On 20 September, we were thrilled to welcome the mentees, mentors, coaches, and partners of our 2025–26 Mentorship Program for Ethnically Diverse Entrepreneurs at the first cohort-wide meeting.
This opening session marked the beginning of a six-month journey of learning, connection, and hands-on support for 10 mentee entrepreneurs, who are paired with 10 mentors and 10 ICF Hong Kong Chapter coaches. True to the name of our program, the ethnically diverse cohort brings together people from Pakistan, Nigeria, India, Lebanon, Canada, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and African countries like Nigeria — a wonderful mix of perspectives and lived experiences that will enrich the meaningful connections made possible by the program.
All Gathered at the Hive Poho
As with the 2024-25 Mentorship Program, our meeting took place at our venue partner, the Hive’s Poho space. We are thankful to the Hive Hong Kong for providing us with an open and friendly space conducive to networking and collaboration, not only for this meet-and-greet session, but for many more business workshops and networking events to come in the next six months.
Joining us at the event was Carla Acepcion, Events Specialist at the Hive, who talked about the company’s ethos of supporting ethnically diverse entrepreneurs in Hong Kong, and announced the discounts that Mentorship Program participants and FSI community members are entitled to for the Hive’s membership and support services, as a result of the Hive Hong Kong’s partnership with FSI.
Said Carla: “the Hive team and I are deeply passionate about supporting growing businesses. We love witnessing the learning, growth, and relationships that flourish at events and in our spaces. Having been a startup ourselves, we know how vital support is for success. Our goal is to inspire individuals to build meaningful connections, regardless of their industry or background. We want FSI’s diverse entrepreneurs to see the Hive as their home for growth – an inclusive space for developing new ideas, hosting important meetings, and trying new things. Ultimately, we aim to create a community where ambition can thrive.”
Meet the 10 Aspiring and Early-stage Entrepreneurs
A signature characteristic of our Mentorship Program is the diversity of our mentee entrepreneurs, hailing from different cultural backgrounds and industries, looking to start and grow their businesses to serve a variety of causes and clientele.
Nisreen Muchhala, an early-years Waldorf teacher, brings her deep appreciation for natural living into handcrafted creations together with her partner Taher. What began as making products for family and friends has grown into Nourish Scrubs, with a mission to foster mindful skincare with all-natural, sustainable, and made-to-order products.
Also committed to sustainability is Kaylini Naidoo, Founder of Upeeling, a snack brand aiming to reduce Hong Kong’s food waste problem by transforming surplus and imperfect fruit into healthy treats with Asian-inspired flavors.
Muhammad Fahad Tanveer, a Hong Kong-born Pakistani studying Environmental Conservation and formerly a Community Business Intern at FSI, is passionate about marine conservation and sustainable development. Through Okyanus, he aims to create sustainable clothing while incentivizing marine conservation efforts.
Jerome Bautista, the Filipino-American Co-founder of Sacred Space Therapy and Wellness, draws from his own journey of burnout and depression to create the space and opportunity for others to carve out a life of mindfulness through yoga, sound healing, forest therapy, and life coaching. He is dedicated to creating a kinder, more compassionate world where holistic wellness is accessible to all.
Rabia Aslam, Lead Medical AI Engineer at Koln 3D Technology (Medical) Ltd. and visionary STEM educator, is passionate about blending AI, EduTech, and innovation, aspiring to transform learning, spark curiosity, and empower tomorrow’s changemakers through cutting-edge education and technology.
Equally dedicated to changing education for good, Latha Chandrakant, Founder of Minmini Early Learning Solutions, believes children learn through play. Guided by the question, “What are children learning?”, Latha is passionate about helping parents understand their child’s learning journey while also supporting caregivers in finding calm through simple, real-life strategies.
Shamsa Bibi, a trainee solicitor, is also deeply passionate about child development and empowering young minds, envisioning a learning center dedicated to soft skills training, believing these competencies are crucial in shaping a child’s future and in creating an inspiring space where children can flourish.
Junimay Cortes, a Filipina born in Hong Kong, turned her passion for sustainable and circular fashion into Revamp, to encourage people to choose secondhand first, extending the life of clothing and inspiring conscious choices.
Helena Cho is the Founder of Chomade, featuring handmade creations such as scrunchies, pouches, keychains, and bags, with each piece highlighting craftsmanship, unique quality, and a personal touch that celebrates creativity in everyday items.
Founder and CEO of Afrika Kitchen HK, Anita Obodehian Jaho is on a mission to promote cultural awareness through African food, event management, and multicultural relationship building, with her work celebrating Africa’s heritage while fostering meaningful connections across communities in Hong Kong and beyond.
Meet the Mentors — Familiar Faces and New Energy
The seasoned entrepreneurs who serve as mentors are integral to the growth of mentee entrepreneurs and the effectiveness of our program. In addition to encouragement, mentor entrepreneurs also offer practical, hands-on support derived from their respective experiences of similar startup challenges.
