Are We A Match
Who Are You?
Daring explorers creating big impact, positive initiatives and passionately bringing ideas to life. As mavericks, innovators, disruptors, changemakers and visionaries, you are not afraid to dream and more importantly, do! Embracing life’s adventures to the max, and the journey in achieving your mission.
My North Star
My work and life pursuit is fuelled by a desire to dream more, learn more, do more and become more and inspire others to the same!
INSPIRE
Mimpi Living
Mimpi means dream in Indonesian and is one of my favourite words from Bali island living as an entrepreneur navigating jumping into two business ventures abroad. Mimpi living is fearlessly dreaming, exploring and believing in possibilities. Being inspired and inspiring others by our work, our actions and living our dreams.
EMPOWER
Bang Bang Boogie Make It Happen
As an old skool East Coast hiphop head, Rapper’s Delight’s lyrics ‘bang bang boogie’ combined with ‘make it happen’ became a motto amongst our tribe encapsulating a can-do attitude of ‘Why not? We can make it happen!’ Empowering others is at the heart of my work.
EMBRACE
心曠神怡
My Chinese name 心怡 comes from a four character phrase 心曠神怡 (xīn kuàng shén yí) which translates to open heart and spirit, joyful nature. This forms the root of how you’ll find me, wide open to welcome ideas, people and new ways of thinking and doing as a curious life-long learner who thrives on collaboration.
My Journey
Internationally experienced operations, strategy and multidisciplinary design ninja, community connector, entrepreneur and leader empowering those around me to thrive and shine, from teams to partners to clients alike.
My Swiss army knife is honed from business, culture and people savvy spanning travel, fashion, tech and XR (Extended Reality) industry at global companies, startups, accelerators, social enterprise, national innovation agency, on remote teams and as an entrepreneur and consultant to leaders delivering impact and commercial success; connecting the dots across Europe, America and Asia. Born in Taipei with travel in my blood at 47 countries and counting, I’m a multilingual expat now calling London home after N.Y. and Bali, with a first taste of living abroad in Saudi Arabia before moving to the U.S. as a kid.
I spearhead new initiatives, operations, strategy and community at Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network, the UK’s innovation network supporting growth of the XR industry (VR, AR, MR and spatial computing) consulting as part of the Digital team at Innovate UK KTN and Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. I led the launch and successful delivery of the inaugural Immerse UK Awards, industry initiative to tackle talent pipeline challenge, developing the 0 to 1 strategy while working with stakeholders from the Advisory Board and Academic Working Group. As the go to network for XR professionals, I help members from creatives to technologists, across content to product and services, ranging from SMEs to enterprise towards accessing funding, R&D and collaboration, providing industry insights and accelerating growth and innovation. You’ll find me hosting discussions on themes such as sustainability, inclusive design and ED&I intersecting XR, and virtual showcases in VR platforms and I co-led the launch of Immerse UK Summit, as part of BEYOND Conference.
I’ve helped power entrepreneurs with growth, investment readiness and fundraising as part of The Accelerator Network team, via 3 stages of programmes from pre-seed through Series A with FastForward Pre-Accelerator, Accelerator Academy and The ScaleUp Accelerator, integral in startup, innovation, tech and investment communities. I initiated a series of founder stories during Covid lockdown on topics such as power of networks and kickstart your sales to champion peer knowledge sharing.
Creating consciously produced automotive accessories for the active outdoor lifestyle, as Chief of Staff at Hanubu I led cross-functional priority projects towards raising funding from supply chain management to business and pitch strategy for Blue Earth Summit investor engagement. Instrumental in delivering impact and commercial success throughout my portfolio career, I helped shape safer cities via responsible data at Safe & The City, increased D&I at VR Diversity Initiative, built global fashion lifestyle brand Kathy Van Zeeland as design right hand and trusted advisor to the founder of Van Zeeland Inc. acquired in a 9 figure deal, and started with a career in my first love of travel empowering student and adventure travel at STA Travel.
Taking the leap into two business ventures abroad, I gained extensive entrepreneurial learnings through the added challenge of navigating business complexities in a foreign country. From expanding into ecommerce and launching handbags for Bali artisan brand with the founder of Nagicia jewellery to building a Canggu surf accommodation travel work hub concept ahead of the digital nomad influx, through meeting entrepreneurs in the international surf community who brought the Deus Ex Machina surf and moto lifestyle brand to the island. Evolving my design expertise beyond fashion and branding to hospitality development and interiors became second nature, combining my passion for travel and surf.
With my ability to identify trends as opportunities and synthsise insights across industries, I’ve consulted to founders at international businesses such as The Whisky Exchange, world’s largest online whisky retailer, to build in C-suite innovation function translating fashion luxury market best practice to fine spirits; create brand vision with digital and physical design blueprint for commercial plan of urban development company’s project analysing the travel market growth of digital nomad lifestyle hotels; and produce onyx sculpture design and digital strategy research for Bel Air HNW property by BAM Luxury Development.
Champion of tech for good in tandem with ED&I, I am honoured to be included in the Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech. With a passion for supporting global communities, I built partnerships for the CreativeMornings London team, one of the 220+ city chapters, and co-led TLA RetailTech events highlighting innovation and startup distruptors, part of the Tech London Advocates organisation and wider Global Tech Advocates network.
Beyond creative, tech and entrepreneurial ventures, you’ll find me on surf adventures sharing wave stoke and good vibes. As a surfer and surfskater who has been transformed by both learning as an adult, nothing beats that fluid feeling and flow. Connect with our Concrete Waves surfskate community if you’re around London. It’s the next best thing away from the call of the ocean.
