It takes courage to go against the status quo.

My name is Yvonne Lan. I’m a 23-year-old entrepreneur, born and raised in Germany, with a Taiwanese mother from Taipei and a Chinese father from Shenzhen. I’m currently studying at NTU and recently launched my app, Livingo. The app aims to simplify the process of finding roommates and shared housing in Asia’s fast-paced real estate market.

The idea came to life during my gap year in Asia in 2019. I noticed that finding housing in Asia was challenging, and there was no easy way to approach shared living. I studied fashion design as an undergraduate, and I have zero background in tech.

In 2023, I made a surprising leap into the tech world, hoping to challenge the status quo of the traditional rental living market. I finally decided to pursue my dream by moving to Singapore and studying for an MSc TIP (Master of Science Technopreneurship and Innovation) program at NTU while turning my startup idea into reality.

A shift from fashion to tech

Just a year ago, I was only 22 and with a promising career trajectory in fashion design in Berlin. Due to my passion for entrepreneurship,  I boldly chose to pivot to tech—a novel field where I truly saw the potential to make a real impact.

Declining an offer from the University College London (UCL), I flew halfway across the world to Singapore—a country where I had never lived before—to pursue my dream of creating a real estate app that would address the housing challenges faced by many in Asia.

The transition from fashion to tech was more than just a career change for me —it was the beginning of a mission to make co-living a lifestyle, targeting this generation, which has different plans than the status quo. I was deeply inspired by the co-living culture in Berlin, where people of all ages live together.

This led me to envision a platform that would not only allow users to easily find their home but also make meaningful connections along the way. This vision became the driving force behind my Livingo.

I have to say the journey to building Livingo was far from easy. With no prior experience in tech and zero initial funding, I solely relied on my sheer willpower to bring this vision to life. In just one week, I conceptualised Livingo and sketched every page and design of the app on Figma.

After classes, I interviewed 164 applicants for the full stack positions, I eventually hired two; However, they left after just one month. I had to start over. During that period, I felt like a heartbreak. Nevertheless, I kept going, I didn’t want to give up so easily and worked on Livingo non-stop from that point.

Luckily, I hired a team, and within six months, we built the app and successfully launched it after being rejected by the App Store and Google Play 25 times!

Also Read: Equity harmony: Strategies for fair founder equity distribution without discord

The hard work eventually paid off. In less than a year, I also won the NTU x Babson College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge and secured first-round funding from the NTUitive NEST Program. As a solo female founder in the male-dominated tech industry, I want my journey to be more than just building an app— I know this is about inspiring other young women to take risks, challenge the status quo, and believe in their ability to create change regardless of their background.

Addressing Asia’s housing crisis

According to the Asian Development Bank, the South East Asia region needs to build 13 million new affordable housing units by 2030 to meet the growing demand. Housing costs have surged to exorbitant levels, with a 35 sqm condominium costing six to 30 times the average annual income in Asia.

In Singapore, homeownership exceeds 80 per cent, yet housing prices exceed eight times the average annual income. More important than ever, addressing the issue of affordability by tapping into the spirit of digital nomadism and the shared economy—concepts that are becoming increasingly relevant in today’s globalised world.

Livingo hopes to challenge the financial and societal pressure of home ownership by offering an alternative and accessible way of living. 

Fostering community through co-living

Beyond housing, Livingo addresses another crucial issue: social isolation. Urbanisation in Asia has led to a rise in loneliness and mental health challenges, particularly in densely populated cities.

Livingo aims to counter this by encouraging meaningful connections between flatmates, making the co-living experience fun and interactive. Users can connect with like-minded individuals, expanding their social circles and creating supportive communities within their living spaces.

Also Read: Is co-living a good opportunity for property owners?

The platform is designed to make housing searches seamless across different regions, overcoming language barriers and legal complexities. This focus on simplicity and community might be the right recipe for a great co-living life in a new city, especially for young professionals who are seeking not just a place to live but a sense of belonging.

Scaling up and expanding horizons

Currently, Livingo operates in Singapore, Shenzhen, and Taipei, with plans to expand further into Asia. In its hometown of Singapore, Livingo already has established strategic partnerships with multiple major co-living space operators such as Isa Appartments, Helloaya, Suitetogether, Comfyrooms, Westwood Hostel, and more.

