The state of the economy may be more uncertain than ever, but that hasn’t stopped aspiring social entrepreneurs from empowering others and increasing social impact, all while positioning themselves for greater business growth.
While the world is saturated with companies that merely sell products, social entrepreneurs have the power to provide a genuine connection between a consumer, a good cause, and an impactful brand. These are the people who invite others to create a better world by inspiring them with their cause.
If the thought of driving meaningful change and serving the greater good through innovative business solutions entices you, social entrepreneurship may be for you. You can now get involved with practical and hands-on learning opportunities, as well as tune in to success stories about how people started and scaled-up enterprises that focus on social good.
Join ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR GOOD – a collaboration between Student Affairs Office, Career & Attachment Office, Nanyang Technopreneurship Center and University Advancement Office – to explore business ideas that tackle social problems through interactive and experiential workshops.
In this interactive and experiential workshop, participants will be engaged in hands-on role-play activities where they will take on the roles of various stakeholders in social enterprises. Through this, they can learn to empathise with those marginalised by society, such as individuals with special needs, the physically handicapped, the aged, as well as ex-offenders.
Participants will not only understand the theoretical business models of social enterprises but will also learn to apply entrepreneurial approaches to social problems.
This workshop will enable participants to practice working cohesively, strategising and making important decisions for the benefit of the team. They will gain diverse perspectives and a greater appreciation of the rewards and possible strategies to overcome common challenges faced by social entrepreneurs.
Date: 15 March 2022
Time: 12.00 pm – 1.30 pm
Venue: LHN-TR+03 (The Arc, Level B2)
Cost: Free
Limited to 25 participants only, on a first-come-first-served basis.
(An event brought to you by Student Affairs Office)
In line with Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025, and one of the key priorities outlined in NTU 2025 strategy plan, NTU is producing future-ready students. Nanyang Technopreneurship Center equips students with entrepreneurial skills needed to translate research and innovation into enterprise. This symposium gathers NTU alumni who will share their entrepreneurial stories, including challenges and winning formulas.
We also welcome Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, authors of New York Times’s bestseller “The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand”, and founders of US-based wine company Barefoot, to deliver the keynote address.
Date: 16 March 2022
Time: 10.00 am – 1.00 pm
Venue: Virtual / On-site
Cost: Free
(A collaborative event brought to you by Nanyang Technopreneurship Center, University Advancement Office and Student Affairs Office)
Curious about how visuals can support you in your entrepreneurship journey?
As an extension of the ‘From Innovation to Enterprise’ Symposium, learn the basics of visual intelligence and techniques to express information effectively, conducted by Idea Ink founder, Chia Yee Hui. She will be sharing her experience in bringing the brand to fruition and the emergence of Art x Tech.
Date: 16 March 2022
Time: 2.30 pm – 4.30 pm
Venue: Nanyang Technopreneurship Center (Research Techno Plaza)
Cost: $20 per person (refundable on day of event)+
Limited to 50 participants only, on a first-come-first-served basis.
(Participants are given priority if they have signed up for the ‘From Innovation to Enterprise’ Symposium. Due to the limited seats available, seats are only confirmed if you have received an acknowledgment email from Nanyang Technopreneurship Center)
+ There is no cost involved to participate in this activity. Applicants who have received the acknowledgement form are required to pay a refundable $20 deposit by 11 March 2022 (Friday), 4.00 pm at Nanyang Technopreneurship Center. Those who have registered but fail to pay the refundable deposit by the mentioned date will be deemed to have given up the seat for this activity. Refunds for no-show will only be given if there is a valid reason. If the refunds are not collected on the day of event (ie. 16 March 2022), the money will be donated in its entirety to NTU Bursary Endowment Fund via Student Affairs Office.
(A collaborative event brought to you by Nanyang Technopreneurship Center, University Advancement Office and Student Affairs Office)
Head down to this virtual library to check out human books with rich personal experiences on social entrepreneurship. “Readers” will get the opportunity to listen to their stories first-hand and learn invaluable lessons that they can take back to their daily lives.
Interested to know who are our books?
Adrian Tan
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, SG Assist
Adrian’s mum suffered from depression after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Throughout her 10-year recovery journey, she heavily depended on Adrian and this affected his lifestyle as well. He had to attend to her calls during work and often rushed home to take care of her. When it became too overwhelming to juggle both priorities at home and at work, he had to try to ask his neighbours to check-in on his mum first, while he makes his way home.
His personal experience led to the birth of SG Assist, which he co-founded with his working partner, Greg Tan.
SG Assist is a social enterprise that aims to build a sustainable ecosystem of care centred around the community while promoting the ‘kampong spirit’ through mobile technology. SG Assist has been featured on Channel 8 News and Channel News Asia for upholding the spirit of volunteering and offering valuable support to vulnerable communities, caregivers and social organisations, especially during the course of the pandemic.
