Encouraging environment

Jackal Xu Zhenda had thought of setting up his own business for years. It wasn’t until he saw a significant change in Hong Kong’s entrepreneurial environment that he began putting the idea into practice.

“It’s obvious — the environment for startups in Hong Kong has improved considerably since 2019,” said Xu, co-founder and CEO of Zero Dynamic Technology, a health tech startup founded last year to detect and improve teenagers’ posture, and conditions such as scoliosis — a sideways curvature of the spine — through its digital tracking system.

Xu studied electronic science and technology both in Hong Kong and on the mainland. He’s currently a doctorate student in computing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. “I had been planning to start the business since 2019, but Hong Kong’s environment for startups was relatively conservative at that time. Many people were reluctant to go into business and unwilling to take the risk,” he said.

However, the business environment has changed remarkably since then as the HKSAR government introduced various measures and allocated large capital and resources to create a favorable climate for startups.

Hong Kong and mainland students teaming up in business will create a complementary effect as they excel in different aspects, said Xu. “Many mainland students are strong in engineering, while Hong Kong students are full of ideas. Combining them will create good products.”

Rex Ma Chun-hung, co-founder and chief operating officer of the company, began his entrepreneurial journey while studying business administration at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “I noted the Cyberport GBA Young Entrepreneurship Program and I wanted to make some friends and explore good business opportunities. It was there that we (Xu and I) first met. For a young business project, we need venture capital to turn the idea into a product. Cyberport helped with it. I think it’s very accommodating,” said Ma.

The idea of starting the company was ignited by Xu’s personal experience. “While in college, I noticed I had bow legs and I spent a lot of time trying to correct it. I searched for information on Google and Baidu, but the answers were all different. I ended up missing the best window for treatment,” he said. “The rate of adolescent scoliosis on the mainland is high, and while there’s a universal screening program in Hong Kong, there’s none on the mainland.”

Xu believes the mainland will undoubtedly set up the system. “I did lots of research and started creating products later. Everyone in the team thought positively of this product — it has its social value.”

Guo Song, also a co-founder and technology consultant of the tech firm, and a professor at the department of computing of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said, “We all find such collaboration very valuable, and I think it’s crucial that you bring together a whole range of talented people into your team to help you succeed.”

The company’s team members joined the Cyberport program in 2019 and graduated in August 2020. It now has about 20 full-time and part-time members and two offices in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The company has teamed up with more than 10 hospitals and rehabilitation centers on the mainland, most of which are based in Greater Bay Area cities, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, where the company’s products are used in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal problems among teenagers, said Xu.

“Spinal problem awareness is high in the Greater Bay Area. In fact, scoliosis screening is widespread in the area. So, we’ve an advantage in promoting (our products) in this area because people are more likely to accept the screening and rehabilitation products. That’s why we’re placing greater emphasis on the region,” he said.