Are Hong Kong’s ethnic minority groups finally breaking free from poverty?
Gaps remain and more needs to be done, but there are encouraging signs of change and role models of success
Hong Kong-born Bangladeshi Lamia Sreya Rahman has accomplished more at 28 than most people her age.
She graduated from the University of Hong Kong with first-class honours in criminology and American studies before obtaining a law degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Four years ago, she founded AI start-up Vidi Labs together with Turzo Bose, a 27-year-old from Bangladesh who came to Hong Kong to study and graduated in chemical and environmental engineering from the University of Science and Technology.
Seekr, the wearable device they designed for people with eyesight problems, including blindness, has taken off in a big way.
Outfitted with sensors and text recognition technology to describe surroundings to the wearer, the device has entered the US and Japanese markets, and the company plans to expand into South Korea this year.
In January, it picked up an innovation award at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Then, in May, Rahman and Bose earned a spot on the Forbes 30-under-30 Asia 2025 Social Impact list, which recognises young people who address social issues through their work.