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 feature Jackie Tan, the Co-Founder and CEO of BorderDollar, a startup addressing the US$2.5 trillion trade finance gap. Currently raising seed funding, Tan is a seasoned entrepreneur with three ventures and two successful exits. Recognised by Gen.T and Forbes 30 Under 30, he holds a PhD and has expertise in data science, fintech, and algorithm design.
Tan lectures in data science at Nanyang Technological University and entrepreneurship at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Thoughts, goals, and journey
Tan first embarked on his startup journey when he participated in a hackathon and found it intriguing to continue developing his idea as a student entrepreneur. He never looked back after his product took off.
He said, “As for my latest startup BorderDollar, it was from conversations with smart friends and research from thought pieces.”
Tan is fluent in both AI, having completed his PhD using data science, and blockchain, having entered the field in 2017 and been part of the Web3 ecosystem builder Tribe. He believes that generative AI is definitely the most recent development and will continue to be so for a few years to come.
Additionally, Tan notes that blockchain is seeing a great boom, with a focus on bridging the real and digital worlds via Real World Asset (RWA) tokenisation.
“My professional goal in the next year or so is to raise seed funding. As for my personal goal in the next year, I aim to write and contribute more. I forgot how much I enjoy talking about startups and tech,” he added.
Also Read: Lydea Quek: Championing cybersecurity innovation in APAC
The driving force
Tan is one of the seasoned contributors to the e27 Contributor Programme, having published his first article back in 2017. Since then, he has been a regular contributor, writing insightful pieces on a variety of themes, including fundraising, leadership, and rental trends. His extensive experience and deep understanding of these topics have made him a valued voice within the e27 community.
“I’ve had the great fortune of meeting many amazing people throughout my startup journey, and one of the most influential individuals I’ve met — and who continues to be so — is Christopher Quek from TRIVE. His advice to me was to ‘pay it forward,’ and that’s what I have been doing in various capacities, including being a contributor on a platform such as e27,” Tan said candidly.
Advice for budding thought leaders
Tan advises aspiring thought leaders to cultivate great thoughts by reading widely and engaging with a high-quality group of friends to hone their knowledge. While content creation has become easier with generative AI, he emphasises the importance of letting one’s personality shine through their writing to avoid a cold and clinical tone.
Juggling too many things?
Tan suggests protecting one’s time by clearly understanding what to accept and decline. To avoid being overwhelmed by mundane tasks, he recommends minimising them as much as possible. Effective time management, such as using calendars, kanban boards, and to-do lists, can also be beneficial.
Staying in the loop
Tan’s Google account pushes articles to his phone, allowing him to stay ahead of the curve through a variety of content. As an avid reader, he also enjoys newsletters. Additionally, he built his own scraper to gather the latest maritime and trade news, providing a curated list of articles for his reading pleasure.
“You don’t have to quit your day job to start a company, especially if you’re a first-time founder. Test your ideas, talk to people, build prototypes. Learn how to prototype without coding — it’ll save you time in the long run,” he concludes.
Take a look at his articles here for more information and perspectives on his expertise.
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The post Jackie Tan: Navigating the startup journey and paying it forward appeared first on e27.