Name: Jason Choo Yan Sheng
Wanted Score: 119
Why Wantedly: “Wantedly allows me to amplify my online presence socially yet professionally.”

With 30+ hackathons under his belt, it’s fair to call Jason Choo (WANTED SCORE: 119) Singapore’s “Prince of Hackathons.”

Choo’s fire for hackathons and entrepreneurship was initially sparked during his university years at National University of Singapore (NUS), where he was introduced to booming startup ecosystems around the world that focused on bringing tech solutions for businesses.

He unintentionally stumbled across the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) Programme in New York City soon after, and the rest is history. 

Beginning with the NUS Hack&Roll in 2014, Choo has since participated in 30 hackathons thus far (Accenture Digital Hackathon 2017 being his latest one) and is continuously joining more competitions, left and right, to satisfy his insatiable thirst for learning about the latest technologies and innovations across various industries!

Lost in this Wild, Wild World

Choo’s deep passion for all things tech and hackathons didn’t appear out of thin air. 

He underwent a series of trying moments, which ultimately led him to his realization of what he loved to do. After completing his duties in NS, like many young people, he was unsure of what his purpose was in life, even having thoughts of “...wanting to drop out” during his first year of university at NUS.

Through sheer chance, Choo encountered the overseas outreach meetup of the NUS Overseas Colleges Programme, where he discovered the opportunity to study abroad and learn about entrepreneurship and different startup communities in tech hotspot cities around the world (think Stockholm, New York City, Silicon Valley, Shanghai, etc).

From that moment on, Choo devoted his life to making sure he was accepted into the programme, taking and excelling all the requirements necessary for this journey. 

In 2015, he was able to spend a year in New York City, studying at New York University, where he participated and won various hackathons in the US (New York City and San Francisco) weekly, solidifying his presence in the international tech scene.

You Say Tomato. I Say Hackathon.

Of all of the hackathons Choo has participated in, he notes that his second hackathon, TechCrunch Disrupt New York 2015, was one of the largest learning and most memorable experiences for him. 

After taking four months to adapt to the New York City life, Choo persuaded his roommates to participate in TechCrunch Disrupt New York by enticing them with the “free food at the event.” Little did they know, they would win first place for the sponsor division.

It was an intense experience - 24 hours of isolation and back and forths on creation of their idea into a viable product. 

Choo notes the team members “quarreled all night long and after all the hours, they wanted to give up.” Luckily, most of the members decided to stick with the project and were able to submit their project right on time. 

The overall episode got Choo even more hooked to hackathons, while also making him realize the importance of teamwork and synergy, along with having a diverse pool of knowledge within the group.

(Tech) Infinity and Beyond

Today, Choo is busy with his own startup, Stylo Industries, which aims to create “shoppable content” by connecting social media influencers to merchants (learn more about Stylo here). 

His journey has been a rollercoaster of dedication, passion, and persistence, but without it, he wouldn’t be able to pursue what he loves doing today. 

Now, he tries to “attend events as much as possible” to learn about rising industries and latest innovations to stay updated in today’s fast-paced world. He notes, “opportunity is there; you just need to grab it.”

Jason Choo has a WANTED SCORE of 119. Connect with Jason on Wantedly to learn more about his venture with Stylo and his experiences so far!

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