Darius Cheung – 99.co – Singapore
Written by
Darius Cheung,
Founder & CEO, 99.co
Singapore
Renowned technology startup veteran and serial entrepreneur Darius Cheung is the Founder and CEO of 99.co, a Singapore-based online rental portal. Prior to that, Darius was CEO and co-founder tenCube, a mobile security company, which was later acquired by McAfee. He is also co-founded BillPin, a bill-sharing app. In 2008 he was recognized as one of BusinessWeek’s Best Young Entrepreneurs in Asia and has also won the Singapore Youth Award in 2010. In addition to being a serial entrepreneur, Darius is also an angel investor, a venture partner at Golden Gate Ventures and serves on the steering committee for Action Community for Entrepreneurship. Darius is an alumnus of NUS Overseas College and has a National University of Singapore graduate with a minor in Technopreneurship. The university was a seed investor in tenCube.
Darius’s first startup was tenCube, an anti-theft software for mobile platforms called WaveSecure, and was acquired by McAfee for an estimated $25 million. This deal gave hope to many startups in Singapore that they could make it globally and Darius supports that wholeheartedly. He constantly explores consumer demands and tries to provide and deliver a flawless solution. This is how BillPin came about. Darius and the remaining co-founders of BillPin had come to realize that when sharing a household with others, problems can arise from shared expenses – both big and small ones. The solutions available on the market were not ideal for them so they developed BillPin to help consumers keep track of shared expenses while keeping their friendships intact.
It is that very same mindset that motivated Darius to found 99.co. As renter for many years, his personal experience of facing the pain of dealing with the rental market has lead him and the rest of the founding team to find a more optimal solution. The portal is easy to use and provides users with relevant information much faster than any other platform would. Besides providing updated, accurate, and reliable search results, the portal provides information on the neighborhood such as commute time, guides to neighborhoods, food options in the area, and the general feel of the area.
It isn’t a surprise that Darius received numerous accolades and recognition for his work. He is a true inspiration for startups in Singapore and emerging markets.