Alibaba makes a move on Hong Kong's startup scene

As Hong Kong’s startup scene continues to gather pace, big business - and not necessarily governments - are going all out to support startups with office space, marketing and seed capital. Alibaba group is among a handful of big companies from AIA and Infiniti to offer support to this flourishing sector.Aliyun, Alibaba’s cloud computing arm, has announced a series of services and support measures for Hong Kong startups, including cloud computing, technology training, launching traditional Chinese and English websites and accepting local payment methods for purchases.Later this year Aliyun will host its Founder+ in Hong Kong to help Hong Kong startups with talent matching and fundraising.Other services from hardware support to marketing services and guidance from investors are all aimed at helping Hong Kong startups further explore business opportunities in the China market.Ethan Yu, vice president of Aliyun, said Hong Kong has many excellent startups, including those in gaming, mobile and finance sectors that are longing for secure, stable and efficient cloud computing solutions. "By offering localised hybrid computing services, we hope to facilitate Hong Kong startups to expand their business more rapidly and efficiently." In the past couple of years alone, Hong Kong has planted a big flag in the startup community and the government has previously stated that business innovation would form a new pillar of the Hong Kong economy.