Panel Speakers:

Mr. Tony Seow
Founder & Managing Director of Purple Sage Pte Ltd
Ms. Jazz Chong
Founder & Operator of Ode To Art
Mr. Samuel Lim
Founder & CEO of eFusion Group of Companies
Ms. Pang Shu Ming
Executive Director of Mothercare

Venue:

Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Networked Seminar Rm 2.1

Time:

12pm to 1.45pm *

Programme

11:45am

Registration Begins

12pm - 12:30pm

Lunch

12:45pm - 1:15pm

Lunch Forum
Synopsis: Are you hesitant to embark on your business for fears of inability to cope with your business and studies? Or have you already taken the baby steps to realize your entrepreneurial dreams and are struggling to cope with your studies and social life at the same time, and are now having doubts and regretting it already?

How do you not let your entrepreneurial fire get doused by academic demands? Does a University degree help one become an entrepreneur after all?

If you might have been contemplating similar questions, have already found answers to some of these questions, or simply interested to hear what others have to say, join us for a 360° no holds bar discussion with a panel of 4 successful young entrepreneurs who have made their marks early in life. Join them as they share with you their banes and glories of being an entrepreneur while pursing their university degree or after completing their studies.

On this day, witness also the inking of our partnership with the Entrepreneur Organisation (EO), a MOU agreement where SMU students can benefit from the valuable mentorship of the EO members.

1:15pm - 1:45pm

QA Session

Speaker:

Mr. Carmelo Pistorio
Chairman & Founder of Upstream Ventures

Venue:

Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Seminar Rm 3.9, Level 3

Time:

12.15pm to 1.45pm *

Programme

12 noon

Registration Begins

12:15pm - 12.30pm

Lunch

12:30pm - 1:00pm

Talk by Carmelo
Synopsis: Whether you are already in business or thinking of starting up, funding most often will make or break a startup. When you are looking to raise funds for your business, should you borrow money from a bank, lender or a venture capitalist? Do you have the collateral that banks will ask for, or should you give up a share of your business to a venture capitalist in return for the investment? In this talk, we will look at venture capital as one option.

Venture capitalists can finance everything from bull sperm farms to weekly newspapers to Hollywood movies. The business involves a little part crystal ball, a good part business sense, and a heaping dose of nerves. What gives them the rush and motivation to be in the game? Some VCs are in the game because of the risks. It is legalized gambling. The rush can be intoxicating and the payoff can be sweet.

What sets VCs apart from other investors and lenders is their ability to bring both money and expertise to the table. As such, they are constantly approached with ideas that need money and savvy decision-making. So how do VCs suss out the golden investment opportunities from hundreds of business plans submitted to them every week for consideration?

Listen as Carmelo shares not just the how, but also his entrepreneurial experiences in raising capital for investments and in running his own VC firm that provides funding, valuable expertise and strong industrial and financial networks to emerging companies across India, China and Singapore. He will also disclose what he looks for in a business plan that will catch his eye and instincts to fund and what he will readily disregard.

This is your golden opportunity to discover these insights from a VC’s perspective and possibly gain that edge over securing funds with one! Could VC funding be the right approach to your fundraising efforts? Join us at this lunch-talk to satiate your inquiring mind.

1:00pm - 1:45pm

Q&A Session