Another Sinkie gave up on SGP!!

[TeeKee]

Head of Singapore video software maker moves to S.F.
San Francisco Business Times - by Patrick Hoge

Terence Swee, the 34-year-old CEO and co-founder of Singapore-based Muvee Technologies, maker of automatic video editing programs, has moved to San Francisco to open a regional office and bolster his company’s U.S. operations.

Swee said he has been living in San Francisco’s Marina District for several months, he recently hired a public relations representative, and he expects by the end of the year to open a physical office to house as many as seven employees in product design and management, marketing and sales. The company, a venture-capital-backed startup founded in 2001 that was profitable by 2004, already had a sales person working in the East Bay.

Muvee Technologies will continue to be headquartered in Singapore, where most of its 60 employees are located. Currently, Muvee Technologies’ software, which allows consumers to quickly condense and edit raw video for presentation along with music, is preloaded on computers sold by Hewlett Packard and Dell, on digital cameras, including Pure Digital Technologies Inc.’s fast selling pocket-sized Flip video camcorders, and on camera-equipped mobile phones made by LG and Nokia. The company also offers an editing service accessible via the Internet.

U.S. sales account for 60 percent of the firm’s revenue, Swee said.

 

[Pica_NA]

有远见.... Good choice...

 

[NissanViP]

Very swee strategy.... first make SG Govt happy after that FUCK govt.... very good move..... SALUTE!!!!

Hope to see more to come to fuck SGP govt..........

 

[chupacabra]

All the praises about Asia being the new growth engine of the world is partly true but the US is still the pilot.

 

[VeryWise]

Yes, agreed. I had lived in the US before. Indeed, it's a place where you have more freedom to express yourself in any ways. That's the reason why it's still the country that generates the most innovations and patents. The kinda of environment and culture that US created are very hard to copy. The drive and ideas that the people have will rub on you. Creativity hence becomes second nature and not something that is forced to happen.

 

[Bigfuck]

One man's quitter is another man's heartlander. Go, boy, go!

 

[madmansg]

so obvious. he run away from reservist. His latest software will be titled NS IS KILLING SG.

 

[angry_one]

I have worked with Muvee in business before. They are an exceptional company that has grown 300% in 3-4 years. Their new office in town is wonderful and as great as a Google office. eg: their pantry is modelled like an American diner, and their meeting room is a mini-movie theatre.

We hardly hear of its products here becos they focus on the international market. Good move to SF! A continuation of their great judgment!

 

[ah_phah]

it was a very smart move. sg mkt too small n will only provide stunted growth for any aspiring enterprise.

 

[terenceswee]

Very swee strategy.... first make SG Govt happy after that FUCK govt.... very good move..... SALUTE!!!!

Hope to see more to come to fuck SGP govt..........

Hey NissanVIP. Thank you for your "salutes" but my move to SF is purely for business purposes. We are still headquartered in Singapore, so we are all paying corpoate taxes to Singapore, which is only right.

Singapore Inc. has been good to us, providing a very supportive environment for muvee (and any other resident who wants to start a company) to grow as fast as we did. Just a simple example: I am a CEO of a 60-person tech company in Singapore and it took me about 3mths to get a VISA to "work" in the USA, I get interviewed as if I might hang around the USA and beg on the streets. Whereas, at muvee, because we recruit the best talents globally, half our staff are from 18 different countries. We get a work permit for overseas staff in as short as 23mins from the Ministry of Manpower. No country can beat that. I get a new passport in 3 days online!

So we are definitely rooted in and dedicated to Singapore and are keeping as many jobs in Singapore as it makes business sense to do so. I personally return to HQ for a week every month to be with my colleagues.

 

[terenceswee]

Hey NissanVIP. Thank you for your "salutes" but my move to SF is purely for business purposes. We are still headquartered in Singapore, so we are all paying corpoate taxes to Singapore, which is only right.

Singapore Inc. has been good to us, providing a very supportive environment for muvee (and any other resident who wants to start a company) to grow as fast as we did. Just a simple example: I am a CEO of a 60-person tech company in Singapore and it took me about 3mths to get a VISA to "work" in the USA, I get interviewed as if I might hang around the USA and beg on the streets. Whereas, at muvee, because we recruit the best talents globally, half our staff are from 18 different countries. We get a work permit for overseas staff in as short as 23mins from the Ministry of Labour. No country can beat that. I get a new passport in 3 days online!

