I had the pleasure of attending the StartmeupHK seminar and networking lunch last week, and there was no mistaking Held at the highly-regarded accelerator space Level 39, the backdrop of Canary Wharf from 39 floors up was the perfect accompaniment to what was an inspiring and informative afternoon. The aim of the event was to show the potential of Hong Kong as a vibrant island with unlimited potential for business growth, and following an afternoon of impassioned talks by entrepreneurs already working in the city, there was certainly a positive impression left.

Midpoint is a fin-tech company that has developed and runs the world's first peer-to-peer international currency payments platform that offers dramatically lower foreign currency exchange costs for both consumers and businesses.

Entrepreneurs know the value of a good idea better than anyone. That spark, creative push or lightbulb moment are what many entrepreneurs base their business on. Ideas and innovations are the lifeblood of a start-up – without one you are up against things from the word go.

Retail giant John Lewis are clearly a company that understands that startups have the potential to shape the future, if the launch of their tech incubator - JLAB - last month is anything to go by. This initative was carried out in collaboration with serial tech entreperenuer and Angel Investor Stuart Marks, who was also on the panel to help pick the finalists.The finalists include Localz which allows retailers to know when their best customers are in-store, and Viewsy which allows retailers to track customer behaviour in-store in order for them to give individuals more unique and tailored services (see full list of finalists below).

It is well known that an increasingly aging population is one of Europe's social and economic challenges. For the health care industry this means that, according to the new report from Nesta Impact Investments, the current health care system will fail to meet the demands of the population, perhaps as soon as in ten years time. The need now is to build a system that will provide for the anticipated care and support needs, whilst delivering improved quality of life.

This week, in a bid to be seen as "cool" again to teens on mobile and social platforms, Facebook launched its latest app Slingshot. It was around last month too as Facebook accidentally pushed Slingshot live in Malaysia and then pulled it out again.

It was William McChesney Martin, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Bank in the '50s and '60s, who famously remarked that it was the job of central bankers to "take away the punch bowl just when the party gets going".

Designed to work across the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Windows, FileMaker allows you to run reports, manage your customer data and so much more. In other words, if you're looking to 'streamline you business' then FileMaker just may be your go-to tool. It would seem that London based visual effects company and Oscar winners Framestore got the memo - if their recent collaboration with the business solution is anything to go by - and on the 23rd June at the Regent Street Apple branch, you can expect to find out a whole lot more.

On the 3rd and 4th of July 2014, more than 3000 attendees from more than 60 countries will gather at the new conference centre in Luxemborg Kirchberg. This annual two-day event aims at encouraging exchange on innovation and trends, with current topics in Information and Communication Technologies in Europe. This year's edition focuses on "Innovating The Customer Experience" throughout FinTech solutions. Addressing topics such as virtual currencies, security and the value of ecommerce.