Hi! I'm Elisha Tan

Developer Programs, Facebook · Founder, TechLadies · elisha@techladies.co

I am passionate about bringing people together to solve big problems.

About

I started my career as a fresh grad entrepreneur, wanting to help people make a living with their passion. My startup journey took me through many challenges - from learning how to code when I couldn't find a tech co-founder, testing new ideas to grow the product, to moving to Silicon Valley for mentorship.

I've put my heart and soul into Learnemy but it eventually failed. Then, I was fired 6 months into the job I had after my startup failed. Through resilience, a supportive community, and perhaps a sprinkle of dumb luck, I'm now the Developer Programs Manager for APAC at Facebook and the Founder of TechLadies.

At Facebook, I helped launch the Developer Circles program globally and scale it in Asia. Within a year, I've built communities to reach 40,000 (and counting!) developers, training and helping them with employment and startup opportunities.

Outside of Facebook, I work on TechLadies - a community-led initiative for women in Asia to connect, learn, and advance as programmers. We are now a community reaching thousands, having taught hundreds of women programming skills, and helping tens of ladies enter the industry as programmers.

I've spoken at regional conferences such as Slush Singapore, DevRel Summit, MaGIC Academy Symposium, SRECon Asia, RubyConf MY, and Techsauce Summit to name a few, and have mentored at Startup Weekends (San Francisco & Penang) and SPARK Global Acceleration Program. I was also featured in CNBC, The Straits Times, Her World, e27, High Net Worth, and more.

I'm based in sunny Singapore and aspire to also be a standup comedian.

Invite me to speak at your next event

I enjoy sharing my experiences at events, conferences, and schools around the world. I've delivered presentations, participated in panel discussions, and moderated panel discussions to an audience ranging from 20 to 350 people of diverse backgrounds.

Starting and failing a tech startup

Failure is still a taboo subject. However, I believe that talking about failure help normalizes the experience and encourages people to take calculated risks.

I've shared my startup experiences at Slush Singapore, Fuckup Nights (Twice!), Pecha Kucha, and MaGIC Academy Symposium.

Improving gender diversity in tech

Technology is meant to be accessible by all, it does not discriminate. I believe that we, both men and women, can do better to make our industry more inclusive.

I've spoken about this topic at Google Women Techmakers, CodingGirls Day, and at various TechLadies events.

Building developer communities

Talent is everywhere but opportunities are not. I know that the tech community is super helpful and I like to share how we can build awesome communities to help one another.

I've presented about this at DevRel Summit, SRECon Asia, RubyConf MY, and TechSauce Summit.

Press

"Elisha Tan is an impressive entrepreneur with an inspiring story and passionate approach to social progress." - Deputy Premier and Minister for Small Business John Barilaro

Here are what people wrote about me
Here are some of my favorite guest articles

Let's collaborate

elisha@techladies.co