THE Heart OF Tech

As they reflect on building their tech-enabled businesses from the ground up, Ninja Van's Lai Chang Wen, 99 Group's Darius Mahtani Cheung and Chope's Dinesh Balasingam reveal a key takeaway: sustainable growth lies in staying rooted to the human experience

- Nafeesa Saini

Technology is not the be‑all and end‑all,” declares Lai Chang Wen at a closed‑door roundtable discussion hosted by Tatler. “A poorly run business will not be saved by tech. A business with s***** customer service will not do better just because the website is fancy.”

This honest sentiment by the straight‑talking co‑founder and chief executive officer of courier and logistics solutions provider Ninja Van is one shared by Dinesh Balasingam, the chief business officer and founding member of restaurant reservation platform Chope, and Darius Mahtani Cheung, the group CEO and co‑founder of proptech firm 99 Group, the two other entrepreneurs at the meeting of peers held in the Louis Vuitton Apartment in Ngee Ann City. The topics of conversation include the current funding landscape, scaling challenges and the pain points fuelling their drive.

While their businesses may differ in scope, what connects the trio is that each one has built a tech‑enabled service that fulfils our everyday needs. In recent years, the excitement around technological advancements such as AI, or artificial intelligence, may have overshadowed what truly matters: practical solutions and long‑term growth. “The past 10 years have seen companies dangling sexy tech and humongous incentives, which distorted perceptions of technology’s true value,” Lai expounds. These strategies led to inflated valuations and significant resources spent on competing in the market. “Nobody won; only consumers.”