According to the Hong Kong government’s 2021 census data, the population of elderly aged 65 and above has reached 1,451,514, accounting for over 20% of the city’s total population. Among them, 188,569 are living alone. With emergency room fees set to rise to HKD 400 next year, many grassroots elderly may hesitate to seek timely medical attention when needed. What kind of story lies behind a tech professional who chose to leave a high-paying job at Microsoft in the U.S. to return to Hong Kong and start a business for the elderly? Driven by the belief “to age together, without growing old,” Mr. Jason Or — a CUHK alumnus and founder of SmartAge — is using innovation to illuminate a new future for elderly care.
Jason’s entrepreneurial journey marks a profound shift from being “far away from the customer” to “deeply connected to the needs of the elderly.” With an EMBA background, he could have continued climbing the corporate ladder at a tech giant. Instead, he chose a radically different path — building an interdisciplinary and inclusive team of medical students, computer science students, and people with disabilities to develop technology that safeguards the health of every elderly person and bringing peace of mind to their families. Their sensor device analyzes daily habits and identifies potential health risks early. This issue of Cubic Zine brings you a touching story about family responsibility, social mission, and the pursuit of personal values.
From Tech Pursuer to Social Innovator: A Journey of Transformation
With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence — what is cutting-edge today may be outdated by next week — Jason believes that the core value of a business is what truly matters in the face of constant change. Born in Macau, Jason moved to Hong Kong with his mother during primary school, and later studied computer science and electrical engineering at the University of Waterloo in Canada. After graduation, he spent a decade working at Microsoft in the U.S. But as a technologist, he eventually hit a bottleneck. The declining health of his parents and his aunt’s diagnosis with dementia prompted him to return to Hong Kong.
Through the Executive MBA program at CUHK, Jason was introduced to the I Ching and the “Left-Right Circle” business theory. “When I was working in the R&D product team at Microsoft’s U.S. headquarters, I was always far away from the customer. Engineers were just told to write code. I used to chase the hottest, most trending technologies — it felt like blindly following the crowd, and honestly, it was exhausting,” he recalls. What left the deepest impression on Jason was a lesson from Professor Chan Chi-fai Andrew, former EMBA Program Director and Emeritus Professor of Marketing at CUHK: find the intersection between personal skills and market needs to define your product’s positioning. Once a tech enthusiast chasing the latest innovations, Jason began to reflect on how he could use his expertise to build a human-centered technology platform for those most in need of care.
“The I Ching speaks of simplicity, changeability, and constancy. Amid change, how do you find simplicity? In truth, everything in the universe, no matter how it evolves, follows a fundamental principle. When it comes to entrepreneurship, the key to perseverance is identifying your business’s core value. I gradually realized that family care is the issue I care about most.” Due to his father’s unexplained anemia, Jason often found himself distracted at work, monitoring the situation at home via a camera and reminding the domestic helper to ensure his father stayed hydrated. “My father raised our family of five. I’m the youngest, and we were separated when I was little. I’m so grateful to God for giving us last 3 beautiful years to gather together before he passed away.” After his father’s death, Jason installed a personal emergency alarm system¹ for his mother. However, she disliked being constantly watched by a camera. “One time she accidentally pressed the alarm button, and I saw her sprint out in seconds — it was very dangerous.”
At a Hospital Authority seminar in 2019, Jason deeply appreciates the importance of preventive care. He discovered that the research presented at the meeting has not been implemented, but there is business potential in it. This led him to ask: Could technology help detect and intervene before serious health issues arise in the elderly? “I feel like I have a mission. If no one else is doing it, and I have the ability to do it — why shouldn’t I try?” This awakening of purpose marked his transformation from a pure technologist into a socially responsible entrepreneur.
SmartAge’s Innovative Philosophy: Focus on Prevention, Early Intervention
SmartAge is a social-tech enterprise that combines social innovation with technological advancement. Its core philosophy — “Focus on prevention, treat early” — stands in stark contrast to the traditional reactive healthcare model. “Most people focus on emergencies when illness strikes, but we are clearly positioned to provide preventive care,” says Jason. “With the aging population growing rapidly, the burden on the healthcare system is heavy. So how can we help elderly people age in place and reduce hospital admissions?” Jason realized that existing emergency alarm systems fall short when it comes to preventive care. In response, he partnered with his wife Joanne Ip, a registered nurse, to develop an evidence-based tele-nursing system — a remote care solution designed to detect health risks early and support elderly individuals proactively.
Currently, Hong Kong’s District Health Centers adopt a multidisciplinary collaboration model², among them nurses play a critical role in delivering primary healthcare services — monitoring the health of patients with chronic conditions, assisting with referrals, and managing cases. However, Joanne noticed a gap in the system. “First of all, elderly individuals have to register themselves, and the frequency of check-ups isn’t very high. What sets our product apart is its ability to address the needs of elderly people who live alone, have dementia, or suffer from depression. Our tele-nursing system works in tandem with in-home sensors, operating 24/7 to monitor changes in daily activity patterns in real time — offering remote protection for your loved ones. The goal is to ensure that every elderly person can receive care comparable to having a private nurse.”
When caregivers lack medical knowledge and are unsure how to care for or assist the elderly, the SmartAge system addresses this challenge through a “three-in-one” approach to preventive care. First, the system uses sensors to detect users’ indoor activity data and applies AI to analyze whether there are any abnormalities in their daily routines. Second, it provides caregivers with essential medical knowledge and issues emergency hospitalization alerts when necessary. Third, the system supplies healthcare professionals with relevant pathological data. By integrating early detection, caregiver education, and professional consultation, SmartAge empowers caregivers and enhances the quality of preventive care for the elderly.
