Startup Showcase: Streetlife
Streetlife CEO Limvirak Chea talks about they local social network taking on Facebook, its use of AWS and why it’s based in London
How big is your company and what are your technology demands?
With over 1.2 million members across Britain accessing our site, iOS and Android apps, every day we’re processing 2 million requests, 5 million jobs, and collecting millions of event points. Our infrastructure is on AWS to enable rapid scaling based on user demands.
Where do you see your company in the next five years?
Five years from now I see Streetlife with 10 million members across the UK, and as a household name known not only as a place to interact with your neighbours, but also as a place to connect with local businesses. A presence in several European countries is also likely within that timeframe.
How can the UK government help startups in the UK and will Brexit have any impact?
The Government is helping with tax credits and investment incentives. With regard to Brexit, minimising barriers to recruiting talent from EU member states and beyond will be important to ensure that UK tech startups continue to attract and retain top engineering and development talent.
As far as Streetlife is concerned, we don’t see Brexit having an impact because we’re focused on local communities, and there will always be a need for local people and businesses to connect and interact.
Which tech company do you personally admire and why?
Google, for their ambition to change the world and their immensely talented team; I spent four years there and enjoyed every day of it. And Amazon, which through its intuitive, personalised user experience and unparalleled social proof is becoming my default place to shop online.
