NUS Enterprise Summer Programme on Entrepreneurship

The 2019 NUS Enterprise Summer Programme on Entrepreneurship was held from 15 to 26 July 2019.
Stay tuned for the application details to the 2020 iteration of the Summer Programme! Applications will open in early-2020.

Learn about entrepreneurship in the bustling city of Singapore: a little red dot that has “started up” and “scaled up” to achieve global impact today.

Singapore has birthed a wide array of home-grown enterprises that leave footprints in the region and beyond. Its success stories include enterprises like Carousell, Shopback, Rotimatic, Patsnap and many more. What is the secret sauce to Singapore’s entrepreneurs? You will find the answers at NUS Enterprise’s annual Summer Programme, which has been running for the past 13 years.

Over two weeks, this residential programme offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for local and international students to have an immersive experience of entrepreneurship by inspiring your entrepreneurial imagination and enhancing your entrepreneurial skills. Through an enriching combination of lectures, conversations with startups, ideation and pitching sessions, as well as visits to business and government organisations, our Summer Programme aims to provide you with a comprehensive educational experience.

The programme is also designed to enrich your cross-cultural learning, and strengthen the development of your social capital through the relationships you form over the two weeks.
 

The NUS Enterprise Summer Programme on Entrepreneurship is targeted at undergraduate students* currently enrolled in university, majoring in any discipline.

*Priority consideration will be given to students with a basic interest in entrepreneurship.

Our programme broadly covers the following topics:

• Business and Socio-Cultural Context of Singapore and ASEAN
  • Singapore’s Economic Development Model and the Changing Role of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
  • The True Singapore Story (Introduction to Singapore’s Heritage)
  • The Heart of Singapore’s Startup Ecosystem
  • Understanding the ASEAN Relationship, Language and Culture
  • Experiential Introduction to Singapore
• Practical Insights and Skills for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
  • How to be an Entrepreneur: Opportunty Recognition and Entrepreneurial Mindset
  • Lean Startup Methodology
  • Value Proposition and Business Model Design
  • New Venture Formation
  • Pitching and Fund Raising
• Themes in Entrepreneurship
  • Technology Entrepreneurship
  • Social Entrepreneurship
  • Intrapreneurship

Learning Outcomes:

• Understanding the core concepts of entrepreneurship from opportunity recognition and customer/market validation to value proposition/business model design, team formation and lean launch.
• Awareness of the diverse startup ecosystems and socio-cultural environment of Singapore and Southeast Asia, and the importance of the role of social networks in resource acquisition
• Practical hackathon experience/skills in developing and pitching startup idea

Lectures will be conducted in English by faculty members from the National University of Singapore and industry experts. Students who have met the programme requirements will be awarded 4 modular credits (4 MCs) and a Certificate of Completion from NUS Enterprise at the end of the programme.

The programme fee includes accommodation at a student hostel on NUS campus and some meals. The fee does not cover airfare, airport taxes, travel insurance, visas, personal meals and expenses. Payment is via bank draft, and is to be made payable to "National University of Singapore". 

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What They Said

The Summer Programme brings… 

Learning… 
“This programme was for 2 weeks but it has given me experience-worth of 2 years. I have learned about ASEAN and the potential it holds. I got a chance to learn not only about Singapore and its structure but also about different countries and the challenges they face. I have been able to assess why Singapore is where it is and gained a bit of an insight on how it could be potentially applied to my country in a very long run. it was also interesting to note how seriously NUS takes entrepreneurship and how keen everyone is to encourage it. Moreover, it is good to see how the entire faculty cares for the students and takes a personal interest in their well-being and care. It was heartwarming to see how everyone accommodates the small wishes of individual students, something which can be challenging to do so with 200 students involved. Moreover, I like the freedom and independence given by NUS and Singapore (because it is a safe space) it helped me discover myself and learn that there are things that I like and academia is not everything. Apart from that, I am absolutely thrilled by the innovation Singapore brings to learning such as the Taiko Drumming and Dragon Boating. They always manage to create something interesting and it's not merely awareness sessions. Thank you!”
Rizvi Raiha Mustafa, Pakistan, 2019 participant

"Prof Wong's lecture is super helpful especially identifying all the things we need to consider when building the startup such as the pains and gains. It gives me broader perspective and makes me think of a lot of things related to my project. Apart from that, it is very important to follow this model since it guide us as to how to create a startup. Definitely helpful! It truly is not easy to become an entrepreneur. Always bear in mind that an entrepreneur should be ready and flexible. Anything can happen so we need to be quick in fixing things if there are problems. There are no shortcuts. We just need to persevere and be hardworking."
Castillano Mark Ian, Philippines, 2019 participant

“It is such a great experience and I was completely overjoyed to the very core. The NUS Enterprise Summer Programme provided a lot of knowledge and it is so easy to digest, and even the lecturer or professor was so open-minded that it felt like there was no generation gap when we had our discussions. This programme is a gathering of brilliant intellectuals, where everyone from the whole world gathers around, brainstorming together and creating something that finally shakes the world. It's a really great programme and something that you guys can't miss.” 
David Kurnia, Indonesia 

