RP Graduates Create New Hassle Free Shopping Experience
Singapore, October 2011 – Tired of scouring for the best deals in market? Then Seeksquare, a smart online service developed by three Republic Polytechnic (RP) graduates, is the solution to your problems! Seeksquare is a website that allows users to indicate the product or services they need and have service providers send their price quotes via email or text messages Click on the video link to for a quick walkthrough of how Seeksquare works.
In 2010, Damian Sia from RP's School of Information and Communications Technology, spent two weeks calling and visiting shops for a particular car, only to find a few of it available. He eventually discovered that the car was sold out. Believing that there should be a better and less time-consuming way of shopping, he enlisted the help of two of his ex-school mates, Eugene Foo, 23, Diploma in Biotechnology (R16), and Angela Poh, 23, Diploma in Supply Chain Management (R21) and they started Seeksquare.
With the help of a mentor provided through Mentoring@RP, their business was evaluated and the business model was improved. The final business proposal was then pitched to Spring Singapore and the team landed a YES! Start-ups grant, a scheme that provides funding support of up to S$50,000 for youths to set up their innovative startup.
On how the RP's training played a part in their lives after school, the team felt that the problem based learning (PBL) process was a useful skill to have in the real world.
"This is applicable in life outside school, and in this business as well when we encounter problems, such as not knowing how to prepare a business plan or to a business plan or to code a website initially", said Eugene Foo.
Damian admits that Seeksquare may not be as fast as searching for information online but also added that with Seeksquare; consumers get a variety of information within the consumer's specifications without the hassle. Service providers stand to gain as well, as people who post requests have genuine needs which is especially lucrative for new start-ups that have no budget for advertising.
Below is a video taken off the Seeksquare YouTube page about how the website saves you time:
Since its launch in August 2011, Seeksquare has attracted over 200 service providers and get 3-4 requests a day. Feedback from service providers has been positive. "We hope to get around 2,000 to 3,000 service providers registered on our website by the end of the year," Mr Foo added.
We wish to congratulate our RP alumni and wish them all the best in their business!