Story map
Read this like a founder: problem, early product, first customers, then the moments that changed everything.
The problem they noticed
Ian Ang and his co-founder spent long periods using computers and could not find a chair that met their needs. They treated that familiar frustration as a product problem worth investigating.
From MVP to product
Secretlab began in 2014 and launched its first chair in 2015. The founders started with one product category and used it to test whether other people shared the same need.
First customers
The team focused on a specific group of users first: people who spent long sessions at a computer. Starting with a clear audience can make product decisions easier to explain and test.
Key moments
Experiments, pivots, and surprises. Look for what changed their thinking.
- 1Pivot
What happened: The founders moved from being users with a problem to making a product for that problem.
Lesson: A personal frustration can become a starting hypothesis, not proof that everyone wants the same solution.
- 2Pivot
What happened: They began with one chair rather than a large catalogue of products.
Lesson: A narrow first product can help a small team learn where quality matters most.
Impact
Every product creates value, and every decision has a trade-off. Good founders stay honest about both.
Positive
- +Turned a problem experienced by computer users into a Singapore-founded product company.
- +Demonstrated how listening closely to a defined audience can guide an early product.
Trade-offs
- ±Physical products require careful choices about materials, manufacturing, delivery, and support.
- ±A strong first product still needs ongoing testing as users and their needs change.
What to remember
If you had to explain this story to a friend, what would you want them to remember?
- Begin by describing the user problem precisely.
- A small first product can be a useful test of a bigger idea.
- Being a user can help, but research is still needed before making claims about other users.
Continue learning
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Sources & further reading
- Secretlab - https://blog.secretlab.co/stories/about-us/
- Enterprise Singapore - https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/resources/inspiring-stories/secretlab