Hong Kong 30 Under 30 2015

Co-founder, Sensbeat

Leo Wong was inspired to start Sensbeat while on an exchange program in Europe as a Hong Kong University of Science and Technology undergraduate.

Listening to music during his travels, Wong wanted to convey “the awesome and memorable feelings” to friends back at home. He recruited fellow undergrads Ben Chan and Conrad Lo, and the budding entrepreneurs skipped two semesters of classes to work on the mobile app.

Launched in 2014, the concept of Sensbeat is simple: it lets users post updates about their moods and the emotions evoked from songs they’re listening to. Like tweeting on Twitter, users send out “beats” and followers can “echo.”

It hasn’t always been an easy road, though. “Most people [in Hong Kong] choose to join prestigious firms. Many Chinese families would rather their children didn’t do a startup because the risk is high.”

But the trio can confidently shrug off any doubt in their product — they’re backed by investors in Hong Kong and Silicon Valley and have received multiple accolades, including Start-Up Singapore’s Top 6 Startups in Asia and winners of the HK Young Entrepreneur Challenge 2013.

His very first job? Sensbeat!

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