Inspiring Story Behind: a Unicorn Company, NinjaVan’s CEO, Chang Wen Lai

Let’s look at how.

Today, Chang Wen Lai is known as the CEO of a unicorn company, NinjaVan, but do you know the inspiring story behind this success? What motivated Chang to leave his well-paying banking job? What was the issue that led him from one business to another? He and his business partners even slept at the office in the early days of their startup in order to make it successful.

About Chang Wen Lai

Chang Wen Lai, the CEO and co-founder of NinjaVan, was born in Singapore. As a child, he aspired to be a rocket scientist. His academic journey led him to Singapore Management University, where he completed his graduation.

Following his education, Chang started his professional career at Barclays, where he worked as a trader. Despite continuing his career in the banking sector at Barclays, his entrepreneurial spirit and desire for a new challenge prompted him to leave his job. He left his job in the banking sector and joined their partner’s e-commerce business, Marcella, a custom menswear brand that specializes in offering custom menswear apparel. But this is not the end of the story.

What issue led him to entrepreneurship?

After leaving the banking sector, Lai noticed issues running Marcella. They saw, logistics was a big problem, causing delays and sometimes failed deliveries, frustrating their clients.

Recognizing these challenges sparked an idea in Chang’s mind, and he decided to fix these problems. Over 4 years, they created an effective solution through NinjaVan to improve logistics and service reliability.

What is the NinjaVan?

Friends Lai Chang Wen, Boxian Tan, and Shaun Chong founded NinjaVan in Singapore in 2014 to address these issues. NinjaVan was started with a second-hand van.

Initially founded to support their fashion line, NinjaVan quickly expanded throughout Southeast Asia and emerged as a leading contender in the logistics industry. Today, NinjaVan operates in six markets in the region: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Today, NinjaVan is one of Southeast Asia’s leading logistics companies. Lai’s vision is to reach of every consumer in the region, providing a seamless logistics experience for both shippers and shoppers in all the markets NinjaVan operates in.

Lai’s achievements

– Developed a billion-dollar international express delivery business in just five years.

– Handles daily delivery of 2 million parcels.

– Over 120 million Southeast Asians have been served.

Passion That Led Toward Entrepreneurship

Lai’s strong, unwavering enthusiasm led them towards their startup, NinjaVan. Initially, Lai and co-founders Shaun Chong and Boxian Tan slept on office mattresses, sorting parcels themselves. Today, they have 1,000 office staff who supervise 10,000 drivers across approximately 500 cities, handling the delivery of 2,000,000 parcels daily.

Lai’s unwavering enthusiasm led him to rapid success, with a billion-dollar delivery business.