November 20, 2019

Advance entrance tickets

November 19, 2019

Agorize at Web Wednesday (V121)

Innovation is all the rage in the corporate world and we're going to dig deep into how it really works!

For our 121st Web Wednesday Social Mixer, we are excited to interview Mathieu Toulemonde about his journey from young French hacker to Asia CEO of Agorize, a world leader in online open innovation challenges.

Their offering is extremely timely as they tap into the huge demand for crowd-sourcing new business ideas, as well as some good CSR /PR, for companies who want to engage the wider community of innovators (students, developers and startups).


The numbers speak for themselves: in the last three months, his team of 35 people has enticed 10,000 participants who have proposed 3,000 innovative projects to 15 corporate clients!

In Asia, their clients include: BNP Paribas, HK Science Park, Electrolux, Linkedin HK, Microsoft HK and Amazon.

Mathieu practices what he preaches and is very proud of having successfully developed an internal culture of innovation for which he has recently been awarded the "Best Employer Brand 2019".

We will be hosting the event at Levels Club in Central Hong Kong, 2/F, On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace, Central, Hong Kong. [Google Maps]

Doors open at 6:30pm for networking and the fireside chat begins at 7:20pm or so. We close up at 9pm. We charge an entrance fee of HK$100, which you can either pay at the door or in advance (preferred method), via PayMe.

Sign up for the event across out social media communities:

Watch this teaser interview, part of our new show "852reboothk":


November 7, 2019

Video interview - Tech Titans of China

For those of your who couldn't make it to last night's Web Wednesday interview with veteran tech journalist, media entrepreneur and China watcher, Rebecca Fannin, talking about her new book, "Tech Titans of China".

Hosted at LinkedIn's welcoming and flashy offices in Hong Kong on 6th November, 2019.






November 6, 2019

We accept PayMe!

Thanks to the digital team at HSBC, we can now accept payment via PayMe. Simply scan the QR code below with your PayMe mobile app, enter the amount and confirm payment. The entrance fee for our events is HK$100, which includes one complimentary drink, an insightful (often entertaining) interview and top-notch networking. Thank you for your support!


November 5, 2019

Behind the Scenes at LinkedIn Hong Kong

October 25, 2019

SCMP Redefining Hong Kong - The Future of Payments

The South China Morning Post recently asked me to host a roundtable discussion on "Redefining Hong Kong - The Future of Payments". Here is their summary of the findings. 

Hong Kong was one of the first places in the world to introduce a cashless payment system when the Octopus card was launched in 1997. While little has changed in the city's digital payments ecosystem, other countries around the world have raced ahead in the drive towards cashless economies.

What can be done to help Hong Kong catch up in the mobile payment industry?

Key suggestions from the Redefining Hong Kong audience.


Panelists: (from left) The South China Morning Post's technology reporter Zen Soo; Managing Partner, Asia Pacific FinTech and Innovation Financial Services, EY, Effie Xin; Chief Executive Officer of Octopus Holdings Limited Sunny Cheung Yiu-tong; and Decathlon Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer Marc Zielinski.


1. Hong Kong needs a mindset change

A panel of experts played down the notion that mainland China is much more advanced than Hong Kong in terms of the technology of mobile payments, saying it was more of a 'perception' issue among consumers.




2. YES, YES, YES!

It is no surprise that everyone in the audience agrees that we need to move further to a cashless society, but the question is, how?



3. Convenience, incentives and improve the process

Is Hong Kong ready to go cashless - perhaps we should go coinless first? Audience members have suggested that incentivising and improving the process will help encourage consumers' adoption to digital payments.



4. Data, privacy and regulation

There are concerns around privacy and data in Hong Kong. One of the key questions is who owns the data in Hong Kong? It seems that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has made it really clear but more regulatory clarity on the usage of data and whether the government has access to that data still needs to be given. People are willing to give their data in exchange for convenience and better product development, but more transparency is needed on how the data is used after it's collected.



