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World's laziest CEO. CEO of NinjaPear. Ex-Founder of Proxycurl (10+M), Steven founded 5 other startups: Gom VPN, Kloudsec, SilvrBullet, NuMoney, and SharedHere.
I am doing something different this time compared to how I used to build ideate and build products. This time, I am not building anything until I see paying customers. And oh boy, it is unsettling to be selling anything without anything more than a brochure and a promise. Eureka
It is no secret that I fired my brother shortly after I hired him. And I dismissed him for two reasons. First, he was not a good programmer due to inexperience. Secondly, as a young company, I could not afford to have my brother learn under my dime. I think
Genetically, I gain fast-twitch muscles easily. I am no different at work. I drive large movements in the company. And sometimes we move so fast that I can't help but to look back and force myself to regroup.
The title of this article is a story of a guy that I tried fund-raising from as a doe-eyed fresh grad. A while ago, he low-key flexed that he had bought himself a plot of land in Tanglin to stay grounded. I think he failed to accomplish his dual-pronged message
I pride myself as a Product CEO because I build great software. And currently, I have two tiny project ideas written down in my todo list. A Chrome Extension to click on a number and open the number in Whatsapp Web I use Whatsapp Web almost exclusively because I do
But like most people, I am not connected, loaded, or pedigreed. But I have a brain and a grit.
By success, I mean I made money to support one person (myself). Most entrepreneurs do not even get this far. And what I do is no secret. For every new product I launch, I have to figure out how to get to the first $1000. And if I am unable
The real world frustrates internet geeks. In the real world, everything seems so much harder. In the real world, the geeks have to put on clothes. The geeks have to go to work. The geeks actually have to make money and pay for things. Luckily the geeks these days are
Inefficiencies irritate me. Most of the time, inefficiencies exist for a good reason. An economic reason such as cleaners being cheap makes R&D for self-cleaning toilets prohibitively expensive. A carpark attendant is still required because for some reason; asshole drivers won't take "no parking"
I am what I am. But as time races by and collagen weans itself off my face, I have noticed the few times I cede control, were the few times things worked out well. Cede control in the company With LandX, I could hold onto the reins if I wanted
There was a time by which I made a concerted effort to stave off the intake of the news. That is because the primary intent of news reporting is to alarm. The secondary intent is to inform. This is why "Breaking News" arises so often. The TV networks
The giant startups that shook up our lives such as Uber and Airbnb did so because they were, by nature, disruptive. But disruption is a nicer way of saying illegal. Then they got so big so fast that regulators have no choice but to regulate them permissively, The recipe for
Especially so for someone like me who grew up trying hard not to take money from my mother because of tight financial circumstances. In a startup world, planning for failure is a recipe for mediocrity. Fighting this old habit has proved to be one of the harder battles on par
My investment track record, while limited in variety, has been pretty successful. They would be way more successful when I tune out my emotions. The times I didn't were led to outcomes that were less favorable outcome: * Like how I signed away an entire company I built because
I started the Sapiengraph effort by hiring a small sales unit. Historically, I always built the product first then attempt to sell it. The risks are obvious. I might invest months on a product that nobody wants. With sales first, I let the market decide instead. Besides, knowing myself and
In my second meeting with an angel investor, he told me straight up that he is not sure what exactly we are selling.
Last week, I dropped a job specification for our design team to design a demo for our facial recognition demo. The demo does two things with photos: 1. To search for a face 2. To add a face to the database The "Train" buttonFor Feature #2, the designer
"What is in it for you" - Do not sell. Instead, tell your prospect straight up what he stands to gain.
The origin story of how I decided to build my own company
A designer with a soft pink cap. A programmer with a hair bun. These Indonesians have been growing proportionally in my product team. We speak different native languages, but we barter in the same currency -- respect. Despite dedicating an entire post [https://nubela.co/blog/your-first-reaction-is-a-snort-of-air-out-your-nose-with-a-half-smile/] deconstructing why I
This post is hard to write because it means I have to come to terms with my autistic tendencies. But if I am honest with myself, blaming it to autism makes for a poor excuse. If I have to be candid, I will say I am an asshole. But it
No, it is not the early onset of Alzheimer's [https://nubela.co/blog/i-have-early-onset-of-alzheimers/]. It was honest to goodness forgetfulness. I am making it up right now. But it does tie in nicely with what I was ruminating about yesterday. I should slow down. What I have been
Last week marked the start of the fund-raising process. It was a fruitful week, and it has shaped the work ahead of me in the subsequent weeks. This post is a summary of my thoughts. Funds as comfort; funds as a weapon I am raising funds for Sapiengraph because * I
I am a Singaporean with chutzpah [https://www.yourdictionary.com/chutzpah]. A Jewish term for near-arrogant bravado. As a Singaporean Chinese living in a Confucian society, it is not an easy trait to carry. But I carry my chutzpah proudly on my sleeve. In the past, my near-arrogant bravado has
Yesterday, I texted a particular NUS professor seeking an introduction to a specific angel investor. That turned out to be a dud as the professor was not acquainted. And I followed up by asking: > do you know of anyone with deep pockets who like engineers, whom I should meet?
