2324T1 Tokyo/Participant Information/Amelia Tay
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Contents
About Amelia
SMU email: amelia.tay.2020@scis.smu.edu.sg
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelia-tay-li-jia/
Academic Year: Year 3 (2020)
Degree: BSc Information Systems (Major in Digitalisation and Cloud Solutions & Business Analytics)
Why TSM?
What motivates you to join TSM?
1. Senior Testimonies
Cliche as the template makes it out to be, heard from seniors that TSM was a good experience to visit different companies, hear from experts and learn with a group of like-minded students on the intricacies behind running a business!
2. Learning Opportunity
Rather than reading textbook examples and analysing case studies, the fact that TSM allows you to really travel and visit companies in their native ecosystem makes it an extremely unique learning experience to immerse in the start-up culture and learn directly from the experts.
3. Inspiration
Inserting ourselves right into the start-up and entrepreneurial scene in Tokyo would be the best catalyst for inspiration to get us started on our own entrepreneurial journeys.
Where would you like to visit?
Tokyo's FinTech industry has seen a rapid expansion in recent years and is characterised by a dynamic start-up culture. Furthermore, the Japanese government has been supportive of the industry, providing regulatory sandboxes and other initiatives to foster growth and innovation, allowing the city to become a hub for innovative financial technologies, such as blockchain, mobile payments, and artificial intelligence, with many fintech companies leading the way in the development of cutting-edge solutions.
In view of this exciting and dynamic area to study, some companies I'd like to visit are as follows:
- Paidy - A mobile payments and instant credit company that allows users to shop online without a credit card
- Origami - A mobile payments platform that enables users to pay for goods and services using their smartphones at participating retailers.
- Moneytree - A personal finance management app that provides users with a complete view of their financial assets and liabilities in real-time.
- WealthNavi - A robo-advisor platform that uses AI algorithms to provide personalized investment advice to users.
FinTech companies aside, some top technology companies I would also love to visit in Tokyo include:
- Sony - A multinational conglomerate that specializes in consumer electronics, gaming, entertainment, and financial services.
- Fujitsu - A global information technology company that provides a wide range of products and services, including hardware, software, and consulting.
- Rakuten - A major e-commerce company that offers online shopping, digital content, and financial services.
- SoftBank - A multinational conglomerate that provides telecommunications, internet services, robotics, and financial services.
Starting a business
What types of businesses interest you?
B2C businesses whose products...
- Are mobile applications (Or very user-friendly web applications)
- Have excellent UIUX
- Can potentially target everyone (At least in Singapore) because I feel that's a first-sign that the problem they're solving is very relevant
What plans do you have in starting a business?
By mid-30s, I aim to have tried (and maybe failed) a start-up or two, either for passive income, or to create a product that I truly see value in. In the meantime, while completing university, I aim to explore different methods of earning a passive income, such as creating digital templates to sell, or digital products to put on the playstore.
Past Experiences (optional)
Start Up Experience:
Mainly through my internships experiences, I have witnessed and contributed to the progress of start-ups at different phases of their start-up journey. For instance,
- I joined Quest pre-seed and before they launched their main product. As a software engineer, I saw their product through launch and continued with constant feature iterations.
- I joined StashAway while it was going through Series B and the company was rapidly expanding within Asia. As a CX intern, my team and I helped customers through this phase.
- And finally, I'm currently with Endowus while it goes through Series B funding. As a software engineer, I help face production issues and work on new features to help Endowus reach profitability.
Role-based insights aside, given the phase of the companies, the founders are extremely transparent and open about the progress of the companies and their journeys getting there, which I have found to be extremely eye opening and inspiring. So the chance to speak to other founders would be a great opportunity!
Internships:
- AWS - Solution Architect Intern: Aug '23 - Dec '23
- JPMorgan Chase & Co - Software Engineer Intern: Jun '23 - Aug '23
- Endowus - Mobile Engineer Intern: Jan '23 - Jun '23
- SAP - Data Architect Intern: Dec '21 - Dec '22
- Quest - Mobile Engineer Intern: May '21 - Aug '21
- StashAway - Client Engagement Intern: Jan '20 - Jun '20
CCA:
- Product Management Club - President: Aug '21 - Dec '22
- Growth-X Consulting - Vice-President: Jan '22 - Dec '22
In both CCAs, I work closely with a number of start-ups for client projects, both as a Project Lead and an associate. Examples of project scopes include new product launches, feature improvements, strategy building and marketing blueprints.