Within 3 weeks Livingo already has over 500 active listings and garnered significant user interest, with over 10,000 impressions just within a short pre-launch period, and it supports crucial localisation features like WeChat Pay and Gaode Maps for Mainland China users, ensuring usability across different regions.

Livingo is ambitious. I truly see the app not just as a tool for finding housing, but as a platform that will revolutionise the way people live and connect globally.

With co-living on the rise, Livingo is well-positioned to lead this shift toward a more flexible and community-centered way of life. I want Livingo to be more than just an app—I want it to be a movement for sustainable living.

 

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Three years ago, El Salvador made history as the first country to adopt Bitcoin as a legal tender to boost financial inclusion and drive economic growth. While the country’s government and major financial institutions benefited from this, smaller businesses and retail users have faced challenges. This is mainly due to Bitcoin’s volatility and the complexity of applying its underlying technology to their day-to-day business operations. 

Around 70 per cent of the population does not have a bank account — a problem that El Salvador President Nayib Bukele sees as a way to provide more financial inclusivity for his people.

As cryptocurrency adoption among Southeast Asian countries likewise grows, we can learn many important lessons from El Salvador and use this as a case study of how emerging technologies can overcome such obstacles and unlock new opportunities for startups and small businesses.

Bitcoin as legal tender — a good idea?

El Salvador’s Bitcoin law addressed critical economic issues affecting the nation, such as high remittance fees and financial exclusion. Remittances represent nearly 24 per cent of the country’s GDP, and the use of Bitcoin was intended to provide a more affordable and efficient way to transfer money across borders. 

However, while the government launched the Chivo Wallet and set up over 200 Bitcoin ATMs, small businesses and casual users struggled with the volatility of Bitcoin as a means of storing value. 

To illustrate, a National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study found that only 20 percent of small businesses in El Salvador used Bitcoin regularly. In comparison, 80 percent of citizens who downloaded the Chivo Wallet abandoned it after receiving their initial US$30 incentive.

These challenges are also relevant to Southeast Asia. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) form the backbone of the economies in the region, where MSMEs account for at least 97 per cent of business transactions, employing around 67 percent of the workforce.

Layer 2 solutions can make bitcoin more accessible for small businesses

In Southeast Asia, the cryptocurrency and blockchain market is growing, expected to reach US$1.79 billion this year and will grow at a CAGR of 8.75 per cent to US$2.50 billion by 2028. For startups in countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, where financial inclusion remains challenging, enhancing access to fintech solutions that leverage cryptocurrencies will be transformative.

Also Read: Global Web3 companies on why Asia Pacific is the future of the industry

However, one of the main reasons MSMEs struggle with adopting cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin is the complexity of transacting directly on the Bitcoin network. Its relatively slow transaction times and high fees make it less practical for everyday transactions, especially for small, frequent payments like microtransactions and retail payments. This is where Layer 2 solutions come into play.

Layer 2 technologies offer a blockchain-based scaling solution that complements or integrates with Bitcoin’s existing blockchain. They provide faster, cheaper, and more efficient transactions without compromising Bitcoin’s security. For example, instead of waiting 10 minutes for a Bitcoin transaction to settle, Layer 2 technologies can finalise transactions in mere seconds, similar to current online payment services like Visa and Mastercard.

Addressing the challenge of volatility

While Bitcoin is a secure and decentralised asset, its volatile value can fluctuate wildly, which is not ideal as a regular mode of payment. Stablecoins offer a solution to this problem, pegged to stable monetary assets like the US dollar or other national currencies. PayPal’s PYUSD, for instance, is a USD-backed stablecoin that has reached US$1 billion in market value.

Financial institutions and technology companies are now able to build upon Layer 2 networks to come up with their own solutions for addressing the payment needs of MSMEs and end consumers. Bitfinity Network’s BitFusion Bridge SDK leverages Chain Key Technology to enable the decentralised bridging of assets from any blockchain, such as Bitcoin, to cheaper and faster Layer 2 networks, enabling developers to integrate fintech apps with the Bitcoin network. This also allows businesses to transact in ckBTC, a 1:1 equivalent of Bitcoin that can be transferred for a fraction of the price and time compared to native Bitcoin transactions. 

