Track 1.1: Turning Passion into Impact: Can entrepreneurship be the pathway to sustained social impact?

The panel opened with moderator Myles Ng introducing his work in Hong Kong to support migrant domestic workers through an online business school aimed at helping them overcome intergenerational poverty. The panellists then shared their own experiences across the spectrum of philanthropy.

Innocent Mutanga delved into his experience as a refugee in Hong Kong, which motivated him to found the Africa Center out of his desire to address challenges around "blackness" in Hong Kong. Mutanga reflected on cultural perception issues Africans face, noting how people on the MTR would give up their seats for him, not out of politeness, but because of his race. He emphasised the importance of rebranding Africa's image now, as global power shifts towards East Asia. 

Queenie Man shared her transition from brand consulting to founding The Project Futurus in 2019, an initiative aimed at changing the narrative on ageing. Her work has focused on helping elders with dysphagia to eat better through developing texture-modified foods. 

Juliana Busasi talked about her journey from working as a medical doctor to becoming health technology entrepreneur. Her personal experience of witnessing her family member care for individuals with mental health struggles fuelled her passion to start the first digital mental healthcare facility in Tanzania.

In response to a question from Ng about balancing passion and pragmatism, Mutanga discussed the challenges of operating a social enterprise that falls outside the traditional model of charities, thus making it difficult to secure grants.  As a result, there has been a constant need to innovate and generate new revenue streams to ensure his centre’s survival.

Man agreed on the difficulties of running a social enterprise and the need to be agile in order to survive. Busasi built on Man’s point on the importance to create the balance of maintaining passion, emphasising the need to fall in love with a problem and letting the search for solution become a way of life, as well as engaging with enablers and funders that help her stay the course.

Ng shifted the conversation to the broader ecosystem in Hong Kong, asking how the city could better support social enterprises. Mutanga emphasised the need to include social entrepreneurs in bigger conversations and to have funders take a more liberal, risk-taking approach. Man likened social entrepreneurs to pebbles that fill the gaps in the community. She called for a mindset change from funders, advocating for more collaborative and supportive networks. Busasi's call to action focused on the importance of authentic and active engagement from funders – to invest in both the vision and the actions of the doers.