(From left to right) Marcus Tan, Quek Siu Rui and Lucas Ngoo — co-founders of Carousell. Image credit: Carousell – The Early Years.

In 2012, Quek Siu Rui, Marcus Tan, and Lucas Ngoo launched their startup with a mission to make selling as simple as taking a photo.

Little did they know that their platform would revolutionise the way people buy and sell secondhand items around the globe.

This is the story of Carousell, an online classifieds marketplace that has become a household name in Southeast Asia and beyond.

However, like all dreams in life, challenges stood in the way.

A mad scramble to restore sellers' 700 listings two weeks before their app launch. Photo credit: Carousell blog.

The Carousell founders soon realised that managing an expanding team was a different ballgame from working with a small one. As Carousell grew bigger, they started to discover that while everyone worked very hard, the priorities and directions were often misaligned.

Furthermore, product deliveries slowed, and frequent server crashes frustrated their users — one thing led to another and impacted team morale.

The turning point came with a strategic focus on organisational structure and people management.

The founders prioritised hiring the right talent to build a strong executive team.

Product, engineering and senior leadership teams of Carousell. Photo credit: Carousell.

Under the new leadership, expertise and clarity were introduced, streamlining operations and aligning company goals. By refining roles and responsibilities, Carousell enhanced productivity and efficiency.

This strategic realignment improved platform performance, reduced downtime, and significantly boosted user satisfaction.

Carousell's emphasis on strong leadership attracted more users and partners, strengthening their market position and enabling expansion across Southeast Asia.

The rest, as they say, is startup history.

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