Innovative startup ideas help make MTR shopping malls a better place
The first-ever #propUP Programme initiated by MTR has been a huge success; the opportunities for expedited Proof-of-Concept (POC) in MTR Malls were lauded by winning startups, while the corporation promises the second edition next year.
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The MTR #propUP programme was concluded last week with the scheduled final Demo Day and presentation of five winning teams amid shouts of encouragement and recognition. It was a startup programme offering unique opportunities for young and promising technology companies to pitch and to get their ideas exposed to a diverse group of professionals and investors, and more.
The five winning teams had been named in August. Each of them was then given a rare POC to put their ideas into test in the real-world environment of selected MTR malls for eight weeks. The corporation also provided on-site support and funding during the period. All five startups have successfully completed the POC within 8 weeks, which is not a common case in most of the accelerator programmes.
As closely linked to Hong Kong people as it is, MTR is possibly not the first name with which people associate as far as innovation is concerned, admitted David Tang Chi-fai, Property Director of MTR Corporation Limited. Yet, deep down, the company has embraced innovation as one of four pillars that help shape the corporate culture.
In recent years, MTR found itself being in company with the technology community. One can look at the external crowdsourcing activity HackTrain HK two years ago and what Tang calls the "internal crowdsourcing" Innovation Bootcamps held last year and again this year.