
The duo came together with an entrepreneurial mindset to bridge the gap in the discovery and distribution of quality Asian films in the online space.
Derek Tan and Ho Jia Jian met in NUS, while Jia Jian was studying engineering and Derek, software programming. Both of them shared similar interests in short film-making and creation of TV content platforms after graduation. They identified a gap in the discovery and distribution of quality Asian films in the online space, and found a common motivation to take Asian short films to a larger global audience.
Jia Jian participated in the NOC iLEAD programme (now known as NOC Singapore), and gained invaluable experience working in a start-up environment. Tapping on their familiarity with platforms for film content and Jia Jian's experience in a start-up environment, the duo came together and founded Viddsee. They subsequently received start-up support in the form of a SPRING ACE grant, incubation space, and mentorship through NUS Enterprise.
In the beginning, Viddsee focused on Southeast Asian films but has gradually brought in new films through collaborations with content partners in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan. It has been the screening platform of choice for various film festivals, and increasingly, has formed partnerships with global publishers like Yahoo!, Youtube and Discovery Network Asia Pacific. Currently, Viddsee's films have been watched by over 500 million viewers worldwide reaching over 10 million monthly.
In the near future, Viddsee plans to gear up to be a regional entertainment company by growing their audience across new countries in Southeast and North Asia. The start-up is also looking to increase distribution channels across various mobile devices to ensure a high quality content delivery experience to their users.
MILESTONES
Co-founder, Ho Jia Jian, attended NOC iLEAD programme (now known as NOC Singapore)
2008
Viddsee founded
2012
Viddsee was launched with a desktop and mobile web platform
Started collaboration with Asian content partners
2013
Established partnership with Yahoo!
Launched Viddsee mobile app for watching short films on the go and social publishing platform BUZZ
2014
Established partnership with Nikon to award content creators on a monthly basis
2015
Partnered A+E Network to have a weekly TV slot on Lifetime
Organised the Viddsee Juree Awards (Philippines), a filmmaker community initiative
Selected to join the Unilever Foundry programme
Launched Viddsee Studios
Partnership with IMDA to produce public service content
2017
Established partnership with Discovery Networks Asia Pacific to stream and market Discovery's content on the platform
2016