Tong Zhang

“Magic is what you can expect when you welcome Tong into your world. Truly! Pure magic. Tong first joined my team as an intern when he was 19 & an Actuarial Bachelor's student, so I was expecting numbers & sharp analytical skills. But it quickly became clear that was just the surface & we'd been incredibly lucky to find Tong. His ability to quickly synthesise complex information & analytical brain were great boons. But what was less expected, was how his deep humanity, big ideas & high EQ would combine to make him a triple threat. Tong left us to study in Scotland, fitting in trips to close to 20 nearby countries on the weekend which I love because it perfectly illustrates his relentless curiosity, appetite for growth, & desire to understand people, systems & the world. He returned to Macquarie where he gnawed his teeth on complex financial engineering challenges in a gun team, before succumbing to the lure of the world once again. I deeply respect Tong's commitment to growth which is reflected in his decision to travel & immerse himself in international startup ecosystems, gaining connections & insights that he put to good use when he returned to the StartMate community. So, imagine my delight when 5 years after he started his first role with us, he returned to Super Fierce when we needed him most! Over the last year, I have enjoyed seeing Tong embrace his love of the startup world, his vision for a brighter future, & passion for product to become an integral member of our team. His empathy for the customer & affinity for the tech side of the product team has been incredibly powerful. I have zero doubt that one day Tong will found a brilliant, successful business of his own - I am putting in dibs on being his first investor! In the meantime, the community will continue to benefit from his keen intellect, willing heart & enormous smile. And I am certain that great success lies ahead for everyone who has the good fortune to work with this incredible young man.”

“Tong is flexible and personable, while having strong technical skills. This combination of "soft" and "hard" traits are not common in today's market but are very valuable to business owners/ managers. His technical skills are also very strong, which is useful in today's tight market, but it is combination of soft skills with these technical skills that means that Tong stands out from his peers. We first worked with Tong when setting up a FinTech startup; he then did a project with one of the large investment banks; and then we brought him into our FinTech as an employee exactly because of this combination and the benefits to our business.”