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The Jay Kim Show: Carousell origin stories with Siu Rui Quek

ByThe Independent

April 24, 2017

Carousell, one of the hottest startups in Singapore, is a household name for many. But how did it start? Siu Rui Quek breaks it down on The Jay Kim Show

Readers of e27 may be aware of the Carousell origin story — a trio of Singaporean business students spend a year in Silicon Valley and return home to start one of the most popular apps in Southeast Asia.

While that is the TL;DR of the company, as with anything there were more nuances along the way. For example, how did Siu Rui, Lucas and Marcus meet? What about “the talk” with the parents? How did they find the name Carousell?

Also Read: The Jay Kim Show: NYT-bestselling author Ramit Sethi on how to build real wealth

Quek lays out the past (and future) in the latest episode of The Jay Kim Show.

Shownotes below.

Links from Today’s Episode

Read the full transcript from Siu Rui’s interview
Connect with Siu Rui on Twitter and LinkedIn
Discover the future of buying and selling online with Carousell

Also Read: The Jay Kim Show: Pat Flynn on niching down to build authority

Detailed Show Notes

(2:25) Who is Siu Rui Quek?
(3:42) What is Carousell?
(4:51) Siu Rui experiences entrepreneurship first-hand in Silicon Valley
(7:42) Carousell’s hackathon origins
(8:24) On choosing between a safe corporate career or an unproven startup
(9:31) How Siu Rui found his co-founders and how each of them found their roles within Carousell
(12:32) Siu Rui’s advice for startup founders who have yet to tell their parents about their entrepreneurial ambitions
(16:05) How Carousell differs from eBay and why it’s set to change the way we buy and sell online
(19:53) On making the Carousell experience even easier
(22:14) How Carousell got its name
(23:58) What the future holds for Carousell (hint: think big)
(29:01) “What does success mean to you?”
(29:53) Siu Rui’s parting advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: “Find what you love”