I’ve always been interested in making things. Entrepreneruship is the perfect canvas for me to effect my vision of a great product or service. Part of the journey is trying new things, and I can’t really call myself an aspiring founder if I have not started any ventures. I’ve had my fair share of failures in the past, most notably Chirple: a comprehensive social media and website analytics tool for SMEs and Startups. This summer had been a timely refreshment of my passion for great ideas.
Summer was a time for me to explore my interests once again, specifically in startup ideas. What better way to be inspired than join one? I embarked on my software engineering internship at a startup, Lalia. 3 months in and it was one of the best decisions I made this year. Besides developing my skills as a software engineer and understanding the structure and workflow of a tech department, the truly rewarding experience comes from appreciating the intricacies of running a startup. It was really an eye-opener working closely with the CEO (super friendly guy), from understanding the problems a startup faces to bouncing ideas around. There are so many parties involved, from marketing and business partners to mentors to users. Operating a startup is a complex process that you can only understand by getting your hands dirty. Pitching Lalia to guests at tech fairs and potential investors allowed me to better appreciate my work and the company.
Besides interning, I really wanted to start something. Something that I truly own. This is the first time I dipped into my honeyjar of ideas (I keep a list of project ideas from everyday life that you can see under Ideas) and formed a team to implement it. Podular was born: a personal management system to help you stay accountable and achieve more everyday. Intended to be a webapp, I was heavily involved in both the ideation and programming aspects. This proved to be a great learning point - it is better to focus on one aspect of the business, be it pitching or product, or tech.
Next up is hackathons. Despite my personal vow never to take part in another hackathon for how time-consuming and restrictive they are (especially if you walk home empty handed), I signed up for more. My unique product for the SIA App Challenge was Audex: Revolutionising in-flight expereinces with hyper-immersive audio guides. Audex gave me a taste of what it’s like to work in a competent team and steer the development of a product with my vision. Most people wind up working on things that they’re not necessarily passionate about, and any drive quickly simmers out. If anything, I am even more certain of this path, and I would definitely love to immerse myself in developing something truly valuable.
Lastly, I participated in the NUS Summer Programme for entrepreneurship. The enrolment process was complicated to say the least. It involved weeks of emailing back and forth with the module coordinator, countless appeals and meetings due to academic clashes with my internship. If I can’t even do a simple task like joining a module I am interesting in, how can I even drive forth a vision I am passionate about. 2 weeks later, I’ve successfully completed the programme. It was truly a rewarding experience, I connected with many like-minded people, and developed another idea from my honeyjar, Altrasave: The ultimate student discounts hub making university affordable with e-discount packs. We were given the choice of creating a new idea or join someone’s team. This was the first time I had to prepare an elevator pitch to a crowd, and convince people to join my cause. Attending visits to Google and Shopback was also an eye-opener.
Looking back to see how far I’ve came brings about a warm fuzzy feeling of nostalgia. This summer has been a transformative journey of exploration, learning, and growth, leading me closer to my passion for entrepreneurship and the joy of creating valuable products and services that can make a positive impact in the world.
Once again I’m working on something new, something big. Stay tuned for more updates. 𝕍