ENGLISH 英 :  Beverly Cheng | CHINESE 中 :  Christina Li 文禮

Venue: drop · ART DIRECTION: DEBORAH LAU-YU · Photographer: Karolina Pran · Styling: Lisa Fang · Office team: Lilian mak, ruizhou li

What is the secret to being a young and successful entrepreneur? According to Derrick Fung, CEO and founder of the Drop digital loyalty platform and a past Forbes 30 Under 30, it’s all about grit and hustle — what he learned first-hand from his immigrant parents while growing up in Canada. 

His father, C.K. Fung, worked as a pathologist at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital, before opening a string of medical laboratories across Ontario. His mother, Cynthia Lai, was a woman of many successful careers before she passed away in October 2022. She had come to Canada as a teenager, working her way through high school while living in Chinatown community housing. Upon graduation, she became a flight attendant and then a tour guide, eventually working in the medical industry where she met her husband. After marrying, she shifted into real estate and launched her own firm, ultimately becoming president of the Toronto Real Estate Board and the first Chinese-Canadian woman to hold that position. In her later years, she became a respected Toronto city councillor representing Ward 23, Scarborough North, the east-end Toronto neighbourhood where she raised her family. She remains her son’s biggest inspiration. 

每個人都可以創業，但並非每一位都能成為企業家！人類與生俱來就有創造的基因，祖先為了生存，不斷開創，不斷進步。「企業家」一詞源自法語，意為冒險事業的經營者或組織者。企業家掌握夢想與願望，並懂得「造勢」、「借勢」、往目標前進。當大部分人只看到困難及挑戰的時候，企業家看到的是解決方案及機會。Drop行政總裁封德力（Derrick）就是其中的佼佼者！

2014年，年僅26歲的Derrick榮登《福布斯》「30歲以下30名成功人士排行榜」，與重量級音樂名人Avici、Drake和Lady Gaga一同入圍。你可會問Derrick的成就與開創精神從何而來？

Derrick提到雙親對他的影響深遠。「我爸是個病理學家，隻身來到加拿大讀書，曾在聖邁可醫院（St. Michael's Hospital）工作，之後自立門戶，開設自己的實驗室。我媽本身是個空中服務員，輾轉從事過導遊、地產等八種不同職業，憑衝勁與自學能力，最後當上了市議員。我從媽媽身上看到她可以自主掌控自己的時間、人生，縱使過程並不容易，但那份成功感令她十分快樂。」

“She had many careers and what made her so successful in everything she did — and why folks will continue to remember —  is that no matter where she was, or what she was doing, she always believed that you can do anything you put your mind to,” Fung says. “There’s no school that teaches you how to motivate yourself or how to stay positive. It’s something that you get from your upbringing and I don’t think my mom could’ve done a better job.”

Propelled by his mother’s example, Fung studied business administration at the University of Toronto, where he earned top grades. After graduating from U of T, he landed his first full-time job on the trading floor at Canadian Big Six bank CIBC. He drew a six-figure salary, but banking, he discovered, wasn’t for him. “I found it to be a macho, male-oriented work culture where making money was more important than being a creative problem-solver,” Fung says. And so he quit, moving back to his parents’ home, where he took up space in the basement, thinking of what he might do next. 

耳濡目染下，Derrick小小年紀便有創業的念頭，12歲自學編碼，學習製作網頁，透過e-bay售賣電子樂譜，青少年時期便初嘗做生意的滋味。到了大學時期，他在多倫多大學修讀財務金融系、也曾進入一般人夢寐以求的銀行實習、工作，他自言那些經驗令他學會溝通、製作簡報等技能，但卻對金融行業文化始終感到格格不入。「他們只求賺錢，遠高於對創新意念的追求，而且工作過於黑白分明、刻板，跟我想做的很不同。在大學三、四年級時，我常與一位好友進行『腦震盪』環節，一有空就在想有甚麼新意念、新搞作，那才是我最最最喜歡的事。」

畢業後在銀行工作了一年，Derrick最後選擇辭職，專注開發創意音樂平台Tunezy。「那時候很多人都不明白，笑我捨棄了六位數字的收入，搬回爸媽家的地庫去搞些不明所以的事。爸媽對於我的決定沒有反對，唯一的條件是不能讓剛畢業的弟弟『白做』。那時候我自己沒支人工，就用積蓄支付弟弟的薪金。」就是這樣，修讀工程學的弟弟成了Derrick的技術人員，兄弟二人於2011年成功創立了Tunezy。

Tunezy is what he came up with, a digital platform connecting rising YouTube artists with fans for unique experiences. Through the venture, he met Asian-American artists David Choi, Clara Chung and AJ Rafael, who would later become friends and business collaborators. The success of Tunezy was such that just 18 months after its 2013 launch, Fung sold it to SFX Entertainment, and it was then promptly listed on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Motivated to find his next business venture, Fung looked to harness a digital-first loyalty program targeted at a young demographic. As part of his research, he reached out to senior leadership at Air Miles and Aeroplan, pitching them the idea of having millennial and Gen Z shoppers earn points by linking their credit cards directly to the loyalty platform. Their shared data would then be used to target relevant brands and experiences, he told them. The executives turned him down. But the rejection ended up being a blessing in disguise. 

