HONG KONG, July 11 (Xinhua) -- RISE Tech Conference 2019, one of the largest technology meetings in Asia, ended here Thursday, as over 350 speakers discussed topics related to the development of innovation and technology, including the sustainability of new start-ups.

Over 350 speakers from around the world, including corporate leaders, start-up founders, and investors, gathered in Hong Kong to join the four-day meeting to talk about the future development of innovation and technology.

At a forum entitled “Empowering the entrepreneurs of tomorrow”, Janice Lee, managing director of PCCW Media Group, is a global company headquartered in Hong Kong, said that in recent years, it has been harder than it was about 10 years ago in raising funds for new start ups.

Apart from focusing on generating a lot of users and be able to live with a longer path to profitability, new companies have to demonstrate fast their sustainable business model which is more crucial and important than before, Lee said.

Albert Wong, chief executive officer of Hong Kong Science Park, said that core technology is just as important as a business model, because the core technologies that a company works on is making a difference.

“A lot of the time, the investors today are looking at the core technologies,” he said.

Furthermore, the speakers of the forum agreed that a diverse environment, having cultural diversity, for instance, will do good to the development of a new start-up, especially if the founder wanted to expand the business.

“If you want to address a bigger market outside of our home market, you’ve got to be much more inclusive,” Lee said.