Qin En Looi

"30 by 30 needs to be part of a larger whole-of-system strategy that takes into account other ways to assure food resilience". Transformation is not only breakthrough technologies like cell cultured meat etc... Innovating food manufacturing and food value chains and developing strategic partnerships with our agri-food exporting neighbours is transformative too. All go hand in hand

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🇸🇬What’s the case for Singapore deep tech? The title sounds doom and gloom but Elyssa Lopez from Tech in Asia has spoken to some esteemed ecosystem players in this well-balanced article that is worth a read. Of course, she didn’t fit our hour long interview in there so I’ll summarize my bull case here: 1️⃣Catching the Wave Any surfer 🌊will tell you to anticipate the wave instead of chasing after it. Deep tech ecosystems take around 30 years of R&D to seed, and quickly mature from there. Singapore’s RIE schemes have run for 30 years with $60Bn in spending thus far, with more to come. This is the BIGGEST wave we will see in a generation. That’s why elev8.vc is investing today to catch the wave as it comes. 2️⃣Playing to our strengths Singapore is often called the world’s greatest startup. But in recent years, this startup’s competitive advantages are getting eroded as other Asian countries stepped up their education. What does a good startup do when competition catches up? Build the next competitive advantage, of course!💡 I can think of few defensive moats stronger than $60Bn of investments over 30 years 🧐. 3️⃣Making it worthwhile Singapore is pragmatic. It’s not going to work if there’s no money💰 to be made. Good news (for investors)! Singapore’s deep tech startups are undervalued. By a whopping ❗️40-60% ❗️on average Why? One word: “Obscurity”. What happens if we invest in obscure assets and put them under the spotlights? Three letters: “ROI”. Of course, there are speed bumps and it’s not easy. Yet, nothing worth doing is ever easy. Let’s build the next generation 🚀

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A good read on valuations in SE Asia. Fortunately, I've been realistic about valuations here. #founders #startups

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📈 Interesting read from The Straits Times: "Singapore tycoons’ wealth rises 10%, with Eduardo Saverin topping Forbes’ rich list again." What caught my eye is the presence of naturalized citizens on the list. This clearly shows that Singapore remains a top destination for migration and wealth creation. What other factors do you see driving this trend? I’d love to hear your thoughts! #Singapore #WealthCreation #WealthGrowth #Migration #BusinessTrends #InvestmentOpportunities #ForbesRichList #EduardoSaverin #Entrepreneurship #BusinessTrends

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A few months ago, I shared that VentureBlick became a programme partner of the Startup SG Accelerator. Today, we’re inviting promising Singapore startups to join our next round of our Super Incubator programme! 🇸🇬   Our purpose here is to enable healthcare entrepreneurs to not just dream big but also turn those dreams into impactful realities.   𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲? 📍Startups in medtech or healthtech based in Singapore 📍Ideas or technologies that solve real problems, create new opportunities, or shake up the market 📍Teams that have completed a proof-of-concept or early feasibility work 📍Singapore-registered startups with at least 30% equity owned by Singaporeans or PRs   If this sounds like your startup, we’d love to hear from you! Joining this programme means working with a network of global experts and gaining the support to take your innovation to the next level.   Details here: https://lnkd.in/gmcDnD6e   Startup SG is an initiative of Enterprise Singapore, and we’re proud to be part of this ecosystem driving innovation and entrepreneurship in this red dot.   #SuperIncubator #Healthcare #Innovation

