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| Source: ALMAD Group. Key visual featuring a collage with the back of a man in black in two locations, and the brand logo superimposed on it. The structure at the top appears to be the Museum of the Future in Dubai. |
Hong Kong-based ALMAD Group has gone live. The investment firm, founded by entrepreneur Dr Adrian Cheng, focuses on the digital space and emerging markets, including Mainland China, the ASEAN countries, the Middle East and beyond. Cheng, who is Founder and Executive Chairman, ALMAD Group, Executive Chairman of K11 by AC, and the Founder of K11, is no stranger to providing early-stage funding to empower technology startups. His successes include Xiaohongshu, XPeng Motors, and Micro Connect.
He said: “We are living in an era of profound change in the global economy, where new frontiers are emerging at an unprecedented pace. From ideation two years ago, we have been determined to build ALMAD Group as a movement propelling this shift, investing in transformative industries in emerging markets such as ASEAN and the Middle East, while advancing globally in digital assets and cultural industries.”
“Our mission is clear: to build what the next generation needs and to shape a future economy filled with possibilities.”
The group has three foci:
- Investing in transformative industries in emerging markets
- Breaking boundaries in digital and virtual assets
- Globalising the K11 by AC cultural ecosystem ALMAD Group's transformative industry priorities span culture, entertainment, sports, media, healthcare, commercial management and cultural tourism. These industries demonstrate strong commercial viability today, and also possess potential to shape the global economy and society in the next 20 years, the group said.
Cheng stated: “As ALMAD Group’s movement evolves, I look forward to unveiling more projects in the near future, showcasing the group’s commitment to transforming vision to action.”
ALMAD Group also aspires to lead in Web3 financial innovation, considering investments in digital asset, real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation and other emerging opportunities. Applications leveraging Blockchain technology and immersive digital experiences will also be explored.
Cheng launched K11, the world’s first cultural commerce model that integrates art, design, and retail, in 2008. His leadership has driven K11 projects such as Victoria Dockside, Hong Kong’s US$2.6 B global art and cultural district featuring K11 MUSEA.
ALMAD Group member K11 by AC’s core differentiation lies in its use of cultural content, co-creation of the brand experience, commercial management, and customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities targeting younger and more affluent demographics. The brand is redefining the cultural landscape by managing retail assets and art and cultural districts for a range of landlords.
K11 by AC’s Anime Intellectual Property (IP) business, Experience 11, is expanding in Mainland China and the Middle East. It curates experiences with leading anime IPs from around the world, leveraging its global art network and expertise. This segment strengthens the cultural ecosystem by capturing the 2D* or animation, comic, game and novel (ACGN) industries, which are highly popular across Gen Z and Gen Alpha market segments. K11 by AC is also scaling its Gentry Club business, a high-privacy luxury city club for cultural lovers themed around an artisanal lifestyle.
*2D or two-dimensional subculture refers to the animation, comics and game market.