Week 3 Completed: EU-Ying De Joint Accelerator Programme

6 July – Week 3 of the EU-funded Accelerator Programme led by Ying De was successfully completed. This week’s prorgramme focused on the adoption by SMEs of green technology to create sustainable business models, how to get into overseas markets in a greener way and the implications of low carbon and the environment. 

The talks were delivered by investment specialist Ian Dixon, founder and CEO of Crayfish, Ms. Zhang Ting, and Dr. Gillian Gao of the University of Cambridge.

Ian Dixon introduced to participating SMEs the benefits of green technology applications for business profitability and sustainable development. He also explained companies’ fundraising in detail including the fundraising cycle and the different stages involved, putting an emphasis on early-stage funding, which was an area of major interest to SMEs.

In addition, Ian also discussed the main points that companies looking for funding should be aware of, provided an in-depth analysis about the type of information investors would be most interested in, and shared the common FAQs that investors and companies would usually encounter during their interactions.

Drawing on her 25 years business investment experience, Ms. Zhang Ting shared her thoughts on how to use “green ways” to enter overseas markets, and briefed participants on the huge trade opportunities with Asia-Pacific and China for a post-Brexit, post-Covid UK.  She also highlighted the important role that digital technology plays as a “green way” of conducting business development and overseas market expansion in the post-Covid era.  She finished her talk by giving participants practical advice on how to enter and expand the Chinese market.

Finally, Ms. Gillian Gao delivered a talk on the relevance of global climate change and net-zero carbon to businesses. She explained the impact of climate change and why the concept of net-zero carbon is also important to SMEs. The talk aimed to help SMEs become more aware of net-zero carbon and more motivated to implement the related strategy, technologies and practices to enhance its core competitiveness.