In the past years of our Mentorship Program, mentor entrepreneurs have helped mentee entrepreneurs get out of their comfort zone, connected mentee entrepreneurs with the right contacts to accelerate their business’ growth, and validated their needs for emotional support.
At FSI, we are indebted to the seasoned entrepreneurs who return to the Mentorship Program year after year to nurture aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs by generously sharing their knowledge, expertise, and networks, such as Naman Tekriwal, Wilson Tai, and Innocent Mutanga. We are also delighted to see former mentees such as Jerwine Bonafe Que and Maryam Khan giving back to the FSI community by becoming mentors of the program, joining other new individuals who are equally passionate about supporting impact-driven startup founders.
This year’s mentor cohort includes:
- Naman Tekriwal, Co-Founder and COO of Breer
- Wilson Tai, Co-founder and COO of FundFluent
- Innocent MutangaFounder of Africa Center Hong Kong
- Karim El-Chami, Founder and Director of Joho TeK
- Maryam Khan, Founder of Foodie Explorerz
- Jerwine Bonafe Que, Co-founder and Managing Director of The Blomstre
- Punam Chopra, Founder and CEO of Spicebox Organics Limited
- Ruth Benny, Director of Top Schools Ltd
- James Cunningham, Director of Speed Sourcing Ltd;
- Amanda Yik, Founder of Shinrin Yoku Hong Kong
Professional Coaching Support from ICF Hong Kong Chapter
We are grateful to ICF Hong Kong Chapter‘s long-time support since our inaugural program, and the coaches who have been returning to our program in the past years to provide our mentee entrepreneurs with invaluable coaching support, such as Philbert Chin, Magdalene Wong, Cynthia Lai, and Hamid Naseem.
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to John Azzo and Pam Birkett, who previously uplifted our mentee entrepreneurs as coaches and are returning this year with different roles. John is now the Social Impact Director, who helped with coach recruitment and established this partnership between FSI and ICF Hong Kong Chapter, while Pam Birkett is now the Lead Coach of the program, helping to coordinate communication and organization between ICF and FSI throughout the six-month journey.
Alongside John and Pam, we are also grateful to the dedicated coaches who continue to bring their expertise and passion to this year’s program: Philbert Chin, Sam Yu, Magdalene Wong, Cynthia Lai, Christine Simms, Hamid Naseem, Deepti Mehra, Amy Fung, Flore Cassin, and Iris Kloth. Their guidance and commitment will play a vital role in supporting our mentee entrepreneurs as they pursue their goals.
Empowering Youth to Empower Under-resourced Entrepreneurs
The kick-off of the Mentorship Program coincides with the beginning of the Fall 2025 semester of the Impact Lab Course, an award-winning experiential learning course managed by FSI at The University of Hong Kong to give youth a safe space to work directly with social ventures under the guidance of faculty instructors and professional mentors.
Equipped with diverse skills and a passion to drive positive change, these interns will be given the opportunities to hone and acquire new skills to support the mentees as needed. Not only will the interns be able to gain real work experiences and essential human skills, but they will also uplift under-resourced entrepreneurs by helping them sharpen their pitches, refine brand assets, or build stronger business strategies.
As members of FSI’s Community Business Support team, the Impact Lab interns working with the team play a key role in empowering the mentees throughout the program.
Sarita Chung Man Chan will be leveraging her knowledge in AI, automation, and finance to help mentees build efficient operation systems. “Moss” Nattaphat Chotananwut will bring his creative expertise to support mentees with graphic design, branding, and pitch preparation. Sylvie Tao Wu will contribute her skills in content creation, video production, and social media strategy, ensuring that mentees’ stories are told in an engaging and impactful way.
The Communications and Marketing team also add significant value to telling the stories of the program participants. While Candy Tan recaps the happenings at the workshops and networking events through social media content, Toshiya Oh helps draft blog posts and provides photography support to capture the highlights of the Mentorship Program.
Join FSI to Uplift Under-resourced Ethnically Diverse Entrepreneurs in Hong Kong
We are truly grateful to all our supporters and partners who make this program possible with their generous contribution of resources, skills, time, and connections. The 2025-26 Mentorship Program is funded by the Hong Kong Club Foundation and the Drs Richard Charles and Esther Yewpick Lee Charitable Foundation.
Learn more about our impactful Mentorship Program for Ethnically Diverse Entrepreneurs on our website here. On 27 September, the mentees and mentors will gather at the Hive Poho for the ideation, brainstorming, and goal-setting workshop to set SMART goals for the mentees’ six-month journey. Stay tuned to this space or subscribe to our newsletter to witness the growth of this cohort’s mentee entrepreneurs. If you would like to join us to uplift under-resourced ethnically diverse entrepreneurs in Hong Kong, find out more about the various initiatives under our Community Business Support Program, and get in touch with us at cbs@shared-impact.com to explore meaningful opportunities for yourself and your colleagues.
*This blog post was written by Toshiya Oh, Communications and Marketing intern at the Foundation for Shared Impact (FSI) during the Fall 2025 semester of the Impact Lab Course.
