News

For the first time SIE Fund was participating in the Entrepreneur Day organised by the HK Trade Development Council and held on 29 to 30 May at the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre. In the setting of a café, our booth featured the respective “specialties” of the four intermediaries as well as “mottos” of five groups of entrepreneurs. A talk on “Social Entrepreneur: Fund Raising Strategy” was also held on 30 May with Ms Doris Leung, Founder and CEO of Diamond Cab speaking on her experience in entrepreneurship and fund raising, followed by an introduction of the SIE Fund given by a representative of the Task Force Secretariat. Please visit our Facebook page for more stories.

A host of events are in the queue for launch, and we are too eager to bring you the latest news. Instead of waiting for the Q3 issue in July, a special issue of the SIE Fund newsletter is published, covering invitation of applications for providing intermediary service for the flagship project, our presence at TDC’s Entrepreneur Day and the SI seminar held by HKU SPACE, as well as the coming schedule of Social Innovation Jam. Please click here or visit the ‘Newsletter’ section for stories in full.

We are glad to share another encouraging progress in the Fund’s development. SOW (Asia) Foundation Limited (SOW Asia), one of the Fund’s intermediaries, has launched its Capacity Building programme “Fast Forward” on 27 May. Comprising awareness-building outreach events, workshops, provision of mentors and connecting social entrepreneurs to investors, “Fast Forward” will equip social ventures with the business skills and ability to attract appropriate capital and to expand operation. With the rolling out of “Fast Forward”, all four intermediaries have launched their programmes. Find out more about “Fast Forward” from “Intermediaries’ Programmes” section of this website or the website of SOW Asia.

The SIE Fund is now inviting applications from interested organisations to take up the role of intermediary for food support flagship project. The chosen intermediary will help start up a platform to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall food support service in Hong Kong. Please visit the Flagship section of this website for more details. Deadline for application is at 12:00 noon on 21 July 2015.

The first batch of intermediaries are rolling out their programmes for Capacity Building and Innovative Programmes. On 12 May, “Nurturing Social Minds” was officially launched by The Yeh Family Philanthropy Limited (YFP) at a ceremony officiated by Chief Secretary for Administration Mrs Carrie Lam, Vice-chairperson of the SIE Fund Task Force Dr Joseph Lee and Chair of YFP Mrs Yvette Fung. The programme provides MBA students and senior undergraduates the opportunities to work with a partner social venture to tackle real life social problems. While commending YFP, the Task Force and participating students for their contributions to the programme, Mrs Lam also put her trust in the students for creating new businesses and inspiring existing organisations for new services to address the poverty issue of the society. More information about the programme can be found in “Intermediaries’ Programmes” section of this website or the programme’s website.