Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited.
Excerpt:
The push to raise productivity has taken on added impetus in the face of sluggish economic growth. Singapore tech firm Novade has devised an innovative way to help construction firms become more efficient. In the third of a four-part series about SMEs helping other firms improve productivity, Chia Yan Min speaks to Novade co-founder and chief executive Denis Branthonne.
Q: How did the company get started?
Mr Branthonne: I have lived in Singapore for 16 years, and spent 11 of those years working at American multinational software company Autodesk. While I was there, I realised there was almost no IT being used in the construction sector, which was surprising given the scale of the projects.
They were run largely using pen and paper, messaging services, spreadsheets.
After learning about this I decided to quit and start a company to address this market.
Many people thought I was crazy – 90 per cent of start-ups die within two years, and I was leaving a comfortable, well-paying job. I co-founded Novade with Singaporean entrepreneur Eugene Low.
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