As another variant, Coinbase introduced cbBTC, a 1:1 equivalent to Bitcoin, enabling users to seamlessly convert BTC to cbBTC when transferring to the Base or Ethereum blockchains. 

Also Read: The rise of Web3 and crypto startups: Pioneering the decentralised future

Such bridge protocols allow faster go-to-market strategies for emerging fintechs looking to implement secure, scalable, and interoperable blockchain solutions. And for end consumers to utilise BTC as micropayments, it solves the initial challenges faced by merchants and consumers in El Salvador. 

For example, a small business using such a solution could accept payments in Bitcoin but immediately convert those into stablecoins, reducing the risk of holding a volatile asset. This means businesses can still take advantage of Bitcoin’s global reach and liquidity without being exposed to its price swings.

Leading Southeast Asia’s next generation of fintech adoption

The future of Bitcoin and stablecoins in Southeast Asia holds enormous potential, particularly for smaller players. Small businesses, which account for a significant share of the region’s economy, stand to benefit immensely from these innovations. By adopting Layer 2 solutions and leveraging stablecoins, small businesses and their customers can access cheaper, faster, and more secure financial services.

Using lessons from El Salvador, Southeast Asia’s startups have an opportunity to build innovative, scalable solutions that bring millions of unbanked individuals and small businesses into the global digital economy. By addressing these pain points, SEA can pave the way for a more inclusive and accessible financial future.

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The first-ever Echelon Philippines 2024, organised by e27 in partnership with Brainsparks, has kicked off today at SMX Convention Center Manila, setting a high benchmark for tech and startup events in Southeast Asia. The event welcomed over 2,000 attendees, featured 90 insightful speakers, hosted 40 exhibitors and 15 startup showcases, and delivered 38 content sessions over two action-packed days. Supported by 10 sponsors and 55 partners, Echelon Philippines sets to be a remarkable platform for innovation, collaboration, and growth in the Philippine tech ecosystem, all aligned with Echelon’s goal to support and empower the fastest emerging tech market in the world.

Attendees have the opportunity to hear from influential speakers, including Angeline Tham, CEO and Co-Founder of Angkas; Danielle Cojuanco-Abraham, Co-Founder and CEO of Zed; and ER Rollan; CEO and Co-Founder of Growsari. Their insights focused on digital transformation and the future of the Philippine tech ecosystem, highlighting key areas for investment and growth. These discussions made for dynamic and impactful sessions, showcasing where the next big opportunities lie for startups and investors.

Also Read: Echelon X: Leveraging Web3 technologies for business growth in SEA

As this momentum continues, Echelon Singapore 2025 is gearing up for its own milestone, taking place on June 18-19, 2025. For the first time ever, the event will be hosted at the iconic Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District. This new venue offers unmatched accessibility, convenient transport links, a wide array of accommodations, and everything attendees need within walking distance.

The move to Suntec represents a major leap forward for Echelon Singapore, providing a larger, more dynamic space for exhibitions, networking, and content sessions. Following the incredible success of Echelon Philippines, Echelon Singapore 2025 will feature specialised zones, including AI, SaaS, Fintech, and more, creating an unparalleled opportunity for startups, investors, and tech leaders to engage and scale globally.

Join us at Echelon Singapore 2025! For partnership and exhibition opportunities, visit the Echelon Singapore 2025 site or contact us here.

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Now more than ever, data has become paramount. Every organisation, no matter the size, needs to generate timely insights to achieve its business objectives. Those that utilise and act on this information can gain a competitive advantage, tailoring offerings according to customer data to get ahead of the game.

According to a forecast by Forrester, insights-driven companies are projected to earn US$1.8 trillion by 2021 and grow at least seven times faster than the global GDP. Today, with the advent of the cloud and new and emerging technologies that allow firms to accumulate and analyse big data efficiently, companies that are not fostering a cadre of data-savvy employees are not only at a disadvantage. Simply put, they are not going to survive.

But survival does not only rest on the shoulders of a company’s engineers, data analysts and scientists. It is a responsibility shared with every member of the organisation, including creatives, writers and facility managers. With insights from data at the heart of every business decision, top-to-bottom integration of data must be embedded in the very culture of an organisation. All employees must think like data scientists. And companies have to equip them with the right tools, knowledge and support to build a data-centric environment that they can keep learning from, and allows them to experiment.

