Recently, Prof. Martin Zhu, CEO and Co-Founder of i2Cool has been appointed Adjunct Professor in the Management Department of the Business College at the City University of Hong Kong.
This week, Prof. Martin Zhu officially began teaching the course "Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Global Business". Drawing on his journey from being a researcher at CityUHK to becoming a successful entrepreneur, his course has attracted nearly a hundred students from various academic backgrounds. The course aims to develop the students' innovative mindset and entrepreneurial skills in a global business context.
Prof. Martin Zhu graduated from the School of Energy and Environment of the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) and has been involved in the fields of heat transfer, energy conversion, and engineering materials. He co-founded i2Cool with his PhD supervisor, Ir Prof. Edwin Chi-Yan. Dr. Martin Zhu has successfully taken a breakthrough in electricity-free cooling technology from laboratory R&D into commercial application. He now serves as a member of the Hong Kong SAR Government's Committee on Green Technology and Financial Development and has been named as an Outstanding Young Entrepreneur of the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macao Greater Bay Area.
Entrepreneurs from CityUHK
Returning to Campus and Taking the Podium
After two years, Prof. Martin Zhu is back in the classroom at City University of Hong Kong as a professor. In July 2024, Prof. Martin Zhu was appointed Adjunct Professor in the Management Department of the Business College at the City University of Hong Kong, two years after his PhD graduation. In those two years, he transformed himself from a researcher into an entrepreneur.
In the classroom, Prof. Martin Zhu uses his abundant experiences in entrepreneurship to provide students with a practice-oriented learning environment, guiding them as they start by building business concepts and gradually cultivating entrepreneurial thinking to help students unearth more opportunities in their personal growth and career paths in the future.
This is a fruitful review, as Prof. Martin Zhu translates his accumulated academic and entrepreneurial experience into teachable lessons and exercises. He brings unique insights and experience thanks to his transition from researcher to entrepreneur and can stimulate students' interest in innovation and entrepreneurship.
As he said in his first course at the school-
On the road to innovation, it is important to embrace an open mindset, cross traditional boundaries, and stimulate a diversity of solutions through multiple perspectives.
Beyond that, it is crucial to encourage bold experimentation and eliminate the fear of failure because every attempt is necessary on the path to breakthroughs. The spirit of taking risks is what breeds the innovative power that can lead to change!
Insights from i2Cool's Entrepreneurial Achievements
Inspiring More Innovative Potential
CityUHK is committed to fostering active entrepreneurship among its faculty and students and creating a vibrant environment for science, technology, and innovation. All schools and faculty have deep roots in their respective specialized fields and are committed to the translation of research results into practical effects.
Against this backdrop, Prof. Martin Zhu and his mentor Ir Prof. Edwin Chi-Yan, co-founded i2Cool two years ago with the support of CityUHK Tech 300 and the University Grants Committee (UGC) to promote breakthroughs in passive radiation cooling technology (electricity-free cooling technology) from experimental research and develop them as commercial applications.
Since its inception, i2Cool has rapidly evolved from a two-person team (teacher and student) to an industry-academia-research team with more than 80 professionals in various fields. In the past two years, the company has obtained four rounds of financing and successfully implemented more than 100 innovative projects, with the electricity-free cooling technology extending from green building and industry fields to daily life protection and urban ecology improvement.
In today's fast-changing business environment, Prof. Martin Zhu's program will focus on fostering students' drive for continuous innovation and a positive mindset, helping them to grow their skills into innovative and practical talents.
In addition to his entrepreneurial role, Prof. Martin Zhu is also actively involved in the social activities related to this industry and is committed to corporate social responsibility. He has led i2Cool in working with foundations, NGOs, and other organizations to deliver tangible improvements to communities with electricity-free cooling technology.
Dr. Zhu now brings these experiences back to his alma mater, leading by example and promoting an entrepreneurial spirit that combines innovation and responsibility. He brings new energy to the campus's culture of scientific and technological innovation, inspiring future entrepreneurs to bravely forge ahead on the path of exploration and creativity.
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