Hong Kong Programmer & Tech Scene with Chris Li

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Thank you for tuning in to another Global From Asia show! Finally in shorts and flip flops here in South China as its warming up finally from an abnormally longer cold streak! So I’m in an extra good mood recording this intro – and I’m also excited as we get into today’s episode!

Today’s show we have my tech co-founder of Social Agent with us, Chris Li, who without him I’d be nowhere near to where we are in the development and progress of the project! He is extremely experienced and PATIENT, understanding the business side as well as the technical side of an IT project. I’ve been meaning to get him on the show, and now that we just launched our latest iPhone and android app – he has some time to do a podcast interview! (shameless plug there – any sales, bd, or other hustlers out there – please search for Social Agent in iPhone and android app stores, download it, and let us know your feedback!)

We’ll talk about the Hong Kong programmer scene – as I’ve had some listeners asking me both about the environment as a developer themselves, or a business guy looking for partners or programmers to hire. Chris is the man to help me out here and thanks for that!

After the show I have some fun announcements about upcoming events and another iTunes review (yay!). So let’s jump right in:

Topics Covered in this Episode

• Intro Chris Li
• For HK devs – Local Groups in HK for developers
• What are the common programming languages you notice here, on developer side, as well as on firm side?
• Salary ranges for different developers in HK – entry level and up
• Chris’s story coming to Hong Kong
• How the HK dev scene has developed over the past couple years
• Are these jobs stable, are the developers long term in 1 company?
• Advice for a developer looking to come to HK
• Advice for a company (SME) looking for programmers in HK

People / Companies / Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Contacting Chris – chris @ socialagent.me or cli @lotus-creations.com
• Chris is CTO, co-founder with me at Social Agent
• Chris’s web development company – Lotus Creations

As Chris mentioned on the show, here below is a list of meetups and spaces to find programmers and tech people in the Hong Kong scene!

Meetups (Web and Tech related) in Hong Kong:
http://codeaholics.hk/
http://www.webwednesday.hk/
http://www.hkcs.org.hk/en_hk/home/home.asp
http://hongkong.startupweekend.org/
http://startupgrind.com/hong-kong/
http://www.hongkongwebanalytics.com/
http://hkfreelancers.net/
http://www.startupshk.com/
http://www.momohongkong.com/
http://opendatahk.com/
http://www.smecc.hk/
http://www.dimsumlabs.com/
*Some referenced from http://www.startupshk.com/10-hong-kong-entrepreneurial-groups-you-should-know/

CO WORKING SPACES:

Hong Kong
http://boot.hk/ (Sheung Wan – In HKCommons)
http://hkcommons.com/ (Sheung Wan)
http://www.hkcocoon.org/ (Tin Hau)
http://www.fillintheblank.hk/ (Wan Chai)
http://thehive.com.hk/ (Wan Chai)
http://www.retrocreative.hk/ OR http://retrospot.hk/ (Quarry Bay)
http://www.thecrafties.hk/ (Sheung Wan)
http://innovationlab.hk/ (Kennedy Town)
http://www.wynd.hk/ (Central)
http://www.office8hk.com/ (Central)
http://www.cyberport.hk/en/offices/smart_space (Cyberport)
http://papercliphk.com/ (Sheung Wan)
http://www.platform.hk/ (Sai Ying Pun)

Kowloon
http://boot.hk/ (Lai Chi Kok – In HKCommons)
http://hkcommons.com/ (Lai Chi Kok)
http://www.theloft.com.hk/ (Diamond Hill)
http://www.coworkchm.com/index.php (Lai Chi Kok)
http://www.goodlab.hk/ (Prince Edward and Cheung Sha Wan)
http://www.8080space.com/ (Kwun Tong)
*Some referenced from – http://www.9amconsulting.com/coworking-spaces-hong-kong.html

Web app to find co-working spaces
http://coworkify.com/

SERVICED OFFICES:
I was also introduced to serviced offices middle of last year.  These serviced offices have Business Lounge facilities which usually provides a basic services for people on the move, such as, power, wi-fi access, coffee/tea, lounge open space atmosphere.  The great advantage I find is that they have offices all around Hong Kong, allowing me to drop into any of their locations.  Personally, i’m using Regus, which I find perfect for my needs.
http://www.regus.hk/
http://compassoffices.com/

Episode Length: 17:12

Thanks for that Chris!

I have a couple fun announcements – I was just invited to record a future podcast live in Hong Kong, on April 12th (Saturday afternoon) I’ll be one of about 3 or 4 other HK based Podcasters and in front of a live audience we’ll be recording our podcasts! I’ll put the link on today’s show notes as I get more information – hopefully some listeners can stop by.

Les Boules in Sheung Wan on Saturday, April 12th. The event will start in the early afternoon and last into the early evening. I imagine it will run from around noon to 7:00 or 8:00pm

And finally – we got another iTunes review – I really appreciate these and this is from a friend Scott Hartman, he has known me for a couple years but wasn’t aware of my podcast – and listened to all of them in a span of just a couple days – totally excited about it – and left the following review:

“Amazing Humble and Informative Advice
Ever wished you had a best friend who new the ins and outs of doing international business through HK? Well now you do (sort of). Maybe he isn’t actually your friend but he will at least make you feel like it. Michael’s podcasts are a true no-BS casual conversation about the questions and answers we are all looking for when starting a HK company. And you’ve got a seat at the table. So pull up a chair, listen up, and enjoy feeling more at ease about doing it big in Asia.”

That is some great motivation to keep these podcasts crankin’! See you guys next week!

Download Options

• Direct Download: Right-click here and click “Save As” for a direct download
• iTunes: Listen and subscribe on iTunes for free!
• Android: Listen via Stitcher Internet Radio streaming
• If you enjoyed this episode, leave a positive review on iTunes!