STARTUP SPOTLIGHT: Yvonne Soh, Noodle Factory
Through our IG Story Takeover last Friday, we had the excellent opportunity to get a glimpse into the day-to-day activities of Yvonne Soh, co-founder and CEO of Noodle Factory. Yvonne gave us a glimpse inside the beginning and end of her day as a startup founder, as well as some of the motivational tales behind it. To read the complete recap, scroll down below!
1.Can you share with us the story behind the founding of Noodle Factory?
Yvonne: My co-founder and I have been in education for over 13 years. With the corporate training company we founded, we had always incorporated tech into our learning solutions. One of the biggest challenges we wanted to solve for ourselves was how we could scale the educators so there could be more valuable student-teacher interactions. We explored using various chatbot solutions, but there was none that was specifically built for education nor to manage large amounts of knowledge - and so we started to build our own solution, and that is how Noodle Factory was born.
2. As the She Loves Tech Singapore 2021 FInalist, share with us some special and outstanding facts about your startup journey in She Loves Tech?
Yvonne: I was very excited to be able to represent Singapore in the global semi-finals, and when we were selected for the top 12 finalists, I was over the moon. There were really good prep and training sessions that we got to attend, and the best thing is to have this network of like-minded women to connect with and continue to share our startup journey together.
3.Can you share some of the challenges you faced being a women founder in your industry and how you overcame them?
Yvonne: As a woman in tech, I’ve often been the only ‘female’ in the room. And I’ve been ignored or looked over in networking settings. Although it is very out of character for me, I’ve learnt to speak up and not be ‘shy’. I’m a very direct person and I think that helps to build my reputation as someone who knows what they want and just does it.
4.Can you tell us what's next in store for you and your company?
Yvonne: Technology is amazing (sorry, am a tech geek!) and it is constantly evolving. We’ve always believed that technology should be used to make things better and not be there just for the sake of it. As we expand into new markets, we are finding some unique challenges and pain points that we have an opportunity to solve - so I think you can expect a lot of exciting developments from us.
5.Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring women founders thinking to start their entrepreneurial journey?
Yvonne: It might seem daunting but there is a lot of support out there that you can leverage on, you just have to search for it and speak up. Don’t be intimated, be confident and trust me, it’s a really gratifying experience. Time management will be one of the most important skills you will need - spend your time on what’s important.