Woman Pivots from Big Tech to Startup with $70M US Success

Best Haputpong spent her first three months at a startup doing something she never imagined: assembling IKEA furniture, changing bedsheets, and resetting WiFi routers in Airbnb rentals across Singapore.

The Bangkok native had followed the traditional path her parents wanted. She earned a scholarship to study in Singapore, then landed prestigious jobs at IBM and HSBC.

But she felt restless. "I was absolutely not the right fit," she admits about corporate life.

In 2014, two engineers named Anthony Chow and Kelvin Ho were tackling a problem Best saw everywhere in her network. Friends running short-term rentals struggled with key handovers, guest access, and unreliable technology.

Best flew to Singapore for what she thought would be a two-day visit. She stayed three months.

The tiny team operated out of an Airbnb that doubled as their headquarters, managing 20 properties. Everyone did everything, testing different technologies to solve real problems hosts faced daily.

Then Singapore announced a crackdown on short-term rentals. The team faced an existential question: what part of their business actually mattered most?

The answer was simple: physical access. If guests couldn't reliably get in and out, nothing else worked.

That realization sparked a complete pivot. Igloohome became a digital lock company focused on offline technology that didn't require constant internet connectivity.

Why This Inspires

Best's story shows how solving real problems beats chasing startup hype. While other companies promised to be the next unicorn, Igloohome spent months living the pain points their customers experienced.

That hands-on approach paid off. In 2020, Best moved to Austin to establish their US presence.

Two years of work transformed the company. The US market grew from 15% of their business to 70% today.

Now with 13 years of experience, Best reflects on those early days with gratitude. "It never felt like anyone was anyone's boss," she says. "We were all just in it together."

Her journey proves that sometimes the best career move means leaving the corporate fast track to change bedsheets. When you're solving problems that matter, even the unglamorous work leads somewhere meaningful.