Hong Kong Stories - Inventors in Hong Kong：Only If You Find Solution

Viola Lam began tutoring in secondary 3 to support her family and was able to earn nearly HK$20,000 per month while still in university. After graduating, Viola applied to the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups three times for seed funding and eventually established her own tutoring center. Over the course of a few years, she expanded her business by opening two additional branches.

Ten years ago, as the workload of tutoring centers increased, Viola started considering the use of artificial intelligence software as a teaching aid. Through AI software, her goal was to adjust the lesson difficulty based on students' abilities, gaining a better understanding of their learning styles and assisting teachers in tailoring their lessons accordingly. To achieve this, she worked closely with her Dutch husband, who had expertise in algorithms. The couple even gave up their dream of owning a home to invest the over 10 million they had saved into their business.

During the development phase of their AI system, Viola gave birth to her first son, Noah, who was diagnosed with level 2 autism and had difficulties expressing emotions and communicating effectively. This news came as a shock to Viola. However, Viola and her husband discovered that AI could help identify students with special educational needs at an early stage. Using facial recognition technology, the system could detect students' eye movements, expressions, and emotions, enabling it to identify areas of confusion.

The system would then provide appropriate hints, encouragement, and adjust the difficulty level accordingly. As a result, they enhanced the functionality of their system to cater to students with special educational needs.

Viola's husband previously worked as a Chief Technology Officer in a multinational company but left his job to assist Viola in her AI system research and development. In 2016, the couple officially introduced the system for academic use and received multiple industry awards. Currently, the data collected by the system is being utilized for research purposes by four universities in Hong Kong and the United States.

As a mother, Viola had to balance her family responsibilities with her business. What struggles did she face when starting her business? How did she navigate the entrepreneurial journey alongside her husband and son?