After three failed attempts, alumni Lester Leong (BBA Class of 2017) and Ryan Lim (BBA Class of 2018) finally made their entrepreneurial breakthrough with their air-purifying paint business, Gush Paint.
The duo crossed paths in the undergraduate Entrepreneurial Finance module where they became fast friends after working together on a group project. They applied their great chemistry in hackathons that they entered and won, as well as eventually venturing into business together in their senior years.
Success birthed from sickness
The idea to create a paint with air-purifying capabilities came about when Ryan’s long-standing asthma and Lester’s sinus condition were exacerbated by the 2015 haze crisis. Desperate for fresh air, they explored turning a room’s surface area into air purifiers. The rest is history.
The duo started as a four-man team at a make shift shoebox office in 2017. Being a lean team, each member performed a variety of job functions from sales to marketing and accounting. The crossing of each new revenue milestone would then trigger the hiring of a new employee to cope with the growing business. The Gush team has since expanded to 30 staff operating in a three-storey terrace industrial building, and are projected to increase its headcount to some 100 in the next year.
Gush founders Lester Leong and Ryan Lim bagging the top prize at the 2018 Unicon hackathon
Gush Paint’s special formula produces a paint that does not emit toxic fumes and purifies air. While the details remain a tightly-guarded trade secret, the entrepreneurial duo shared that they leveraged the wisdom of industry peers and knowledgeable family members with relevant engineering expertise. But good fortune and serendipity alone did not win them success. It was through rounds of tireless A/B testing, dogged determination, and pushing past multiple failures that eventually birthed a winning product.
Since 2019, just two years after incorporation, they have launched three product lines and painted more than 1,700 residential, 60 commercial projects.
Looking ahead, they are looking at overseas and product range expansion. Thanks to a property group City Developments Limited, they were able to raise $2.2 million in a pre-series A round of funding which has already helped them to distribute to three markets around Asia and work on a pipeline of 15 new offerings.
Ryan and Lester attribute their rapid success to mentors who have advised and inspired them along the way. Their hard work, passion and perseverance eventually won them a spot on the 2020 Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.
Secrets to start-up success
On the formula for success, Lester and Ryan offer the following advice:
#1 Find the gap for disruption
Prior to developing Gush paint, the duo found that there is so much more that paints and coatings can do beyond just its aesthetic appeal. This pivotal insight came through a protracted period of market research and analysis.
#2 Determination and diligence wins the race
Any successful product is the result of multiple rounds of tireless testing and refinement.
#3 Think systematically and make rational decisions
Have a clear end goal, break problems down into methodical steps, and think systematically.
#4 Fail forward
Adopt a fighting spirit, don’t give up in the face of disappointment, and keep on trying.
#5 Have a mentor
Seek out a mentor who can offer relevant and practical advice.
