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After being burnt in his first foray into the tech world, young gun Yat Siu didn't let his passion die -- instead he ignited one of Asia's hottest web service providers
Straight Talk Yat Siu was always destined to make others sit up and listen - after all, his parents are both professional classical musicians. However, it is his passion for computers, not music, which has made him one of Asia's most admired technopreneurs.
Siu, at just 27, is founder and chief blaze (it's on his business card) of Hong Kong-based Outblaze (www.outblaze.com), an Internet solutions provider. Many large corporations' sites are emblazoned with the "Powered by Outblaze" logo, including Star TV, Chinadotcom and Reuters. Outblaze's concept is simple - it provides businesses with web solutions. Its services include web hosting and homepage building. High-traffic portals built by the company have features designed to lure users back to the site such as free email, message boards, chat rooms and calendars.
A self-confessed workaholic, Siu is also giving small- to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) a break by offering his services free. Sound too good to be true? Outblaze does cash in by taking its cut of advertising revenues, but only once page views are above 100,000 per month. Outblaze charges bigger organisations a flat fee plus a minimum monthly fee on a cost-per-user basis for hosting and management.
Siu says his team of 90 employees has "the ability to expand all sites, provide technical support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and handle the purchase of hard and software and provide maintenance for clients". Outblaze, which was founded in 1998, now powers more than 60,000 sites that have a combined membership of more than 8 million. It is currently pursuing new markets and has templates in 17 different languages.
Siu shows his ability to multitask by eating noodles, tinkering with his PC and juggling phone calls - all the while fielding questions from Asian Business. Looking relaxed in track pants and T-shirt, he says there's no chance of burn-out - he loves his job too much for that.
Perhaps the discipline instilled in him by his parents is also a contributing factor. His Hong Kong-born father and Portuguese mother encouraged their only...