About Near Mint
Near Mint is a studio of four founders in Hong Kong. We build apps and digital solutions.
Our story
How it started
Near Mint began in 2026 with a group of friends who met the way a lot of friendships start now: online, over games. Late nights, group chats, and the occasional rage-quit. Somewhere between the matches, we noticed something. Each of us was good at something different. One of us thinks in systems, another has an eye for design, another can’t stop tinkering until things work. Played together, those differences made us a better team than any of us was alone.
At some point, “we should build something together” stopped being a joke and became the plan.
Why we’re building
We want to make things we’re proud of, and we want to do it on our own terms. No shortcuts, no waiting for permission. We’re building from the ground up and growing at our own pace, with the same teamwork we learned from playing together. Every project is a new game, and we’re playing to win it together.
What the name means
In the collector’s world, “near mint” describes something that’s almost flawless: a card, a record, a game that’s been cared for and still looks nearly new. That’s the standard we hold ourselves to. We obsess over the details and aim for work that’s as close to perfect as we can get.
But we don’t pretend to be perfect. Perfect is a finish line nobody crosses, and chasing it stops you from shipping. Near mint is the sweet spot: high standards, honest effort, and room to keep improving.
What we do
We make our own products, and we build for other people.
Our own products
- Bindy is a peer-to-peer Pokémon card trading app for iOS and Android.
- Duelbee is a 1v1 voice debate game on the web, judged by an AI.
Custom digital solutions
We build digital solutions for businesses and ideas of any size.
Tell us what you need
How we work
Four roles, each led by one of the founders.
Research
Led by Justin Ho, Co-Founder & Chief Research Officer
Before the team builds anything, Justin finds out whether it should be built, by talking to the people who will use it.
Vision and development
Led by Jeffrey Shi, Co-Founder & CEO
Jeffrey sets the vision, oversees development, and shapes the ideas and direction behind everything the team builds.
Business and partnerships
Led by Isaac Chau, Co-Founder, Business
Isaac leads business development and investor relations, the commercial side of the company.
Community and operations
Led by Marco Liu, Co-Founder, Community & Operations
Marco makes sure things run properly, with real attention to the culture and community a product lives in.