A BIG THANK YOU to our platinum sponsor, EY, speakers and roundtable facilitators for their support of our Redefining Hong Kong series.

October 22, 2019

Tech Titans of China at Web Wednesday (V120)

All of us who work in tech in Asia know that China is fast becoming the powerhouse that is driving much of the digital innovation, especially in ecommerce, fintech, drones, news and entertainment.

There are disputes as to whether it leads in artificial intelligence, which has become the new battlefield for global dominance.

To help us look under the hood and uncover some stirring truths, we've invited veteran tech journalist, media entrepreneur and China watcher, Rebecca Fannin, to speak about her new book, "Tech Titans of China".


Rebecca has drawn her conclusions from interviews of the top executives from China’s venture and tech ecosystem, including bustling incubators, accelerators, workshops, and networking events. She will share her findings on why she believes China has leapfrogged the U.S. in key areas. One of her sources claims that “China is going to eat Silicon Valley’s lunch.”

Our hosts for this special event will be LinkedIn who's super cool offices are located on 38th Floor of Hysan Place, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. (Find Hysan Place on Google Maps).


Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview beginning at 7:20pm. We wrap up at 9pm.  Space is limited so please pre-register here.

NOTE: The usual door charge will be waived, thanks to our event sponsors at LinkedIn, but all guests will be required to pre-register via the form below in order to attend. See who else is coming via our communities on LinkedIn (1,620 members), Facebook Group (4,888 members), Facebook Page (1,552 likes) and MeetUp (892 members).



July 15, 2019

China Internet Report at Web Wednesday (V119)

Want to peek under the hood of the Chinese Internet? Understand why C2C no longer means Copy-to-China? Learn why BAT is being usurped by MTD?

Join us for our 119th Web Wednesday social mixer, where we have the pleasure of grilling Edith Yeung, the creator of the China Internet Report, and a highly acclaimed cross-border venture capitalist, formerly China Head of 500 Startups, now Managing Partner of Proof of Capital.



Hosted at Levels Nightclub, On Hing Terrace, Central, Hong Kong on Wednesday 17th July. Doors open at 6:30pm, with the talk starting at 7:15pm. The HK$100 entrance fee gives you an incisive interview, high quality networking and a complimentary drink.

We will give 10% of the entrance fees to Edith's favourite charity.

See who else is coming via our communities on:


For those of you who missed Rise, here is their 15 minutes of glory:



And a punchy promo on my LinkedIn profile:



We will be donating 10% of the entrance fees to Edith's favourite charity, The Hub Hong Kong, who's mission is "To give children in our society who are experiencing difficult circumstances an equal opportunity to become valuable members of the community".


May 31, 2019

Payment Landscape Hong Kong 2019

After interviewing 1,000 shoppers, the resourceful team at Tofugear have just released an insightful report on the latest payment trends in Hong Kong.

Sample findings for top payment methods:

  • in-store: cash (88%), Octopus (85%) and credit card (81%)
  • online: credit card (82%), digital wallets (55%) and cash on delivery (24%)


Unlike China, it looks like Hong Kong is moving towards a future with multiple payment options rather than a fully cashless society.

Register here to download the full report (in collaboration with Rakuten Insight and Wirecard).

March 1, 2019

South China Morning Post at Web Wednesday (V118)

Calling all news aficionados and lovers of digital media disruption!

Following on from celebrating its 115th anniversary last year, the South China Morning Post has just launched a new website (scmp.com), employing AI to enrich and personalise content recommendations based on interests, geo-location and reading behaviour. [See the official announcement by the Editor-in-Chief, Tammy Tam].


For our 118th Web Wednesday social mixer, we have the pleasure of inviting Malcolm Ong, Head of Product for the SCMP, to discuss all their new offerings, especially the role of artificial intelligence in personalisation, expanded multimedia content (see links below) as well as the challenges of customising content (and user interfaces) for fickle audiences in the age of bite-size journalism.

We're expecting a good crowd. Save time at the door by pre-booking your entrance tickets here.