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On Market View today: Temasek Review 2024 – How will elections, geopolitical tensions globally influence the state investors’ investment decisions, and what is its stance on Generative AI? We usually talk about the closing numbers on the SGX at this hour, but today is a special day because we’re going to take you through the latest performance of Singapore’s state investor Temasek, out just a couple of hours ago. Temasek is no stranger to Singaporeans. Founded in 1974, the global investment company has a network of 13 offices across nine countries. The company has a long term investment horizon, where activities are guided by its views on long term structural trends. It also invests off its own balance sheet, which means that the firm is not constrained by the so-called ‘fund life’. In its latest Temasek Review 2024 out today, the company said its performance over the long term remained resilient, with its net portfolio value having steadily grown over the past two decades across market cycles. Its net portfolio value or NPV stood at S$389 billion for the financial year ended 31 March 2024, and marking its unlisted portfolio to market would provide a value uplift of S$31 billion and bring its Mark to Market NPV to S$420 billion. Temasek said the increase in portfolio value was largely due to investments returns from the US and India, while Chinese capital markets weighed on its performance. Meanwhile, the state investor also noted that its 20-year and 10-year Total Shareholder Return (TSR) remained stable. But how does Temasek assess its overall performance, and where is it investing next? Glad to pose some of the questions I had to Connie Chan, Head of Financial Services, Temasek. Many thanks to Connie for joining us on MONEY FM 89.3! A special shoutout to Eunice Lim, Xiaorong Guo, Rachel T. (SEC Newgate Group) and the Temasek team for arranging this. Catch the podcast episode on Awedio, Apple podcast and Spotify at the links below. Podcast links: https://lnkd.in/gzXBp98f https://lnkd.in/gP6DphWy https://lnkd.in/gEWCFAYz Ting Wei Toh Adrian Tay Serla R. Satoshi Ebitani LinkedIn News Asia Dilhan Pillay Chin-Yee Png Chia Song Hwee Alpin Mehta Belinda Tan Mark LIM CL Wai Ching Chan Rohit Sipahimalani Ren Yeong Sng Russell Tham KC Yeoh Sylvester Long Stanley YP Tan Lucas Wang Pushpendra Pratap Singh, CFA CAIA Jian-Hong Sim Anuj Kedia Levent Ismail Bharathi Rajan Freddie Allen Hari Kishan Ramesh Kumar Wei Jie Tee Ming Pey Lim Steve Howard Wai Hoong Fock #marketview #temasekreview #temasek #temasekreview2024 #equities #stateinvestor #earnings #netportfoliovalue #unlistedportfolio #totalshareholderreturn #singapore #npv #tsr #longterm #10year #20year #marktomarket #structuraltrends #digitisation #futureofconsumption #sustainableliving #longerlifespans #growthengines #financialservices

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Crypto mass adoption is just 12–18 months away? It is a very aggressive prediction, isn’t it? To me, it seems quite a challenging prediction that may not be achieved in that timeline!  But, it looks possible to the co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands. He said “we’ll see mass adoption in the next 12 to 18 months,” and “this timeline is achievable because there are more tools for distributing Web3 applications than ever before”, per a Cointelegraph report. Wow! Really? A few interesting and noteworthy points on the merits of the prediction in the report: - There is a longstanding debate within crypto community over “which blockchain use case” will be the first to usher in widespread mass adoption. - Some think it is Bitcoin’s store-of-value nature, while others believe nonfungible tokens (NFTs) are an underappreciated technology waiting to explode. - For him, the primary catalyst for mass adoption will be “gaming”. - Eventually, even legacy players that have historically been resistant to Web3 will have no choice but to join the revolution. “Once those floodgates open, we’ll get even more mass adoption.” On metaverse, another interesting topic of this age, he seems to have a different perspective on what metaverse would be. He thinks “the metaverse begins with owning your digital property. [...] It’s like building a nation. The foundation of building a nation is … about “your community”, and it’s about “ownership in that space”.” He added, “likening the Web3 space at large to one big “open metaverse,” where opportunities are virtual but the value is tangible,” and “that’s the open metaverse, and that’s a thriving space that already [is] $2.5, $2.6 trillion in size.” A very interesting forecast on the timing of the crypto mass adoption and another intriguing perspective on the meaning of “metaverse”! Read on more in the report! #crypto #cryptomassadoption #NFT #Bitcoin #BTC #web3 #gaming #Web3gaming #metaverse (Any contents shared are only for information sharing purposes and are not any investment or legal advice or do not intend to support any product, price, company, platform, information, opinion, etc.)

