The business world is changing rapidly and the economy is in a downturn, but startups continue to emerge with new innovations, ideas, and business strategies while creating impact in society. As businesses become increasingly profit centric, social enterprises have the power to positively impact the lives of many people and bring about lasting change.
Social entrepreneurship is an upcoming form of business that is gaining traction due to increased consumer awareness. If you are interested in changing the world through the unique combination of innovation, business and a social cause, social entrepreneurship is something you should explore.
Join ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR GOOD – a collaboration between NTU Social Impact Catalyst, NTU Conjunct Consulting and Engineers Without Borders NTU – where you will get the opportunity to learn the basics of social entrepreneurship, and get the chance to interact with founders and individuals working in the field to hear their experiences and learn from the challenges they faced.
As university students, knowledge of social entrepreneurship among us is sparse and scarce due to insufficient exposure. Join in this workshop to gain awareness and enthusiasm about Social Entrepreneurship, as it aims to teach participants about the interesting interaction of enterprise, innovation and community that can create a large impact in society.
Conducted by an experienced mentor from Social Impact Catalyst, Singapore’s first youth-centric organisation focused on social entrepreneurship and innovation, this workshop will be a combination of theoretical knowledge and hands on activities. It gives participants the opportunity to gain an understanding of the challenges and hurdles in social entrepreneurship, and how to navigate them. In addition, it will also cover the basics of design thinking, marketing, team building, which are invaluable skills when starting an enterprise.
Date: 21 March 2023
Time: 6.00 pm – 7.00 pm
Venue: LHN-TR+33 (The Arc, Level 1)
Cost: Free
Registration closes on 21 March 2023, 12 noon and limited to 30 participants only, on a first-come-first-served basis.
Managed by registered arts charity The Ground Co Limited, The Artground (TAG) aims to provide positive arts experiences across a variety of art forms for children (from birth to 9 years old) in an accessible space that welcomes children from every community.
TAG’s vision is to “let art do, what art does”. It provides interactive visual art spaces that not only allow children to engage in non-directive exploration and practise their motor skills, but also heightens their awareness of aesthetic elements and sense of appreciation for the arts.
TAG also offers regular programming for the public and welcome school groups as well as the special-needs and underserved communities.
On a regular basis, TAG engages individuals and groups to design an art space within the compound. One such project that TAG exhibited was the Hullabaloo exhibit in 2018, created by visual artist Aida Sa’ad (who is also a NTU ADM Alumni) and her sister, Aisha, who is on the autism spectrum. Another exhibit was Wild Rumpus by Adeline Loo in 2019 – mainly made from waste fabric, upcycled materials and other industrial detritus.
Interested to find out more? Join in this learning journey to get an exclusive look at TAG facilities and, hear from the founder on the joys and challenges of running such a social good organisation.
Date: 22 March 2023
Time: 5.00 pm – 7.00 pm
Venue: The Artground (90 Goodman Road, #01-40 Blk J, Singapore 439053)*
Cost: Free
Registration closes on 21 March 2023, 11.59 pm and limited to 30 participants only, on a first-come-first-served basis.
*2-way bus transport will be provided (NTU to The Artground, and back to NTU from The Artground).
While building technical knowledge and understanding concepts of social entrepreneurship is important for aspiring social entrepreneurs, it would also be an amazing experience for them to interact with founders of existing social enterprises, to understand the challenges they faced in their journey of developing a social enterprise and how they overcame it.
Want the opportunity for an informal chat with like-minded individuals in the entrepreneurship space? Sign up now for an evening of fun and interaction with our guest speakers, Alex, Matt and Sazzad.
Get to know our speakers:
Alex Hor
Social Sector Consultant and Project Advisor for NTU Conjunct Consulting
Alex is deeply committed to creating positive change and promoting social good. With years of experience in the social sector consulting, Alex has developed a deep understanding of the challenges faced by social organisations. He has a talent for finding practical solutions and his expertise in project management, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement has made him a trusted advisor to many.
As a panelist for the fireside chat, Alex will share his insights and experiences on how social sector consulting can be leveraged to create positive change. He will also offer practical advice for aspiring social entrepreneurs based on his extensive experience and deep understanding of the sector.
One fun fact about Alex: “I play tennis, go to the gym and enjoy a game of soccer (but never on the same weekend)“.
Matt Oon
Founder & CEO, Acceset Singapore
In his company, Acceset Singapore, a digital mental health platform, Matt leads the development of an anonymous peer support platform in order to further his efforts in the field of mental health transformation and treatment. Matt, a Sociology graduate from Singapore Management University, built his first product which was a text based befriending system to counteract mental health issues. Recently, in 2021, he has also been awarded the Queen’s Young Leaders Award by Queen Elizabeth for his passion and work in the field.
As a panelist for the fireside chat, Matt will share his insights and experiences in the field of mental health and how his entrepreneurial journey brought him to where he is. He will also be sharing his vivid experiences in the product development and how he and his team revolutionised mental health and treatment for everyone.
One fun fact about Matt: “I am a passionate footballer, and would love to play for Manchester United someday!“.
Sazzad Hossain
Founder & CEO, SDI Global Pte Ltd and DoorMart
Currently a NTU Year 3 student in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Sazzad founded social enterprise SDI Academy when he was just 19 years old, to empower migrant workers with their communication skills and assimilation into society. His academy has since trained over 18,500 migrant workers through their online and offline channels.
More recently, the Academy has expanded into providing ethical cross border recruitment services through SDI Global to alleviate the exploitation of migrant workers through technology. Sazzad believes in blending cutting-edged technology for accelerating social impact. For his work, Sazzad has been recognised as an Ashoka Fellow, an Asia-Pacific Leader for the Obama Foundation, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2021.
As a panelist for the fireside chat, Sazzad will share on how technology can be used to accelerate social impact globally. He will also be sharing his insights to build an ecosystem for a community to help solve a multitude of problems.
One fun fact about Sazzad: “I ‘almost’ played for the Youth Olympic Soccer team, so don’t be fooled by my current physique“.
Date: 24 March 2023
Time: 5.00 pm – 7.00 pm
Venue: LHN-TR+33 (The Arc, Level 1)
Cost: Free
Registration closes on 23 March 2023, 11.59 pm and limited to 30 participants only, on a first-come-first-served basis.
(Light refreshments would be served after the event)