So we are definitely rooted in and dedicated to Singapore and are keeping as many jobs in Singapore as it makes business sense to do so. I personally return to HQ for a week every month to be with my colleagues.

 

[terenceswee]

I am not a quitter of Singapore. My parents are in Singapore, I come back every month or so for a week or two, and I still have my flat in Singapore. Don't get too excited. The Silicon Valley Bay Area may be a great place to have a tech company presence but Singapore is a way more comfortable place in many ways. We Singaporeans need to be thankful for what we have at home, and be supportive. Rome was not built in one day, neither was the USA. If we don't work at it, and sit by the sidelines and criticize or condemn our own home, then who do you expect will build it? Your children?

 

[terenceswee]

so obvious. he run away from reservist. His latest software will be titled NS IS KILLING SG.

Madmansg, thank you for thinking I am that young :-)

Just so you know, I have completed ALL my Reservist obligations, went through the full 13year cycle with 253SA as a combat fit soldier. I did my first reservist in-camp training in my first year at NUS Engineering School and evey year thereafter (incl. live firing in Thailand)...even after muvee was founded. I had to balance Reservist obligations and my travel schedule whilst I was running around the world doing deals for muvee. In fact, I believe I got the Gold IPPT award for most years during my Reservist, so I took that obligation fairly seriously. The army years were some of the most enjoyable and best learning experiences which I felt put me in good stead when I had to face the world as muvee's front man. Sure I bitched about the SAF whilst I was at it, but it was pretty good training for any man. Some of my best friends now I know from my Army days, eating, shitting, sleeping, bathing and feeding mozzies together.

 

[terenceswee]

Yes, agreed. I had lived in the US before. Indeed, it's a place where you have more freedom to express yourself in any ways. That's the reason why it's still the country that generates the most innovations and patents. The kinda of environment and culture that US created are very hard to copy. The drive and ideas that the people have will rub on you. Creativity hence becomes second nature and not something that is forced to happen.

Totally agree with you VeryWise (good choice of handle btw!). But then again, if we don't learn and bring it back to Singapore, then we will never get there as a nation. We all have a duty to our next generation to bring back some of that energy and positives from others who have come before us. I hope I am able to do that in a very tiny way by first bringing it back to my team in muvee.

 

[terenceswee]

I have worked with Muvee in business before. They are an exceptional company that has grown 300% in 3-4 years. Their new office in town is wonderful and as great as a Google office. eg: their pantry is modelled like an American diner, and their meeting room is a mini-movie theatre.

We hardly hear of its products here becos they focus on the international market. Good move to SF! A continuation of their great judgment!

Hey AngryOne ...not so Angry today eh?
Thank you for your endorsement. You are welcome to drop by our place for a cuppucino anytime. (but you know that already)

We believe customers and staff are number one. Thats why back in Singapore, we try our best to take good care of our staff as best we know how, and we send the CEO to frigid San Francisco to get to know our target customers better. :-)

 

[TeeKee]

Hey AngryOne ...not so Angry today eh?
Thank you for your endorsement. You are welcome to drop by our place for a cuppucino anytime. (but you know that already)

We believe customers and staff are number one. Thats why back in Singapore, we try our best to take good care of our staff as best we know how, and we send the CEO to frigid San Francisco to get to know our target customers better. :-)

There are so many video editing products in the market, how are you going to carve out a niche for your company stand out from your competitors?

Do you hire Singaporeans? What's your turnover rate in SGP office? Does the SGP govt have some share in your company?

 

[chupacabra]

Totally agree with you VeryWise (good choice of handle btw!). But then again, if we don't learn and bring it back to Singapore, then we will never get there as a nation. We all have a duty to our next generation to bring back some of that energy and positives from others who have come before us. I hope I am able to do that in a very tiny way by first bringing it back to my team in muvee.

Cmon man, how can sinkee companies be creative in making money. They only money making idea they have is to hire cheaper labour.

