On 7 March 2026, we celebrated the conclusion of the 2025-2026 Mentorship Program for Ethnically Diverse Entrepreneurs, marking the end of a meaningful six-month journey of growth, learning, and community building.
The graduation event brought together 42 participants — mentees, mentors, coaches, community members, partners, and sponsors — alongside six Impact Lab interns and the FSI team.
Together, participants reflected on the past months of collaboration, celebrating the progress made by the entrepreneurs who participated in the program and the mutually beneficial relationships that were formed throughout this process.
A Six-Month Journey of Mutual Learning and Support
From September 2025 to March 2026, 11 mentee entrepreneurs worked closely with 10 mentors and 10 coaches to identify their businesses’ missions, market positioning, and growth strategies while developing heightened self-awareness as entrepreneurs, leaders, and human beings.
In its fourth iteration, our Mentorship Program for Ethnically Diverse Entrepreneurs further contributes to the strength of the community. For instance, two mentors in this cohort were once mentees themselves, which is a testament to the reciprocal nature of the FSI community, and that the shared impact philosophy of generously sharing resources, information, and knowledge to drive systems change is not only feasible, but also an effective way to build strong communities.
Ethnically Diverse Entrepreneurs Celebrating Success and Failures
The event kicked off with an acknowledgement of the cohort’s achievements and progress. Each mentee was invited to go on stage and share their reflections on their experiences in their program, offering honest insights into both the challenges and breakthroughs they encountered.
One of the most valuable aspects of the program, according to the mentees, is the sense of belonging that arises from becoming part of a supportive entrepreneurial community. As Kaylini Naidoo, Founder of Upeeling said, “Without the Mentorship Program, Upeeling would not be what it is today. I want to thank my mentor, who sat there with me and helped me develop the skills entrepreneurs need — making decisions, knowing when to ask for help, and understanding how much time to give to different decisions. Finding this community was also amazing because we were able to support each other and celebrate our wins together.”
The sentiment was echoed by Latha Chandrakant, Director of Minmini Early Learning Solutions: “There are no words to express the feeling — it was shared impact through and through.”
Some mentees reflected on how the program pushed them beyond their comfort zone, which is “an essential step in the professional and personal development as an entrepreneur”, to quote Shamsa Bibi, an aspiring entrepreneur.
Strengthening the FSI Ecosystem
Beyond celebrating the achievements of individual entrepreneurs, the event offered a chance for group reflection on the future of the FSI ecosystem.
Participants were divided into mixed stakeholder groups — including mentors, partners, sponsors, and community members — to discuss how this FSI ecosystem could become even more resourceful, inclusive, and supportive for ethnically diverse entrepreneurs in Hong Kong.
From different feasible approaches to enhance teamwork, more efficient sharing of resources, to increasing opportunities for business owners facing structural limitations, the discussions again underscored the principles of FSI’s shared impact philosophy: broad cross-sector collaboration and a culture of radical candour enable a community to explore solutions to drive systems change.
Concluding a Six-month Journey with Hopes Abound for the Future
The event concluded with a graduation ceremony, where mentees received their diplomas recognizing their commitment, perseverance, and growth over the past six months. What started out as individual entrepreneurs exploring concepts and possibilities in September 2025 had developed into a group of confident founders and aspiring entrepreneurs, equipped with the wisdom gained from trials and errors, to carve their next steps forward.
At the networking event following the graduation ceremony, participants continued to discuss the Mentorship Program’s impact, exchanged perspectives, and took part in interviews conducted by FSI’s Impact Lab interns, reflecting on both the program’s impact and their personal growth. The room was filled with indescribable emotions: happiness, compassion, and gratitude.
While the graduation ceremony marked the official end of the 2025-26 Mentorship Program, it also represented the beginning of the next chapter.
The relationships formed within the cohort will continue to grow through FSI’s Entrepreneur’s Hub and future events. As shown by this year’s cohort — as well as the mentors who once stood in their shoes as mentees — shared impact multiplies when knowledge, information, and resources are passed forward. Through collaboration, trust, and a shared commitment to inclusive entrepreneurship, the FSI community will continue to build a more equitable business ecosystem in Hong Kong.
None of this would have been possible without the funding support of the Hong Kong Club Foundation and the Drs Richard Charles and Esther Yewpick Lee Charitable Foundation, whose trust in our expertise and capabilities in community building and effective program design enables us to empower under-resourced ethnically diverse entrepreneurs in Hong Kong.
We would like to thank our corporate partner, Johnson Stokes & Master (JSM), for allowing us to host the graduation ceremony and networking event at its office, in addition to its long-time support through the Virtual Legal Clinic, which has benefited numerous under-resourced entrepreneurs in the FSI community, including the mentee entrepreneurs of our Mentorship Program.
We would also like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated program partners, including ICF Hong Kong Chapter, the Hive Hong Kong, FundFluent, Africa Center Hong Kong, Foodie Explorerz, and our Impact Lab interns, whose unwavering support is crucial to the success of the program.
Get involved
As the cohort prepares to step onto the finale stage, one thing is evident: these entrepreneurs are no longer just aspiring entrepreneurs with ideas and concepts; they are confident communicators and community builders ready to make their next ask. If you would like to support our community of under-resourced ethnically diverse entrepreneurs, whether as a sponsor, subject matter expert, or skills-based volunteer, get in touch with us at cbs@shared-impact.com.
*This blog post was drafted by Sofia Becerra Liang, Communications and Marketing intern at the Foundation for Shared Impact (FSI) during the Spring 2026 semester of the Impact Lab Course.
