COMP Students' Creative Social Venture Wins Entrepreneurship Award

25 Jun 2014
Li Yuanxi (left) and Chan Sheung-wai (right) represent the Barrier-free School team in receiving the award

Team of the Department of Computer Science 'The Barrier-free School', comprised of Li Yuanxi (PhD in Computer Science), Chan Sheung-wai (PhD in Computer Science), Dr Zou Waiwen (Computer Science alumnus), Chen Lijun (Master in Chinese Medicine), and two HKU students Cheung Wing-yin and Tsao Wen Yi, recently won the “BEST $300,000 for New Venture – Business Plan Competition (social enterprise category)".

The team made use of barrier-free information technologies to provide learning courses, job coaching and an information technology promotion ambassador scheme, offering a three-in-one service entitled "Training + Job Matching + Career Support" to people with disabilities in Hong Kong. The project not only offered people in need a convenient way of learning, but also allowed them to transfer their knowledge by serving the community, working towards the goal of making Hong Kong an inclusive hub.

The "BEST $300,000 for New Venture - Business Plan Competition", part of its Business Entrepreneurship Support and Training (BEST) Programme is organized by the Knowledge Transfer Office, HKBU. Each winning team will be given HK$300,000 in cash and in kind, covering entrepreneurial training, professional business services, as well as one year’s rental and services of an Incubation Office to put their entrepreneurial idea into practice.

This is another triumph of the team after their achievement at the 2013 Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge (HKSEC), which won the championship, the Best Social Mission and the Best Presentation Award at the Finals.