LoveByte CEO: Seek more ‘whys’ than being obsessed with the ‘hows’

A girl geek at heart, CEO and co-founder of Singapore-based startup LoveByte Amelia Chen (pictured right) has been dabbling in the internet space since she was 13. The idea of LoveByte was a marriage between her penchant for creating things and wanting to encourage people to be more expressive.

She is also a first-time entrepreneur, and faces all of the twists and turns that come with starting a business for the first time. It hasn’t been easy for her and the team to arrive at half a million downloads with users across 108 countries.

We caught up with Chen to discuss her journey with Lovebyte, and the challenges of entrepreneurship as a young woman.

Tell me a little about yourself – what does your startup do, and what is your role?

I am the CEO of LoveByte, but my official title is Chief Happiness Officer. LoveByte is a mobile app that provides a private space for lovers to communicate, share things, and remember precious moments. It aims to help couples stay loving by bridging technology and real life. It essentially encourages couples to spend more time together through recommending interesting date ideas and things to do.

How and why did you get started in this industry? What made you decide to be an entrepreneur?

I was already dabbling in all-things-digital since I was young. I basically grew up with the internet. I was building website on Geocities, and blogging on Xanga when I was 13. I went on to study digital design, got into marketing, and that eventually led me to this!

In the process, I discovered that I loved to create. Anything that interests me, I would find ways of recreating it on my own. My first project was a paper goods project where I would make cards for my friends with handwritten notes. I wanted to encourage more people to express feelings for their special ones in their lives.

Did you face any challenges in particular?

As an aspiring first-time entrepreneur, there were too many things we did not know or couldn’t anticipate. There’s so much you can read up on, but you will never truly understand how it really is until you experience them for yourself. Because of the lack in knowledge in various issues, we had to learn as much as we could in the shortest time possible, but I think we were lucky we managed to pull it off.

How do you seek out relevant mentors and people for help?

Simple – Just ask. I don’t think I know many things, so I would like to learn as much as I can. I believe as long as one is genuine and sincere, people wouldn’t mind helping most of the time.

In your opinion, what are the necessary skill-sets and attitudes required to succeed in a tech startup?

One, be inquisitive. Ask many questions to help you get a better sense of what’s happening. Seek more ‘whys’ rather than being obsessed with the ‘hows’.

Two, stay positive. They say entrepreneurship is like a roller coaster ride, and it will be, with many ups and downs. During the lowest period of your life you might just realize it’s also when you are the strongest.

You sound like you’ve been through that. Can you elaborate more?

There was a period when there was a lot of uncertainty, when things don’t go according to plan. When it feels like you’ve hit rock bottom, it can’t get any worse. Sometimes you want someone to understand, not just a listening ear. You might wonder and ask yourself, “why am I doing this?”, but you will just have to figure it out yourself.

Do you have any female role models that you look up to?

Personally, my female role model is my mom.

How did the “empathy factor” help in your leadership and execution of your product?

Do you have any advice for fellow female entrepreneurs?

How did the “just do it” mentality bring you and your team to where you are today?

Are you single or married at the moment? How to you strike a balance between work and personal life?

See more interviews in our Female Entrepreneurship series: