered to be the innovation capital of China, this metropolis was just a village 30 years ago. Shenzhen now has a population of 15 million, a fully electric bus and taxi fleet, some of the largest tech companies in the world and a thriving ecosystem.

Guangzhou

The oldest and largest city in the region has been moving up the value chain and growing rapidly over the last decade. As a highlight, Guangzhou is adding 12 new metro lines to its current system of 19 in the next 3 years.

No equity taken. Just value added.

We are not asking for equity in exchange of participation in the program. We run an efficient and streamlined operation to create business, investment and growth opportunities for all stakeholders involved. We have funds that are committed to this program and we are determined to invest when there is collective interest. We are here to add value for the participating startups and we mean it.

Efficiency & business focus

We have built an efficient scalerator program. No time wasted, no BS, maximum value. We believe in quick decisions, we offer great exposure and an unparalleled network to support your expansion into China and Asia.

Tsinghua connection

Tsinghua, often dubbed as the MIT of China, is the #1 university in the country and TOP20 in the world. Our program is associated with the investment, technology and innovation arm of the institution, TusHolding that runs science and technology parks and investment funds. It has also launched thousands of enterprises successfully, with dozens listed and merged or acquired.

What we are looking for

Are you eligible?

We are looking for eight of the best companies in the world to accept in our program and we have strict and serious criteria accordingly. We appreciate a big vision, but we are much more focused on execution. This is not an idea-stage accelerator, but a platform for serious business development for companies that are onto something big. The major characteristics of the businesses and teams that we are looking for are the following.

China-ready

Ecosystem-compatible and hungry

Growth-stage

Numbers are positive, ready to scale

Impact

Scores positively on SDG & ESG metrics

Investable

Company open to accept equity investment

Mobility

Solution that has mobility application

Product / Service

Proven, sells, scales, lasts

Revenues

Ideally minimum USD 1m

Team

A rock-solid group of people

Urban Tech

Tech that is relevant to urbanisation

We have a specific interest in…

Autonomy

This is very high on agenda not only in China, but for all progressive cities, mobility and tech companies all over the world. We are looking for existing, successful solutions that can be applied across borders and organisations.

Connectivity

We are going through the period in history when literally everything is getting connected, especially in an urban context. With the advent of 5G technologies, we are looking for pioneering, scalable and efficient solutions across the board.

Energy

The cornerstone of human development, urbanisation and mobility is energy. We are looking for solutions with smarter, more efficient and cleaner use and production of energy across the board.

Infrastructure

There are no cities, no urban development without infrastructure and China has been a key global investor in related projects. We are looking for solutions that save cost, cut CO2 emmissions and create efficiencies.

Our why

Opportunities

The opportunities of China and the Greater Bay Area are obvious for everyone, but they are hard to grasp. Whom to trust? Where to start? What are the legal implications? What about IP? Our platform is designed to make business easier for overseas entrepreneurs. This is a safe environment with simple answers to hard questions thanks to a group of amazing partners.

Urbanisation

By 2050, there will be 2.5 billion more people living in cities than today. How we build and operate urban environments today is not going to be efficient, sufficient or sustainable with those numbers. We want to facilitate the growth and proliferation of technologies and innvoation that can positively contribute to this process.

Impact

We are looking for startups with technology and innovation that can positively impact the process of urbanisation. We use ESG metrics in our selection process, because we believe this is the right thing to do and we also believe this makes a good business.

Who we are

We are a group of investors, entrepreneurs and innovators that have joined forces to help startups with exceptional potential do business across borders. We have run mobility and smart city accelerator programs globally and in China. This unique set of experience enables us to create exceptional value. We have been there, done that and we are now here to help you do it right. Our collective intelligence rocks.

Organising partners

GreaterBay Ventures & advisors specialises in technology and innovation that can positively impact urbanisation. Based in the Greater Bay Area, we excel in cross-border venture development.

TusMaker Global Network is an international innovation and investment service platform, associated with Tsinghua University, China’s MIT and one of the TOP 20 university in the world.

Our team

Joanna Cheung

Co-Founder & Director

Joanna, a Brown graduate, is founder of TusMaker Global Network and Managing Director of Tus- International (00872.HK), GP of HBCC Investment, a Nomura alum. Her focus and expertise is cross-border investments and facilitating growth in China.

Jan Kot

Marketing & Partnership Manager

Jan was born in Shanghai, and educated in Hong Kong and the US. She is an accomplished communicator in bridging the information gap between China and the world through utilization of traditional and new media.

Anders Hsi

Roadshow & Operations Manager

Anders was born in the US with Chinese origins. After graduating at Yale, he moved to China, became an entrepreneur and exited multiple businesses across sectors. Based in Guangzhou, he is committed to help others accomplish success.

Marissa Lam

China Coordination

Marissa is a born and raised Shenzhenese, trilingual and a Tencent alum. She has expertise in technology, consumer and media trends in China and a unique understanding of the Greater Bay Area. She is a part-time vlogger and art consultant.

Maureen Ng

Investment

Maureen has more than 20 years of management and equity investment experience in the TMT field. She has invested in more than 40 projects over the years to help local and international companies become a success in China.

Tony Á. Verb

Co-Founder & Director

Tony – originally from Hungary – has lived between Asia and Europe for 12 years. He is a serial entrepreneur & venture capitalist with a focus on urbantech, a Greater Bay Area expert and a WEF Global Shaper. He also produces films with social impact.

Emily Zheng

Hong Kong – Macau Coordination

Emily – originally from Chengdu of Sichuan province – is specialized in cross-culture communication and cross-border innovation management. As a Hong Kong PolyU graduate, she has living and working experience both in China and Hong Kong.

Leading enterprise partners

We are very proud to work with a world-class, diverse and complementary group of companies that are committed to the success of the program. As we work with not one – as most corporate innovation programs -, but eight enterprise partners, we manage to multiply the potential for the participating startup companies to find an ideal partner or investor. Our partners are also synergistic in their focus areas, strengths, geographical expertise and capabilities. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to access a group of senior executives and unique set of resources that are so specific to a sector and a geography.

World class advisors & mentors

We have a strong network of experts, partners and mentors across the field of tech, smart cities, mobility, and cross-border innovation and investments. We work closely with them to bring relevant insights, identify the best companies locally and find the best opportunities globally.