2223T2 Silicon Valley/Participant Information/Joey Lau Run-qi
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About Joey
SMU email: joeylau.2020@scis.smu.edu.sg
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeylaurunqi/
Academic Year: Year 3 (2020)
Degree: BSc Information Systems (Major in Business Analytics & Digitalisation and Cloud Solutions)
Why Virtual TSM?
- What motivates you to join TSM?
I've heard many positive reviews that this module provides the exposure for one to experience first-hand on the culture of the tech startups which we will be visiting as well as their success and failure stories. Hence, I believe that it will be a valuable learning opportunity for me to draw connections to what I have learnt from my degree thus far. Besides, the use of technology helps one to stay ahead of the curve as it can provide speed and resources for companies to gain a competitive edge and thereby, devising prescriptive recommendations for the business to move forward. With this in mind, it made me realise that a tech entrepreneur needs to have both business acumen and technical know-how and I believe that Silicon Valley has many inspiring startups and influential figures to learn from and network with! :)
- Where would you like to visit?
Silicon Valley: Apple, Alphabet, Chevron, Meta, Microsoft, Telsa, Visa
Pittsburgh: Duolingo
New York: IBM
Starting a business
- What types of business interest you?
EdTech companies interest me the most! Having used Duolingo (a language-learning app) to learn Spanish, I am amazed at how beneficial this app has helped me to grow in my reading, writing, listening and speaking skills with their use of creative bite-sized lessons. Moreover, the app is user-friendly and uses differentiated learning to address the needs of all groups of learners. Ever since then, I have developed a keen interest in understanding how EdTech companies function and their capability to benefit their end-users. Hence, businesses which have a social impact would appeal to me more.
- What plans do you have in starting a business?
Perhaps a EdTech business which I am still trying to solidify a business idea! After building a few web applications in SMU, I think that having a strong value proposition that sets you apart from the rest is crucial as there are tons of similar businesses, which increases the competition for new businesses to enter the market. Thus, if I were to start my own business in the near future, I would definitely research thoroughly on my target audience, perform market research and subsequently, find a niche for my business in the market. Therefore, I'm not rushing into it, but rather keeping an open mind to learn from current successful tech businesses!
Past Experiences
Teaching Experience:
- Teaching Assistant for IS211 Interaction Design & Prototyping - August 2022 - November 2022
Project Experience:
- Go Ukrajina: A career portal to help Ukrainians who have crossed borders into neighboring countries with job searching.
- FoodHaven: A meal planner website built with a microservice architecture to provide occupied working professionals with mealtime ideas.
- DogPals: A dog-befriending website for dog owners to find playmates and pet-friendly places for their dogs.
Hackathons:
- Facebook Singapore Virtual Hack 2021
- AWS Fantastic Jam 2022
- Shopee Code League 2022
- AWS x Carro Hackathon 2022
- The Ground Zero 2022 (Pitching)
Internships:
- Circles.Life - Product Design & Development Intern: June 2022 - September 2022
- Lexly Health Tech - UX Design Analyst Intern: December 2021 - March 2022
CCA:
- SMU .Hack - Member: June 2022 - Present
- SMU Coders' Assembly - Mentor for Web Application Development 1: January 2022 - April 2022
