[CIE & SDSC] Start-up Realities: What They Don’t Tell You about Innovation, Leadership and Succeeding the Quest
Everyone talks about passion, vision, and disruption. But what really happens after you launch your startup and try to make a difference in society?
In this eye-opening session, Mr Ian Huang, a serial entrepreneur, shares the real, unfiltered side of innovation and entrepreneurship that you don’t often hear about in class or in the media.
From building deep-tech startups in Silicon Valley, Singapore, and Hong Kong, to leading teams and raising capital from major global investors, Ian will take you behind the scenes of what it takes to grow a venture — and attain financial freedom.
Whether you’re an aspiring founder, a curious problem-solver, or just want to understand how innovation works in the real world, this session will give you practical insights, surprising truths, and the inspiration to think bigger and braver.
This talk is part of CIE’s Start-up Explorer series, and SDSC’s Strategic Masterminds- Wisdom from Decision Sciences Leaders series.
Event Details:
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🚀Date: |
5 February 2026 (Thursday) |
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🎯Time: |
2:00pm – 4:00pm |
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I. Talk by Mr Ian Huang, CEO, InnoTech Venture A deep-tech entrepreneur and innovation leader, Ian Huang has founded and scaled startups across Silicon Valley, Singapore, and Hong Kong. He was previously VP of Engineering at Hughes Network Systems, and Founder & CEO of XNET Technology, which was successfully listed on NASDAQ. Ian is the co-inventor of 13 AI and blockchain patents granted in the US, EU, China, and UK. His ventures have received major awards including the Grand Prize for FinTech Startup of the Year by the Hong Kong Economic Times. II. Fireside Chat (Panel Sharing Session) Moderator: Dr Holly Chung, Associate Director, CIE Panel Members: – Prof Daniel Mo – Professor and Associate Dean (Engagement & Undergraduate Studies), SDSC; Executive Committee Member, CIE – Ir Dr George Ho – Associate Professor and BBA-SCM Programme Director, SDSC – HSUHK student representatives
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🏢Venue: |
Fung Yiu King Hall, 4/F, S H Ho Academic Building, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Hang Shin Link, Siu Lek Yuen, Shatin |
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Language: |
English |
You’ll hear about:
· What/ How to prepare and equip yourself to venture a startup
· What to choose: deep-tech, high-tech, low-tech or no-tech
· What trends are shaping the environment, culture, and ecosystem, and how they converge
· The difference between technology innovation and business innovation, and how they interconnect
· How to weigh competitions and collaborations
· What the future of society looks like and how startups can leverage it
· How investors look at deals
For any enquiries, feel free to contact us at cie@hsu.edu.hk or 3963 5608.
We can’t wait to see you there! Let’s unlock the secrets to startup success together! 🌟
Biography of Mr Ian Huang
Ian Huang’s bio:
Ian Huang is the Founder and CEO of InnoTech Venture focusing on AI investment opportunities. In his past AI journey, he delivered the technologies of anti-spoofed face recognition, anti-spoofed voice recognition, document authentication, age estimation via voice AI, and auto-response of customer service-call with relevant substance.
He has been the Founder, CEO, and Chief Architect of ParallelChain Lab, a blockchain and AI company that provides enterprise-grade and Web3 digital identity solutions. Ian is also the co-inventor of its 13 patents based on the technologies of blockchain and artificial intelligence, granted by the jurisdictions of US, EU, China and UK. ParallelChain Lab received the First Prize Award (Age Estimation via Voice AI) organized by the Singapore InfoComm Media Development Authority (IMDA), and the Grand Prize Award (FinTech Startup of the Year) organized by Hong Kong Economic Times.
Ian began his career as a Trainee Engineer at Westinghouse Robotic Laboratory in Pittsburgh. He has since held significant positions at Tektronix, Northrop Grumman, Shugart, Zilog, Digital Equipment Corporation and Hughes Network Systems, where he ultimately was the Vice President of Engineering.
He founded XNET Technology in Silicon Valley, where he served as CEO and led the company to a successful public listing as NASDAQ. Under his leadership, successfully secured equity investments from prominent institutions.
Ian holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (BSECE) and a Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) from the University of Portland and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.
He was Chairman for the Association for Computing Machinery, Silicon Valley Chapter, a Co-founder of the Asian Business League in Silicon Valley, and he has been listed in Who’s Who in Technology and Who’s Who Among Outstanding Americans. Ian was the Visiting Chief Architect for the Singapore National Science and Technology Board (later renamed as Agency for Science, Technology and Research A*STAR). Ian was the Founder and Chairman of Co-operatives for Innovative Intellectuals, a charity organization, in Hong Kong, and he is a Fellow at the Hong Kong Computer Society, a Fellow at the Hong Kong Institute of Directors.
Ian has invited former US Vice President Al Gore (also known as Father of Internet) and Dr Radia Perlman (Mother of Internet) to Hong Kong. He has also invited former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Dr Jack J. Dongarra (A.M. Turing Award 2021 recipient), and Dr John Hennessy (former President of Stanford University and A.M. Turing Award 2017 recipient) to Singapore.