A care for the world
- “You will never be a CEO.” This was what Gillian Tee was told before she founded 500-backed on-demand healthcare startup Homage. She is also the CEO of the startup that recently raised US$30 million.
- Homage matches trained healthcare workers to families with seniors at home. Gillian told the BBC that she believes the sick, aging population is one of the most important socio-economic issues to solve. The impact goes beyond the individual who needs care.
- Often being in male-dominated settings, Gillian said that she is passionate about empowering women as well as debunking the myth that only women can be good caregivers.
- On being an entrepreneur, she offered this advice: “When good things happen, don’t let it get to your head. When bad things happen, don’t let it get to your heart.”
- Watch the full BBC interview here.
Lessons to learn
- Companies where women made up at least 15% of senior managers had 18% higher profitability than those where female representation was less than 10%, according to Credit Suisse. And for companies with female CEOs? The profitability increases to 19%.
- At 500-backed microlearning platform Gnowbe, 50% of its employees are female while about 40% of its leadership team are women.
- Founder and CEO of the startup, So-Young Kang, revealed that Gnowbe coined the term ‘microlearning course’ (MLC). Gnowbe launched the world’s first publicly available MLC library called GnowbeLearn.
- In 2019, this technology was recognized as a US$2 billion global industry. “Gnowbe is consistently ranked in the top 3 of this new category,” shared So-Young.
- Read the full interview here.
Humble beginnings
- 500-backed GoGet was launched in 2014 after CEO and founder Francesca Chia left a management consulting job to work on her idea for a startup at her parents’ home.
- Today, the platform says it has 250,000 users, including companies such as Lazada, Yoodo, and Fashion Valet, served by a network of 20,000 verified GoGetters.
- GoGetters come from all walks of life, ranging from university students to retirees looking to spend some of their free time helping others.
- But the startup’s ultimate goal is not just to provide people with flexible jobs. Francesca shared that she wants to provide a platform for people to build connections and eventually secure a more stable income. To that end, GoGet also offers special training sessions to allow GoGetters to upskill and be more financially literate.
- Read the full interview on Generation.T here.
