Derek Cheung
| Derek Cheung | |
|---|---|
 Derek Cheung 1.jpg Cheung in 2021 | |
| Native name | 鍾培生 |
| Born | |
| 🏫 Education | University of Southern California |
| 💼 Occupation | Businessman |
| 🏢 Organization | Hong Kong Esports |
| Known for | Founder of Hong Kong Esports |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Angel Chong Nga-ting (m. 2026) |
| 👪 Relatives | Chung Kong-hoi (grandfather) |
Derek Cheung (Chinese: 鍾培生) is a Hong Kong businessman and esports entrepreneur. He founded the esports company Hong Kong Esports (HKES) in 2013 and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2018.[1][2] Cheung has also taken part in exhibition boxing, defeating the commentator Joseph Lam Chok in 2021 and the former professional gamer Toyz in 2023.[3][4]
Early life and education
Cheung is a grandson of Chung Kong-hoi, a Hong Kong property developer known as the "industrial building king", who founded the listed company Wah Ha Realty in the 1960s and developed buildings including Star House in Tsim Sha Tsui.[5][6] Cheung has said that his parents limited him to fifteen minutes of video games a day until he was twelve.[7] He told Apple Daily that he earned about HK$500,000 at the age of fifteen by trading virtual goods in online games.[5][8]
Cheung entered the University of Southern California at sixteen, majoring in mathematics and economics.[5][7] He worked in finance before moving into esports.[8]
Business career
Hong Kong Esports
Cheung founded Hong Kong Esports in 2013 with initial capital of HK$1 million.[7][5] For its first two years the company operated as an events business built around esports competitions, and it broke even in its first year.[5][7] Cheung told Apple Daily that early investors questioned whether the business was viable, with some dismissing it as a management or events company with limited prospects.[6]
In 2017 the company completed a Series A funding round of US$10 million, led by Autobot Capital Partners (博派資本) together with Hong Kong investors.[5][8] HKET reported in February 2017 that the company was valued at over HK$100 million;[8] by September that year HK01 reported a valuation of about US$40 million, or roughly HK$312 million.[7] The company later operated branches in Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.[5] Its teams were brought under the single name Hong Kong Attitude.[9] Both HK01 and Apple Daily reported that a team owned by the company became the first Hong Kong side to qualify for the League of Legends World Championship.[7][5]
Dispute with Toyz
Kurtis Lau Wai-kin, known as Toyz, played for Cheung's organisation before leaving it.[7] Cheung told HK01 that Lau had sought an unconditional release from his contract and, when this was refused, reported to a regional tournament organiser that the company had fixed matches, then stopped performing his contract.[7] HK01 reported that the organiser investigated and found that Hong Kong Esports had not fixed matches, though it considered an intention to have players conceal their ability to be contrary to principles of fair competition.[7] Cheung began legal proceedings in November 2016, and HK01 reported that Lau settled by paying HK$2.1 million.[7]
HKTCG
In 2026, amid growing interest in collectible cards in Hong Kong, Cheung entered the trading card business.[10] He told The Standard that his interest in cards had returned after he played card games at the Ani-Com & Games Hong Kong fair in July 2025, and that he wanted to open a shop "even better than the ones in Akihabara, Tokyo".[10] The business, HKTCG (Hong Kong Trading Card Game Limited), occupies about 21,000 square feet (2,000 m2) on the second floor of the iSquare shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui and also operates online.[11][12] It began trial operation on 27 May 2026 and opened formally on 4 July 2026.[13][11] HKTCG describes itself as the largest trading card shop in the world.[11][14]
