---
title: He Built Singapore's Largest Co-Living, Eyeing a Listing? [TBS 15 ft Eugene Lim, The Assembly Place]
description: We sat with Eugene Lim, Founder and CEO of The Assembly Place (TAP), for his story on bold pivots, gritty beginnings, and building a real estate business with purpose.
---

<https://www.thefinancialcoconut.com/blog>

# [He Built Singapore's Largest Co-Living, Eyeing a Listing? \[TBS 15 ft Eugene Lim, The Assembly Place\]](https://www.thefinancialcoconut.com/blog/thebusinessshow-15)

 Written by [The Financial Coconut](https://www.thefinancialcoconut.com/blog/author/the-financial-coconut) | May 28, 2025 2:20:48 AM

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What does it take to scale from a single rented house to becoming Singapore’s largest co-living operator with nearly 5,000 keys?

We sat with Eugene Lim, Founder and CEO of [The Assembly Place](https://www.theassemblyplace.com/)(TAP), for an unfiltered conversation about bold pivots, gritty beginnings, and building a real estate business with purpose. In this episode: From broke uni student to building a 20-year real estate career

- Why co-living is more than just renting rooms
- How TAP is expanding into regional markets like KL and eyeing global hotspots like Japan and London
- The strategic shift from operator to asset co-owner
- Fundraising, building lean with tech, and the road to a potential SGX listing

 Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or just curious how the co-living model works behind the scenes, this is one founder story you won’t want to miss.

Highlights:

- [03:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ&t=230s) – How do you end up in the co-living category?
- [05:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ&t=345s) – By the third year you had 300 people. How much were you making by then?
- [11:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ&t=660s) – Why did you then leave it and join corporate?
- [17:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ&t=1070s) – What was that process like from testing co-living to hitting 250 keys?
- [19:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ&t=1170s) – What was the pivot during COVID? What were you doing?
- [23:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ&t=1425s) – How much did you raise and how was it used?
- [25:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ&t=1515s) – Why equity raise instead of project financing?
- [30:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ&t=1835s) – Your team is very lean. Is there some thought around this you want to share?
- [35:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ&t=2110s) – What’s next? What is happening in the next phase?
- [37:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ&t=2270s) – What are the major growth trends or regions you’re riding on?
- [40:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ&t=2410s) – What’s the exit plan?

**Episode Resources:**

- [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/42Xb1vw4Mnu2dw4r1Uzpof)
- [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTJ7dkxAoQ)
- [Apple podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-financial-coconut-podcast/id1487004505)

New episodes every  [Wednesday](https://www.thefinancialcoconut.com/blog/tag/tfc-business-show) 

Share us your thoughts on this episode and let us know what do you want to hear next.

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Join our [community group](https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaY2-JSYItZawSUnNP4YhAicLp0H2wXwx8EBmQgbzOJrjA6YRiPWXtFDSH4_aem_t1DMRY5jrSAapreaSX9ntw) and drop us your insights on this topic.

 

[View full post](https://www.thefinancialcoconut.com/blog/thebusinessshow-15)

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