Melvin Yuan is the founder and CEO of Starboard, a Company Operating System™ that enables founders to start and run global companies easily. It's got a range of corporate services — starting with company incorporation, accounting, bookkeeping and payroll and will soon offer a full stack of corporate and financial services for companies in Singapore and the US.

👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

I support entrepreneurs in building their dreams — by removing the energy-draining, momentum-crippling, soul-sucking work — of company administration, back office operations, finance, and compliance.

On top of that — we ensure that at every stage of the journey, we enable them to get expert help easily, without having to repeat themselves over and over again.

You know the F-word? It's "'Friction." We remove friction from managing a company.

🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

First, I'll tell you something that doesn't surprise my wife and friends — I'm impatient. Everything's usually too slow, too late, or too inefficient.

Now I'll tell you what's surprising about my job — I see so many founders having to repeat themselves to more than 5–10 parties just to set up a company and get it running. What's surprising is how we're ok with it.

I don't get it. Why do we have to repeat ourselves so many times? That's what we're trying to solve.

🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Relationships. Friendships. It's ALL about that. The first technology company I co-founded was successfully acquired by an NYSE-listed company. So I know what it's like to experience a "career-high" as a founder.

But that's just one event. And the experience is fleeting.

What is truly a highlight — is the experience of being surrounded by incredible teammates and partners whom I trust, admire, and enjoy working with.

🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?‍

Blockchain Technology and Web3. The potential impact on workflows, behavior, society, and economies is probably beyond imagination.

💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

What industry am I in? We're building something that will extend across corporate services, financial services, insurance and more. To anyone looking to do what we're doing, I'll say — don't settle. Actually, I'll say this to everyone anyway — don't settle.

🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

There are many topics I can keep talking about — time travel, philosophy, productivity hacks, new business ideas.

I enjoy talking with people who can engage on a wide range of topics — and find common threads between seemingly unrelated topics.

🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?

Agents of Shield. It's all the entertainment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — merged with philosophy, the construct of identity, transhumanism, time travel, and more. And it spans over a hundred episodes. I don't know how I could ask for more.

My favorite used to be the Matrix Trilogy, but Agents of Shield have become number one.

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🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?‍

Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia