Snapask is a mobile app that aims to create a new platform through which students could receive more affordable, better quality and more personalised education support. By taking a snapshot of the question at hand, Snapask provides students with one-to-one on-demand academic support.
By joining Cyberport Incubation Programme in 2013, Snapask has received comprehensive entrepreneurship guidance and HK$330,000 funding, supporting the start-up’s early-stage development. Snapask has expanded its businesses to overseas markets by connecting with accelerators in China and Singapore thorugh Cyberport. Currently, there are 5,000 qualified tutors ready on Snapask 24/7 to answer the burning questions of their 150,000 student users across Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. It is one of the hottest EduTech start-ups in Hong Kong.
Appedu is founded (later becoming Snapask)
Joins Cyberport Incubation Programme and receives extensive entrepreneurship support
Snapask is launched
Student users exceed 20,000. Closes pre-series A financing round and expands into Taiwan and Singapore
Snapask founder Timothy Yu was selected by "Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia", a list of promising young leaders
Pioneer O2O education. Student users exceed 150,000
“We felt like lone warriors when we joined Cyberport back in 2013, as start-ups weren’t flourishing as they are today. Luckily, we received extensive support from Cyberport, in terms of financial support and business development. Cyberport’s network was instrumental in formulating our business model and recruitment of investors.”
Asked about what he thought of Hong Kong’s start-up environment, Timothy said it is difficult to start-up anywhere in the world. The toughest part is probably securing capital, but some incubators can help, like how Snapask was helped by Cyberport. But he thinks whether a place is suitable for starting up depends on other factors as well.
“Hong Kong’s start-up scene has been developing rapidly over the past few years. To be honest, there aren’t too many things that start-ups are concerned with, other than capital and talent acquisition. In our opinion, Cyberport serves as a pretty solid launch pad given its extensive network and funding. As an incubatee, Cyberport Incubation Programme has provided us with HK$530,000 funding and an office. With the amount, we could expand the team, create more extensive marketing plans and engage some professional services such as legal and accounting. The office is an important space where our team could coalesce, especially when we started out as university students. They were very practical solutions.”