Official facts
Amounts, durations and eligibility come from the cited primary source and carry a verification date. Intake status and terms can still change, so recheck the current guide before applying.
Startup structuring guide
Founder setup: document relationships before funding
Founder equity, vesting, IP, shareholder loans, pay and MPF are corporate-governance matters, not government programmes. This is general information only.
50verified programmes
2026-08-25Last verified
Primary sourcesGovernment, official bodies, universities and programme sites
Editorial analysis
Suggested combinations are this site's analysis, not a government promise. Select by stage, cash flow, milestones and administrative cost.
Equity and vesting
Founder allocation should reflect long-term contribution, role, capital and departure risk.
- Vesting or reverse vesting can address unearned shares.
- Re-vesting, acceleration and repurchase rights need express contracts.
- Use hypothetical Founder A / Founder B examples, never personal plans.
- Have Hong Kong counsel review any equity structure.
IP assignment
Confirm that code, brands, patents, data and research outputs actually belong to the company.
- A company name registration is not a trade mark right.
- Universities, former employers, contractors and founders may hold rights.
- Employment and contractor documents should address confidentiality, inventions and assignment.
- Patent and trade-mark transactions can require registry updates.
Founder loans, pay and MPF
Shareholder loans and founder remuneration belong in the books with supporting documents.
- Document principal, interest, repayment and priority; never assume a tax result.
- Separate director fees, wages and shareholder returns.
- Employees and self-employed persons have different MPF rules.
- Use accounting and tax advice for related-party or cross-border transactions.
Financing and secondary
New shares and a founder sale have different cash outcomes.
- Primary financing adds company cash and dilutes holders.
- Founder secondary usually pays the selling holder, not the company.
- Check consent, pre-emption, tax and disclosure before any transaction.
Official facts
Programme matrix
Compare instrument, stage, published support, equity and matching. N/A means no universal rule was published, not that there is no restriction.
High-risk amount and eligibility fields retain their verified canonical English wording so translation does not alter the rule; names, summaries and fit guidance are localized.
| Programme | Type / Stage | Published support | Equity / Matching | Best for | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patent Application GrantInnovation and Technology Commission Support for eligible costs of an applicant's first patent application. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| GrantMVP / Pre-seed / SeedActive | Up to HK$250,000 per approved case for the first patent application | Equity: NoMatching: Grant covers up to 90% of eligible patent application costs, subject to the cap | Teams with a potentially patentable invention ready for a first filing. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| PolyU Entrepreneurship Investment FundThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University Equity, convertible or SAFE investment in eligible PolyU ventures, with final terms set by transaction documents. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| InvestmentPre-seed / Seed / Early growth / Series AActive | Up to HK$4 million per company under published programme information | Equity: YesMatching: N/A | Companies with a PolyU team or IP connection that are ready for investment. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
Editorial analysis
Strategy combinations by company type
Solve the company's most real constraint first; the number of applications is not the goal.
Deep tech / Hardware / Robotics
Separate university or laboratory R&D, prototyping, trials and production-line work into distinct funding stages.
- Illustrative route
- Technology and IP → university/TSSSU or HKSTP → prototype and patent → ESS/RTH → public trial → smart production line → specialist VC.
- Key caution
- R&D, trial and production-line awards have different scopes; budget for hardware cash flow and reimbursement timing.
Biotech / HealthTech
Build the stack around university IP, laboratory access, regulation and a long R&D cycle.
- Illustrative route
- University IP or licence → Incu-Bio or TSSSU → RTH/ESS → validation and trials → specialist biotech capital.
- Key caution
- Laboratory, clinical and regulatory costs are not automatically eligible; a headline incubator amount does not replace a detailed plan.
University spin-off
Resolve IP ownership and licensing before stacking university seed support, incubation, talent and R&D funding.
- Illustrative route
- University IP review/licence → TSSSU or university fund → HKSTP → RTH/ESS → trial, industry partner and VC.
- Key caution
- Document faculty, student, university and company rights in IP and equity; funding does not automatically transfer IP.
Visa and long-term status planning
Entrepreneurship does not automatically create immigration status
Forming or operating a Hong Kong company does not automatically qualify anyone for a visa, extension or permanent residence. Entrepreneurship may form part of an individual case, but the Immigration Department decides on the actual facts.
Quality Migrant Admission SchemeAn admission route for highly skilled or talented applicants.Top Talent Pass SchemeA talent route for high-income applicants and eligible university graduates.Immigration Arrangements for Non-local GraduatesA work and stay route for non-local graduates of Hong Kong institutions.General Employment PolicyAn employment route generally based on a genuine professional role with a Hong Kong employer.Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and ProfessionalsAn employment route for Mainland residents with skills or experience needed in Hong Kong.Hong Kong permanent residence and right of abodeUnderstand ordinary residence, the seven-year requirement and long-term status planning.