Bindo POS has set up a regional headquarters in Hong Kong to accelerate development of its pioneering cloud-based iPad POS system.
Bindo describes itself as a one-stop retail solution that connects local stores to their customers, giving retailers a competitive advantage while providing consumers with a seamless shopping experience.
Headquartered in New York, Bindo expanded to Hong Kong after being admitted into the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation’s Incubation Programme in 2013. It chose Hong Kong because the city provides access to a large pool of talented personnel and a host of mobile and tech-savvy consumers who are willing and able to spend.
“Hong Kong is one of Asia’s most vibrant cities and compared to anywhere else in the world, it is relatively easier to set up a company here. With a lot of well-known tech companies establishing themselves in the region, there is a rapidly growing startup ecosystem for entrepreneurs to thrive,” Benedict Wong, VP of business development with Bindo, told the InvestHK bimonthly newsletter HK Foreign Direct Investment.
Bindo focuses on developing its cloud-based iPad POS system complete with inventory management, CRM, business analytics, and much more, offering retailers a full suite of solutions to help them better manage their retail business. Its online marketplace then aggregates all the products and stores using Bindo POS and launches it onto an online eCommerce platform, allowing consumers to shop online.
The retail technology provider has signed up over 1,000 merchants thus far with many more in the pipeline. In 2014, Bindo won the Startup Asia 2014 competition and received a cash prize of US$10,000. Venture capital firms have together invested a total of US$1.8 million in the company to date.
Within one year, its Hong Kong team has grown from four to 20.
“Hong Kong has an ample supply of talent and we are able to attract people from almost anywhere.” Wong said.
The name Bindo was derived from the Cantonese pronunciation for the word “where”. It makes perfect sense for a company that has its ultimate goal set to help local communities discover where to get the things they need at nearby stores. For example, in Hong Kong, if a consumer wants to buy a specific electronic part, he would wander from store to store, hoping that someone might have what he is looking for. With Bindo, a consumer would now be able to search for that specific product, and its eCommerce app would tell the consumer exactly which stores around him stock it, and even allow him to purchase and get his order delivered within the
same day. In doing so, Bindo makes shopping far more convenient for consumers, and also strengthens local communities by making it easier for stores to be found. This ‘hyperlocal marketplace’ gives smaller merchants to a better way to compete with eCommerce giants like Amazon and Alibaba, whilst its iPad POS solution vastly improves merchants’ operational efficiency with its intelligent CRM and analytics capabilities.
“The cloud-based nature of Bindo POS means that all the inventory and data on each POS system will not only be automatically updated and synchronised with each other in real-time, but also with the online store. We aim to close the loop between the online and offline retail experience. Later in 2015, we will launch the revolutionary Bindo Market in New York and Hong Kong, enabling consumers to shop online directly from their favourite neighbourhood stores on one eCommerce platform,” Wong said.
Wong first met InvestHK when he was starting his first venture in Silicon Valley. “InvestHK has been incredibly helpful in providing endless amounts of information and resources about different initiatives for startups in Hong Kong. Their seminars and events allow us to network with other small business owners, entrepreneurs and influencers, increasing our brand visibility and reach. With their continued support for local startups, I have no doubt that Hong Kong will continue to rise as one of Asia’s most important entrepreneurial hubs,” he said.

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