Chan Shu Hin, Oscar's Story
Faculty of Engineering
BEng(ME) 

The relationship between Oscar Chan and Origami Labs was orchestrated by bits of serendipity.  During the Hong Kong Computer and Communications Festival 2017, Oscar had his fateful encounter with Origami Labs, a local startup company specialized in design and production of smart products.  Before their meeting, Oscar had been impressed by the innovative acumen of Origami Labs.  A thoughtful conversation with the company’s representatives was all it took to spur his interest in joining the company.  It appears that Origami Lab’s unique charisma as a startup company had evoked a sympathetic response to Oscar’s entrepreneurial spirit.

 "Oscar was thrilled, as he immediately realized how challenging and fun this internship was going to be."

Later in the year, Oscar got a part-time internship at Origami Labs via the “Intern with Founder” programme organized by CEDARS. Empowered by his passion and rich knowledge of product design, Oscar had secured his intern position after 3 rounds of interview.  On the day of contract signing, the representative of the company dismantled his smartwatch in front of Oscar and asked him to guess the functions of its components. Oscar was thrilled, as he immediately realized how challenging and fun this internship was going to be.

Without letting him down, Origami Labs offered Oscar a lot of practical experience, such as performing product durability tests with computer software and striking a balance between component space and product size.  This internship greatly honed his skills in product design, testing and modification.

"Applying for it was the first step I made to achieve my dream."

When asked about the most valuable lesson he had learned from his internship, Oscar believes that he gained a lot of insight into great corporate culture.  He thinks that Origami Labs’ dedication in cultivating a family corporate culture has successfully encouraged staff members to go extra mile and strive for excellence.  Oscar recalls that at the beginning of the internship, cultural barriers had prevented him from bonding with other foreign interns.  However, informal corporate events such as movie nights, dinners, and home visits had dismantled those cultural barriers and enabled Oscar to develop deep fraternal bonds, and subsequently, strong workplace partnerships with other interns.  He found that strong bonding among colleagues encourages frequent communication and teamwork.  Learning that inculcating comradery among staff members will engender positive working attitude and company loyalty, is without a doubt, his most thought-provoking experience.

All in all, this internship had enlightened Oscar as an entrepreneur aspirant to strive for the right corporate culture.  Oscar dreams that one day he will start a company with caring culture at its core and instigate changes to the local innovation and technology industry.  But for now, his top priority is to accumulate knowledge and work experience.

“This internship had offered me a conspicuous and fruitful work experience.  Applying for it was the first step I made to achieve my dream,” Oscar said.