WeNetwork: recruitment done right
WeNetwork is a fast-growing recruitment company, with offices in Singapore and Indonesia. It will always be the first ever venture to leave the DQventures stable and it is therefore very special to us. It was also the first company incorporated (originally called ConnexTrail), as well as the first DQ business to make revenue, hire employees, and return a profit. The business was founded in 2020 by our good friend and recruitment stalwart, Rob Bryson. Rob came with a fine pedigree - he was formerly MD of Robert Walters' Indonesia and then Singapore branch. We were in little doubt that he would build a solid business.
What Rob wanted from us were two things. He knew how to run a large company, but setting up a business from scratch, organising a bank account, raising funds, managing the investment process, issuing shares, and going from zero to one were entirely new. Perhaps more importantly (we're pretty confident Rob could have learnt how to set up a business bank account!), Rob wanted advocates. The DQ team has a great network - especially in the technology world across Asia Pacific. Given that Rob's client focus would be on fast-growing companies in the same region, he saw significant value in having partners with whom he could brainstorm ideas, and who could refer him both customers and candidates.
That's exactly how it's worked out. WeNetwork has been incorporated for just over a year and the business is producing excellent results. Some truly great people have now joined the team, including Dom Salomoni and Elijah Underhill in Singapore, and a team of 20 amazing people in Indonesia. That's down to Rob, but I'm confident in saying that we at DQ continue to add value. We always have an eye out for potential referrals, and have made several that let to significant and sometimes ongoing revenue for the business; we've provided support with international expansion, such as the framework for the relationship between WeNetwork Singapore and Indonesia; and we've helped set up partnerships, such as that with virtual career fairs provider, SeeMeCV. Rob is a wonderful founder to work with, and seems extremely happy being his own boss. His business is growing almost entirely by word-of-mouth and will be opening in more markets around the world in the near future. Watch this space!