Refine your fundraising strategy, strengthen investor messaging, and develop a clearer capital-raising plan for the GBA and broader market.
Identify landing pathways, access local resources and funding support, and gain practical understanding of the GBA business environment.
Connect with corporate, industry, and ecosystem partners through curated meetings aligned to your business needs and expansion priorities.
Sessions are led by subject-matter experts, ecosystem practitioners, and experienced advisors, and are adapted to the cohort's stage and sector profile to keep the content relevant and actionable.
The sessions aim to equip startups with a practical understanding of the GBA business environment and to help them apply that knowledge directly to their landing and growth plans. Each session includes discussion and Q&A so startups can raise their own challenges and receive tailored guidance.
With over 9 years of experience in startup ecosystem development and incubation, Kennith So is a seasoned professional in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Lingnan University of Hong Kong and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Kennith began his career as a founder in the esports and gaming sector, building hands-on expertise in navigating the entrepreneurial landscape. He later joined Hong Kong Cyberport as an Account Manager in the Digital Entertainment division, where he played a pivotal role in supporting startups and driving industry growth. Subsequently, Kennith served as Program Lead at HongShan Capital’s subsidiary, HKXF, where he launched numerous accelerator and training programs catering to startups at various stages of development.
Throughout his career, Kennith has gained extensive experience in business development, operations, technology transfer, company strategy, and startup growth, making him a valuable asset in nurturing entrepreneurial talent and scaling ventures.
Former Managing Partner of Brinc China, an investment-based global pre-seed/seed accelerator.
She has started the China chapter for Brinc, and has designed, established, and operated seven Accelerator Programs customized for Chinese startups with Brinc in IoT, MedTech, Smart Manufacturing, and EdTech. Renee also designed Brinc’s accelerator program for Bahrain.
Ran one of the biggest global startup competitions in southern China with the local government to build out the innovation startup ecosystem. The competition was hosted in more than 12 cities each year, and over 1500 applications every year. Designed a one-week landing pad program for the finalists to experience the startup ecosystem in the Greater Bay Area.
Helped over 100 overseas startups to connect with China market, localise and enter the Chinese market. Renee was a registered mentor for Guangdong Province Incubation Association. She serves as startup mentors in several global startup competitions and programs e.g. SheLovesTech, SWITCH, HICOOL, Accelerator IV, and Techstar’s Startup Weekend.
For expansion-ready startups seeking capital, partnerships, and market access.
This section outlines our eligibility criteria, nomination requirements, and important timeline related to the program.
This program is designed for startups and MSMEs with demonstrated traction seeking to expand into the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Priority is given to companies at the Pre-Series A to Series A stage and beyond, with established product-market fit, clear expansion plans or fundraising goals for the GBA region, and a readiness to engage with investors, corporates, and ecosystem stakeholders.
The program is open to overseas startups from ASEAN, MENA, Central Asia, Nordic, Europe, East Asia, and North America.
The program fee is USD 3,000 per startup. This covers the full 6-month accelerator, including business matching, professional advising sessions, investor mentoring, the week-long GBA immersion trip, funding application guidance, and program coordination.
Startups nominated by endorsed program partners may be eligible for a subsidy on the program fee.
By the end of the program, startups are expected to have stronger access to GBA business and partner networks, a clearer fundraising strategy and investor positioning, more practical understanding of the GBA market and landing process, tangible business matching outcomes and partnership conversations, and improved readiness for funding applications and local registration.
The program consists of five core components:
The program runs over 6 months, combining virtual and in-person elements to support business readiness, relationship building, and market entry execution.
The program will admit a maximum of 20 startups to ensure a focused and high-quality experience. Preference will be given to startups nominated by endorsed program partners. All applicants will undergo an evaluation session with the GUIDE and Gobi team.
All official communications related to your application, shortlisting, and participation in the program will be conducted exclusively through our official email: program@guide.works. Please reach out to us if you have any questions.
Please ensure you check this email address regularly for updates, requests for additional information, and important notifications. We strongly advise applicants to whitelist this address or check your spam/junk folders to avoid missing any critical communications. Any communication from other channels or unofficial emails should be disregarded unless otherwise stated on our official website or by a verified team member.
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