Entrepreneurs Unplugged

Do you have an entrepreneurial idea that you wish to turn into reality but you do not know where to start? Have you always wanted to work on that idea but wondered when is the right time and opportunity to start doing it? The advice from most entrepreneurs: Anytime is a good time to start. Join us in the newest edition of Entrepreneurs Unplugged to know more about how to start working on ideas, overcoming difficulties and starting your own business!

Entrepreneurs Unplugged is a panel discussion organized by Start-Up@Singapore, Singapore’s largest business plan competition. At this event, successful local entrepreneurs engage in a panel discussion and share their insights on entrepreneurship. The topic for this year’s Entrepreneurs Unplugged is ‘Dream Big, Act Now: Converting Ideas into Businesses’. For the panel discussion, we have invited prolific entrepreneurs and speakers such as Mr David Yim, founder of Udders Ice-Cream, Mr Tong Yee, founder of School of Thought, Associate Professor Albert Teo from NUS business school, Mr Ben Tan, owner Hauslab D&B Pte Ltd (Design & Build) and Mr Geoffrey Kung, Co-Founder REVERSE Cooperative to share their take on entrepreneurship and cover diverse topics such as how to get out of comfort zones and how to decide on whether an idea is feasible.

The event details are as follows:

Date: 8 November 2011

Time: 6.30pm to 8.30 pm  [Registration starts at 6.00 pm]

Venue: Hon Sui Sen Auditorium, NUS Business School

Dress Code: Smart Casual

We hope to see you there!

Mr David Yim

Founder and CEO, Udders Ice Cream

Mr David Yim is the founder and CEO of Udders Ice Cream, a popular chain of ice cream outlets  in Singapore. He is also fondly known as the “Chief Milkman” of Udders.  

Prior to starting up Udders, Mr Yim was a secondary school teacher for six years. Although he loved teaching, he didn’t think that he would adapt well in the civil service and wanted to do something of his own. So he decided to quit his teaching job and try starting up on his own.  

In the first 4 months since he quit his previous job, he stayed at home to teach himself how to make ice cream. He was working late nights every day and tasting ice cream at 3 in the morning. At the end of the 4 months, he came up with the first 15 flavors (together with his business partner and his wife) and launched Udders café.

Today, Udders has come a long way since when it was first set up in December 2007. It has now grown to 5 outlets in Singapore in 3+ years and is a highly popular ice cream parlour. It won the Emerging Enterprise Award in 2010.

Mr Geoffrey Kung

Co-founder and Secretary Committee of Management, REVERSE Co-operative Ltd

 Mr Geoffrey Kung is the co-founder of REVERSE Cooperative, a cooperative that encourages seniors to assist less fortunate peers

Prior to starting up, Mr Kung had a successful and prolific career. He served as a  regional Director for the  greater  China region at Stratus Computer. He was also the Managing Director for Asia region at JBA Information Systems.

Being re-trenched at the age of 55 taught him a valuable lesson in self reliance. He decided to further his education and go back to school. After finishing his second stint at school and armed with new certificates, he started a new career. REVERSE was his initiative, a cooperative that aims to help less able and fortunate members of society live a second and better life. 

Professor Albert Teo

Deputy Director of NUS University Scholars Programme, Director of Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Programme.

Associate Professor, National University of Singapore.

Albert C Y Teo is an associate professor in the Department of Management & Organization, Business School, National University of Singapore (NUS). He served as the director of the Asia Centre for Social Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy in the NUS Business School from July 2008 to June 2011. He has a joint appointment with the NUS University Scholars Programme, and serves as a deputy director of the programme. He is currently tasked to set up the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Programme (an undergraduate leadership programme in NUS that focuses on community involvement) and will as the director of the programme.

Albert received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in 1992 and 1994, respectively, from the Walter A Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. He obtained his first degree of B. Soc. Sci. (Hons.) in 1986 from National University of Singapore. In 2002, he was a visiting scholar in Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business, and University of Melbourne's Department of Management.

Albert’s current research interests are in the areas of social entrepreneurship, philanthropy and voluntarism, organizational ecology, social networks, and strategic alliances. He has published in journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, and Industrial and Corporate Change.

Albert is actively involved in community service. He is a volunteer programme coordinator in Patient Care Center (a social services organization that runs various support programmes for people living with HIV/AIDS), and serves as a management committee member of Catholic AIDS Response Effort (a Catholic ministry that runs a shelter for homeless people living with HIV/AIDS). He also serves as a board member of ASKI Global (a non-profit organization that conducts entrepreneurship training programmes for migrant workers in Singapore).





Mr Tong Yee

Director, Thought Collective

Founder, School of Thought

Tong Yee is the director of 5 social enterprises, currently branded as the Thought Collective. Since 2001, he has served in the field of education and youth development, as well as contributed to capacity building in youth oriented organisations.

His work has in recent years extended into building social and emotional capital as he sees this as a vital cornerstone to the continued development of Singapore. He believes that there is immense potential for Singapore to be a global leader in youth engagement, social innovation and social enterprise.

School of Thought, one of his most famous initiatives, is part of a group of social enterprises informally known as The Thought Collective, which also includes a current affairs magazine publishing arm (Think Tank Publishing), a learning journeys company (Thinkscape) and a socially conscious restaurant business (Food For Thought). Each business expresses a different aspect of its multi-disciplinary approach to education - and more importantly, it puts their classroom talk to the test in the real world before a real audience.

School of Thought began as a vision to address the indifference many young people showed towards the world and life in general. Since 2002, the company has been constantly refining its core ‘A' level and ‘O' level tuition progammes to help students think more critically and broadly about both national and global affairs – without sacrificing good grades in examinations.School of Thought is a movement to change the world – one mind, one heart, one step at a time.

Mr Ben Tan

 CEO, Hauslab D&B Pte Ltd (Design & Build)

 Mr Ben Tan, is the CEO and Principal Director of Hauslab D&B Pte Ltd (Design & Build), a full turnkey interior design specialist. He has carved out a solid niche in the home interior industry with innovative designs, constant creativity and a passion for perfection. 

Since its inception in 2009, Hauslab D&B, has been making waves in the Interior Design industry and has built an impressive repertoire of services for homes, offices, hotels, clubs and establishments. The company was recently awarded the 2011 Successful Entrepreneur 2011 and the Promising SME 500 2012 Awards.