FII conference: Investment firm backed by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing seeks transformative technologies

Innovative technologies such as synthetic biology and alternative materials are poised to take centre stage in the next 10 years because they have the potential to positively impact the lives and livelihoods of many people, according to Solina Chau Hoi-shuen, co-founder of Horizons Ventures, an investment firm backed by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing.

Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute's first Asia conference in Hong Kong on Thursday, Chau acknowledged the challenges traditional manufacturers face in adopting new technologies amid competition and economic slowdown.

However, she stressed the importance of pursuing technological developments, especially those that can be applied in mass production to seamlessly provide functional improvements in existing applications.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Even small changes in materials can make a significant difference, she said. As an example, she mentioned her company's portfolio investment in an Australian start-up that makes an eco-friendly paper from plant waste.

FII Institute CEO Richard Attias (left) and Horizons Ventures Co-founder Solina Chau speak at the FII Priority event in Hong Kong on December 7, 2023. Photo: Jonathan Wong alt=FII Institute CEO Richard Attias (left) and Horizons Ventures Co-founder Solina Chau speak at the FII Priority event in Hong Kong on December 7, 2023. Photo: Jonathan Wong>

The company, Varden, claims its Paperseal can transform the design of consumer packaging because it can replace single-use plastics, which are rarely recycled, with fully compostable materials in products like throwaway coffee pods and pharmaceutical blister packs.

Chau said that a considerable percentage of aluminium coffee capsules end up in landfills, causing harm to the environment, despite some of them being recyclable.

Innovations like Paperseal possess an outsized capacity to positively impact society, she added.

"It is tiny but with magnificent power," she said.

Horizons, co-founded by Chau in 2012, has made early investments in companies like DeepMind, Siri, Skype, Zoom and Impossible Foods. The company's vision is to invest in deep science and technology that can propel humanity towards a significantly improved future.

In one recent investment, Horizons led a US$50 million Series B financing round for Indonesian electric-vehicle maker Ilectra Motor Group. And Swiss drug maker Roche this week announced it will spend up to US$3.1 billion to acquire a company in the Horizons portfolio, US weight-loss treatment developer Carmot Therapeutics.

Chau was among city leaders speaking at the FII Priority conference organised by the FII Institute, which is a think tank backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

Participants also discussed the ethics and regulations surrounding artificial intelligence, advanced technology and the future of sustainability, some of the biggest concerns facing humanity.

When asked about facing challenges in making difficult business decisions, Chau cited the importance of having a curious mindset and employing counterfactual thinking as a way of sparking ideas. She also noted that any unsuccessful policies should be considered as part of the cost of business development, as predicting the future and guaranteeing success is impossible.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.