A passion for pet rabbits motivated Ho Chung Yan to develop a practical, eco-friendly solution for the care of these much-loved animals. “Rabbits are delicate and require extra care to keep them healthy,” she says. “Usually, the cages have to be cleaned out several times a day because their design does not take account of the specific needs of rabbits.”
For her final-year project, she developed the prototype for an eco-friendly filtering floor mat/feet pad made of a biodegradable plastic. The key innovative aspects of the design are the inverted teardrop-shaped support points underneath. Their rounded tops still allow rabbits to rest comfortably, while any droppings and urine can pass efficiently through the holes in the floor mat/feet pad to keep the animals clean. “The biodegradable plastic is environmental-friendly and does not release any toxic gases,” Ho notes. “The used or leftover materials will degrade into harmless substance at a certain temperature and humidity.”
An entrepreneur at heart, Ho decided to take this design project a step closer to becoming an actual consumer product by entering it in MetroChallenge, an entrepreneurship incubation programme organised by HKMU. The judges were duly impressed by her invention and Ho received seed funding to launch “Let's Create”.
The advice offered by various professionals at MetroChallenge helped Ho to shape a comprehensive business plan. In the initial phase, she also received useful guidance at workshops on subjects like effective presentations. “When presenting an idea, you have to be succinct, precise and highlight the key points. We applied those techniques in our presentations and pitching session. And practical tips like that boosted my confidence when I had to present my project to the judges.”
MetroChallenge panel of judges, who are seasoned entrepreneurs and professionals, had also inspired Ho to give more consideration to other aspects of the project, not just the product itself. “The judges asked a lot of pertinent questions which helped me develop my business proposal in greater details and prompted me to anticipate other issues I would encounter at different stages as the business developed.” Ho says.
