Draft:Simon Squibb

Simon Squibb (born 1974) is a British entrepreneur known for participating in the Hong Kong start-up ecosystem. He is recognised for co-founding Nest, a business accelerator, and Fluid, a design and creative agency.[

Early life
Following the death of his father when Squibb was 15, and being too young to acquire a National Insurance number which is received at 16 and required to work in the UK, Simon was made homeless and forced towards entrepreneurship, beginning his journey by establishing a gardening firm. Later, Simon leveraged his background in marketing and branding which was acquired by working with hotels in London to relocate to Hong Kong in 1997 where he was offered a job, having been attracted to the region by the opportunity of 'living on the doorstep of China'. .

Fluid Design (creative agency)
Fluid is a design and creative agency headquartered in Hong Kong, co-founded by Squibb in 2000. In 2016, PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) announced its acquisition of Fluid as part of it's expansion into the strategy consulting field.

Nest (venture capital firm)
In addition to his work with Fluid, Simon has been actively involved in the Hong Kong startup ecosystem. In 2010, he founded Nest.VC, one of the city's earliest private incubator and early-stage venture firms. Since its inception, Nest has supported the growth of 174 startups, collaborating with firms including Infiniti, DBS Bank and AIA Group to implement a 12-week accelerator program. Nest's influence has expanded beyond Hong Kong, reaching the Middle east and Africa through a partnership with American Express to run Bahrain's first corporate accelerator and holding events in South Africa and Uganda. In 2015, Nest established offices in Nairobi and Paris to broaden its global reach.

Fluid Friction Comics
In 2008, Squibb launched the Indian-inspired Devashard series of comics through his publishing company Fluid Friction, a joint venture between Fluid and British media investment company Zero Friction aiming to be the first from the Hong Kong market to make an international debut.

HelpBnk
Squibb has also established HelpBnk, a social media platform designed to connect global entrepreneurs. As part of this venture, Squibb acquired a disused four-storey staircase in August 2023 at a property auction in Twickenham, south-west London for £25,000. Squibb had heard about the unusual property on a radio show just two days before the auction, having captured his attention as he had previously been homeless living in a staircase. Squibb planned to convert it to a pop-up venue or as a hangout place for entrepreneurs with each floor to host different pop-up businesses. . Eventually, HelpBnk had installed a Ring video doorbell on the staircase allowing individuals to pitch their business ideas for 1 minute.