Recently, our founder Bruno was honored to be invited by Saint Francis University (Hong Kong's first private Catholic university, formerly known as Caritas Institute of Higher Education) to deliver a special lecture on "Entrepreneurship and Artificial Intelligence." The event drew a large audience of students, faculty, and young aspiring entrepreneurs eager to learn about starting businesses, personal growth, and AI applications. The atmosphere was electric, with packed seats and lively interactions—many attendees shared that the talk was not only practical but also ignited their entrepreneurial passion, giving them the confidence to pursue their dreams.
The lecture was divided into two main parts: The first focused on Bruno's personal 10-year journey of chasing dreams through entrepreneurship, filled with challenges and triumphs. The second part explored how artificial intelligence (AI) can powerfully accelerate the realization of those dreams. Drawing from real-life stories and hands-on experience, Bruno encouraged the audience to seize opportunities in the AI era and start their entrepreneurial journeys boldly. He also shared numerous practical tips, such as the importance of opening a dedicated bank account, finding a reliable accounting firm, effective advertising strategies, project management techniques, and more—to help attendees build a solid foundation from scratch. Here are the key highlights:
Part 1: A Decade of Chasing Dreams — Three Essential Entrepreneurship Tips
Bruno kicked off by openly sharing his 10-year entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing that starting a business is far from overnight success—it's a challenging yet rewarding marathon. He highlighted three critical tips for aspiring entrepreneurs:
- You Will Face Challenges — Accept That Not Everyone Will Support You. On the entrepreneurial path, problems are inevitable, and surprisingly, the people least supportive are often those closest to you—family or friends you'd most hope would cheer you on. This is normal; not everyone will understand your vision. Bruno reminded the audience: Things won't be smooth every day. Even Coca-Cola, the global beverage giant, barely made any profit in its first year (historically, it sold only a handful of drinks daily and struggled to break even). Your first year of chasing dreams will be incredibly tough, full of setbacks and lows—but it's all worth it. This is a marathon! Embrace reality, build resilience, and keep going—that's the key to success.
- Avoid "Chopping a Tree with a Knife" — Test the Market First, Minimize Risks.Many young entrepreneurs make the mistake of borrowing large sums from banks early on or investing heavily in a full product before validating demand, only to fail when the market doesn't respond. Bruno likened this to trying to cut down a massive tree with a tiny knife—inefficient and exhausting. Instead, focus on testing the market with the smallest possible investment. Start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Use low-cost, minimal features to gauge user feedback. If the response is positive, scale up; if not, pivot quickly. This approach drastically reduces risk and makes entrepreneurship smarter and more sustainable.
- Hire Your First Employee: Artificial Intelligence. In your startup team, make AI your very first "hire"! Bruno stressed that AI isn't just a tool—it's your entrepreneurial CEO, business advisor, and marketing consultant. It can help build your systems, create business plans, analyze data, and automate tasks, guiding you step-by-step toward success. The audience was particularly intrigued by this, seeing AI as a game-changer for young founders.
Part 2: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Achieve Your Dreams
In the second half, Bruno delved into how AI serves as a dream accelerator in today's world:
- Discovering Dreams: Tools like ChatGPT or Grok can brainstorm potential business ideas by analyzing your interests, skills, and experiences, or predict emerging industry trends.
- Achieving Dreams: AI automates repetitive work, optimizes project management, generates ad content, and even forecasts risks. When aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), AI can make entrepreneurial projects more eco-friendly and socially impactful.
The session was packed with inspiration, blending theory with actionable advice. Questions flowed in from the crowd—some asked about balancing studies with side hustles, others about AI's role in project management.
This invitation from Saint Francis University allowed Bruno to connect deeply with the next generation and reinforced our team's commitment to inspiring dream-chasers. A huge thank you to the university's students and staff for their warm hospitality and enthusiastic participation! We hope these insights empower more dreamers to take that first step, start their businesses, and write their own success stories. In the AI era, anyone can be a changemaker!
If you're interested in entrepreneurship, chasing dreams, or AI applications, feel free to reach out—we'd love to explore possibilities together!
