Hong Kong has secured the fifth position in a global ranking of start-up potential, according to a white paper released Monday by market research firm CB Insights and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. The study positions the city as the primary hub in Asia for nurturing high-growth companies and unicorns.

The report suggests that Asia’s technology landscape functions differently than the traditional Silicon Valley model. While Silicon Valley operates as a single, concentrated hub, the research indicates that Asia functions as a distributed network. In this model, different regional markets specialize in specific stages of the technology life cycle, allowing Hong Kong to carve out a niche in supporting scalable ventures.

The findings emphasize Hong Kong's role in the broader regional ecosystem, suggesting that the city’s infrastructure and support systems are effectively fostering new business growth. The report aims to provide a clearer picture of how Asian markets contribute to the global innovation economy, moving away from comparisons that focus solely on replicating the American model of tech development.