Thailand

Bangkok, the Land of Smiles is a bustling city brimming with opportunities. Strategically located, it is the gateway to the Greater Mekong Region Subregion (GMS), making the city a preferred destination for start-ups in Southeast Asia.

The start-up scene in Bangkok has evolved over the years. There is a notable surge in start-up activity, due to - rising government support, cost-effective living, enhanced incentives, and access to networking opportunities. With these factors, it is not surprising that Bangkok offers an abundance of opportunities for entrepreneurs. Some of the notable start-ups that we may be familiar with are: Agoda, Eatigo and Pomelo. To date, three Bangkok start-ups have attained unicorn status – Flash Express, Ascend Money and BitKub.

The Thai government has launched Thailand 4.0 which aims to transform the economy focusing on industries such as Automation and Robotics, Aviation and Logistics, Biofuels and Biochemicals, and Digital and Medical Hub which are pivotal as the country’s new growth engines.

Alongside Thailand 4.0, Thai government agencies also rolled out initiatives to encourage start-ups in Bangkok and to brand the country as ‘Innovation Thailand’ positioning Bangkok as an innovation hub in ASEAN. The key industries in Thailand’s start-up innovative ecosystem include e-commerce, FinTech, InsurTech and Agritech.

Students taking up an experiential internship program in Bangkok will be presented with the opportunity to work with entrepreneurial founders, in diverse industries which include Agritech and Logistic Tech. Students will gain invaluable knowledge, explore their entrepreneurial aspiration and become future-ready in their entrepreneurial journey.

NOC Bangkok is a 6-month programme. The first intake will commence in January 2023 and the recruitment will begin in August 2022.

Ready to apply and embark on your journey with us to witness its growth in the region?

Sign up now to discover the opportunities and experiences of this diverse city. (Not forgetting a weekend escape to the nearby beaches too!)

References
Video Credits: Thailand Startup Ecosystem (pre-COVID)

Video Credits: Thailand Startup in Post COVID Era 2022

Thailand 4.0: A New Economic Model – the importance of managing disruption in an innovation industry?
National Innovation Agency Committed to Making Bangkok an Innovation Hub

Programme Structure

The 6-month programme at NOC Thailand has the following features:

Full-time internship in a start-up;
Entrepreneurship courses on a part-time basis organised by the National University of Singapore in collaboration with international educators with deep start-up experience;
Opportunities to attend events organised by the start-up ecosystem in Vietnam and activities hosted by the partner University;
Mid-term and final internship presentations by students and evaluations by an internship assessor;
Students form teams and make business pitches to a NUS panel at the end of the programme.

The 3-month programme at NOC Thailand has the following features:

Full-time internship in a start-up;
Entrepreneurship courses on a part-time basis organised by the National University of Singapore in collaboration with international educators with deep start-up experience;
Opportunities to attend events organised by the start-up ecosystem in Vietnam and activities hosted by the partner University;
Final internship presentations by students and evaluations by an internship assessor.

Academic Details

The NOC Thailand (Bangkok 6-month) programme is credit-bearing and students will receive up to 22 units.

NOC Components	Units (Max)
Internship courses	16
Entrepreneurship course	4
ETP2271 Discovering Resilience and Purpose	2
Total	22

The NOC Thailand (Bangkok 3-month) programme is similarly credit-bearing and students will receive up to 8 units.

NOC Components	Units (Max)
Internship course	6
ETP2271 Discovering Resilience and Purpose	2
Total	8

Click here for detailed programme curriculum.

Financial Details

While on the programme, students continue to pay regular tuition fees to NUS. Students receive an NOC scholarship/allowance to supplement their living costs while overseas. Students will be paid monthly stipends from their internship companies. Programme costs will be borne by NOC while additional personal expenditures for recreational and other individual lifestyle expenses are expected to be borne by programme participants.

NUS Overseas Colleges will provide the following:

Internship assessor (for 3 and 6-month courses) and mentor (for 6-month course only) costs
NUS student travel insurance
Return economy air ticket
Immigration visa fees