2021T2 VirtualTSM/Participant Information/Maurice Lim
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About Maurice
SMU email: maurice.lim.2018@sis.smu.edu.sg
Facebook/Linkedin: LinkedIn
Academic Year: 3
Degree: Information Systems
Majors in:: Business Analytics & Software Development
Fun fact: I love climbing but I'm afraid of heights...
Why Virtual TSM?
What motivates you to join TSM?
I think this is a wonderful and rare opportunity to discover different cultures and how technology is embraced and utilised in places outside of Singapore. This experience will definitely be pivotal towards my learning and contribution in university and professional work as I would be enlightened by the different creative ideas that people from other backgrounds have. As someone who is always reading up on latest technological advancements, this is very exciting for me as I get to directly connect with people who have grown up in a different technological ecosystem and environment, and I would also be more than eager to share my humble knowledge and experiences with others. I would also be able to get a good sense of the different gaps in technology that is present in Asia, and potentially do something to fill those gaps.
Where would you like to visit virtually?
There's actually a few places that have always been on my bucket list. I'll list a couple!
1. Japan
Technology and innovation are the key ingredients to Japan's competitive edge, and they have an international reputation for electronics and the automotive industry, and many other fields. The Japanese government is also extremely committed towards the R&D sector and is doing a lot to encourage start-ups and hidden gems among small and medium-sized enterprises. Home to Sony, Nintendo, Hitachi, Japan is undoubtedly one of the most concentrated in terms of world class quality and innovative countries in Asia, and I would love to be immersed in their creative culture for a semester and draw inspirations and hopefully contribute back to our society.
2. South Korea
A familiar face in the technological competition, South Korea is a global innovation leader for their semiconductor devices, digital displays, and mobile phones. What struck me the most about South Korea is also the fact that they have the greatest share of researchers who moved from industry to academia, signifying that the high concentration of top tier researches and innovations are done right in their universities and propagated down. The Koreans even start to learn coding since kindergarten! Not to mention, the Koreans are one of the most patriotic people and are extremely proud of their country, whom support and trust their home technological products wholeheartedly. Having the chance to learn more about this unique culture would be an eye-opener and certainly fulfilling.
Starting a business
What types of business interest you?
As a heavy user of Grab and Carousell, I've gained an appreciation for businesses that leverage on services that connect consumers to products like never before. You don't realise we need these until someone comes up with a genius idea like that, it makes you think "why has this not existed before?". Businesses like that also heavily employ machine learning to understand the behaviour of users and provide a personalised experience on their applications such as recommendations, and these subtle improvements over time is what keeps them relevant.
What plan do you have in starting a business?
Currently, I'm in the beginning stage of creating a platform for skilled people to market their services to consumers, and they can deliver these services right to the customer's doorstep, or at an appropriate agreed location. Such services can include hairdressing, computer repair, aircon servicing, home cleaning, manicure, tuition, and anything you can think of really. Think of Carousell, but for services. However, the services I can think of is still rather localised, and with this TSM opportunity, I would be able to discover other services that other countries employ but Singapore is not, and hopefully that will kickstart certain trends and market here.
Past Experiences
- Hackathons
Credit Suisse CodeIT Suisse 2020 Top 5 in Singapore
- Teaching Assistant
Introduction to Programming
Software Project Management
Computational Thinking
What keeps you ticking?
- "A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for." -William Shedd
Getting out of your comfort zone is the first step to learning and experiencing new things, and taking (calculated) risks help us grow as people.