The foreign labour force only here to make money, with some companies hiring more than 95% FT, who want to listen to the lone sinkee with ideas?

How can any sinkee be positive about anything in sinkeeland. Look around you. No need to go far, just go to your local ntuc store and you can see alot of miserable people.

Old women waiting outside cheers supermarket asking people for their discount stamps, there is no sweet positive talk that would uplift any generation when the generation before them have to beg to survive.

 

[terenceswee]

There are so many video editing products in the market, how are you going to carve out a niche for your company stand out from your competitors?

Do you hire Singaporeans? What's your turnover rate in SGP office? Does the SGP govt have some share in your company?

Gosh, I shall not bore the people on this forum on our biz strategies. Suffice to say, the fact that Nokia, Sony, Nikon, Olympus Cyworld, HP and Dell (to name but a few) work with us *globally* and choose us over other video editing products says something about differentiation. For one, we approach video editing from an entirely new paradigm that appeals to consumers better.

We hunt for the best talent globally for muvee, and where they are from is not a consideration. Whilst its tough to get a job at muvee and its tough to survive the probation period, many of our current team have been with us for a long long time. And yes, we hire Singaporeans of course! In fact at least half of the team are from Singapore, but its really an irrelevant point to us. You get paid for the job you perform, at the level your perform it at. Does not matter whether you ride a motorbike from Johor, or take a plane from Europe to Singapore to find work.

We are supplementing talents that we find tough to find in Singapore with talents in the USA. Singapore afterall, has a sub-2% unemployment rate, and simply not enough talents to share with all the big MNCs that EDB is attracting into Singapore to set up shop.

As for turnover and investors, we obviously do not discuss HR and investment matters online, but thank you for your curiosity, Stubborn MetalTooth ;-) [you can say I am a heartlander...]

 

[chupacabra]

Madmansg, thank you for thinking I am that young :-)

Just so you know, I have completed ALL my Reservist obligations, went through the full 13year cycle with 253SA as a combat fit soldier. I did my first reservist in-camp training in my first year at NUS Engineering School and evey year thereafter (incl. live firing in Thailand)...even after muvee was founded. I had to balance Reservist obligations and my travel schedule whilst I was running around the world doing deals for muvee. In fact, I believe I got the Gold IPPT award for most years during my Reservist, so I took that obligation fairly seriously. The army years were some of the most enjoyable and best learning experiences which I felt put me in good stead when I had to face the world as muvee's front man. Sure I bitched about the SAF whilst I was at it, but it was pretty good training for any man. Some of my best friends now I know from my Army days, eating, shitting, sleeping, bathing and feeding mozzies together.

Reality is alot of NS man earn below $1500. With the low wages thanks to our Pappies, how can one take it in the ass again and again every year.

 

[terenceswee]

Cmon man, how can sinkee companies be creative in making money. They only money making idea they have is to hire cheaper labour.

The foreign labour force only here to make money, with some companies hiring more than 95% FT, who want to listen to the lone sinkee with ideas?

How can any sinkee be positive about anything in sinkeeland. Look around you. No need to go far, just go to your local ntuc store and you can see alot of miserable people.

Old women waiting outside cheers supermarket asking people for their discount stamps, there is no sweet positive talk that would uplift any generation when the generation before them have to beg to survive.

Dude, I am sorry you have such a poor impression of Singapore. I invite you to San Francisco, and watch the line of homeless people sleeping on the streets, urinating at the entrance of nice condominiums, and lining up for free soup at community run soup kitchens. In SF, I can't even go out and run with my $300 iPhone at night, whilst I can do that with my $900 Nokia N91 at ECP at 1am after I finish work in Singapore and know that I will make it back without getting mugged. Lets face it, Singapore has almost no poor, or homeless people and almost no crime. (disclaimer: I said almost!)

If the Sinkee's ideas are not heard, then the Sinkee is not shouting loud enough, or his ideas are not good enough (another faster better cheaper option perhaps?)

Dont blame it on the system. Remember the famous saying about the lousy carpenter who blames his tools?

Without FT, who is going to build your HDB flat and keep the void deck clean? How do you get your brand new Honda Civic hand-cleaned for $5?