2223T2 Silicon Valley/Participant Information/Ng Pin Jie

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About Ng Pin Jie

SMU email: pinjie.ng.2021@scis.smu.edu.sg
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ngpinjie/
Academic Year: Year (AY 2022-23)
Degree: B.Sc Information Systems

Why Virtual TSM?

• What motivates you to join TSM?

It is my dream to visit Silicon Valley, the heart of the global startup system. Being a student of technology and a co-founder of an EdTech startup, I've longed to explore Silicon Valley's technological & entrepreneurial culture, especially after hearing from friends who had the fortune to experience Silicon Valley. I firmly believe that interacting and learning more about the technology startup culture will be an eye-opening experience irreplicable anywhere else as I'll be able to learn more about SV's Growth Mindset that transcends many startups in the area. I believe this programme would also enable me to break out of my existing mindset towards how the moving parts of businesses interact, which could be translated into practice. I too wish for this experience to further hone my intuition on providing customers with a better experience and value and to be a better student of technology by drawing on the experiences of the experts in SV.

In addition, I'm an avid traveller and am passionate about immersing myself in various cultures. The best experience I have had so far is travelling and interacting with more distinct and unique cultures than I'm usually exposed to. During my recent trip to Seoul in Jan 2022, I had the opportunity to meet people from South Africa, United Kingdom, Indonesia and, of course, South Koreans. The interactions I had with them were exhilarating, as they made me aware of things I would never have experienced, such as the need to be attentive to unique social customs that people in Singapore wouldn't bat an eye for. These interactions led me to appreciate the difference in societal and cultural norms, allowing me to be more sensitive to such distinctions. This experience has also encouraged me to think more deeply about what motivates people from different cultures and how to recognise when we are empowered or limited by societal norms. I'm an enthusiast of such insightful experiences, and the thought of expanding my limited knowledge of different cultures by going to Silicon Valley makes me pumped up.

I also hope to make friends with the SV locals and expats, in addition to taking away insights that could transcend and uplift my current knowledge of technology and improve the startup I'm currently working on. I desire to broaden my horizons and discover new things and being a part of IS405: Technopreneurship Study Mission (Non-Asia) - Silicon Valley will enable me to fulfil this aspiration.

Starting a business

• What types of business interest you?

I’m most keen in the education technology industry with scalable products that can provide value to people’s daily lives. Businesses that develop technology products that can change the existing way that things work excites me as well. An example will be YouTube, where it provides its audience value and also allows its audience to create value to serve others. These businesses are not only about generating revenue for their shareholders, but also enable their users in a partnership to provide value for everyone.

• What plans do you have in starting a business?

I am currently a co-founder of a start-up which was founded in May 2021 with a current headcount of 11 members. The name of the start-up is CodeIT Academy, where we aspire to help keen learners of technology to overcome the learning curve and to provide them with a roadmap to leverage the power of technology. We plan to expand our coverage to provide more technology courses, with strategic partnerships in place to develop Cyber Security courses to cater to a more niche group of students.

Past Experiences

Startup:

CodeIT Academy Pte. Ltd. (https://codeitacademy.com/) What it does? We bring together keen learners of technology and programming and develop the right principles to dive into the world of computer science Founders: Ng Pin Jie, John Yeo Chen Xuan, Esther Lam Xuan Yi Years: May '21 – Current

Work:

IN Financial Technologies – Assistant (Product & HR Strategy): Years Oct ’22 - Current

IN Financial Technologies – Front-end Developer and Product Management: Years May ’22 – Aug ’22

Boston Consulting Group – Assistant: Years Feb ’19 – Apr ‘19

Deloitte Southeast Asia - Intern: Years Mar '18 - Aug '18

CCA:

Mentor, ExploreSCIS2022 Advisory Committee, Years Jul’22 – Current

Member, Muay Thai Club, Years Sep’22 – Current

President, ExploreSCIS2021 Organising Committee, Years Jun '21 - Jul '22