Youmin Kim is the founder of Take App which helps merchants sell on WhatsApp. 

Take App is YC and Meta-backed company based in Singapore. 

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

My job is to talk to small businesses and make software for them.

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

I was building Take App during the weekends as a hobby project. One year later, I quit my job at Facebook to be full-time on the project. 

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

Take App. It has been supporting a number of businesses and their families since the beginning of COVID-19. They could survive with the software I made. On the most impactful days, I could make others’ lives better. 

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

A marketplace or super app platform drives more profit. Their merchants look for their own stores for less commissions.

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Pay-now-like payments will be more popular in Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil, and India. They have fewer payment fees and immediate payout. It saves many small businesses. 

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

Talk to customers. Build opinionated software instead of being a generalist. 

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

WhatsApp commerce.

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🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show? 

Kingdom, a South Korean zombie TV show.

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

Chendol.

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FYI. We've edited this interview for clarity.