FOR most of her life, Kimberly Wan has been involved in ice sports, and it has impacted her in many ways.
Kimberly’s passion for the sport started when she was involved in figure skating from the age of six until 16, and then ice hockey for another 11 years.
She said she always had a keen sense of responsibility and her drive to go further.
“It is perhaps due to my very structured upbringing, in regard to training and my own self-imposed expectations. After joining the ice hockey community, I threw myself into many parts of the sport by taking on multiple roles to better understand how it all worked,” she said.
Recently accredited as a referee with the International Ice Hockey Federation, Kimberly started off as a player, before expanding her involvement to include time and score-keeping for league games.
“Eventually, I went into officiating as a linesman, and then I was selected to be a part of the women’s ice hockey team. For me, I found that participation in sports is an incredibly rewarding experience”.
Kimberly later teamed up with her university mate to found her own company, Otomate Me.
What does it take to be a techpreneur?
The importance of team spirit and having good team dynamics. This was very crucial as everyone needs to know what they are going to do in an organisation, as well as resilience, tenacity and the ability to take feedback to improve.
What led you to be start Otomate Me?
There were two incidences that made me want to start a business. However, I was not able to pursue it at the time. So, when there was an opportunity to take the lead and venture into technology, I was willing to do it. As time passed, I learnt that what you start with is not necessarily what you end up creating. Through our customers’ feedback, we are actually solving real problems.
Have you completely left the world of sports?
I have no intention of leaving sports. Participating in sports has been an integral part of my life. To me, it has given me opportunities to network and grow as a person.
What is Otomate Me about?
It is a software-as-a-service technology company. It is a way of delivering applications over the internet and as a service. Our company’s objective is to make technology more accessible and approachable. It aims to help people learn more, do more, contribute more and also gain recognition for their work. Our tools are meant to automate the mundane and manual tasks related to mission-critical emails and WhatsApp communication processes.
What advice do you have for young women keen to pursue technology and entrepreneurship?
They have to be brave and not be deterred by failures. Learn to accept failures as they are the best teacher. There are many girls who may want to go into sports but are afraid to do so because of changes to their bodies and what people might say about them. It is important not to let negative words impact them mentally, because sports has a lot to offer and can really build up confidence.