The shop sells sealed product and single cards for more than twenty card games, among them Pokémon, One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh!, and buys cards for resale.[15][11] It has a tournament area of about 4,600 square feet (430 m2) with 128 seats, a members' play area, and an exhibition zone the company calls the Card Museum.[15][11] The Hong Kong Economic Times reported before the opening that the display cases would be sealed and lit without ultraviolet light to protect the cards, and that the premises would have round-the-clock security and insurance; Cheung invited collectors with holdings worth more than HK$5 million to lend pieces for display.[13] HKTCG also offers card storage and consignment, authentication and grading, and it stages tournaments, exhibitions and signing events.[11][10]
HKTCG is 51 per cent owned by EDICO Holdings, a financial printing company listed on the GEM board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and 49 per cent by Cheung, who sits on its board.[11][12] Announcing the venture on 3 July 2026 as a new business segment, EDICO said it aimed to make Hong Kong a regional hub for trading cards and sports cards, and that it expected to draw on Cheung's experience in esports.[11] The Hong Kong Economic Times noted that iSquare is co-owned by Tian Teck Land and Associated International Hotels, companies controlled by members of Cheung's extended family.[13] HKTCG said it recorded more than 50,000 visits during the trial period, about 40 per cent of them by visitors from mainland China and overseas.[16]
On 3 September 2026 EDICO filed a supplementary announcement responding to a Sing Tao report of 4 July. It said that the cards on display, valued at about HK$80 million, included Cheung's personal collection and cards lent by other collectors and remained their owners' property, and that a reported investment of about HK$60 million represented Cheung's estimate of what the business might need over three to five years rather than money already invested or committed. The announcement set annual limits on the group's spending on the card business and said financial printing remained its main activity.[17]
Boxing
HKET described Cheung as a boxing enthusiast in February 2017.[8]
2021: Joseph Lam Chok
In September 2021 Cheung promoted and headlined a celebrity boxing card in Hong Kong, billed in English as We Are Champs 2021.[2] His opponent was the commentator Joseph Lam Chok. Cheung said before the bout that he would knock Lam out; Lam lasted the full four rounds and Cheung won by unanimous decision.[3][18] Speaking afterwards, Cheung said he was disappointed not to have secured a knockout and credited Lam's preparation.[18]
2023: Toyz
On 5 July 2023 Cheung fought Lau at Taipei Arena on a card billed as The Cage.[4] Lau had won the 2012 League of Legends World Championship with Taipei Assassins before joining Cheung's organisation, and the two had been in dispute for several years.[19] At the weigh-in, Cheung struck Lau.[19] Cheung won the bout by technical knockout in the fourth round.[4]
Other activities
In a 2017 interview with Ming Pao, Cheung said the Hong Kong government should encourage companies to sponsor esports teams and should grant esports players the status of professional athletes.[20]
In December 2025, after a fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po drew scrutiny to bid-rigging in Hong Kong's building maintenance industry, Cheung announced that he would form a group to help owners' corporations monitor property management companies and tender processes. He initially proposed calling it 全港反圍標監察關注組 ('Hong Kong anti-bid-rigging monitoring concern group') and later named it 香港正義聯盟 ('Hong Kong Justice League').[21][22]
Personal life
Cheung married Angel Chong Nga-ting in March 2026.[23][24]
References
- ↑ "Derek Cheung". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lee, Wing-Sze (15 September 2021). "Hong Kong influencer showdown: inside Derek Cheung and Joseph Lam Chok's million-dollar boxing match, We Are Champs 2021". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 【林鍾一戰】林作苦戰四回合未被KO 鍾培生獲判勝出 [Lam Chok survives four rounds without being knocked out; Derek Cheung awarded the win]. Hong Kong Economic Times (in 中文). 19 September 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 拳賽落幕「中路野獸」Toyz遭判TKO 鍾培生獲勝 [Toyz ruled TKO as the bout ends; Derek Cheung wins]. TVBS News (in 中文). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 李海澄 (11 July 2019). 「香港王思聰」瞓身搞電競 富三代鍾培生感恩家底厚 [The "Hong Kong Wang Sicong" goes all in on esports: third-generation heir Derek Cheung is grateful for his family background]. Apple Daily (in 中文). Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 香港電競鍾培生：談融資受盡質疑 [Hong Kong Esports' Derek Cheung: doubted at every turn when raising money]. Apple Daily (in 中文). 23 May 2017. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 余秉峰 (6 September 2017). 【惹火有錢仔】27歲靠「計」創3億生意 鍾培生：唔識嘅嘢唔投資 [27-year-old builds a HK$300 million business by calculation: Derek Cheung on not investing in what he does not understand]. HK01 (in 中文). Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 富三代鍾培生打機打出血路 誓做東南亞第一電競品牌 [Third-generation heir Derek Cheung carves a path through gaming, vowing to build Southeast Asia's top esports brand]. Hong Kong Economic Times (in 中文). 8 February 2017. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ HKES 宣布 TABE 出任《英雄聯盟》戰隊教練 旗下所有隊伍統一命名 HKA [HKES names TABE as League of Legends coach and unifies all its teams under the HKA name]. Bahamut GNN (in 中文). 16 May 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Multi-billion-dollar cards of gold: How Hong Kong cashes in on collectibles". The Standard. 27 July 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 自願公告 最新業務發展 [Voluntary announcement: latest business development] (PDF) (in 中文). EDICO Holdings Limited. 3 July 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026 – via HKEXnews.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 呂宇健夥鍾培生拓卡牌業務 尖沙咀2.1萬呎旗艦店已開幕 [Ken Lui partners with Derek Cheung on card business; 21,000 sq ft Tsim Sha Tsui flagship has opened]. Sing Tao Headline (in 中文). 5 July 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 【鍾培生發功】狂收百萬珍藏卡！HKTCG 2.2萬呎「全球最大」卡牌基地5.27試業 進駐尖沙咀iSQUARE全因家族背景？ [Derek Cheung buys up a million dollars of collectible cards; HKTCG's 22,000 sq ft "world's largest" card base opens for trial on 27 May; is the iSQUARE location down to family background?]. Hong Kong Economic Times (in 中文). 27 May 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ 【鍾培生】夥炒樓專家呂宇健 打造全球最大卡牌店HKTCG：7.4開幕 無預警宣布太太莊雅婷懷孕喜訊 [Derek Cheung teams up with property investor Ken Lui to build the world's largest card shop HKTCG, opening 4 July]. Hong Kong Economic Times (in 中文). 4 July 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "About Us". HKTCG. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ 鍾培生旗下尖沙咀2.6萬呎卡牌中心HKTCG試業錄逾5萬人次到訪 [Derek Cheung's 26,000 sq ft Tsim Sha Tsui card centre HKTCG records over 50,000 visits during trial]. Infocast (in 中文). 4 July 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026 – via Yahoo Finance Hong Kong.
- ↑ 補充公告 最新業務發展 [Supplementary announcement: latest business development] (PDF) (in 中文). EDICO Holdings Limited. 3 September 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026 – via HKEXnews.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 衛爾良 (19 September 2021). 林鍾大戰無敵盃｜鍾培生勝出 KO林作未成真 [Lam-Chung bout: Cheung wins but the knockout does not materialise]. HK01 (in 中文). Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Jocelyn (7 July 2023). 「鍾椅之戰」Toyz 對鍾培生落幕！解析他們之間的電競界恩怨 [The Toyz-Cheung bout concludes: unpacking their esports feud]. INSIDE (in 中文). Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ 鍾培生：港府應承認電競運動員 籲提高專業門檻 予更多認受性 [Derek Cheung: the government should recognise esports players, and raise professional standards to give the field more legitimacy]. Ming Pao (in 中文). 14 August 2017. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 大埔宏福苑五級火｜鍾培生擬組「全港反圍標監察關注組」 邀前廉政專員加入 [Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fire: Derek Cheung plans an anti-bid-rigging monitoring group, inviting a former ICAC commissioner to join]. Ming Pao Finance (in 中文). 1 December 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ 鍾培生宣布成立「香港正義聯盟」 首戰劍指反圍標 [Derek Cheung announces the formation of the Hong Kong Justice League, targeting bid-rigging first]. EDigest (in 中文). 19 December 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ 鍾培生莊雅婷正式結婚 [Derek Cheung and Angel Chong Nga-ting marry]. HK01 (in 中文). 28 March 2026. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ 富三代鍾培生與莊雅婷正式結婚 [Third-generation heir Derek Cheung marries Angel Chong Nga-ting]. Sing Tao Headline (in 中文). 28 March 2026. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
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