bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

James Griffiths

Despite their small numbers, women are doing amazing things in technology in Hong Kong and here is a look at the types of work five of them are doing to make the city’s start-up scene more vibrant and representative. 
Melissa Guzy
Founder and managing partner, Arbor Ventures
Melissa Guzy and fellow Arbor managing partner Wei Hopeman are a rarity in an already exclusive corner of the tech industry: female venture capitalists.
Their firm has received funding from the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation, and focuses on tech firms in Asia, making average investments of US$3-5 million. 
Michelle Sun
Founder, First Code Academy
A Hong Kong native and Silicon Valley veteran, Michelle Sun founded First Code Academy as a way to introduce young girls to coding, but soon expanded to accepting boys as well after huge demand.
It now has more than 2,000 students aged six to 18, providing them “with the digital literacy and the computational thinking skills, empowering them to become creators with technology”.
Karen Farzam
Founder, Women Who Code HK and co-founder, W Hub
Frenchwoman Karen Farzam has committed herself to making start-ups in Hong Kong more representative. Non-profit Women Who Code HK provides a network for women working in technology in the city, and helps to inspire the next generation of female engineers.
Employment platform W Hub, co-founded with Karena Belin, aims to make it easier for anyone to join a start-up, and help tech firms in the city find much-needed talent.
Catherine Tan
Co-founder, Notey
While the other women on this list are making strides in improving the representation of women in tech, Catherine Tan is in the start-up trenches herself.
After years as an investment banker, she co-founded blog aggregator and discovery engine Notey with Kevin Lepsoe in late 2013. The start-up has since attracted more than US$1.5 million in funding.
Fanny Law
Chairwoman, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
The corporation was established in May 2001 with a remit to promote science and technology innovation in Hong Kong to boost economic growth.
Since becoming chairwoman last year, Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fan has worked to help attract top researchers and innovators to its various incubators, and also lobbies for greater opportunities for young people to take part in science-based education.


China’s massive solar rooftop roll-out gains traction, but grid struggles to keep pace

Fossil findings set Hong Kong abuzz, but talk of ‘dinosaur tourism’ leaves experts cold

How has Hengqin helped Macau diversify its casino-dominated economy?

Superpower showdown: how US-China economic warfare could play out under Trump

Focus

5 women making a difference in Hong Kong’s tech start-up scene

Michelle Sun. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Melissa Guzy. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Karen Farzam. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Catherine Tan. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Fanny Law. Photo: May Tse

Why women are a rare breed in Hong Kong's burgeoning tech start-up field

First Code Academy founder Michelle Sun believes girls should start young in science and tech. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Michelle Sun's First Code Academy was originally intended for just girls, but proved so popular with parents it began accepting boys as well. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Karen Farzam and Michelle Sun started Women Who Code 18 months ago to form a community for female coders in Hong Kong. Photo: Bruce Yan

Karena Belin co-founded W Hub with Karen Farzam as a way to help improve the diversity of start-ups in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Noel Ho Ka-miu said many Hongkongers still feel pressure to join the city's two traditional industries, banking and property. Photo: Bobby Yip

First Code Academy

Gender bias in science and tech is an issue not confined to Hong Kong

The number of women studying computer science in the US has gone down since 1991, even as the tech industry has boomed. Photo: MCT