26 IN FOCUS Alumni … thanks to alumna’s helping hand anessa HO Po-Ki ( BEng in Chemical Engineering) was happy to assist the three Chemical and Biological Engineering nal-year undergraduates to produce their antimicrobial hand cream, having had rst-hand experience of the challenges in starting out as an entrepreneur – and the importance of timing. Heading out into the working world just as the recordable compact disc (CD-R) industry emerged, Vanessa quickly saw an opportunity to supply the demand for the solvent essential to the manufacturing process, investing HK$ , to order her rst shipment from Taiwan. Shortly a er the solvent arrived, Taiwan was hit by a major earthquake. Other suppliers’ orders could not reach Hong Kong, and customers only had her company to help them. Vanessa also realized the value in adopting a business strategy of becoming a sole agent, visiting the United States three times to make her case in person before she succeeded. She then invested in a chemical plant in Mainland China to be able to source the solvent at a lower price. In , when a key Japanese solvent supplier su ered a re, a global shortage resulted, increasing the selling price of solvent -fold, and Vanessa suddenly saw her company flooded with orders. In , Vanessa established Pure Living to create her own brand, serving as Chief Executive O cer of the innovative rm that sought to change the chemical industry mindset by introducing green technologies to chemical laboratories. However, it has been COVID- that has brought the greatest challenges, a er she decided to produce surgical masks. Refusing to compromise on standards but unable to obtain quality-guaranteed melt-blown fabric, she decided to produce the cloth herself. With the help of expertise from professors at Vanessa’s alma mater and other local institutions, the company nally built its own machine – only to nd the market already saturated with masks. Still, Vanessa has no regrets, seeing it as a living example of her personal philosophy. “Don’t be afraid of falling down, be conscious when you are at your peak, always be attuned to the possibility of a crisis, and be prepared to cope with adversity,” she said. Meanwhile, she has already moved on to another venture: creating a new kind of yeast for handcra ed beer, in collaboration with HKUST. V Vanessa Ho has launched her own brand to bring green technology approaches to the chemical industry. cont. from P Hard work followed as they carried out the test. But in less than a month, they proved the antimicrobial e ect could last more than two hours on the skin, which was consistent with their design. The rst batch of products – , bottles – was then produced, with the hand sanitizer now on sale in retail outlets. Andy fully recognizes and is grateful for the teamwork involved, not only with his fellow students but the essential roles that Prof. Liu and Vanessa played. “They helped a lot in building up the product design and manufacturing the hand cream, as well as solving various real-life problems on marketing, testing, and commercializing.” Noting it had been “an intense and challenging summer”, it had also been an amazing time for a nal-year student turned fresh graduate and “an extraordinary experience for me”, Andy said.
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