Gen Z start-up launches Singapore's first menopause festival

Femtech start-up Surety's co-founders were inspired by their mums' experiences

- Stephanie Yeo

Road; a $45 million good class bungalow in Astrid Hill, also in 2023; and a $7.5 million apartment at Ardmore Park in 2020.

Their typical client profile is someone looking for homes in the $5 million to $180 million range.

Ms Gill says her networking and social media branding attracts many professional mums who come to her with specific housing/spatial needs for their families because she understands what it is like to raise kids, while Mr Karkaria specialises in the commercial real estate space based on his prior contacts in the industry.

One key lesson for the pair was never to assume the limits of a person's wealth from first impressions, or what they say or leave out.

"Clients are funny," says Ms Gill, adding that it was eye-opening to see them come in with a purported budget of $2 million, but raise this tenfold when they spot a good deal.

"Back then, people dressed in Gucci, but now you have the most unassuming people coming in. You have to take it with a very open mind," says Ms Gill.

"We've had clients who come in shorts and singlets, and they turn out to be multi-millionaires," says Mr Karkaria. "Don't judge a book by its cover."

And, despite the big money involved, they note that in their experience, big egos and high-drama clients are not the norm.

"Funnily enough, the higher tier of the person, the more respectful they have been towards us. You might think they'll be more snooty or difficult to deal with. Actually they're easier than the ones who are lower," says Mr Karkaria.

"The clients in the luxury space know what they want. They have seen much more and have a lot of cultural diversity behind them," Ms Gill adds. "Luxury is not a price tag. It's a way of educating yourself about the finer things in life. You could make an entry-level apartment a luxurious one and live luxuriously.