International alumnus Jessica Choi (BAFM ‘10) held several prestigious co-op positions during her time at the University of Waterloo working for companies such as Microsoft and Deloitte. After graduation, Jessica landed a successful position with Goldman Sachs for five years before deciding to leave the financial sector in 2015 to co-found Hirely in Hong Kong at only 27 years old.
Hirely is a one-of-a-kind search service for reliable local event service professionals online without compromising on time or money. Hirely’s business model offers local service providers who have limited reach, few resources or a shoestring marketing budget, a unique and competitive niche to attract more customers.
Alumni Relations had the chance to speak with Jessica to talk about her venture and life after Waterloo.
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Hirely is quite a different direction than the financial background that you come from, can you tell us why you decided to change career directions?
That’s the beauty of being a grad in this day and age, we are no longer put into labeled boxes and it’s commonplace and widely accepted to try new things. I took advantage of UWaterloo’s co-op program and the early years post graduation to explore different career paths. My first co-op experience was at a Big 4 accounting firm at the ripe age of 18. Since then, I seized multiple opportunities from Marketing at tech companies like Microsoft and Ericsson, to Operations at Goldman Sachs and worked my way to the trading floor as an Institutional Equities Salesperson. Along the way, I learned my strengths, weaknesses and most importantly, what I enjoyed in a job.
In terms of my recent move from Finance to “techpreneurship,” a lot of things came together to make it happen, including timing and an entrepreneurial passion. In the past 5 years living in Asia, I watched the tech startup scene mature at unbelievable speed. I had the great pleasure of being part of the IPO sales force of Chinese internet giants like Alibaba and SINA Weibo. It’s an incredibly hot sector and with major firms like Tencent and Softbank aggressively investing in startups, the ripples are currently being seen across the ecosystem at all stages. It was an opportunity I did not want to miss and when things in my life came together so naturally for this big transition, I knew it was just meant to be.
Can you tell us more about Hirely?
Hirely is a creative online solution that introduces event service professionals to customers who are organizing an upcoming event. Think parents organizing their son’s birthday party; or the Groom-Bride-zilla duo organizing their wedding; or the corporate heroes organizing a company event. They would need to hire a photographer, food caterer, hair/makeup artist, magician, DJ and the list goes on.
When it comes to local services, we are still heavily reliant on service directories, phone tag and complete blind faith. The inefficiencies are staggering given that we live in a world where we can order just about any product and have it delivered to our doorstep the next day.
Here's how Hirely works.
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Our users tell us what services they need and within hours, they receive quotes from available and qualified professionals that are up for the challenge.
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Our users compare the professionals based on quote, business profile, portfolio and customer reviews. They can call and message them to make an informed decision.
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When they’re ready, they hire the best one at a price that is right for them in a single click.
Hirely is set to launch in Hong Kong in fall 2015. We plan to scale the business across Asia with launches planned in other major cities in early 2016.
Was there someone or something during your time at UWaterloo that influenced you to get you to where you are today?
I was watching an interview with Sam Altman of Y-Combinator, the most prestigious program for tech entrepreneurs, and he gave a shout-out to the University of Waterloo mentioning how the school trains the students to think like Founders. I think there’s truth in his observation – the spirit of innovation is such an integral part of what defines the University of Waterloo. Since graduating, I’ve kept up to date with exciting new ventures such as Velocity’s Garage and Foundry programs and Enterprise Co-op program that helped the University to be internationally recognized as one of the top innovation universities. There’s no doubt the school prepared me for today’s dynamic, entrepreneurial, and impatient digital world. #GladToBeAGrad
What is the most rewarding aspect of founding Hirely?
We are not just creating a platform for users to find event planners and service professionals. The most rewarding aspect is that we are trying to create more opportunities in the market for hardworking and honest local service professionals, giving them a medium to advertise without spending a fortune on a marketing budget. This innovative platform gives them access to real-time demand and regular quality business leads.
