KEVIN JOHAN WONG

CO-FOUNDER OF ORIGAMI LABS. THE START-UP’S ORII SMART RING ALLOWS USERS TO MAKE CALLS AND INTERACT WITH A VOICE ASSISTANT BY TOUCHING THEIR FINGER TO THEIR EAR

My inspiration is my dad. He’s visually impaired but used technology to overcome his disability. He worked for Microsoft and built the world’s first talking computer with Bill Gates in the early ’90s, opening the floodgates to a group of people who couldn’t use computers before. Making technology accessible for people who can’t use screens is our mission with the Orii ring; wearable tech is much more than just a fad. All successful entrepreneurs share a fearlessness of the unknown. Most of the time, as an entrepreneur you’re a pioneer. This means a lot of very basic decisions are hard as there’s no reference point. In the face of the unknown, most people are conservative; successful entrepreneurs are defined by an innate desire to explore that dark, unknown space.

My productivity hack is to fail a lot. We’re a very iterative company—we focus on doing, failing and learning fast. It’s something we live and die by.