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💡 SGX Needs to Rethink Its Investor Base A year ago, I returned to investing in SGX-listed stocks as part of my personal asset allocation strategy. After 25 years away, I was curious to see how things had changed. One thing that stood out was the persistence of outdated practices. For example, physical B4 white envelopes are still being sent for AGM and EGM notices, along with physical proxy forms delivered by post. While there is an online option, it’s cumbersome: you have to first know where to find the website link, download a PDF, print it, fill it in, rescan it, and then email it. Ironically, the recipient likely prints it out again. When I spoke to a fund manager specializing in SGX stocks, he pointed out that the retail investor base is primarily made up of retirees who prefer physical documents. There has also been consolidation among institutional fund managers in recent years, resulting in less active trading and lower liquidity on SGX. The focus remains on blue-chip and dividend stocks, which are popular with retirees, but the momentum and capital gains trading that defined the 1990s and early 2000s has diminished. It may be time for SGX to broaden its appeal and attract younger investors. Modernizing the documentation process would be a good start—proxy forms today look the same as they did two decades ago. Why not integrate Singpass to streamline online submissions? Looking ahead, I expect SGX will list several high-quality IPOs that could bring exciting opportunities. However, without increased liquidity from both retail and institutional investors engaging in momentum-driven trading, these IPOs could be undervalued. Image: A screenshot of a proxy form I had to fill out by hand and mail. #sgx #equitiestrading

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Thanks to Sigma Squared Society, I've had a chance to be connected with some of the brightest young founders and ecosystem stakeholders in Singapore. As a person who relocated recently from Korea, here are the market insights that have left the biggest impression: 1. Born Global, Asian Hub Singaporean entrepreneurs think BIG. From day one, they're targeting global markets, not just local ones. Every conversation about growth involved multiple regions around SEA and other continents, not just Singapore. This global mindset is baked into everything they do - product development, marketing, even how they build their teams. 2. Strategic Launchpad: Asia AND Europe, America Singapore's appeal isn't limited to Asia. European ventures are also finding it an attractive launchpad. Silicon Valley VCs such as Peak XV from Sequoia Capital are headquartered here. The infrastructure is solid, the talent pool is deep (from Yale-NUS College and Singapore Management University and Polytechnics), and the CLEAR AND CONCISE regulatory environment, especially in finance and crypto, is refreshingly efficient. Founders here also have a unique edge: they understand both Eastern and Western markets, and Singapore's extensive networks amplify that advantage. 3. Family Offices & Fellowship Programs The most striking phenomenon is the prominence of Family Offices in the startup funding scene and the fellowship programs such as Philip Yeo Initiative . When I kicked off introducing Sigma Squared Society to SG startup scene, they were first in line to find out the most promising investment chances. Back home, they were mostly government or corporate-led. Here, they're often spearheaded by successful individuals who are passionate about giving back. It creates a unique dynamic where you get direct mentorship and support from seasoned entrepreneurs.

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"Report flags S$4.2 billion in accumulated reserves held by Tote Board; MOF says it's for long-term funding needs": Huh? How about sharing the money out amongst the people that it's supposed to be helping? This makes no sense. Why keep it when it's supposed to go to help people who need it? "The Tote Board receives surpluses from Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club while also collecting casino entry levies. According to its website, this money is channelled to support causes in the community. In response to the committee's question on whether the Tote Board’s reserves were proportional to its objectives and cash flow for operations, MOF said the Tote Board’s grant commitments as a proportion of its reserves had increased over the past ten years. This was due to “growing funding demands to strengthen our social compact”, said the ministry. The statutory board offers eight grants, including the Enhanced Fund-Raising Programme, which provides up to S$250,000 per charity for fund-raising projects. The Arts Grant, which seeks to foster a vibrant arts culture in schools, is also provided by it." So why isn't it giving out money to these projects? It surely doens't need $4.2billiion for "cashflow"!!! What's it waiting for? A rainy day? Why isn't this money being dispursed as it should be under their remit? What do you think? Link to the story here: https://lnkd.in/gVThYpbH