Adrian is also Event Director for Help-Portrait Singapore, a social movement that provides free photography services for social organisations like senior activity centres, hospice care and women shelters to capture cherished memories of the beneficiaries.
One fun fact about Adrian: “I don’t say no when someone offers me a cookie“.
Lau Jia Cai
Co-Founder, TreeDots
NBS alumnus (Class of 2016) Jia Cai once met a poultry supplier who was throwing away about seven tonnes of chicken a day, partly because they were not the right size and no one wants to buy them.
According to statistics by the National Environment Agency, Singapore generated 665 million kilograms of food waste in 2020.
Appalled by the level of food wastage, Jia Cai and his two former classmates, set up TreeDots in 2017.
TreeDots is a social enterprise that builds an ecosystem for suppliers in the food industry to create greater efficiency in the supply chain, reduce cost and create greater social impact. TreeDots started out as a surplus food marketplace targeted towards businesses, but they have now expanded to serve consumers through a social commerce platform.
TreeDots was also listed as part of the coveted Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in 2020, under the social entrepreneurship category.
One fun fact about Jia Cai: “Before running TreeDots, I was not just a financial auditor, but also a freelance mobile engineer at night and a street busker during weekends”.
Ernest Wong
Co-Founder and Business Development, Movement of Inclusivity
Ernest is a current Year 1 Philosophy student in NTU. With his capable team of polytechnic friends, Ernest have started a non-profit organisation, Movement Of Inclusivity Singapore (MOI) in 2018, with the aim of raising awareness and create an inclusive Singapore for communities in the disability space. Currently, the team is specifically focusing on shopping malls, food and beverage outlets, and even hair salons.
MOI was awarded the CoLab4Good Fund for Social Enterprises 2021, a grant support under the NTU Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship (SIE) Programme.
One fun fact about Ernest: “I am probably doing more manhwa (also known as ‘webtoons’) readings than philosophical readings thus far”.
Date: 17 March 2022
Time: 12.00 pm – 1.30 pm
Venue: Virtual (Zoom)
Cost: Free
(An event brought to you by NTU Social Impact Catalyst)
My NoNNa’s is a social enterprise like no other. They provide meaningful work opportunities for differently-abled persons and the elderly, while serving customers affordable and lovingly-prepared dishes from the likes of Italian food to Asian nosh – all for a meaningful cause.
The award-winning My NoNNa’s was founded in response to the need to help the maturing intellectually disabled and the autistic, tapping on their special skills to give them a sense of fulfilment and independence.
Interested to find out more? Join in this special learning journey to get an exclusive look into the facilities of My NoNNa’s, and at the same time, hear from the founder on the joys and challenges of running such a social enterprise.
Date: 17 March 2022
Time: 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
Venue: 600 Upper Thomson Community Hub, Block E, Singapore 574421 (two-way transport from and back to NTU will be provided)
Cost: Free
Limited to 25 participants only, on a first-come-first-served basis.
(Due to the nature of this event, only students will be eligible to participate in this activity)
(An event brought to you by NTU Career & Attachment Office)
Did you know that food waste makes up about half of the average 1.5 kilograms of waste disposed of by each household in Singapore daily? Of which, more than half of household food waste can be prevented, with rice, noodles and bread being the most commonly wasted food items.
In this interactive workshop conducted by Insectta, participants can learn all about urban insect farming and composting, as well as get up close with insects in a hands-on learning experience centred around sustainability and food waste.
Prepare yourself for an exhilarating multi-sensory experience – we are bringing the insect farm to you! The workshop focuses on three aspects – debunking myths about food waste, discovering how insects turn waste matter into ‘gold’ like rich fertiliser, and learning the future of insect farming from Singapore’s very first insect farmers.
Insectta founder, Chua Kai-Ning, will also be at the workshop to share her experience, the challenges she faced as a young entrepreneur, and the factors for her success in creating a sustainable enterprise.
Date: 18 March 2022
Time: 2.30 pm – 4.30 pm
Venue: Nanyang Technopreneurship Center (Research Techno Plaza)
Cost: $20 per person (refundable on day of event)+
Limited to 40 participants only, on a first-come-first-served basis.
+ There is no cost involved to participate in this activity. Applicants who have received the acknowledgement form are required to pay a refundable $20 deposit by 15 March 2022 (Tuesday), 4.00 pm at Nanyang Technopreneurship Center. Those who have registered but fail to pay the refundable deposit by the mentioned date will be deemed to have given up the seat for this activity. Refunds for no-show will only be given if there is a valid reason. If the refunds are not collected on the day of event (ie. 18 March 2022), the money will be donated in its entirety to NTU Bursary Endowment Fund via Student Affairs Office.
(An event brought to you by Nanyang Technopreneurship Center)