GBA Youth Entrepreneurship Fund

 

Introduction

The GBA Youth Entrepreneurship Fund of City University (CityU) of Hong Kong's College of Business (CB)- Business Innovation Education (BIE) is supported by Home & Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) through the Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Entrepreneurship Scheme), under the Youth Development Fund (YDF) of the Youth Development Commission (YDC).

 

About the program

This dynamic three-year incubation program provides comprehensive entrepreneurial support to empower Hong Kong youth entrepreneurs and startups in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

The program connects youth with entrepreneurial resources, including mentorship, business guidance, professional consultation, networking, financing options and sector-focused support.

Leveraging CityU’s extensive alumni and industry networks, the Young Entrepreneurship Applicant (YEA) Scheme fosters startup success in high-potential sectors such as innovation and technology, cultural industries, and modern professional services.

 

Eligibility

To be eligible for this scheme, please note the following requirements:

The team leader and the team member(s) for each application must meet these criteria:

1. Age between 18-39 (as of the application deadline). 
2. Hong Kong permanent resident with valid HKIDs. 
3. The team leader must be a CityU student (full-time or part-time), or alumnus pursuing or having obtained a postgraduate degree/diploma, undergraduate degree, associate degree, or any other qualification offered by the university.
4. Have established or plan to establish operations in Hong Kong or GBA cities.
5. Each team must include at least one CityU staff member serving as an advisor or consultant, who does not hold any ownership in the startup. If this member is also a shareholder, they MUST meet conditions 1-4 above.
6. The start-up and its sole proprietor/all shareholders/all partners must:

• Not have previously received funding from the Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship under the "Youth Development Fund" and/or Capital funding from the last round.
• Not be recipients of any other public or Government funding during the proposed project/business period unless with prior written approval from the Government.
• Not be recipients of funding sources or entrepreneurial and incubation support from other NGOs under the YDF's sponsorship.
• Not be bankrupt or involved in any bankruptcy proceedings at the time of application.

The team leader must be the person-in-charge of the company, with the following responsibilities:

7. Holding at least 20% ownership of the company.
8. Engaging in the company’s business full-time in a senior position.
9. Overseeing the company’s operations.
10. Being consistently reachable during normal business hours.
11. Playing a central role in the team's decision-making and proposal execution.

As a team, you should meet the following criteria:

12. Applications must be submitted by a team of more than one person through the designated CityU online platform.
13. An eligible applicant can only be the team leader for ONE application.
14. Eligible team members must collectively hold a majority stake (more than 50%) in the company when it is formed.
15. Some shareholders may be individuals or organizations not covered above, provided that their total shareholding does not exceed 20% of the start-up’s equity. However, approved non-governmental organizations and their related persons (including chairpersons, directors, organization heads, project coordinators, etc.) must not, under any circumstances, be shareholders of the start-up.
16. If the start-up has already established a company, it must be a limited company incorporated in Hong Kong under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310) and must not have been operating for more than 3 years as of the application deadline.
17. While the start-up project/ business is not required to hold a valid business registration certificate at the time of application, successful applicants must complete the business registration process under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310) to accept funding.
18. The company's business must

• Not be unlawful, illegal or involve tobacco, advocacy of gambling, obscenity, or activities likely to constitute or cause offences endangering national security or be contrary to the interest of national security.
• Not be a franchise.
• Not be planning a change in business nature or to be taken over by successful YEAs.

19. Unless with prior written approval from the government, funded start-up teams shall not assign, transfer, sub-contract or dispose any of their interests, rights, benefits or obligations under their business during the project period. If any new core member(s), partner(s) or shareholder(s) are added, they must meet the eligibility criteria stated above and report to CityU BIE for approval.

 

How to apply

Pls read through the Application Guidelines to this funding before application.

The Applicant must complete the Online Application Form and submit the necessary documents on or before 30 September 2025, Tuesday (23:59 PM GMT+8). Late submissions will NOT be accepted.

• List of Team Members
• Student Card or Graduation Certificate to verify association with CityU
• Copies of the Hong Kong Permanent Identity Cards of ALL YEAs
• CVs of the Person-in-Charge (PIC) and Team Members
• Company documents, including Business Registration (BR), Certificate of Incorporation (CI), Articles of Association (AOA) and NNC1 (for company applicants)
• Pitch Deck in PPT format (maximum of 15 slides)
• Detailed Business Plan, including market analysis, management and development strategies, project sustainability and budget, etc.
• 1-2 minutes Pitching Video (optional)
• Signed Declaration Form for the use of CityU IP and copies of IP licensing agreements (if applicable)

Applications will only be considered when the online application form is completed with the necessary documents and submitted by the deadline mentioned above. Submissions through email or any other channel will not be accepted.

 

Selection Criteria

• Market Potential and Sustainability (30%)
• Innovation and Technical Viability (25%)
• Team Capability and Partnership (20%)
• Social Impact and Corporate Social Responsibility (25%)

 

Application Timeline

Date	Event
21 Aug 2025	Information Session (Online)
Sep 2025 – date TBC	Briefing Session & Teaser Class
30 Sep 2025	Application Deadline
Mid of Oct 2025	Eligibility Check and Initial Screening
Early Nov 2025	Detail Evaluation (In-person/ Online Presentation)
End of Nov 2025	Final Selection (Panel Interview)
Early Dec 2025	Result Announcement
31 Dec 2025	Meeting with Funded Start-ups and Collection of Fund Agreement

 

For Enquiries, please email cb.bie@cityu.edu.hk

 

Important Documents & Links

• Application guideline
• Team list
• UNIVERSITY POLICY ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
• CityU Intellectual Property | HK Tech 300