Intertek is proud to be the Quality Partner of ‘Startup Launchpad’ Apr 2018

20 Apr 2018

This year Intertek Hong Kong acted as the Quality Partner of Global Sources ‘Startup Launchpad’ (SULP) Apr 2018. Experts from our Electrical and Network Assurance business participated as conference speaker and panel judge for the SULP Investment Competition and provided invaluable insights for and solutions to the electronics hardware startups during the four-day event. 

Held twice a year in Hong Kong alongside the Global Sources Electronics Show, SULP is Asia’s largest hardware trade show facilitating global distribution between startups and online and offline retailers. It features a full-fledged conference program with industry experts hosting exciting talks and panel discussions on topics ranging from challenges to innovation, IoT and big data, investment trends and emerging technologies such as blockchain and fintech, etc.

The April show, held from Apr 11 to 14 at the AsiaWorld-Expo, was the sixth Startup Launchpad and has successfully attracted over 250 startups, as well as 40,000 international buyers from 120 countries.

Intertek’s Daniel Yau, Vice President – Electrical and Network Assurance, North East Asia and Global Business Line Leader, Connected World, was a speaker at the SULP Conference featuring “Insights into Critical Challenges Facing the Internet of Things (IoT)”.

“IoT is the network of devices and objects which enables connectivity to the internet and exchangeability of data. The Connected World is then formed by these IoT systems, connecting end-users with corporate and country infrastructure,” says Daniel. “In Connected World, we are facing different challenges, such as cybersecurity, product regulation, and interoperability. Intertek’s Total Quality Assurance (TQA) end-to-end systemic customer service solutions can cover all the potential risks.  Intertek is ready to join hands with the startups, and together we can embrace challenges and turn them into opportunities.”

Jason Ho, Vice President – Electrical and Network Assurance, Intertek Hong Kong, was appointed a panel judge of the Startup Launchpad Investment Competition (SLIC). With the aim of bringing Asia to the forefront of the hardware startup ecosystem, SLIC was designed to reward entrepreneurs with innovative ideas and a special focus on hardware. They were judged on five criteria: business model, team-work, market validation, presentation and product data.    

Jason comments: “Being the panel Judge of the Investor Forum was an incredible experience.  It is encouraging that the young startups with innovative ideas and streamlined products are aware of the significance of quality assurance in the upstream and product R&D. As a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, we understand the skills, tools and attributes required to make a successful entrepreneur. We are certain that our TQA solutions are the best ways of giving their products a competitive edge and well-structured performance tests.”

Minesh Pore, Head of Startup Launchpad, says: “I am really thankful to Intertek for becoming our Quality Partner. As Startup Launchpad helps hardware startups get into retail, it is of utmost important that they know about the assurance, testing, inspection and certification requirements of the global retail world. Who is in a better position to help these startups but Intertek? We hope to work more closely with Intertek in the future and build a deeper partnership to improve the experience for both buyers and startups.”

During the four-day event, Intertek Hong Kong also ran a booth at the SULP exhibition which was visited by buyers and startups who wanted to learn more about quality and safety issues.

With our in-depth experience and leading market position in Electronics and Network Assurance, Toys and Hardlines, and Softlines, Intertek Hong Kong has been offering cross-disciplinary TQA solutions to help startups commercialize their products to markets according to market and regulatory requirements.

All startups are welcome to talk to our Intertek specialists.