How we are doing it

At gojek, we have been reaping the benefits of being a data-driven business since day one. We grew along this axis by storing, organising, and utilising our data to power our growth and improve our apps. We have integrated automation, and are leveraging tools and emerging technologies to ensure easy access to data in a centralised, organised manner that enable us to make informed decisions. A decade –and counting– of harnessing the potential of data has led us to adopt a unique approach to wielding it that is built on three key principles.

First, we analyse. After gathering a wealth of information from different data sources, almost daunting in its magnitude, we need to make sense of the data. Uncovering insights then will enable us to make critical business and product decisions. It also helps us identify trends that will allow us to thrive in the future–or threaten to make us irrelevant. Second, we infuse our super app offerings with machine learning and AI to revolutionise the way we price, match, recommend, and even fight fraud on our platform, all in real-time. Then, finally, we go further and deeper than using data for problem-solving. We are futureproofing the business by making ambiguous decisions using automation and machine learning, among other statistical techniques, to tell us whether we should steer right or left.

While we have years of experience on our side, companies that have yet to make the leap can first take these initial but significant steps towards creating a data-driven environment.

Also Read: How this Tokyo-based startup is revolutionising the restaurant industry with AI and big data

Adopting a more data-centric mindset

• Be obsessed with customer experience. 

The rise of the user is upon us –if not already here. What the user needs is influencing not just engineers’ thinking and priorities, but the whole organisation’s strategy in terms of what they can offer to each and every one of them. Every member of a company should anticipate customer needs, aiming to surprise and delight them through personalisation, as well as removing pain points. This ranges from designing personalised homepages to customising search and communication features.

For example, our marketing team has been using data to experiment with creative assets and design campaigns. They would display different marketing banners on the gojek platform to see which ones users most interacted with, and then adapt their initiatives to cater to what customers care most about. The team would also use data to distinguish food consumption behaviour –an activity they conducted to differentiate various districts in Ho Chi Minh City, so as to customise marketing communications for each district based on consumer patterns and preferences.

It is then all about encouraging employees–not just data scientists –to intimately know and meet every user’s need.

• Invest to unearth data and crucial insights. 

All companies, regardless of the industry, should continually sharpen the tools at their disposal and incorporate new technologies to get additional useful insights from data. You can tap into emerging technologies such as machine learning (ML), biometrics, 5G, augmented reality, and AI/Robotics to improve the customer experience. These allow employees to have easier access to data and insights.

We have benefitted from investing in this tech ourselves. For instance, customer feedback is one of the most important sources of information a company should capitalise on. But a constant challenge has always been its unstructured text format and how it tends to focus on a particular side of the business. So we developed natural language processing tools to gather and provide an understanding of our users’ or driver-partners’ main concerns via various channels, ranging from customer care platforms to app reviews. Listening carefully using various machine learning techniques enables us to disseminate feedback to multiple and the correct businesses and product teams in a structured and systematic manner. It also enables us to detect new issues being raised by users, as well as monitor the improvement on frequently-encountered issues.

We also use machine learning to power the search experience. One of our ML models understands the customer’s intent. This allows us to look at a customer’s past transactions, behaviour, preferences, location, time of day and various other signals to delight them with a great, customised experience that reduces the time it takes for them to find a cuisine, restaurant, or dish.

Also Read: WhatsApp takes a U-turn in its data privacy. Is it time to switch to alternative platforms?

• Build a data-centric culture that starts and ends with the right people. 

All the tech and tools in the world are no good without the right team to spearhead it. Hire the right people across all departments, with the mindset to learn and appreciate data for what it can give. Train, encourage, and empower all employees to utilise technology to gain insights from data and make decisions backed by data.

The adoption of a data-driven culture will be a long and steady learning process for everyone, so let employees experiment and even fail, to gain the lessons that will allow them to progress. After all, data is always intimidating at first. But once you take the time to know it, organisations, their employees and customers, can reap the rewards.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing contributions from the community. Become a thought leader in the community and share your opinions or ideas and earn a byline by submitting a post.

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This article was first published on March 3, 2021

The post How to build an organisation of data scientists in a data-driven world appeared first on e27.