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👕 Eager to share the stage with my esteemed panel speakers, Kaijie Ng Ted W. Teo Yi Ming K., to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Financial Sector later this week in NUS Future of Work 2.0. 👕 We will share about AI Verify Foundation and how to tap these resources to help organization build trusted AI infrastructure. Key impacts: 👕 Transformational Impact: AI has revolutionized the financial system by leveraging Advanced Computer Science and Big Data Analytics. It transforms processes across the value chain, from customer service to investment analysis. 👕 Efficiency Boost: AI streamlines operations, automates routine tasks, and enhances efficiency. It enables financial institutions to handle large volumes of data more effectively. 👕 Front Office and Back Office: AI is applied both in customer-facing front-office functions (such as personalized recommendations and chatbots) and back-office tasks (like risk management and fraud detection). 👕 Bottomline Benefits: By improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing decision-making, AI positively impacts the bottom line of financial institutions. 👕 Thought Leadership: Staying at the forefront of AI adoption is crucial for financial organizations to maintain thought leadership and competitive advantage. 👕 In a nutshell, AI’s impact extends beyond just technology. It shapes the future of finance by enabling higher quality, data-driven decisions. 👕 If you like to learn more about Artificial Intelligence Governance in Global Capital Market, do check this out!! https://lnkd.in/gcUhuEgu Sue Yuin Ho Terence Lai Fiona Lee Melvin Lai Fiona Lim Lewis P. James Sanders Sam Liew Puay Tin Teo James Sundram James Croyle Christina Chan Christina Lee Gunjan Samtani Kevin LIM Kelvin Goh Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) Singapore FinTech Festival Singapore FinTech Association (SFA) SGTech Blockchain Association Singapore (BAS) Singapore Computer Society Enterprise Singapore Society Yuri Bender Jesse Chooi Koji Ito Albert Wong Yash Vartak - CISM CISSP CEH CCSK Pei Ling Tin Tommy K. W. LIM TOH Wee Khiang Marcus Wong 黄俊维 Benjamin C.K. Tee #NUS #2024NUSYFP #GenerativeAI #Innovation #Education #Leadership #NurturingTalents #FutureReady #GlobalCommunity #nusfuturework #nuslifelonglearning

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THE CHESS BOARD OF PRIVATE EDUCATION That's now the RM1billion question in the market. Will he take Segi private? There has been a lot of activity recently in an increasingly more competitive private education sector. Taylor's International School, both the university and its schools and those under the "Garden International School" brand (of which I am Alumni from the original Garden School), is a dominant player but has always been private. It's big business, private education brings a higher standard, networking for the future, a solid educational foundation just look at the Doyen of private schools The Alice Smith School (again of which I am Alumni). But I digress. SEGi University & Colleges is one of the few who remain in the public arena. Even HELP University formerly listed has reverted into private hands. A common trend? The PE investors have reached the end of their fund cycle, usually after a handsome return. Is PE still looking at education? Some say yes, some no, because the emergence of edutech, virtual metaverse based universities and the accessibility of learning on apps has dramatically changed the landscape. As they always say, chess is a great game as long as you're not a pawn. Private education has Kings! [Declaration of interest: these are my own views and are unrelated in my employment in any capacity. The information I have is only sourced from the public arena]

