Phua gathered approximately $2 million in working capital to make it happen by “scraping and borrowing” from everyone he knew. However, being his first venture into business, the company ran out of money within six months.
17LIVE sprang from the dating app Paktor (Cantonese for “to go on a date”), founded by Joseph Phua in 2013 upon graduating from business school.
With quick success, Phua — and co-founder Ng Jing Shen (now 17LIVE’s chief technology officer) — transitioned to focus full-time on Paktor’s growth.
