Well, you can take the kid out of Hong Kong, but not entrepreneurial Hong Kong out of the kid, as the young directors of Asia Pad are demonstrating. They provide the type of obvious, but practical, product and service that raises the old question: why has no one thought of it before? The Wan Chai-based firm has introduced into Asia portable heart defibrillators capable of saving a life in the event of accident or injury, and regardless of location.
For Hong Kong-born Asia Pad director Carl Corby and his three fellow company directors, enrolment in an advanced first-aid class would prove the catalyst to founding the company. It provides onsite defibrillation services, plus training and sales of portable heart defibrillators to organisations savvy enough to realise the benefits and peace of mind this provides.
An environmental science graduate, Mr Corby studied for a number of years in Britain and Fiji, and thanks the idyllic Pacific island nation for initiating his love of outdoor activities such as diving.
'The whole idea of establishing Asia Pad came about at the advanced first-aid course I attended and it seemed such an obvious for Hong Kong and Asia, especially given the rapid growth and popularity of outdoor sporting events across the region,' said Mr Corby.
'So, I discussed the idea of setting up a company specialising in onsite defibrillation with my now colleagues and they agreed that this was an obvious necessity, especially in a city the size of Hong Kong.'
In the United States and Europe, portable defibrillators are widespread and the American Heart Foundation recommends that in an emergency where a person's heart stops beating, and if there is access to a portable defibrillator, it should be used before chest compressions, which are normally used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR.