The University of Saint Joseph Macao (USJ) has partnered with BN Lawyers and Mr Marco Rizzolio to establish Macau Spin Incubator, a platform for startups from Portuguese-speaking countries to incubate in Macau and bridge to incubators in the Greater Bay Area. The incubator also provides startup incubation and acceleration services to students and researchers at USJ. The official inauguration occurred on March 30, 2023, at the NAPE Campus of USJ.
During the press conference, USJ Rector Rev. Prof. Stephen Morgan expressed the importance of promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in his opening speech as a central part of a university’s responsibility Macau Spin Director and the Dean of USJ Faculty of Business and Law, Prof. Jenny Phillips, highlighted that promoting entrepreneurship and innovation has always been part of their Faculty’s strategic planning. These two years, their strategy focuses on developing a Green Business Series promoting business sustainability and creating a Greater Bay Area network with incubators and businesses in the area that benefits local and international students and Macau Spin Incubator members.
Macau Spin Director Bruno Nunes discussed the platform’s role in helping startups from Portuguese-speaking countries enter the Greater Bay Area. He said, “Macau is the natural location for Portuguese-speaking countries and Mainland China companies to spin off their ventures abroad”. According to the attorney, Macau possesses the natural location, the legal framework, the experts and the necessary funding mechanisms that accelerate such expansion. Nunes believed that through Macau Spin’s programme, network and background, “we provide access to opportunities, university partnerships, and collaborations with top-tier companies enabling talented individuals and ambitious companies to unlock their full potential and drive positive change in Macau.”
Macau Spin Managing Director Marco Rizzolio explained that the incubator provides pre-incubation, incubation, and acceleration services to help members develop their ideas into businesses and grow and expand existing ones. He shared that a few projects have signed up with Macau Spin, and others are at the application stage. He further expressed that the incubator provides entrepreneurs with a runway to build their startups before entering the market, adding that “it is also in our plan to act as an accelerator of the commercialization of research outcomes from the university. We aim to create a positive impact and support Macau’s economic diversification”.
The inauguration of the Macau Spin Incubator marks a significant step in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in Macau and beyond, especially as a platform between the Greater Bay Area and Portuguese Speaking Countries.
