SCMP x HKUST - Expert Insight Series 2017: Brian Lin and Dustin Jefferson Onghanseng

Networking opportunities are considered to be one of the greatest strengths for MBA programmes these days. This was certainly the case for Brian Lin and Dustin Jefferson Onghanseng, whose lives changed drastically after they met through the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) programme in 2013.

Their discussion on the importance of reducing air pollution grew into a concrete business plan. This led to them competing in various local and international entrepreneurial competitions in the US, Thailand and Shanghai, including a 24-hour hackathon, which they won. The partnership eventually evolved into a full-blown start-up enterprise revolving around the idea of a device that detects and reports on indoor air quality (IAQ).

Following several months of extensive preparation and supported by encouragement from their fellow MBA students, in 2014, Onghanseng and Lin launched uHoo, a milk-shake size interactive sensor device that effectively measures the IAQ of homes, offices, schools and commercial buildings. The device has received favourable write-up's in popular media outlets, including Forbes, Digital Trends, VentureBeat and Engadget. It has also attracted the interest of familiar multi-national businesses names.  

"So far it has been a roller-coaster journey of exhilaration and challenges," says Lin, uHoo CTO. Coming from an engineering background, he chose the HKUST MBA programme for its focus on Asian business with a global perspective. "I wanted to be able to develop and enrich my knowledge of business in Asia, but I also wanted to study with a diverse group of students coming from different backgrounds."

For Onghanseng, who previously worked as a management consultant for a multinational professional services firm, networking opportunities and the diversity of the student cohort were high on his list of priorities for an MBA programme."

"I wanted to start a tech business, so I knew I would need to work with engineers," says Onghanseng, uHoo CEO. "The HKUST MBA programme was the best place to find engineers and network with them."

Onghanseng believes entrepreneurial spirit is something that comes from within, and that it can be nurtured, but not taught. "It is the strength, the guts and the conviction that comes from within and it cannot be ignored until it has been given the chance to explore," he says.

Lin and Onghanseng share another characteristic; they both suffer from respiratory problems. Lin has asthma while Onghanseng suffers from rhinitis. This inspired them to create a product which helps raise awareness of the importance of IAQ.