Carousell’s take on growing mobile classifieds in SEA

Let’s face it: most of us are guilty of buying things that we have no use for. These items often accumulate and end up collecting dust.

Before the Internet, people had to take out an ad in the classifieds section of the newspaper to sell off their second-hand goods. Even when online classified websites and forums came along, things didn’t get much easier. Unless you have a good grasp of how these channels work, it can be challenging and frustrating to list an item or find something that you want.

But all these changed in 2012 when Carousell was born.

The fastest-growing mobile classifieds marketplace

In March 2012, Quek Siu Rui and co-founders Marcus Tan and Lucas Ngoo participated in Startup Weekend Singapore. The trio entered the final round as the last team, built the first prototype of the mobile classified app in 54 hours, and emerged as winners of the competition. This kickstarted their entrepreneurial journey, where they went full steam ahead and launched their iOS app later in August.

Carousell needs no further introduction. With over 57 million listings in 19 major cities around the world, and a team of more than a 100 people from 16 nationalities, they are one of the world’s largest and fastest growing marketplaces. With their recent acquisition of Duriana, Caarly, and Watch Over Me, the startup is relentlessly and strategically expanding its reach in a bid to become a leading global mobile classifieds marketplace.

What’s next for SEA?

Southeast Asia is poised to be the next hotbed for tech startups. Opportunities for growth are immense, but the market is not without its challenges. Whether you’re a new founder looking to build a relevant product for the SEA community, or an existing startup looking to use technology to make an impact at scale, you’ll find great value in Siu Rui’s fireside chat at Tech in Asia Singapore 2017.

Siu Rui, Co-founder and CEO of Carousell, will take center stage to discuss and share opportunities and challenges of growing a startup in Southeast Asia, including doubling Carousell’s engineering team; hiring people with the right talent, values and diversity; and strengthening growth within verticals in a classifieds marketplace.

All ready to jump in? You can now attend Siu Rui’s session at a whopping 25 percent off (code: siurui25) when you purchase your conference pass before February 17, 2359 (GMT +8).