SINGAPORE: Computer geeks often dream of building that killer app that stands out from the competition — like Harsh Dalal, who co-created one of the first screen recorder apps at the age of 13.
It recorded 5 million downloads within a few weeks.
This app the Singapore permanent resident built with his teenage friends did not make them millionaires, however, despite their first-mover advantage back in 2014.
“We didn’t make any money out of it, foolishly because we didn’t expect it to actually take off,” recalled Harsh. “It was a missed opportunity. We didn’t know how to monetise the app.”
Instead of hosting it on Apple’s App Store, as they could not afford the annual fee of US$99 (S$131), they uploaded the app to a free hosting provider. And the 5 million downloads busted the bandwidth provided.
“It was a very novel product that no one had actually done before,” said Harsh. “I was quite shocked … We were just five kids playing in the corner, experimenting with our iPhones and how tech works.”
But the app’s success paved the way for this Generation Z tech entrepreneur. The 19-year-old is now chief executive officer of software development company Team Labs, whose clients include the Coca-Cola Company, Google and Hilton.
The youngest in the company, he manages 120 employees in eight cities while keeping up with schoolwork at Singapore Polytechnic, where he is taking a diploma in business administration.
More at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...nt-harsh-dalal-million-tech-start-up-13878064
