Elon Musk-inspired entrepreneur sees science, technology driving Hong Kong’s start-up culture
Mah Shao-qian, a recent Student of the Year Awards winner, said there was increased emphasis on the start-up culture in Hong Kong, which helps encourage more people to become entrepreneurs
When Mah Shao-qian was named one of the winners of the South China Morning Post’s Student of the Year Awards in March this year, he said science and technology could help provide a way for Hong Kong to diversify its industries, while contributing to the improvement of society.
It is a belief backed up by the 18-year-old Mah’s recent activities as an entrepreneur.
Mah and 25 of his schoolmates at Renaissance College, a private independent international school, formed a company called Hydropal as part of a programme run in Hong Kong by the non-profit youth organisation Junior Achievement (JA).
A market research conducted by Hydropal found that most people in the city do not drink enough water. The start-up produced reusable water bottles with sensors to track a user’s water intake and a smartphone app to calculate how much water a user should drink based on weight, age and level of physical activity.
That experience has led Mah, who recently graduated as valedictorian of his class, to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley – the flagship research institution of that state’s public university system.
Mah, winner in the Scientist and Mathematician category of the 37th annual Student of the Year Awards sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club, talked with the Post‘s Iris Deng ahead of his move to the US.