In the lead-up to the unConference, we speak with some of the speakers who will be present at the unConference. Today, we talk to Wong Hoong An, founding member of popular, local foodie site HumgryGoWhere.com. Hoong An will be on the panel discussing Asian innovation at the unConference.

e27: Can you give our readers a short introduction about yourself and what you do?

Hoong Ann: I am one of the co-founders of the website HungryGoWhere.com and my role in the company is in the   areas of sales and marketing, finance, public relations and legal affairs.

e27: Now, you’ve done a lot of things, you were in defense technologies, a capitol hill intern and apparently, you have a real passion for the arts. How do you think these experiences contribute to what you do now?

Hoong Ann: Exposure in many areas is always a positive as long as you have a good learning attitude towards everything in life. The lessons I learnt from each job and my activity in my life has shaped the person I have become and the decision I make in running this business.

e27: Do you believe in variety being the spice of life even when it comes to work? Would you say its related to your belief about being a student for life?

Hoong Ann: Yes. Our office is a crazy bunch of guys and I believe that a lot of my staff enjoy working with me because we always try to make work as interesting as possible. At the end of the day, we must be able to take our work seriously but take ourselves not too seriously.

e27: There’s this massively prevalent stereotype that Asians are great copiers, but not innovators. What would you say to that?

Hoong Ann: Well, there are certain truths to that as prevalent in the manufacturing and auto industries, but like many statements that is just a stereotype as there are many Asian innovators too – although I have to say that Asians tend to be better associated with taking an existing product and making it better

e27: How would you encourage the younger generation to take an interest in innovation and entreprenuership especially when the emphasis so far is on excelling academically not creatively?

Hoong Ann: I do not believe in doing that. A true entrepreneur will still do what he believes in with or without any encouragement.

e27: Perhaps you could tell us about why you started Hungrygowhere.com, what was the inspiration behind it and what motivated you?

Hoong Ann: To a certain extent it has to be craziness. A few years ago, I found it lacking that there was no readily available site that could give me information on restaurants at the snap of the finger and I thought that it would be a great resource to have one. Moreover, I believe that there is a lack of a strong channel for restaurants to market themselves efficiently and I felt that there was a big market on that.

e27: I noticed that Hungrygowhere has gone to Hong Kong, KL, Sydney and Melbourne. So many local talents have lamented about how hard it is to break into overseas markets. What would you say to that? Have you faced any obstacles in bringing Hungrygowhere.com overseas?

Hoong Ann: I agree that it is difficult to break into the overseas market. In fact, I still find it difficult today.  This is because every market has its share of cultural differences which will affect how I position the site. At this stage, I would not even dare say that I have “successfully” brought my site overseas. It is a work in progress but I believe that it can be done – through the right use of partnerships or money.

e27: As a conclusion, where do you see hungrygowhere.com in say, 3 years time? What are your future plans for it, if you have any?

Hoong Ann: In three years time, HungryGoWhere.com will probably be used both online as well as on the mobile phone. I hope to create a “one-stop site” for Hungry people – where people can find a place to dine, or have the food brought to them. But then again, we must also be flexible to changing strategies and tact and who knows, the final outcome may be a totally different one.

This article is part of a feature series on prominent attendees of  unConference 2009 on May 16th. Follow the event on twitter here. (event hashtag: #unconf2009)