e27 has been nurturing a supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurs since its inception. Our Contributor Programme offers a platform for sharing unique insights.

As part of our ‘Contributor Spotlight’, we shine a spotlight on an outstanding contributor and dive into the vastness of their knowledge and expertise.

In this episode, we delve into the journey of Darryl Han, CEO and co-founder of LFG, a new travel discovery engine. Leveraging his extensive global experience, Han drives the startup’s early stages.

With over seven years of leadership experience, he has successfully led teams, managed operations, and implemented transformative solutions across multinational corporations and tech giants like BHP, Grab, and Quqo, spanning Australia, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Thoughts, goals, and journey

Han started his career in Australia, advancing from a mining engineer to a production supervisor and coordinator. Amidst the challenges of COVID-19, he made a pivotal career shift from mining to the tech sector in Asia, inspired by Grab’s transformative impact on the economy.

Relocating to Singapore, he pursued a Master’s degree in Management of Technology (MOT, akin to an MBA with a tech focus) while concurrently securing a role at Grab. While completing his studies, he contributed to strategic operations for GrabPay and GrabFood, marking his entry into the tech industry.

“I’ve always been interested in startups, so I took an extended leave from my Master’s programme to dive into them. I joined a Vietnamese startup as an intern through the NUS Overseas College programme and quickly became one of the CEO’s right-hand men. This journey taught me a lot about building a startup from the ground up,” Han said.

Also Read: Experience over expense: How Gen Z and Millennials are redefining travel

Meanwhile, he co-founded LFG with a partner, dedicating nights and weekends to its development. In 2024, they made the leap to work on LFG full-time, launching on Product Hunt and joining Antler Vietnam. They are currently focused on building the next iterations of LFG, guided by user insights and their vision to revolutionise how next-generation travellers discover and plan trips.

Looking ahead, Han’s professional goal is to launch and grow his own venture successfully. Personally, he aims to share his experiences through writing, contribute to thought leadership, and even explore writing fictional short stories.

The driving force

Han’s motivation to contribute began with a desire to share thought leadership and industry insights from his time at a Vietnamese eB2B business, which focused on digitising traditional trade channels in Southeast Asia. His first article centred around that experience.

He joined the e27 contributor community in December last year and has written articles on topics such as recent market trends, the travel sector, entrepreneurship, and more.

“As I kept writing, it became a way to exercise my brain and find clarity in my own thoughts and ideas. I found some of these insights pretty interesting, so I thought, why not share them with others who might be navigating similar challenges? That’s what motivated me to become an e27 contributor — to connect, inspire, and hopefully make a positive impact on others in the startup community,” he said candidly.

Advice for budding thought leaders

Han stresses the importance of diving into writing without hesitation. “Just start writing. Get your thoughts out there, even if they’re rough at first. Tools like ChatGPT and Meta AI can help polish your initial thoughts but don’t rely on them too heavily. Use them to kickstart ideas, then refine your points in your own voice,” he advises.

Also Read: Travel revival: Asia-Pacific on the rise!

“Personally, I find it effective to write like I’m sharing a story, as it makes my writing more engaging and relatable. As an engineer, I always back up my ideas with data and quotes from experts, which adds credibility and strength to what you have to say.”

Juggling too many things?

Han believes that balancing work, contributing, and personal life is all about doing what you love each day, focusing on the crucial 20 per cent that yields 80 per cent of the results and making time for what matters most. “Many have heard this advice before, but it truly works,” Han remarks.

“Self-reflection is key for personal and professional growth. At the end of each year, I review my life like chapters in a book, learning from past experiences to shape the next chapter. I manage my time with tools like iPhone reminders, Google Calendar, and Monday.com for work and life admin tasks. When it comes to leisure, I plan day by day, keeping things flexible and spontaneous (in LFG fashion, of course).”

Staying in the loop

Han stays updated by using LinkedIn for news and announcements. Additionally, he subscribes to articles from e27, Skift, and Phocuswright, as well as Techzi, Strategy Breakdown, Tech in Asia, and TechCrunch. These resources offer him general tech industry updates, trends, and thought leadership columns. For general news, he follows stories from the New York Times and Bloomberg.

To stay updated with the travel industry, he suggests checking out Travel Massive, Skift, and Phocuswright for the latest updates, insights, and community engagement.

As a movie buff, Han finds movies about finding passion, self-discovery, and personal growth particularly inspiring for entrepreneurs. Films like Whisper of the Heart, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, and The Pursuit of Happyness are his go-to choices for motivation on this winding journey.

“Finding passion isn’t hard. The hard part is having the courage to follow it,” he concludes.

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The post From mining engineer to travel tech visionary: Darryl Han transforms trip discovery appeared first on e27.