Even Hakim is dabbling in bricks and mortar. The new establishment, called JAH, is targeted at the I.T. crowd. To lure them, he's not only installing broadband connection points and laptop computers, he also convinced industry heavyweights like Chinadotcom chief operating officer Peter Hamilton and Goldman Sachs banker Brooks Entwhistle to invest. This is what we really need to solidify the industry after a down market. It could be a good spark for the next wave of technology.
Hope springs eternal.
In Wanchai, home of some of Hong Kong's seediest saloons, strip joints and massage parlours, Jill Manion recently opened a private club for members of the Internet community. The bar and restaurant features a small business center in back. She sees a silver lining for her business in the dotcom layoffs. There are a lot of people who will be out of work who can come here and talk about new ideas. With funding at a near standstill, that's unlikely to happen soon.