Meet Jordan Fung: a 14 Year Old Coder & Founder of Pedosa, a Smart Wearables Startup
When you first met Jordan, he is like any other 14 year old. In fact, when we first met him at our AppJamming Summit Finals in 2014, we had no idea he was embarking a journey of entrepreneurship and software/hardware innovation.
Jordan Fung is not your regular a high school student; but unlike the others, he is also an award-winning entrepreneur and the lead developer of his own company, Pedosa Innovation.
It has been inspiring and fascinating to follow his journey; recently, we caught up with him and asked him to share some tips to fellow aspiring teen-entrepreneurs.
Let’s start off with a brief introduction of yourself — How old are you, which school do you go to and what grade are you in?
I am a 14-year-old entrepreneur and programmer from Hong Kong. I founded a tech startup called Pedosa Innovation and is a lead developer there. I am a maker enthusiast and am passionate about contributing to the open source and maker community.
When was your first experience with coding?
I have always had a fascination with computers and technology. When I was first given a computer when I was 5, I immediately fell in love with it. I became curious about how things work and things are made. Since then, with resources online, I started to learn how to program on my own. From websites and computer programs to hardware prototyping and design, I developed my own skills in technology through years of self-studying and development.
When I was first given a computer when I was 5, I immediately fell in love with it. I became curious about how things work and things are made.
What is Pedosa? What prompted you to start Pedosa?
Pedosa Innovation, founded in 2011, aims to bring modern technologies to everyone, especially the younger generation through hands-on development. Transform them from users to makers, and reshape the future of technology through the development of cloud infrastructure and an innovative ecosystem of products and services.
This project involves the development of an ecosystem of cloud infrastructure and smart wearable products and devices, such as smart glasses and smart home systems. Our Pedosa® Cloud systems also allow anyone, even beginners to integrate cloud computing into their own app, software or IoT devices. Possibilities are endless.
Through Pedosa, I hope I can inspire more kids around the world, to go out of the box and develop their own interest not just in technology but also in anything they love. Use their creativity to make a difference, and make the world a better place.
Image credit: jordanfung.com
What challenges do you have when you were starting Pedosa?
My biggest challenge is the lack of professionals in specific techniques. I would have to research and try on my own in everything involved in this project which makes it time-consuming. Therefore, I have been participating in international competitions and conferences to let more people know about it and scale up this project.
How do you juggle between your studies and Pedosa?
I believe that this is all about time management, and I believe that I can definitely strike a balance between my studies and Pedosa (in fact, I ranked 11 among students in the same year).
In addition, I have been actively participating in school affairs. I have also founded a club at school to promote innovative technologies among students. As long as you enjoying doing it, and with appropriate time management, everyone should be able to strike a balance between studies and hobbies.
Programming is not as difficult as what you think it might be, as long as you are interested in it and you enjoy learning it.
A good way to learn is by collaborating with people. Don’t be afraid of sharing your ideas, and ultimately you can achieve success.
This post was originally published on First Code Academy blog.
