Duplicating a model already successful in cities like New York and Hong Kong, local startup Spaceship (www.spaceship.com.sg) offers a simple but genius service: it comes to your house, picks up all your sentimental clutter—big and small—and stores it for you cheaply. Then, it lets you access an inventory of your stuff online and sends back any and all of it whenever you need it back. We talk to founder and entrepreneur Wei Yeo about what inspired this business idea and the hoarding habits of Singaporeans.

What inspired you to start Spaceship?

Spaceship was born out of a personal experience I had while moving into a one-bedroom apartment. Naturally, space was limited and I had a dilemma about whether I should throw away items that I did not use but have a lot of sentimental value. The only solution was self-storage units. But the process of renting an entire unit for just a few boxes, paying administrative fees and deposits, plus having to transport my items to an industrial area was a painful process. I wished there was an on-demand solution for storage that handled all the transportation, where I could pay only for the storage space that I used and get the items sent back to me as and when I wanted. 

What’s the market like?

Average apartments in Singapore have shrunk by as much as 34% over the past six years. Surveys show that 69% of Singaporeans are hoarders, storing items they do not use regularly—items like their old school assignments, photographs and gifts. The response has been very positive thus far. We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from happy customers and more people coming onto the platform everyday.

What existing models inspired you?

Companies like Spotify and Dropbox have really improved the way we live. These tech companies have applied technology and a different way of thinking to build something that is accessible, affordable and convenient. Building a product that allows people who previously could not afford to consume a particular service really fascinates me.

What are the weirdest things you’ve had to store?

Thankfully we have not encountered any weird items. We’ve put in place some storage rules. One uncommon order that we had, however, was someone wanting to store 60 pallets of wine.