Yi Hao came into product through his background in NUS Enterprise and Atlas Private Club, where he learned how startups operate and gained confidence pitching ideas. He realised PM fits naturally at the intersection of tech, business, and people — areas he enjoys navigating.

Yi Hao describes PM as guiding the “big picture”: understanding users and business needs, shaping what to build, and collaborating across engineering and business teams.

Jack emphasises three things PMs need:

• Domain knowledge — e.g., robotics when he worked at Hivebotics, or crypto trading mechanisms when he worked at Binance.

• Stakeholder management — balancing deadlines, aligning expectations, and keeping teams motivated.

• Technical fluency — enough to understand constraints, write requirement docs, and communicate effectively with engineers.

Both agree that PM isn’t an easy alternative to coding. Rather, many PMs transition from engineering roles because the job demands strong technical and product intuition.

Both share that credibility grows from:

• Consistently delivering on what you promise

• Participating in hackathons, startathons, and incubation programmes

• Building a network of mentors

Jack highlighted how winning hackathons and receiving the NUS Venture Initiation Programme (VIP) grant helped legitimise his startup journey. Yi Hao emphasised that stakeholders are often more supportive than expected — especially when they see genuine effort and commitment.

Their view is that the opportunities are there — in NUS, communities, and the wider ecosystem. The question is whether you’re willing to step up and take them.

Jack and Yi Hao see studenthood as an edge, not a handicap. Why?

Universities like NUS provide grants, incubation, networks, access to founders, VCs, and mentors.

People are often more forgiving and supportive when you’re early in your journey:

• They’re more willing to give advice

• More open to mentoring

• More flexible about failures

And even though there could be skepticism, if you show that you’re serious, prepared, and solving real problems, people do back you.

Both of them are headed to NOC Silicon Valley, and they see it as more than just an exchange.

For Jack, he had heard about NOC SV even before entering NUS — through YouTube and alumni stories. Therefore, going to the heart of the startup ecosystem feels like the next logical step. Learning from people building and iterating fast, as well as experiencing a culture that is more risk-taking than Singapore. His end goal of being a startup founder is clear — and NOC SV is one more step in that direction.

For Yi Hao, he doesn’t want to box the experience into “just PM” or “just entrepreneurship”. What excites him is the mindset of building and breaking fast, being brave with ideas, as well as being surrounded by people who talk about ARR, B2B SaaS, and ecosystem play as the norm.

Ultimately, they see NOC SV as an extension of both their PM journeys and a major acceleration of their entrepreneurial mindset.

In the game segment, they answered some “red flag, green flag” questions. A few highlights:

1. Prioritising customer feedback over the team’s vision

• Jack sees this as a green flag since customers pay the bills. If they’re not willing to pay for what you’re building, something is off.

• Yi Hao is more cautious as he believes the team’s vision matters too. Sometimes “customer feedback” is skewed if you’ve scoped the wrong segment.

• Takeaway: Balance is key — don’t blindly follow either customers or your internal vision without context.

2. Using ChatGPT / AI for almost everything

• Both: Green flag.

• They see AI (and tools like Cursor) as massive productivity unlocks.

• Jack built his current MVP in a day, compared to months for his first startup.

• To them, the question isn’t “Should we use AI?” but “How do we use it well and responsibly?”

3. Figma mockups as an MVP

• Jack: Leaning yes, if framed as a landing-page-style validation tool.

• Yi Hao: Leaning no, especially now that AI tools make it so easy to build simple functional prototypes.

• Takeaway: The bar for what counts as an MVP is rising — especially when tools make building faster and cheaper.

4. Free-flow snacks as a key incentive

• Both ultimately agree: snacks are nice, but not a real incentive.

• Jack jokes that he enjoys premium snacks and drinks at work (coffee, green tea, coconut water), but acknowledges that real motivation comes from pay, impactful work, team culture, and growth opportunities.

When asked about risks they wish they’d taken earlier, Yi Hao wishes he’d been exposed to entrepreneurship mindsets earlier, even back in JC. Traditional schooling emphasised getting a “good career”, not crafting your own path, starting ventures, or building communication and collaboration skills early. If he could rewind, he’d start experimenting earlier — possibly even founding with friends before university.

As for Jack, he doesn’t feel he has major regrets as most of his risks were calculated. One that stands out: turning down a month-long trip to India a few years ago. At the time, he was unsure about safety / familiarity. Now, after hearing how different markets work (e.g. crypto in Brazil, unstable currencies, cross-border payments), he realised that traveling to less “comfortable” places can reveal huge opportunities and insights. Since then, he’s travelled to 10+ countries in a year, making up for the perspectives he feels he missed.