In-person nursing services can cost over a thousand Hong Kong dollars per hour, making them unaffordable for many. During the hesitation over whether to seek medical attention, critical treatment windows are often missed. Jason emphasizes that technology enables cost-effective solutions, allowing users to access medical assessments quickly and affordably.
The Perfect Integration of Diverse Talents
During the startup journey, Jason went through a difficult period following the passing of his mother, which nearly left him unable to work. Joanne reflected, “He was heartbroken at the time, but through that painful experience, we realized the company needed restructuring. We focus on adjusting the system to better meet the needs of the elderly and address areas that other emergency systems cannot handle. This way, even if a senior is unable to press the emergency button or faints on the sofa, the system can still detect that they are in danger.”
“I’m so grateful to everyone — when I needed saving, different people stepped in to help me.” SmartAge brings together a unique and diverse group of talents. Joanne, with her professional nursing background, contributes essential healthcare expertise. She was so dedicated that even before her due date, she actively participated in the company’s presentations at the Housing Society and the Maker in China competition, all while heavily pregnant. After giving birth, even the postpartum caregiver joked that she had never seen someone in confinement go out so often. Joanne’s resilience as a woman perfectly complements Jason’s creativity and quick thinking.
There is a unique CUHK medical student on the team, Felix Lam Wing Fung, who brings an innovative medical perspective to the group. He serves as the Health Domain Expert, providing medical knowledge and training the AI team’s way of thinking. “I believe being a doctor isn’t just about helping people in hospitals. Hospital work is often limited to treatment, but SmartAge is about gerontechnology and prevention. There is so much tech and AI involved — I find it fascinating, and it is something you don’t get exposed to in hospitals.” Felix’s most memorable challenge was communicating with teammates from math and engineering backgrounds. “They need things to be very formulaic, but you can’t diagnose a condition just by looking at numbers.” He also fondly recalls working with team members who have disabilities — including those with rare diseases, wheelchair users, and individuals with special educational needs (SEN). “I realized working with them is actually really enjoyable. You get to understand more about these communities in society. They are incredibly capable, and we collaborate really well.”
Though SmartAge was founded just two years ago, it was honored this year with the 2025 INCLUSIVE Employer Award by Dialogue in the Dark (Hong Kong) Foundation. Isaac Chan , a person with disabilities, has leveraged his keen observational skills to excel at work. Over time, his personality has transformed from introverted to outgoing, making him an indispensable member of the team: “I used to be afraid of calling people outside the company. But they encouraged me to try new things — working in HR, interacting with more people, and managing social media. Now I feel much more confident speaking up.”
Mainland master’s student Sanway Tam, who studies computer science, brought a fusion of engineering and business thinking to the team. She helped expand SmartAge’s services into the Chinese market, representing Jason — who jokes that his Mandarin is “very average” — at exhibitions and speaking engagements in China. Jason often shares ideas and encourages teammates to evaluate their feasibility. His open-minded management style reflects exceptional talent in team building. He firmly believes: “As Sun Tzu said, there is no one in this world who is useless — only people who don’t know how to use others.”
A Vision for Academia-Industry Collaboration
During their time at CUHK’s InnoPort, Jason gained access to funding opportunities, exhibitions, and media interviews. He boldly applied to the PI Program, advanced to Hong Kong Cyberport, and — with the tireless dedication of a young team working through the night — secured support from the Social Innovation Fund, propelling SmartAge’s rapid growth. Though some questioned whether a tech professional could truly understand social innovation, Jason believes: “Sometimes the timing isn’t right, and you are not yet in the position you aim for. But if you don’t persist, when the time does come, you will miss it.”
From the international high-tech world to discovering his dream at CUHK, Jason is grateful to be part of Hong Kong’s eldercare innovation landscape. “SmartAge is truly fortunate. Technically and intellectually, CUHK offers abundant resources — from startup incubators to open-minded professors. I am especially thankful to Professor CHAN Yue Lai, Helen from the Nethersole School of Nursing and Professor REN Hongliang from the Department of Electronic Engineering.”
Jason emphasizes that beyond partnering with elderly housing estates to offer free SmartAge installations, the company will also collaborate with academia to conduct rigorous evaluations and publish evidence-based reports. This will help build public confidence in the system’s safety and effectiveness. Such academia-industry collaboration not only enhances technical credibility but also drives real-world innovation, ensuring technology truly responds to societal needs.
Yet the most powerful takeaway from Jason’s entrepreneurial story goes beyond technological breakthroughs. With empathy at its core, he deeply understands the challenges faced by the elderly and marginalized communities. By combining care with creativity, he transforms innovation into a warm and empowering force — one that shines light into every corner where help is needed. True innovation is not just about advancement; it is about responding to human needs, improving lives, and bringing hope and dignity to society.
Edit: Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services
Remarks
¹ Traditional emergency alarm systems require a power source and a fixed telephone line. Some models come with the Bluetooth function. When an elderly person encounters an emergency, they can trigger the device with a single press to receive immediate assistance. Compared to reactive measures taken after an incident, proactive monitoring and early warning through smart technology clearly offer a more ideal safety solution. Surveys show that the adoption of emergency call systems among Hong Kong’s elderly remains low. In a sample of 4,224 elderly households, only 21.3% (125 households) had installed such systems — roughly one in five. Further analysis reveals that financial concerns are the main barrier, with many seniors deterred by upfront costs and ongoing monthly fees.
² The centre teams composed of nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, pharmacists, and social workers.
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