19YO S’pore PR & CEO of Software Company, Harsh Dalal, Makes Forbes’ “30 Under 30 Asia” List 2021

The rat race is a rather interesting one.

So on one hand, you could be a Singapore Polytechnic student who lives off your parents’ allowances, with a tendency to play games and games only.

And then on the other hand, you could be a Singapore polytechnic student who runs a US$25 million tech start-up at the mere age of 19, managing 120 employees across eight cities as you cope with your studies.

And to make it all the more interesting?

Both instances have hit true in reality.

Though in hindsight, I have no idea about the identity of the first.

19YO CEO of Software Company, Harsh Dalal, Makes Forbes’ “30 Under 30 Asia” List 2021

Meet 19-year-old Harsh Dalal.

Like many other 19-year-olds in Singapore, he’s currently studying at tertiary level, having enrolled into Singapore Polytechnic.

Unlike many other 19-year-olds, however, he’s running a US$25 million tech start-up with 120 employees across eight cities.

Oh, and he was also recently inducted into Forbes’ annual ’30 Under 30 Asia’ list, a fact that’s pretty self-explanatory. But if you’re stumped over what it entails, it’s a list that entails 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders and trailblazers across Asia, all below the age of 30.

Suffice to say, it’s a prestigious list that your average Ah Kau would find hard to enter.

So anyway, Harsh’s story is an interesting one. At the young age of 13, he co-created one of the very first screen recorders – an app that secured 5 million downloads within mere weeks. Being young and relatively ignorant, however, they did not monetise it, and unfortunately failed to benefit from the venture.

But in hindsight, that may have simply been a blessing in disguise for the budding entrepreneur.

The 19-year-old would go on to become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of software development company Team Labs, whose clients include the likes of Coca-Cola Company and Google.

Apparently, the company’s flagship product, Xenon, enables developers to work together to design, construct and situate digital products in the cloud.

Since 2017, they have amassed US$9.8 million (S$12.9 million) from investors, including sovereign wealth fund Korea Investment Corp.

In addition, Harsh oversees 120 employees across eight cities, despite being the youngest of them all.

Oh, and he also has to keep up with his studies at Singapore Polytechnic, where he’s currently pursuing a diploma in business administration.

All in all, not quite the daily routine you would expect for a 19-year-old.

You can watch his achievement in this CNA video:

Other Names

Though striking, Harsh’s peers in the list aren’t exactly shabby themselves either.

Other Singaporean names include the co-founders of logistics start-up Janio Asia, 28-year-olds Mohamed Afiq, Junkai Ng and Nathaniel Yim, as well as 23-year-old silat athlete Sheik Farhan and 28-year-old Serene Cai, co-founder of digital health start-up Speedoc.

Meanwhile, other Asian names include Korean sensations IU and Nam Joo-hyuk, as well as world no. 1 women’s singles table tennis player Chen Meng.

Truly, age is just a number, where success is concerned anyway.

Featured Image: YouTube (CNA Insider)