CUHK MBA led me to the path of entrepreneurship

Stories CUHK MBA led me to the path of entrepreneurship

I have worked in several well-known banks. In 2020, COVID-19 ravaged the world and suddenly crushed the global economy. The banking industry was unavoidably affected. I realised that transformation was urgently needed, not only within the traditional banking industry but also for myself. Challenges and opportunities are ahead. However, how could I achieve such transformation in an ever-changing world? The idea of studying for an MBA to help me step out of my comfort zone, unlock unexplored potential and get inspired by young talents from different fields then came to me.

Considering my past experience in banking, I hoped that I could shift to the fintech industry. When I discovered that CUHK MBA provides fintech-related courses, I immediately made up my mind to pursue my MBA with CUHK. I applied for the full-time programme to devote myself to an immersive MBA experience, which I believed would help me to turn over a new leaf.

The first taste of business model design generated the idea of becoming an entrepreneur

At the beginning of my MBA journey, I had the privilege of participating in the Global Leadership Challenge organised by Alibaba, along with students from Oxford University, St. Gallen University, the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. During this week-long event, I worked with fellow group mates to develop a new business model solution for the chosen topic, “How to help refugees adapt to local culture”. During this process, I experienced the enjoyment of developing different business models. The idea of starting my own business then dawned on me.

Established a solid foundation for entrepreneurship with CUHK MBA

At one time, I thought that starting a business was all about generating new ideas and raising funds. However, through my MBA studies, I realised that things were far from as simple as I thought.

In Professor Wilton Chau’s Applied Entrepreneurial class, I worked with my fellow EMBA students to learn the basics and apply them to a real-life case study. Our group proposed a new business model based on a real-life startup and pitched it to real investors. However, when I prepared my presentation, I realised that I could not deliver our ideas well enough, even with a well-designed business plan. Fortunately, from Prof. Tina Choi’s course on effective communication, I learnt the Enneagram and discovered an effective way to adjust my presentation through observing other people’s personalities and identifying my personal’s strengths. Our group’s business plan won the third place amongst the eight groups and four angels showed interest to invest a total of five million euros into the project.

Frank and his teammates gained practical experience in start-up business plan remodelling and improve fundraising skills from Prof. Wilton Chau and Prof. Tina Choi.

Got buy-side insight from entrepreneur competitions

In addition to the aforementioned entrepreneur competition, I also had the opportunity to represent CUHK in participating in a venture capital competition organised by Nanyang Technological University. In this competition, I was a venture capitalist. I analysed and selected what I considered to be the best from several different startups, and eventually presented my choice to a panel of judges. From this experience, I gained a clearer understanding of what investors focus on when deciding to invest in a company. I believe that this wonderful experience will definitely help me in the future when I seek investment for my own business.

Frank and his classmates were able to get an investor’s point of view through a venture capital competition.

CUHK MBA introduced me to the world of entrepreneurship and granted me precious friendships

The CUHK MBA opened my eyes to the actual “entrepreneurial world”. Remodeling unsuccessful venture, pitching to angels and playing investor’s role in VC competition, CUHK MBA helped me better prepare for the real entrepreneurial world. Even though the road of entrepreneurship is paved with difficulties, my MBA has equipped me with the sharp weapons needed to conquer any challenges I may encounter.

Besides acquiring invaluable knowledge, I also earned lifelong friendships during the MBA study journey. I am honoured to receive the MBA Alumni Association Award for the most popular first-year student in the full-time MBA class and Professor H. Sutu Prizes for the first-year full-time MBA student who has made the most contribution to the class. As I stated when I ran for VP of the Student Association, my biggest goal is to build “lifelong friendships”.

Imani: “Frank has been very helpful to all of us at the MBA programme. In the first month, he took the initiative and reached out to everyone, offering to advise us on anything concerning the move to Hong Kong. Since then he has organised many trips to show us around the city. In group work he is always considerate of everyone and keeps the group in harmony. I’m very grateful to have him as a fellow student.”

Takumi: “As the core of the Student Association, he has the action-oriented leadership and has executed a lot of events contributing to classmates. He is also sincerely kind to every single classmate, so he is undoubtedly the most popular guy in our MBA class.”

*All student activities strictly comply with social distancing measure.