The “United Nations” adds another member; startup ShowNearby acquires Spanish talent.
Singapore, Jan 3, 2011 – Singaporean startup ShowNearby adds Spaniard to multinational crew.
Since it has been invested by Global Yellow Pages for SGD$3.5 million, startup ShowNearby is set on acquiring talent from all around the world.
Its latest addition is Fernando Martin Santana, a Spaniard not unfamiliar with startups and the information technology industry. Fernando will be appointed senior architect of ShowNearby.
ShowNearby already boasts an international ensemble with staff hailing from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and India.
Founder and CEO Douglas Gan believes the sky is the limit for this 20-strong skilled staff.
“We hire people who we feel are better than us. Having different nationalities in the company gives ShowNearby a global perspective. We also have the talents to make ShowNearby a platform for users and businesses alike to leverage,” says Mr Gan, 27.
Technological development, innovation and learning are the hallmarks of the two and a half year-old company. Talent recruitment and retention are thus very crucial.
The arrival of Fernando, 30, comes at a pivotal time for the Singaporean company. It is looking to expand and improve its technological capabilities to consolidate its position as leader in the location-based service market in Singapore.
Coming from Madrid, Fernando has Master’s degrees in computer science and business intelligence and knowledge management. He has 13 years of experience in the IT industry, having worked as a programmer, researcher, consultant, project manager, product manager and CEO.
“I’m excited to be in Singapore and ShowNearby, and look forward to the challenge of building this startup. There is high mobile penetration here and the market will be very receptive to what we are doing,” says Fernando, whose interests cover technology, sports and music.
“We’re looking to Fernando’s experience and leadership to better organise and formalise our work processes as we expand,” says Mr Gan.
ShowNearby has expanded from 4 to 20 staff in the past 9 months and are looking to double that figure by the end of this year.
Fernando’s arrival also coincides with the series of updates and improvements ShowNearby has rolled out for users and business partners.
Users of the free app will now have more places to search such as shopping malls, cafes, spas and police stations. Business partners are now able to use the platform to feature discounts, deals, promotions and advertisements.
The app has also recently become the top app in the general and travel categories in the iPhone App store.
Mr Gan, a serial entrepreneur for over a decade, adds, “There are many business owners who are very impressed with the possibilities offered by mobile location-based services, so this is the right time for us to monetise and expand.”