“The Summer Programme is an excellent opportunity to explore Asian culture and the business environment of Singapore through learning and networking. It has the most innovative learning procedure in the middle of summer – with fascinating lectures in the morning, very interesting company visits in the afternoon and fun outdoor activities in the evenings. A great combination of education, cultural interaction and entertainment in the Lion City!”
Dimitris Frossinis, United Kingdom

Adventure…
“I would like to say my trip wandering around in Singapore with my clan was so amazing! I've seen many interesting places and attractions here and share these sweet memories with my clan whose coming from various nations. I wish we can have another opportunity like this again because I really will miss that moment.”
Mohamad Aiman Hamzah Bin Mohamad Nasir, Malaysia, 2019 participant

“From the busy offices of the enterprise startups to the bustling footpaths of Singapore, there is never a dull moment in the NUS Enterprise Summer Programme. Every lecture, every company visit and every night out is an opportunity to explore and immerse yourself in the entrepreneurial and cultural scenes of Singapore. The programme was not only a valuable educational experience, but it has also enabled me to develop soft skills, network with some of the most innovative people I have ever met, eat good food and make diverse friendships that I will treasure for a lifetime.”
Michael Trinh Tran, Australia, 2016 participant

Inspiration… 
“The programme gave me the very motivation to initiate my own startup. It gave me the knowledge and the skill to structure my plan of action. Also, it helped me interact with people from different cultures, leading to a friendship that flourishes even today. The bottom line is, the very fact that I have decided to go through with this initiative bears testimony to the fact that the programme worked wonders for me. Our startup name is nDimensions, in which we partner with schools and provide courses on entrepreneurship and also give them an online platform to discuss and validate their ideas and eventually forming a community of young entrepreneurs.”
Ajith Kumar, India, 2016 participant

“It was a long journey for us to come all the way from Mexico, but totally worth it. From the beginning it was an exciting opportunity, getting to learn from this country and its people was an amazing experience. It made me realize the chances we have to be better back home. Particularly in my case, being a med student gave me a different angle, and this year’s special focus on social entrepreneurship was the cherry on the top of the cake… I hope I can apply what I have learnt so that we can have the change that we need in my hometown. Though I don't have a project yet, my life plans may have changed, now that I am more aware of the needs in my society.”
Shaúl Ariel Navarro Lara, Mexico, 2017 participant

Global Friendships... 
"Returning home is not always exciting, especially when you leave behind a big family that not only accepts the differences of its members but also celebrates this diversity. So was the NUS Enterprise Summer Programme which became a true epitome of VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAKAM, a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the world is one family". The Entrepreneurship Programme threw open the doors of my mind to the vast expanse of creativity and innovation. It fostered in me the courage to place my dreams into action. I strongly believe these two weeks helped each one of us to grow individually as well as citizens of a global village. The main takeaway for me from this country city of Singapore is to convert your permanent disadvantage into your continuous advantage."
Dhriti Garg, India, 2016 participant

“This programme helps me make new friends and expand our physical connections. I met and learnt about the different dynamic startup ecosystems in different countries. Also, we continue to talk to our customers, the startups, investors and everyone involved in the startup ecosystem. This definitely helps us to improve our services and promote our company in the future.”
Kunlin Wang, China (Kunlin’s personal venture is to build a global entrepreneurship network), 2017 participant

“The greatest learning that I have is to know the true meaning of diversity…It’s amazing. I’m surrounded by entrepreneurs, and future entrepreneurs. I’m grateful – the knowledge I gained, and the lessons that I learnt have helped me a lot. Most importantly, the friendships that I made (has helped). People around the world from twenty plus countries – I can make connections easily abroad. I can go back and never stop doing what I’m doing .” 
Nattapon Srichan, Thailand, 2018 participant

A unique Singaporean flavour…
"Singapore would be my role model for an entrepreneur ecosystem. By having stable and growing macro-economics and great talent with government support, Singapore is able to strive to excellence in entrepreneurship. As an economics-business student, this concept would be a key concept that i would take to Indonesia.”
Fernandi Hamdi Hakeem, Indonesia, 2019 participant

“The excellence of the programme was in encapsulating the political, economic and entrepreneurial history and ecosystem of Singapore into a single package of 2 weeks. If participating in the programme, be ready to be impressed by Singapore's architectural acumen and your hosts' hospitality; the former making Singapore what it is today, and the later ensuring that you leave after two weeks with wet eyes and a heavy heart. And the desire to join the 'entrepreneur's club' at the end of the programme is a given.”
Hamza Kamran, Pakistan

“[The NUS Enterprise Summer Programme on Entrepreneurship] ignited my hope for the future concerning the economic development of Africa, particularly regarding Ghana. Also, I was inspired and privileged to meet, engage and interact with like-minded people from all over the world who are very conscious of driving social change and making an impact in their communities – people who hope to change the status quo and steer their community into a positive direction notwithstanding the challenges and possible opportunities.”
Nana Abena Achiaa Sarkodieh, Ghana, 2017 participant

Come on board!
"This programme surely will open your mind about entrepreneurship. If you think that you’re good enough at it, I dare you to kickstart your ideas here. If you’re wondering what is entrepreneurship, then this programme will be a perfect fit for you to figure it out.”
Firda Zhafirah, Indonesia, 2018 participant

“Treasure every second you have in the programme! Don't be afraid to speak and ask stupid questions, network as much as you can; you get out of the programme what you put into it.”
Lim Pei Ying, Singapore, 2018 participant