The startup also provides workplace needs analysis, setting up and running workplace till the end of lease recommendation

Eunice Ooi calls herself a rebellious creature!

A Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London, she left her comfortable corporate life as a Project Manager at GIC Singapore managing office fit-out projects, and went on a permanent maternity leave.

“During pregnancy period, I asked myself who I want to be in life and how I want to live the life as a young mother and a role model for my child. I realised I had always wanted to start my own business and have flexibility around my working style and time,” Ooi narrates her story to e27. “This is when I decided it was time to embark on my dream of starting my own business.”

Having worked in the real estate industry, Ooi realised that commercial real estate was so complex that entrepreneurs didn’t dare to venture into and many problems still existed and still remain unaddressed. And she decided start a business in this space.

“With this in mind, I made the most of my pregnancy period to learn coding, digital marketing, UI/UX design etc. After the birth of my child, I built a minimum viable product (MVP) and got two other co-founders on-board and grew the business idea into a viable business model. And spaceSense.co was born,” she adds.

What is spaceSense?

Founded in 2018 by Ooi, Joe Kwan and Steven Ming, proptech startup spaceSense offers a digital platform that helps enterprises to find ideal office space for their business, conducts site viewing, and negotiates best deals for them. For landlords, the company helps attract qualified clients and allows them to manage their listings and clients.

Also Read: Why proptech and real estate tech will be important in Asia

“At spaceSense, we believe every company, regardless of size, deserves professional support in navigating the complicated real estate journey,” she says. “Since many businesses don’t have in-house or outsourced real estate experts, spaceSense is here to help with our extensive market data, industry expertise and a network of qualified vendors. No matter where your workplace needs is, we provide end to end support — from workplace needs analysis, office search, setting up and running workplace till the end of lease recommendation — to renew or leave. No cost for companies to leverage on our technology.”

In Ooi’s view, the commercial real estate is convoluted and only rich MNCs can afford consultants to solve their real estate issues like leasing, office fit-out, move in and lease expiry. With technology and industry expertise, this holistic suite of professional advisory services should be available to the majority market, especially the SMEs for free.

“I believe commercial real estate could be simplified, made more efficient and transparent with open industry knowledge shared freely on a digital platform. This is what we do. We have coupled our platform with seamless digital and offline user experience for anyone to sort out their office leasing, fit-out, lease expiry, and all other real estate issues easily and quickly — at no cost,” Ooi claims.

spaceSense charges landlords and its partners a commission upon successful deal.

Initial struggles

Initially, Ooi found the path of starting up lonely; she struggled in her new role as a mother and as a lone ranger in her startup. In her view, motherhood and entrepreneurship are two different ‘kids’ to take care of.

“As a female entrepreneur, I found it challenging to gain access to funding and other forms of support for the growth of my business idea. Many experienced developers and talents are hired by big companies or starting up on their own. However, my husband was supportive and understanding. He tried and still tries to relieve me as much as possible and gives me his listening ears and third-party advice to pursue my startup,” she shares.

Like any other entrepreneur, Ooi also faced challenges with regard to hiring. Early-stage startups don’t have stable finance, established reputation or a big team as compared to MNCs or those well-funded startups/companies. It is not easy to attract good talent without the promise of a good paycheck (in general but there are rare exceptions).

“For me, I prioritise on hiring the critical roles which I can’t outsource to freelancer. Prioritising spending on manpower is highly critical. There are many options like hiring remote or local freelancers/interns/contract/ permanent/part-timers. Each comes with its pros and cons. Pros could be the short term commitment, affordability, professional at a good price. Cons could be lack of control, slow response, communication issues, lack of business continuity,” she explains.

Also Read: These sweet sixteen startups are taking on the competition at TOP100 Thailand

Ooi also feels that educating small business owners and their stakeholders about the importance of real estate in supporting business growth is another key challenge. Real estate, being one of the major cost commitment, is often not prioritised.

With Singapore its key target market, spaceSense also plans to grow in the Asian region with the support of its industry partners.

Since inception, spaceSense has raised a round of angel funding from undisclosed investors and received SG Startup Founders’ Grant from Enterprise Singapore.

What advice you would like to give to young entrepreneurs?

“Don’t treat your idea as the holy grail. Share your idea (without revealing the secret recipe), sharpen your ideas with others, preferably those who are your target audience. Discover who share the same or maybe stronger passion than you to solve this problem. They are likely candidates to be your partners. Co-founders should complement your skills and experience. Also, be sure that it is costly for you to hire them. If you can’t hire these good people, partner them in business and split the equity. If you can afford to hire them, you should hire them instead,” she says.

Ooi says she is still learning. “Starting has never been easy but it is definitely worth it, given that I have more time flexibility now to care for my toddler child. I think it takes strong belief to persist on managing motherhood and tough entrepreneurship. I don’t think life is easier for corporate working mothers either. Just that entrepreneur mothers may need more disciplined in managing time and energy,” she concludes.

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