About a year ago, newly graduated Business School student Leo Wong became inspired while touring around Europe after his exchange program in Spain. On the last leg in Switzerland, he found himself enthralled by the magnificent Swiss Alps while listening to the classic song “Goodbye” by Air Supply. It was hard to say goodbye to a situation where the setting, tune and emotions melded so harmoniously. At that moment, Leo wished he had a way to share the powerful feelings he was experiencing with his friends in real time.
Leo believes that the power of music, which is a universal language, can help express feelings in a way which is sometimes even better than words or images. He spoke about his experience with classmates Conrad Lo and Ben Chan, and as a result the trio started working on a mobile app called Sensbeat or the world’s first music-emotion sharing app - introducing a new way of expression.
Registered users of Sensbeat can select words like “happy” to describe their emotional state and the system will recommend some upbeat songs, or users can search for their own favorite songs to share with friends. Their friends can choose to “like” the song and leave a message. The system connects to other legitimate third-party music websites to play their songs, and therefore there is no copyright issue.
Startup Journey
“We put the two words, Sense and Beat, together as we want to create a platform for users to share and connect emotions through music,” Leo explained.
The HKUST Business School offers a comprehensive list of majors as well as interdisciplinary programs for undergraduates to pursue careers in diverse fields. Having majored in Marketing and Information System, Leo is now responsible for the business development, marketing and fund-raising for their startup. Ben, a dual degree graduate in Computer Science and General Business Management, is working on the technical development side. Conrad, who studied Finance, is experienced in web and app user experience and interface design. Their skills and strengths complement and support one another. Well before graduating, they had already got together at the school library or back then their “temporary office” not only to study, but also to refine their app and map out a future business plan.
To better prepare, the trio joined courses and competitions related to entrepreneurship organized by both the school and external parties. This sort of involvement provided opportunities for them to gain insights from others with startup experience and potentially some initial capital to begin their business.
Leo added that the encouragement and valuable input their professors at HKUST provided them was invaluable. “We’re ready to take on unforeseeable challenges especially in Hong Kong, where the young startup market remains underdeveloped,” said Leo. “So we talked to HKUST professors, some of whom have their own startup experiences, and they gave us valuable advice on our product and ways to approach investors, saving a lot of twists and turns in our venture.”
The three founders said HKUST is the cradle of their startup, where they met friends trained with different professions and of a common aspiration, professors from different departments who provided the much needed support, as well as other students who were interested in coming onboard with them. Above all, they said HKUST is a place that gave them all-round training and an insight into the true meaning of life.
“Now we’re not only doing what we like, but also something we wish, to make a positive impact on a wider community and that’s our core spirt,” Leo said.
Gaining Recognition
In addition to support from the Cyberport Incubation Programme, the team won a vote of confidence from five angel investors in Hong Kong and Silicon Valley in the US. Leo said they have raised more than HK$2 million thus far for the seed funding, financing their long-term plan including hiring employees, promotion and the facility setup.
Leo said the first version of Sensbeat has featured in the Apple iOS AppStore and Android Google Play, and has been rolled out officially. Their first target is to build a larger user base before looking into income sources such as options provided to users for service upgrades.
Boldly Go Ahead
Leo admits that it has been a bumpy startup journey and stresses perseverance is the key. The three co-founders are now working full-time and whole-heartedly with support from a few “post-90s” teammates. They all believe in the road they have chosen, and that passion and major life decisions should not be swayed by others.
“The decision to start our own business has been cemented, and therefore we have to be determined and stay focused,” Leo said.
The team believes Sensbeat can encourage people anywhere in the world to express their feelings and help them better understand each other, and as a result make our world a better place to live.
When asked about what songs Leo would choose to describe his relationship with his partners, “Good Time” by Owl City he said because of the lyrics - “It’s always a good time!” (with them).