Fung driven by new challenges

Joseph Fung sees great potential in the non-profit and tech sectors and how they can work together.

Fung, who has spearheaded several successful tech startups, will share some ideas on this subject April 27 at Capacity Canada’s Annual General Meeting in Waterloo.
“This topic is such a fun one and gives me the chance to reflect on things,” says Fung.

As a father of two young children and co-founder and CEO of a young software company called Kiite Inc., as well as a busy community volunteer, time to spare on reflection can be a luxury for the 37-year-old business leader. (He also serves on the boards of the Golden Triangle Angel Network, Communitech and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony).

Luckily, Fung says, he finds great fulfilment in his work which has resulted in the creation of several successful startups in Waterloo Region since his graduation from the University of Waterloo’s Computer Engineering program.

“The program and school played a huge role in inspiring me to build and create,” he says, adding these days he spends less time on the engineering side of business and more on the entrepreneurial end.
Fung’s list of accomplishments continues to grow. Besides co-founding Simple Machines Forum, a software development project, and the online marketing company OnMyBlock.ca Ltd., he also co-founded TribeHR, which NetSuite purchased in 2013.

However, for the next three and half years Fung remained at TribeHR to watch it grow to new heights before creating Kiite Inc., a word that means ‘listen’ and ‘say’ in Japanese, approximately 10 months ago.
“You learn so much in those situations,” says Fung, referring to the early days of a new startup.
Kiite Inc. uses AI to assist sales teams and provide new tools that can reshape the traditional workplace.
“It’s like having a go-to person in your back pocket,” says Fung, describing this new venture.
It’s during these early stages of a company’s growth which energizes Fung. “My drive comes out of creating something,” he says.

But Fung also finds satisfaction by sharing his ideas with others and enjoys speaking to groups of all sizes about corporate social responsibility and diversity, as well as new trends in the workplace.

At Capacity Canada’s AGM, Fung plans to touch on several topics, including the misconceptions both the non-profit and tech sectors may have about each other.

For example, he says many who work in the non-profit field assume tech companies have a ‘sea of cash’ at their disposal, when in fact he says their true wealth is in their employees’ talents.
As well, Fung says there are some in the tech world that may believe the non-profit business model is ‘broken’ and out of date.

He hopes to dispel these notions during his talk on Friday, noting one thing that many in the non-profit sector continue to do very well is operate multi-channel communications on shoestring budgets.
“That’s one skill the non-profit sector has built on,” says Fung.