Malcolm oversee SCMP’s Product department, which includes product management, product design (UI/UX), engineering, and partnerships across our entire portfolio of brands: SCMP.com, Abacus, Inkstone, Goldthread, and more.



We're back at Levels, 2/F, On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace, Central, Hong Kong. Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview kicking off at 7:20pm. [Find on Google Maps]

Entrance fee of HK$100 gives you one complimentary drink, top quality networking and an insightful (always entertaining) interview!

Their special sections:

SCMP Spotlight

SCMP Videos


SCMP Podcasts

SCMP Infographics


And my personal favourite, the political cartoon, Harry's View.

Sign up via our communities on social media:
- Facebook Page (1,537 followers)
- Facebook Group (4,900 members)
- LinkedIn Group (1,602 members)
- MeetUp Group (879 members)

See you on March 6th!

January 16, 2019

Live stream - Crypto Predictions 2019

We'll be streaming the fireside chat live onto our Facebook Page (facebook.com/webwednesday) for tonight's 117th social mixer, "Crypto Predictions 2019 at Web Wednesday Hong Kong". If you can't be there in the flesh (free entry + free drinks), you're welcome to join the live video stream.

Hosted at Spaces Sun House, doors will open at 6:30pm and we'll aim to start the streaming video at 7:30pm.

You're welcome to post questions to the live stream and I will select some to fire directly at our two speakers, Kris Marszalek, CEO of Crypto.com, and Mike Kayamori, CEO of Liquid Global.

We'll close off the video around 8:30pm and post it to the Facebook Page.

See you this evening! 今晚見!

January 10, 2019

Crypto 2019 at Web Wednesday (V117)

Happy New Year! The Year of the Earth Pig is fast upon us and we've dug up some golden truffles for you!


We're kicking off 2019 with a double bill, inviting two pioneers to forecast the future of cryptocurrencies, Kris Marszalek, CEO of Crypto.com and Mike Kayamori, CEO of Liquid Global (Quoine), who's flying in specially from Tokyo.

Kris will share the consumer perspective and how Crypto.com is building out a wide range of convenient services that will incorporate cryptocurrencies into our daily lives.

With the lofty vision of "Cryptocurrency in Every Wallet", they have already launched the Crypto digital wallet and card app, the metal MCO Visa card (no annual fees) and recently announced Crypto Chain for transacting in any crypto, anywhere, for free. (Download their mobile app: iOS or Android).

Mike will share the trading side of the crypto business, providing insights on crypto exchanges and the role that blockchain plays in facilitating liquidity in this fast evolving digital economy.

NOTE: This event will be hosted in a super cool, new venue, the groovy ground floor of Hong Kong's latest co-working location, Spaces at Sun House, 181 Des Voeux Road Central. [Google Maps]

In the spirit of celebrating new beginnings, the entrance fee will be waived and the drinks will be generously sponsored by Crypto.com and Liquid Global.

Come discover the future of finance and ecommerce on Wednesday 16th January, 2019.

Register via any one of our online communities:

- Facebook Group (4,900 members)
- Facebook Page (1,506 members)
- LinkedIn Group (1,594 members)
- MeetUp Group (876 members)

Here is Crypto.com's promo video (great energy)!



Their CEO summarising the "roller coaster ride" of 2018 with a teaser preview of what's to come in 2019 with Crypto Pay, by their CMO, Sean Rach:



And a talk given by Eric Anziani, SVP, Group Strategy and Bobby Bao, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Monaco addressed delegates at Consensus 2018 in New York City.



Formerly known as "Monaco", the company raised US$25 million from on ICP in June 2017. According to TechCrunch, around US$10M was used to acquire the "crypto.com" domain from Matt Blaze, a professor of computer and information science at the University of Pennsylvania who sits on the board of directors of the Tor Project.

Dive into this intro to Liquid Global:


And an "Ask Me Anything" (hashtag #AMA) session with Mike Kayamori: