I'm Billgo

I did not study computer science. I studied economics at Guangdong University of Finance & Economics. I learned some econometrics and finance, without expecting those quantitative methods to be useful later when I worked on asset-management systems.

I later realised that I preferred writing code, so I applied for a frontend role at a cross-border trading company. Over three years, I went from building pages to leading the frontend architecture of a cross-border shopping platform. In those years, I focused more on implementing the user interface and rarely thought deeply about how the business systems behind it worked.

I met Harry Lin, the founder of a Singapore construction company, LWH Holdings. As we talked, we decided to start a business together, building an ERP system for main building contractors in Singapore. We would start with LWH’s own business, get it working internally, refine the product and then bring it to market. The core modules were completed, but unfortunately the system never launched. Building the system does not mean getting the job done.

On 1 February 2019, I joined Bridge5 Asia Pte. Ltd. as a core engineer and later became chief technology officer. This gave me a chance to learn how to build enterprise software in a more realistic commercial setting. After joining, we first led the rebuild of Anshi Asia’s online asset-management system. We later built two large custom systems: Fosun Group’s asset-management platform and CapitaLand China’s operating budget and forecasting system. Starting with the tender, I led the team through delivery, and the systems ran reliably after launch.

My way of working is simple: fewer meetings, more time on site and more listening to customers. On the Fosun and CapitaLand projects, I spent periods at the client’s site, working through data sources and definitions one by one before writing code. What business teams say and how they actually work each day are often two different things.

Over the years, I have developed a habit: if a tool does not work the way I need, I build it myself. From Geego at LWH to our later backend frameworks and frontend component libraries, I prefer to keep the core tools in my own hands.