The Snapask founder on how he went from aspiring chef to successful entrepreneur
Generation T lister Timothy Yu is at the helm of Hong Kong’s most innovative edtech startup.
Dubbed “Uber for tutoring”, Snapask connects students with tutors for one-on-one consultations, expanding to 11 markets around the world since launching under four years ago.
Things are moving fast for Snapask. But not too long ago, Yu’s ambition in life was to become a chef. So what on earth happened? “I always wanted to do something different,” says Yu with a smile, when we meet at the trendy, immaculate Snapask offices in Tsim Sha Tsui.
During his first year of university, Yu, who is now 29, went to France on an exchange programme—but not to attend lessons. “I went door to door in the dormitories, offering my services as a chef. Every night I would cook for the students. Now it’s a global industry and there are apps for booking a chef, but back then I don’t think this was a thing in any other country apart from France.”
Although the experience may sound a country mile from the world of entrepreneurship, it lit a fire in the young Yu. “That experience made me realise that starting something from zero excites me a lot. That I enjoy the process of not getting supported and figuring a way out.”
When he returned to Hong Kong, the entrepreneurial instinct that had been awoken in France led Yu to take what is a rite of passage for many undergraduates in the city—tutoring high school kids for some extra income—and turn it into a multi-million dollar startup. We’ll let Yu tell the story from here.