# Richard Xia

> Richard Xia is the Singaporean co-founder and CEO of Novelship, a Singapore-based marketplace for authenticated sneakers, streetwear and collectibles. He and longtime friend Chris Xue launched the business in 2018 after earlier café and software ventures, initially helping fund it by selling their own collections. His work centres on regional market expansion, partnerships and building trust in cross-border resale.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Novelship
- **Organizations:** Novelship
- **Nationality:** Singaporean
- **Education:** National University of Singapore
- **Known for:** Co-founded a marketplace operating across multiple Asia-Pacific markets., Led Novelship through seed, Series A and Series B funding rounds., Built the business from a two-person operation into a regional marketplace.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2018** — Worked with Chris Xue on a mobile café and a software venture.
- **2018** — Co-founded Novelship with Chris Xue in Singapore.
- **2019** — Novelship raised US$2 million in seed funding led by Global Founders Capital.
- **2022** — Novelship announced close to US$10 million in Series A funding in May, co-led by GSR Ventures and East Ventures.
- **2023** — Novelship collaborated with Snoop Dogg and announced a US$9.5 million Series B in September.
- **2024** — Discussed strategy, partnerships and data-focused CEO work in a March BackScoop interview.

## Achievements

- Co-founded a marketplace operating across multiple Asia-Pacific markets.
- Led Novelship through seed, Series A and Series B funding rounds.
- Built the business from a two-person operation into a regional marketplace.

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Novelship’s author archive lists a winter-sneaker article under Richard Xia’s byline dated 22 January 2025.
- **2024-03** — Described his data-focused CEO routine and interest in sustainable-fashion startups in BackScoop.
- **2023-09** — Novelship announced US$9.5 million in Series B funding.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/richard-xia91

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/richard-xia
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21