Entrepreneurship

Explore how SMU and Chulalongkorn University are shaping Southeast Asia's US$1 trillion start-up boom with their groundbreaking white paper on innovation and entrepreneurship.

In a move that's set to ignite the flames of innovation and entrepreneurship across Singapore's higher education landscape, Protégé Ventures (PV), a student-run venture fund programme initiated by the SMU Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (SMU IIE), has unveiled the Marina & David Su Protégé Ventures Fund II.

While upgrades to mobile games would seem to be a good thing for users, especially in cases where they are included as part of the customer’s licence, there can sometimes be negative repercussions.

There's no escaping it: we all have a role to play in sustainability. Individuals, businesses and governments all need to do their part if we're going to avert the most catastrophic effects of climate change. But what about universities? What role can they play in building sustainability? Turns out, institutions of higher education can make a big difference.

In 2021, SMU welcomed its largest cohort of early-stage start-ups into its Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) Business Innovations Generator (BIG) programme.

Raising funds, building a team, designing a breakthrough product, and taking that proof-of-concept to market are some of the many hurdles startup founders have to overcome in their nascent entrepreneurial journey. With such a daunting list of tasks to tackle, it comes as no surprise that building an independent board of directors is seldom a priority for multitasking bosses.

Last year, a group of SMU students and alumni started a ground-up initiative, the COVID-19 Taskforce for Non-Profits (now known as Thrive Social Consulting), to help future-proof non-profit organisations (NPOs) in Singapore.

Investing in real estate has long been viewed as a safe bet, particularly in the growth regions of Asia. However, the disruptions caused by Covid-19 have seriously scuffed the property sector’s once-bulletproof sheen. The decline of brick-and-mortar retail space seems to have accelerated, as stores struggle to stay afloat during global lockdowns. Many offices remain under-utilised as work-from-home protocols persist. All over the world, uncertainty prevails over the prospects for commercial real estate.

The effects of COVID-19 have rippled through the social fabric of communities the world over. Businesses and investments, in particular, have been shaken by the economic uncertainty that arose from the pandemic, with several industries transformed by the exceptional events of the past year.

SMU alumnus Jeff Tung has made an endowed contribution of S$1 million to enhance the P.A.K. Entrepreneurship Fund. From a platform that buys and sells items for K-pop fans, to one that provides online tuition, SMU’s annual P.A.K. Challenge has inspired budding entrepreneurs to submit numerous business ideas, all in the hope of getting the mentorship and support they need to help turn their dreams into reality.