Darrell Zhang is the co-founder and CEO of NextBlock, a platform that connects real and verified neighbors based on their locations to share information and allows communication with one another.

They launched the app in June 2022 and have close to 25,000 users on the app, serving more than 2,000 communities in Singapore with an eye for expansion into Thailand in 2023.

👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

I help neighbors connect with one another at NextBlock!

🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

I only had 25 cents left in my bank account at one point of time while I was running my first business.

🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Has to be 2019. It was the first year I relocated permanently overseas for work purposes. It was the year that we designed and built a condominium app, launched to the market and got more than 700,000 residential units under management — all within the year.

🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?‍

Even though the entire web3 community got rekted in 2023, I still firmly believe in the technology behind blockchain. There just need to be legit projects that are tapping upon blockchain to derive further value and solve current existing problems, not projects that try to put on a web3 tag just for the sake of looking sexier and more investible.

I'm still pretty bullish on applying Blockchain Technology in Gaming and Fractionalized Real Estate.

💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

There is no rocket science if you are building a community app — nothing deeptech, nothing AI, nothing Machine learning. It is laborious, very operational, execution-focused and plenty of hard work and heart work.

‍

🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

Coming up with ideas on how to innovate and better a current business model.

🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?

Suits

‍

🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?‍

Pistachio

‍