May 15, 2008
Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) organized its Student Entrepreneurship Day for the second year running.
The event highlights NP's commitment to giving its students that something Xtra though a dare-to-venture opportunity with a sturdy platform of support schemes available to the students to help them set up a business, such as in the conduct of product/market feasibility studies, preparation of business plans and elevator pitch.
Themed "Making Business of Hobbies", this year's event opened with an interactive session during which participants learnt some basics of entrepreneurship through playing board games and table soccer with owners of Settlers' Cafe and Smudger & Kickers at hand.
"Today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope."
These words were spoken by Ms Hannah Chong, founder of Heaven's Gift Wedding Planner, one of the four panel speakers at the Dialogue & Networking Session.
Ms Chong told the students that they were fortunate in being at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, exposed to the platter of opportunities in starting an enterprise - something unknown in her education days.
Her tip? Value relationships and look out for mentors.
Mr Gabriel Ong, co-founder of Smudger & Kickers, awarded SPRING Singapore's ETDF (Entrepreneurial Talent Development Fund) spoke about the difficulties of having to juggle between full-time national service and running the business. Smudger & Kickers rents out coin-operated table football sets to schools and clubs. The founders remain focussed on achieving a goal and fulfilling a dream.
Mr Colin Lim, a Ngee Ann Polytechnic Electronics Engineering graduate, who captured the idea of a boardgame cafe from S. Korea, spoke on staying on course despite the difficulties of penetrating the local market with the concept. Today, Settlers Cafe is a well-known name in two central locations in Singapore.
Mr Alex Lin, Executive Director of Visionedge Venture Group, shed light to demystify the business with venture capital. Urging the audience to appreciate how venture capitalists look at big sums for big gains, Mr Lin, shared on his calculated choice of the entrepreneruial path to support an early retirement.
The event also introduced a new collaboration with the Spirit of Enterprise (SOE) through the "Shadow-an-Entrepreneur" Programme. The event was represented by Mr Harold Lee, SOE's Board of Governors Member and Director of Xdel Singapore Pte Ltd, Ms Rachel Ng, CEO of Lifestream Group Pte Ltd and Mr Tony Tan Lay Thiam, co-founder of SmartLab Education Centre Pte Ltd.
Through NP's longstanding partnership with the Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (ASME), 39 students applied for and were granted waiver of entrance and subsription fees in ASME's student membership programme. ASME's Venture Incubation Porgramme @NP provides support through mentorship and ASME was represented at the event by Mr Wong Ming Kwong, Vice-President (Strategies & Development).
The programme ended with the installation of two new Student Management Teams (SMTs) under the Cheers-NP Student Entrepreneurship Scheme.
The 8th Wonder comprising seven and two students from the Real Estate Business (REB) course and Environment & Water Tech (EWT)course respectively, takes charge of the Cheers@NP Student Plaza store for the April 2008 semester while Pinnacle, formed by nine REB students will take charge for the October 2008 semester.
The audience also heard the account of completion from Ms Heng Peiting and Mr Royston Lau, the CEOs of the two outgoing SMTs, viz Limitbreakers (April 2007 semester) and E-Wave (October 2007 semester) respectively.
Tagline Contest Winners:
The afternoon's event ended on a high note with the announcement of the proud winners of the Tagline Contest for Entrepreneurs-Connect@NP.
Mr Goh Eng Chi, a final year InfoCom Technology student, walks away with a grand Apple iPod Nano, for his entry of the tagline "Empowering Business, Innovating Ideas".
The following students won a pair of Golden Village movie tickets each:
1. Glenn Ong, S10061673C
2. Leu Eng Chaing, S10046260K
3. Lai Kai Yi, S10043690F
4. Lee Yong Shun, S10046612G
5. Vivien Cheng, S10061594G
6. Ng Boon Thai, S10046267C
7. Koh Joo Hiang, S10037200D
8. Ronnie Tan Jia Hao, S10059884B
9. Chong Si Min, S10052638H
10. Chua Lee Seng, S10061445K