In between the clustered skyscrapers at Central, dense apartments are surrounded by mountains from afar. To Mario Altenburger, an Austrian living in Hong Kong for the past 15 years, this sight makes it feel like home. Here, he enjoys a long list of city events and the quaint nature just 30 minutes away.

Walking his dog near the Alps in his hometown Tyrol was one of his routines. In Hong Kong, his day is instead packed with morning meetings and lunch gatherings. Yet, Mario finds similarities between the two places. “Hong Kong has hills and wonderful hiking trails,” he says. “In Hong Kong, you can have the most efficient day ever.”

To Mario, the Austrian cuisine is diverse like Hong Kong’s. Switzerland, Italy, and the Czech Republic used to be part of the Austrian Empire in the 1800s. The culture from these places have influenced Austria since. Similarly, Hong Kong has an international food scene, bringing all kinds of Asian dishes.

However, Mario thinks Hong Kongers are “more energic, very dynamic”. There are a lot of networking events in the city, and people are eager to discuss the most advanced technology. “Entrepreneurship is very high,” he says. “People want to work on something, people want to bring things forward.”

After moving from Austria, Mario lived in Paris and New York but decided to stay in Hong Kong. He was invited to Hong Kong by the Bank of China to expand the capital market business, but quit after 14 years and focused on his company, Harbour Industrial Capital, of three years.

Passionate about Polkadot, a blockchain network that decentralises decision-making, he is rather practical in his work. He is hoping to propose this approach to the Hong Kong government. “We like to invest in projects that build real things, real solutions for real people,” he says.

With a supportive business environment in Hong Kong, Mario believes the amount of capital from investors encourages young people to build something of their own.

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