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“A social media post by tech magnate Elon Musk declaring that Singapore is “going extinct” has struck a nerve in the city state, where demographic challenges including record-low fertility rates are testing its policies to sustain economic growth. On Thursday, Musk retweeted a user’s post referring to Singapore’s use of robots, which were “stepping in where manpower is falling short”. The user also noted that by 2030, nearly one in four Singaporeans would be over 65. In his retweet, Musk added that “Singapore (and many other countries) are going extinct”. In a Reddit, Inc. thread about the post, which has garnered more than 1,500 likes, netizens debated the city state’s use of immigration and how this would affect Singapore’s national identity. “In 200 years the Singaporeans today will be all new immigrants of today. Like we are from immigrants 200 years ago … Singaporeans will always be here. The national identity will evolve. Just hopefully still remain as [an] independent Singapore and not under another country as a vassal or puppet state,” said one user. Singapore uses immigration to moderate the impact of ageing and low birth rates on the citizen population, according to the report, which also noted that the city state takes in a carefully controlled number of permanent residents and new citizens each year. New citizenships are granted to those who can integrate and contribute to Singapore, and “are committed to making Singapore their home”, the report added. Sociologist Tan Ern Ser from the National University of Singapore noted that supplementing the population with immigration while encouraging fertility is sustainable to the extent that it can maintain a vibrant economy attractive to Singaporeans and to immigrants who could contribute to the economy, without displacing citizens. “To encourage fertility and immigration, we need people to be optimistic and hopeful, and have a life. This can be quite a tall order, with the way things are in the world today. But Singapore needs to focus on not only staying alive, but also living well,” he said.”

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Great points on scaling VC ecosystems.

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It's well-known that SE Asia's startups haven't exactly lived up to their hype. So what are the next few years going to look like? Yesterday I attended a very interesting panel discussion amongst Google VP Sapna Chadha, McKinsey Partner Yiping G. and PatSnap founder Jeffrey T. ably moderated by Prantik Mazumdar, President of TiE Singapore. The setting was the very classy TiE Gala 2024. My takeaways: 1. SEA is a fragmented region, but there is a fast-growing middle class across countries that could continue to drive growth. It is expected to 4x over the next 5 years or so 2. While there are few unicorns, there are many $10-50M businesses. There is a case therefore for establishing mid and low cap PE funds to support the ecosystem rather than just 100x-seeking VCs. And there are moves to revamp SGX, which might create an alternate venue for exits in SE Asia. (I'd be sceptical however!) 3. Growth has been firmly replaced with profitability, with profits across all sectors increasing by 2.5 times in the last 2 years. New customer acquisition has been replaced with a focus on retention and upsell. But the transition has not been easy. For example, it took PatSnap 3 years to make the change 4. 20% of ecommerce in the region is now done via video! It's clearly not a fad any more. (Get in touch if you want to discuss how to add video to your own marketing efforts). SEA struggles with a non-uniform market and heterogenous cultures and entrepreneurs clearly have their work cut out for them. I wonder, though, whether the 100x unicorn is indeed the right role model for this region or is it the $50M minicorn that should be the real aspiration. #sea #startup #tiesingapore

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Are we ready to face the future of AI in digital trust? 🔒🤖 Mediacorp Pte Ltd and Ecosystm's The Big Spark Dialogues is a series focusing on timely issues and trends, made possible by incredible partners like TiE Singapore and 1880 Singapore. The latest event discussed the impact of #AI on #cybersecurity and #digitaltrust. My takeaways: 🌐 AI isn't new, but its widespread adoption is. As such, companies, people, and societies are still learning to manage AI effectively. 🎯 While AI holds great potential for achieving noble goals, it also presents opportunities for malicious actors to exploit. 💼 Companies like Ensign InfoSecurity and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are leading the charge in enhancing cybersecurity in the AI era. 🚀 Adopting AI is no longer optional; companies that resist will become easy targets for exploitation. Moreover, AI offers significant business advantages. Staying competitive requires a risk-based approach. 🛠️ Many best practices of AI's positive deployments have been shared during the discussion. My favorite: using AI to orchestrate, rather than automate, vulnerability fixes, providing with the appropriate security checks before the code is actually deployed. 💡 But, really, the best solution? Pairing #NaturalIntelligence with Artificial Intelligence and understanding the goals and risks attached to new technologies has to be paramount, for companies to succeed. Special thanks to Sash Mukherjee for the superb moderation and to the speakers, Gaurav Keerthi and Joel H. Garcia, for the great insights shared.

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In a world where the tech industry is predominantly male-dominated, female entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia are slowly but surely making their mark. https://lnkd.in/eRMvAgmS #equityfunding #privatecapital #femaleentrepreneurs

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