by
Criseida Martinez Marco*
ThinkYoung, the University of Hong Kong and Huawei launched its 2nd edition of the Entrepreneurship Summer School in Hong Kong. The programme hosted many entrepreneurs coming from all over the world, providing a great cultural mix. At the end of the programme, the participants gained a boost in self-confidence and in their ability to dispose of merely having ideas by translating a new business.
Through the Entrepreneurship School, we allow young entrepreneurs to unlock their true potential, which is done by helping them to build up their confidence and expand their skills to develop their entrepreneurial ideas. Christian, a French student from the Winter School in Hong Kong 2014, experienced this: “Overall, the visit here really changed my mind about shaping a company”.
Entrepreneurship School initiatives were possible because of our team of mentors who supervised and supported the implementation of students’ projects. Eight successful entrepreneurs, who wanted to help young people with creative start up ideas but without knowledge on how to set up a business, formed the team of speakers.
These speakers consisted of successful entrepreneurs from different countries such as Netherlands, USA and Italy. They shared their experiences about entrepreneurship between different cultures, and worked with the students to inspire them about the world of business, and more specifically the world of entrepreneurship.
Our list of speakers was filled with successful entrepreneurs such as Jennifer Chan (Founder of Delta Think), Kay Ross (Founder of Kay Ross Marketing) and Robert van Hunsel (Founder of Media Group Asia ltd), who managed to convey their entrepreneurial spirit.
They brought their experiences to the table in order to inspire the participants, all in a very didactic way. Away from the typical lecture approach, our Entrepreneurship Schools worked with a unique methodology. They are not professors or boring lecturers, only exciting pioneers who can offer knowledge by sharing their experiences and giving the participants advices, which they cannot find in books.
By the end of the week, the participants had not only engaged with eight different entrepreneurs, but had also visited the headquarters of Huawei in Shenzhen, one of the biggest and most innovative technology firms in the world, founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei. The multinational has expanded from reselling PBX productsto becoming a leading global ICT solutions provider. “The presentation of the company gave me the feeling that Huawei is like a big family”, mentioned by Dimitra, a Greek student who really enjoyed the School and company visit.
The visit in Shenzhen enabled the students to catch a glimpse of Huawei’s work and experience first-hand how the company innovates. Huawei has initiated a number of activities to boost ICT skills and entrepreneurship among young people, using its strategic position as a global ICT leader to reach out to students and connect them with opportunities.
Its Telecom Seeds for the Future programme for instance is an umbrella initiative launched to bridge the gap between what is learned and what is needed in the industry.
During the school, the students also had the chance to meet the senior Vice President to have a discussion on this exceptional entrepreneurial achievement. Participants also have access to incentives such as alumni events and workshops, which enable ThinkYoung to keep in touch with previous school attendees and provide them with further guidance and assistance needed to achieve their goal of creating a start-up.
All in all, successful entrepreneurs provided experience in their respective fields and practical examples in overcoming failure and adversities. This was invaluable in making this year’s edition a success. In addition, there was an interactive environment between students and speakers. What is more, “the employees are vey happy to work here, they are very proud of it”, said Dimitru, a Romanian boy who also attended to the Winter School in Hong Kong.
Indeed, one of the greatest successes of the School was the beginning of Entrepreneurship Junior School. This was undoubtedly a success. The students were highly motivated by the talks. They had between fourteen and fifteen years and they were really engaged, asking questions and sharing their ideas. They were deeply involved as future entrepreneurs.
This 2nd edition of the Entrepreneurship School in Hong Kong is a clear example of the experience gained by ThinkYoung over time. ThinkYoung’s Entrepreneurship Schools were first introduced during the summer of 2010 in Brussels with the intend to help young Europeans who had creative start up ideas but did not know how to set up a business. However, up to date, the School has grown tremendously. They aim to empower the students to become more competitive in their professional life in order to achieve their dreams of becoming in real entrepreneurs.
*Criseida Martinez Marco is Think Young communication officer
By: N. Peter Kramer
