Filipina entrepreneur Sarah Vee is using her platform to connect Hong Kong women—here’s how she hopes it will change the world
As a nine-year-old, Sarah Vee was obsessed with the virtual pet platform Neopets.com. The website, which still exists, allows users to own virtual pets and build a virtual life with others who share their interests. This idea of community intrigued Vee, and by age 11, she had learnt the basics of coding and created her own platform for Harry Potter fans like herself. “I built a website with HTML code and JavaScript; I learnt how to send newsletters, keep users engaged with virtual activities, manage forums and create images to attract new users. I didn’t know I was marketing or branding then—I was just having a great time being a kid,” she says.
As an adult, though confident in her online life, when struggling in her personal or professional life, she kept it to herself. Vee became a single mother after breaking up with her partner and shortly after suffered the tragic loss of her best friend. The two events were catalysts for change, which forced her to gradually open up to others. She says that surrounding herself with the right people was key. “I didn’t have anyone to rely on anymore. But having just a handful of supportive people in your life is all you need to start believing in yourself,” she says. “I needed help, but I was ashamed to ask. I’ve learnt that being strong means not being afraid to ask for help.”
In 2014, Vee channelled her understanding of human connection and experience working in PR and events at Maximal Concepts, Play Hong Kong and Voltage PR into a women-only platform called Girls of Hong Kong. It began as a Facebook group for women who liked to attend events and socialise. Through word of mouth, the group grew to 200 members within six months; Vee then created a WhatsApp group which, she says, “organically turned into a support hotline for all things that women need”.