A journey of innovation, impact, and inspiration. A journey that spans 22 years and as we celebrate this milestone, I am filled with immense pride and gratitude for what we have achieved together.
Our journey has incredibly turned all kinds of ideas into reality through resilience, foresight, and always staying ahead of the curve.
Let’s start with a timeline—a timeline that encapsulates the evolution of NDN Group over these two remarkable decades:
1. Connecting Communities
In Year 1, when there were no WiFi connectivity options in the city, we introduced WiFi hotspots + Digital Display Network through Y5Hotmedia Solutions, pioneering connectivity in our city.
Covering over 800 WiFi Hotspots and 1,500 Digital Displays, our network spanned various locations including McDonald’s, Pacific Coffee, Starbucks, shopping malls, bars, restaurants, and KTV networks.
We became the architects of out-of-home connectivity and pioneers of progress.
2. Transforming Communications
Moving forward to Year 5, when iOS was released, signaling the decline of traditional messaging (SMS/MMS), we saw more than just a new smartphone; we foresaw a transformation in communication.
We introduced the In-App Mobile Ad Network, thereby shaping the future of mobile advertising. We launched HotMob, a data-centric media company featuring a robust ad-serving engine powered by first-class data insights.
We pioneered the mobile ad space with our partners, including OpenRice, Sing Tao, Ming Pao, AAStock, HKMovie, 881903, UWants, Discuss, and more, serving over 55 billion monthly mobile impressions and managing 24.7 million user profiles.
3. Empowering with Data
In Year 9, at a time when data was not widely monetized, we developed Klarity Analytics, one of the world’s largest social and news media analytics engines.
We harnessed the power of information, influencing industries and decisions by combining Eastern and Western social media platforms.
This effort captured data from over 65,000 brands worldwide, across 192 industries, and translated it into 26 languages. We tracked over 27.71 billion sets of data, providing an abundance of insights to partners like Hootsuite, Social Baker, and Meltwater.
4. Transforming Human Interactions
In Year 13, noticing the high demand for UX/UI (user experience and user interface design) across businesses of various sizes and industries, we decided to launch NDN Academy.
This academy provides full-scale UX/UI and Digital Transformation training to over 3,600 corporate executives. We have completed numerous UX/UI projects, supporting businesses in enhancing their web and mobile applications to more effectively interact with and meet the needs of their users.
Our heartfelt thanks go to our supporters, including Cigna, FWD, Melco, Hang Seng Bank, Maxim’s, HKJC, Micro Connect, and more.
5. The AI Era
Fast forward to Year 16, with the advent of AI, we, in partnership with IBM Watson, pioneered the development of the first AI Chatbot platform for a major retail bank. We also supported three amazing and smart young gentlemen who founded www.respond.io.
This platform has now become a world-leading customer communication management platform, seamlessly integrating customer conversations. It empowers businesses to effortlessly expand their marketing, sales, and support efforts onto instant messaging, serving over 50,000 brands across 52 countries.
6. Trust and Transparency
When transparency became imperative, we launched the first green blockchain, NOIZChain. Trust and transparency became our guiding principles and we have tailored a proof-of-capacity consensus algorithm for corporations so that it is more scalable and sustainable for businesses and avoids the speculations of the cryptos.
NOIZChain is now under NOIZGroup (8163.HK). We have also launched the Digital Product Passport (DPP) in collaboration with Oriental Watch and YAS, creating one of the world’s first blockchain-based DPPs with insurance coverage for luxury watch retailers. (www.noizchain.com).
7. Protecting Lives on Mobile
In 2019, together with my partners William and Kelvin, we launched, YAS, the world’s first on-demand mobile insurance to protect individuals.We safeguarded lives and livelihoods with just one click and created the world’s first GPS-embedded insurance for daily mobility.
We partnered with Generali, QBE, and Liberty to offer innovative insurance solutions to our customers, making insurance protection seamless and on-demand. (www.yas.io)
8. Sustainability and Impact Investing
In an increasingly complex world, together with two of my partners Helen and Clarence, we have established the largest ESG learning platform in Asia, GoImpact Capital Partners. GoImpact empowers organizations to make a difference through sustainability and responsible practices.
Our commitment to sustainability and learning led to the creation over 2,000+ hours of ESG content with 60+ learning modules. GoImpact has trained over 1,000+ top executives in Asia, and supporting them to make the best decisions in their role to drive an impact for our world. Big thanks to our partners Temasek, SMU, Ant Financials, AIA, Financial Times and more. (www.goimpact.today)
9. Bridging in the Metaverse
During the city lockdowns caused by COVID-19, we created various metaverse experiences to bridge physical distances and foster connections in times of isolation.
We assisted AIA in launching its first-ever AIA Metacademy and supported HSBC in developing its first Meta Gallery. Both metaverse initiatives pioneered and drove the vision of how staff and customers can interact with businesses in innovative ways. (www.newdigitalnoise.com)
10. Supporting Innovation through Entrepreneurs
Throughout this journey, one constant has been our unwavering support for entrepreneurs. We’ve provided non-stop encouragement and inspiration because we believe that innovation requires the continuous fostering of the next generation of innovators.
We have established NDN2, our venture ecosystem, and have been supporting over 35 startups in AI, Blockchain, Data, and ESG.
As we look forward, let’s continue to break barriers, innovate, and inspire each other. Here’s to the next chapter of NDN Group, where our past achievements fuel our future endeavors. Together, we will ignite innovation and shape a brighter future for the next generation.
Let us be catalysts for positive change.
