Layoff opens door of opportunity to entrepreneurial adventure

She starts tech marketing company with retrenched colleagues

- Sue-Ann Tan

Being laid off in 2023 over a video call sparked a range of emotions in Ms Cassandra Ong, who went through what she calls a grieving process of shock, denial, anger, guilt and depression, before she reached acceptance.

Her experience was part of an era of crisis for tech companies, as they grappled with cost issues and restructuring. Her company laid her off, together with two marketing teammates.

With acceptance, Ms Ong, 36, was able to move on and went on to found a marketing consultancy team, drawing from more than a decade of experience in leading and growing marketing teams at tech start-ups, such as Foodpanda and Chope.

She did not forget her teammates, who joined her.

Ms Ong said: "I was thinking...

whether I should head back to a corporate job, take a break and upskill myself, which is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, or start a new venture with my talented team members to create an agency that bridges the marketing expertise gap for tech companies today."

Her firm, OtterHalf, helps with online marketing and forging strategic partnerships for business-toconsumer and direct-to-consumer businesses.

Ms Ong said: "I started my journey in marketing for tech startups, beginning at Foodpanda when the company was just two years old. Despite the long hours, I loved the work I did, especially when I saw my team's hard work translating into business impact month on month.

"Having worked at various growth stages of tech companies in my career, and having interacted with marketing agencies, big and small, one thing I found lacking was their understanding of how marketing for tech start-ups worked the success metrics tech start-up founders and marketers look at, the high demand and investor pressure they face, and what it takes to drive revenue."