Today we’d like to introduce you to Steph Ng
Hi Steph, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was a bookworm as a kid, and was especially interested in science fiction. Its futuristic worlds and general optimism towards technology drew me towards that field. At the same time, my parents had banned me from playing video games, which made them all the more alluring to me, so I started teaching myself programming at a young age by making games for fun.
My gap year after high school was when I found my first job as a web developer. At the same time, I came across a makerspace frequented by an unconventional yet intelligent crowd of engineers and tinkerers. The place was old, cramped, and filled with electronics and unfinished projects. At 16, I was a decade younger than the average person there, and I was eager to learn. I soaked up the engineering culture around me. Even though I looked different from everyone else in the makerspace, which was mostly composed of men in their late twenties, I felt like I belonged there.
Since then, I’ve always surrounded myself with a community of makers. One of my favorite communities was AR House, a residency in the Hollywood Hills for augmented and virtual reality creators, where I lived and worked alongside other founders and freelancers for a few months. During that time, I convinced myself to turn down an amazing job offer from Apple to fulfill my childhood dream of building a startup. That was certainly no easy decision, but now I can’t imagine going back. I’ve learned how to build and lead a team, and I’ve gotten comfortable juggling roles, making quick decisions, and figuring out how to bring a product to life even when resources are tight. Building something from scratch, with people who share the same drive, has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my life so far.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were certainly bumps in the road. As a team, we were really fast at building product features, but it seemed hard to land on something substantial. We’d get excited about an idea, push it out, and then hit a wall. Every time we built something new, we’d find a dozen reasons why it wouldn’t work. Whether it was user feedback or technical limitations, it was a constant cycle of trial and error. But those struggles taught us to get a better pulse on what users want, and to focus on solving real problems rather than chasing shiny ideas. Eventually we landed on a form factor that finally clicked with users.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Stylar?
Stylar is an AI-native fashion discovery platform with the form factor of a dress up game. Users upload a single photo of themselves, and we use computer vision and diffusion models to generate outfit inspiration using real products from any brand, rendered directly onto their body. You can mix and match different outfits from different brands, and the vibe is fun, playful, and hyper-personalized.
Our unique angle comes from focusing on play over utility. Early on, we noticed something interesting: our power users weren’t just shopping. They were spending 40+ minute sessions trying on hundreds of items, treating Stylar like a game. A user told us “Stylar turns my favorite fashion sites into a personal dress-up game.” That insight changed how we approached the product. We pivoted from a utilitarian browser extension to this gamified discovery platform, and the engagement has been incredible.
Right now, we’re focused on nailing the single-player experience, but soon we’re adding social and multiplayer features to make it even more engaging. Long-term, we want to connect user demand directly to the supply of products, moving beyond affiliate links to enable seamless commerce.
What we’re most proud of is how we’ve taken cutting-edge AI and made it accessible and fun. We’re not just building a tool, we’re creating a new way to explore fashion – one that feels like play.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
A lot of advice is more abstract and general, but I wanted to give some practical tips. My biggest advice would be to observe what’s addictive in your life and systematically reduce their grip on you. For me, that meant deleting social media from my phone but letting myself check it on my laptop. Or switching from coffee to lower-caffeine green tea. Or only letting myself play video games if there’s another person in the room with me. These are small changes, but they add up and ultimately give you more control over your time.
Next, create as much focused time in your day as possible. I observed in college that raw hours spent do not equal better output. Pulling all-nighters might sound impressive, but they’re rarely worth it, and what gets done over a night ends up being about the same as four focused hours. At the same time, work on yourself, whether it’s getting fit or finally teaching yourself world history after having slept through it during grade school. Finding an accountability partner always helps. And if you’re not naturally good at something, that’s all the more reason to learn it.
Finally, host events. Invite friends, strangers, and their friends, because it’s a great way to build connections and everyone loves an excuse to socialize. And don’t be afraid to go to events alone. In fact, intentionally go to events alone. It forces you to talk to new people rather than catching up with those you know already.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://steph.ng/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glowcone/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yam-ng/
