10 Things You Didn’t Know About Anthony Tan
Anthony Tan is a Malaysian businessman and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Grab, a tech company that specializes in Uber-like services. Tan is an extraordinary young entrepreneur who has achieved amazing feats in his early career. After reviewing his career and personal history, we learned some facts about him that merit sharing with the world of young entrepreneurs who are looking for role models who have achieved success at a young age. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Anthony Tan that might be helpful in your journey into the business world.
1. He was educated at Harvard with an advanced degree
According to Anthony’s LinkedIn profile, Anthony started his educational endeavors at the University of Chicago. He entered the Economics and Public Policy programs of study in 2000. He graduated with his bachelor of arts degree in both disciplines in 2004. Mr. Tan took a few years off from school, then applied and was accepted at the prestigious Harvard Business School in 2009. He earned his MBA degree in Administration and Management in 2011.
2. Mr. Tan speaks four languages
Anthony Tan is a linguist in addition to his many other talents. His native language is English and he has bilingual proficiency. He has achieved professional working proficiency in the French language. He also has limited working proficiency in Chinese, and Indonesian. This gives him an edge when working in international circles.
3. Tan is a co-founder of Grab
Anthony and his partner are responsible for establishing the mobile technology company, Grab. The enterprise provides services to 8 countries in the Southeast Asian region. Grab is a mobile app that provides a platform that offers commuting solutions for drivers and passengers. Other features include GrabPay as a mobile payment solution, along with processing payments for food and package delivery and facilitating the services. Grab has expanded its outreach to include services in over 500 cities.
4. Tan is on the lookout for new partnerships
Mr. Tan is a savvy businessman who keeps his eyes open for promising partnerships that could help him further expand his already successful tech operation. He shared that he believes in taking risks and pushing the company to its limits to achieve even higher levels of success in the mobile app/commuter/delivery niche of the industry. The operation is already multi-faceted but he is looking for even more services to integrate into the Grab collection.
5. Anthony Tan is a resident of Singapore
According to Forbes, Anthony lives in Singapore. He is married and he and his wife have two children together. When he’s not out making new deals, business mergers, and leading his company forward, he enjoys spending time with his family.
6. Anthony Tan is from a very rich family
Tan didn’t have to go to school and work hard to become a very wealthy person. He could have relied on the wealth of his family, which is one of the wealthiest families in Malaysia. His father is Tan Heng Shew owner of a very successful family auto business, but Anthony wanted to do it on his own. He left home in 2012 and used all of his skills and talents to become a self-made man. He did so with his on-demand mobile software and transportation service called Grab. Mr. Tan is just 39 years old.
7. Anthony is backed by notable investors
Tan’s company has received ample funding in a variety of funding rounds. The business is unique in the tech and mobile apps industry and it has caught the attention of some notable investors. It has risen in status to become the dominant ride-hailing app in all of Southeast Asia. Investors in Grab include Toyota, Didi Chuxung, Softbank, and even Uber has a stake in Grab. It’s one of the hottest investments in mobile technology today.
8. Tan is taking Grab in a new direction
Recently, Anthony Tan made a big decision on the direction that he is taking Grab. In April of 2121, he entered into a deal with a special-purpose acquisition company that is going to assist him in listing the company in the United States by merging with the company. This is a big step that will forever change the company’s financials and its status from privately held to a publicly-traded company. Grab also recently expanded its services to include motorcycle taxis.
9. He is the owner and leader of the area’s first unicorn
After the merger with the unspecified special purpose acquisition company is completed, Tan made the announcement that Grab is going to be valued at $39.6 billion. It’s many times over the requirement of a $1 billion valuation to make it to unicorn status. It is one of the largest companies of its kind in all of Asia. This is a fairly remarkable accomplishment for a guy who did it all on his own without any help from his ultra-wealthy family. He was listed on Forbes’ prestigious list Malaysia’s 50 Richest 2019 in the 38th position. While Anthony Tan is not the richest man in Malaysia, he is certainly one of them. If his success continues on the same trajectory, he may top that list and one day come in at the number one spot.
10. You can follow him on social media
If Anthony Tan has inspired you, there are a few great ways to keep up with what’s going on in his professional life. He has multiple social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. He already has more than 9,000 followers on Instagram. You’ll need to send a friend request though because he maintains a private page. He keeps all of his followers up to date on the latest happenings at Grab as well as his new business ventures. These days he is busy with the further expansion of Grab and it will be interesting to see what happens when the merger is completed.