Derrick自言建立這平台的初心，主要源於對創意和音樂的熱愛。「一直以來，我都有追蹤不同的亞洲音樂人，如David Choi、Clara C及AJ Rafael。剛開始建立Tunezy，其實也帶點私心希望能藉機結識這些創作人。」

另外，Derrick亦看準傳統音樂市場的問題，創作人縱有才華及支持者，往往只獲得極少的分紅。「David Choi當年已有過百萬訂閱；Tori Kelly漸露頭角，我跟她的經理人，也是她媽媽交談，他們都說無法從Sportify賺取收益，只能從每次點播收取極些微的分紅。」

Tunezy是一個非一般音樂體驗平台，為藝術家設立了一個更直接的發表創作平台，甚至舉辦各種體驗活動；透過網站，粉絲可以付費取得後台通行證、與他們最喜歡的音樂人、藝術家、創作者見面、私人在線聊天，進行互動。結果，Tunezy只用上一年多就獲得業內的肯定，2012年成為Billboard's Innovator's Showcase的得獎者，於2013年更被美國最大電子音樂文化宣傳及製作上市公司SFX Entertainment以七位數價格收購。

Certain he had a good idea, Fung decided to take on the venture himself, creating the platform that would eventually become known as Drop when it launched in 2015. His collaborators were his brother Darren Fung and their friend, Cameron Dearsley. To date, Drop has more than five million subscribers, partnerships with more than 700 retail brands, and a staff of 70 housed in a downtown Toronto office. Fung is justifiably proud of the achievement. “I think the ability to create something out of nothing is a pretty big driver for me,” he says about his own momentum. “I’m pretty self-motivated and I like going over details like the company’s name, the logo’s colours, the look of the office. It keeps me going whenever I feel myself slipping into a creative rut.”

Tunezy令Derrick初嘗成功的滋味，同時亦令他對年輕一代的消費模式有了一定的理解。有一天SFX行政總裁與擔任業務發展副總裁的Derrick研究：如何在音樂節活動過後，與參加者持續保持聯繫，將他們轉移至其他產品上？這問題令Derrick有了新想法，埋下另一計劃Drop的引子。

Drop是一項獎賞應用程序，通過大數據學習、統計、分析用戶的交易，為他們提供即時、個性化的回贈優惠及體驗獎賞。傳統獎賞模式縛定用戶必須於個別實體商店或使用指定信用卡購物，但隨網上世界的開發及普及，這種模式變得不合時宜。「初時我跟 Air Miles、Aero Plan的總裁見面，他們都揚言用戶不會隨便輸入信用卡、銀行資料。但我覺得年輕一代是會提供交易及個人資料，以換取他們感興趣的獎賞及優惠。」事實證明，Drop現已於北美有超過五百萬用戶在日常購物中總共獲得了數千萬美元的獎勵，為七百個合作夥伴帶來共數十億美元的銷售額，同時亦現時Drop贏得無數獎項，包括2017年入選LinkedIn加拿大頭25初創企業、更被《福布斯》評為「頂級財務管理和省錢應用程式之一」。

Fung’s determination to succeed is deeply connected to his identity as a Chinese Canadian. “I want to show the world what we can do as Chinese Canadians and also as individuals,” he says, reflecting on what moves him forward. There’s also the example of his parents, their persistence and ability to prevail as immigrants in a new country where they both had an impact. Fung wants to honour their efforts. “I’m grateful for everything my parents have done to get me where I am today,” he says. “I’m not putting that to waste.”

回顧自己一路以來的創業之旅，Derrick挨過不少艱辛，初創立Tunezy時辦公室只是在家中臨時設置，工作枱也只是用牛奶箱搭成。另外，他又提到身為加拿大華人，在加拿大主流社會所面對的種種。「不論是昔日在Bay Street金融區面試，到今天向投資者籌募資金、或招募人才時，總會面對他人的異樣目光。作為移民後代，自小在父母身上見證、學習他們的辛勤、毅力，這驅使我一直自覺要力爭上游，不能辜負他們。」因為自身的經歷，亦令Derrick有感要扶持其他相同背景的年青人，不時出席講座及與其他初創公司分享的成功之道。

卓越的企業家取勝之道，在《孫子兵法》早有提及：「勢者，因利而制權也」。「勢」就是形勢、態勢，「權」指策略。最關鍵的就是企業家善於「造勢」、「借勢」，憑藉有利的情況，製訂隨機應變的策略，掌握主動權而讓自己得勢，才能「致人而不致於人」。感謝封德力的完美示範！

More from Fête Chiniose