UVA Darden, Cambridge Judge, HKU Partner to Bring Entrepreneurship and Innovation Conference to Hong Kong for First Time

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business joined the University of Cambridge Judge Business School and their new partner, the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Business and Economics (HKU), to co-host the 9th annual Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research Conference in Hong Kong on 9-10 May.

More than 70 researchers from four continents convened at HKU’s Cyberport Campus for an event that paired seasoned scholars with junior faculty from around the world to present and discuss scholarly research on entrepreneurship and innovation. Darden Professor Jeremy Hutchison-Krupat and Cambridge Judge Professor Stelios Kavadias, conference chairs, invited HKU Professor and Batten Institute Fellow Po-Hsuan Hsu to co-chair and host the 2018 conference. Darden Professors Mike Lenox, Pedro Matos, and Ting Xu served as session chairs and discussants for authors presenting international research topics.

“Coming to Asia, and here to Hong Kong, gives a greater opportunity for scholars in these regions to attend the conference and build networks that will persist,” said Lenox.

Keynote speakers at the conference included Karl Ulrich and David Hsu of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, who invited attendees to explore ideas that help companies manage the risks associated with disruptive innovation.

The conference also featured a session with three local tech entrepreneurs, a conference tradition established by Cambridge Judge. The founders discussed the impact of government policies that accelerate innovation.

Noting that Hong Kong has birthed five “unicorns” — startups that quickly reach $1 billion in capitalization — in recent years, they cited policies around expedited expert immigration and government-facilitated startup capital as key levers for the rapid growth of new ventures in the region.

Ensuing conversation among attendees centered on the development of research projects aimed at accelerating tech venture growth.

The 10^th annual Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research Conference hosted by Darden, Cambridge Judge and Hong Kong University will be held next year at the UVA Darden Sands Family Grounds in the Washington, D.C., area.