Stories

October 19, 2022

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In the course of COVID-19, a significant number of people have reported having insufficient access to fresh food entirely for sustainable living.

Gordon Tam has created an urban farm that solves this problem. He is the co-founder and CEO of the Hong Kong-based vertical farming – Farm66. With advanced farming technology, he grows fresh vegetables inside skyscrapers in Hong Kong. 

In 2013, Tam and Billy Lam, Farm66’s COO, founded Hong Kong’s first high-tech vertical farm and developed LED lighting and wavelength innovations for farms. Tam and his team found that different light wavelengths affect plant growth. Red LEDs generate longer, stronger stems, whereas blue LEDs produce larger, stronger leaves.

The technological and robotic advances at Farm66 are also both groundbreaking. The 20,000-square-foot indoor farm is managed with IoT sensors and robots for quality assurance and other tasks. 

When asked about the challenges facing conventional farming, Tam cites a lack of talent as a significant issue. “It’s because the children of many remaining farmers don’t want to take over the farms. They think it’s a very tedious job.” – he told Forbes. This is why he placed a premium on technology and saw it as a means to attract young people to farming by making the industry more appealing.

Farm66’s latest farming mechanism impressed billionaire Tang Yiu’s tech-focused venture capital firm ParticleX. The Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Sino Group, and the Hong Kong government’s Cyberport and Science & Technology Parks are also investors. A total of over $4 million in funding has been acquired so far. Hengqin Financial Investment and the City University of Hong Kong have also backed Farm66.

There are currently fifteen full-time workers at Farm66, including data analysts, food scientists, and mechanical engineers, who can harvest as much as seven tons of vegetables every month. Tam hopes to share its company’s urban farming methods and success in Hong Kong with other cities. For instance, Farm66 converted a shipping container into a mobile farm for use in Middle Eastern desert cities.

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Manhattan’s Chinatown is one of the neighborhoods that has been impacted the most severely by the pandemic.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled eleven transformational projects that would be part of the initiative to help the Chinatown community reopen corridors, restaurants, businesses, and cultural institutions. 

The projects include:

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  • Creating a Chinatown welcome arch/gateway
  • Establishing Asian Culinary Arts of New York
  • Establishing the Chinatown Cultural Welcome Center

“These critical investments will transform the neighborhood and create a more vibrant and inviting destination for locals and visitors alike while enriching the neighborhood by improving foot traffic, economic and cultural activity.” Governor Hochul said in a statement.

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Rochelle Nguyen Sits As The First Asian American Nevada Senator

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“I plan on working hard to ensure we are adequately funding our public schools, that health care is affordable as well as accessible, and that all voices are represented,” Nguyen said, who will replace former state Sen. Chris Brooks for a job in the private sector.

Nguyen was nominated by Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas. The new Nevada senator’s appointment to the Finance, Judiciary, and Health and Human Services committees for the next parliamentary session was made public by the Democratic caucus. She will hold the position’s vice chair.

The caucus acknowledged her efforts on “landmark” legislation, which included reforming the criminal justice system, regulating short-term rental agencies, and advocating for victims of domestic abuse.

When Brooks was elected to the state Senate in 2019, Clark County made the decision to nominate Nguyen to replace Brooks in the Assembly. She eventually won the election for the seat in both 2020 and 2022.

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Vedant Fashions Founder Made It To India’s Richest List From Selling Affordable Indian Wedding Couture

Ravi Modi started Vedant Fashions in 1999 with the Manyavar brand, selling pajamas, saris, sherwanis(long-sleeved outer coats), kurtas, lehengas (ankle-length skirt), and salwar sets (trouser-and-tunic combination).

Vedant Fashions designs clothes but outsources bulk of the manufacturing. It currently has 590 outlets in 228 Indian towns and 13 in North America and the UAE. 

Manyavar is its flagship men’s line, while Mohey is its 2015 women’s collection. Both are mid-premium or affordable aspirational.

According to Forbes, Modi listed 15% of the company on the Indian stock exchanges in February—the basis of his $3.75 billion fortune that adds him to the ranks of India’s richest this year for the first time.

Modi grew up with three sisters in Kolkata. His father was a first-generation entrepreneur who opened a clothes company in 1975. Kolkata’s AC Market is one of the city’s earliest air-conditioned markets, including clothing, jewelry, and electronics retailers. 

The 45-year-old billionaire lives in a big bungalow on the outskirts of Kolkata where he grows his own fruits and vegetables. With 30 years of retail expertise, he provides a fresh perspective on money and career. “Earning wealth without earning time is meaningless,” he told Forbes.

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13-Year-Old Took Her Fangirling Into Greater Heights, Opens a K-Pop Inspired Milk Tea Shop

Filipino teenager Given Mendoza turned her fangirling into a business. As a K-Pop fan, she loves collecting merch of her favorite Korean pop idols. 

Given realized that these items can increase in value. She then found a way to earn by reselling them and worked on growing the business.

With the business’ great potential, the 13-year-old launched her online store, G’s KPop Kilig, “I decided to buy some albums for myself. I also bought some extra albums to sell, to see if I can earn profit,” she told the local news.

Later on, she was able to save enough to open a physical store in Baguio City, Philippines, and sells milk tea and K-Pop merch. As an “Army ”of the popular Korean group BTS, she also incorporates some inspiration to her milk teas.