the moonbeam co. has once again organised a new Breakfast and Brew gathering, tailor-made for the vibrant local tech entrepreneur community! Join us as we uncover the heart of Breakfast and Brew and delve into the extraordinary connections forged during this event!
What is Breakfast and Brew?
Breakfast and Brew is a community-driven initiative designed to connect members of the local startup community over a sustainable breakfast. Our goal is to cultivate robust relationships and promote collaborative ventures within the startup ecosystem through thoughtfully curated activities and genuine conversations.
Why is it important that tech startups collaborate?
Networking amongst tech startups holds significant value as it enables resource sharing necessary for effectively addressing complex issues. The access to more expertise also makes it easier to tackle larger projects and compete in the market effectively, fostering a more comprehensive and well-rounded approach to problem-solving. Furthermore, collaborating startups can also learn from each other's successes and failures. This learning experience can help them grow faster and make better-informed decisions.
Overall, tech startup collaboration is essential because it amplifies their strengths, mitigates weaknesses, fosters innovation, and provides a pathway to more sustainable growth in the competitive market landscape.
Who?
Let us take a look at these eclectic tech-based startups and their representatives who we’ve met at Breakfast and Brew.
- Co-Lab, Jayjay Ong
- cycleye, Jin Ming Lau
- FireJet, Stephen Alvin
- Sotravel, Larry Lee
- Ventur-io, Sze Ying Teo
- Veri, Yong Ming Yang
- vibefam, Diane Loh
- Zenith Learning Group, Evan Heng
- NUS Entrepreneurship Society, Felix Ling and Lee Yan Chung
- Hussein Sulaiman (NUS BLOCK71)
And here’s a guide on who’s who…
What is Co-Lab?
Co-Lab is a one-stop food testing solution that aims to make food testing and related services affordable, accessible and apprehensible. According to their website, they guide businesses on the relevant tests that cater to the industry safety requirements through their knowledge in the food space. Their optimisation process takes into account factors such as cost, speed, quality, and the selection of specific method references or experimental procedures. Some of their tests include nutrition and shelf-life testing that results in nutritional labels and expiry dates which are required before releasing products to the market.
Who is Jayjay Ong?
Jayjay Ong is the founder of Co-Lab. Hailing from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Bioengineering, he has experience in the food science industry through internships at various companies. Co-Lab definitely elevates his hopes in advancing science through technology to the next level, and into the tech startup industry.
What is cycleye?
cycleye is a system built for cyclists to ensure safety and accessibility for everyone. Their bicycle-mounted tech uses advanced computer sensors to detect potential obstacles and even track your paths in real-time. cycleye uses audio and visual cues to help cyclists avoid collisions while staying on track, to give users a peace of mind on their journey. According to their site, this system can be mounted on any type of bicycles. The team at cycleye are committed to pushing the boundaries of cycling technology. Their vision is to make autonomous bicycles a reality through the intuitive systems of artificial intelligence (AI).
Who is Jin Ming Lau?
Jin Ming Lau is the founder and chief technology officer (CTO) of cycleye. He has experience in entrepreneurship within various industries utilising his skills in full-stack engineering, robotics, programming, and media production. Jin Ming Lau is also an advocate for sustainability, automation, and technology with a goal to leverage technology to make a positive impact wherever he goes.
What is FireJet?
FireJet is a Figma plugin to convert designs done in Figma into developer-friendly code. This works by turning the design created in Figma into a code that can be used in web development frameworks. By automating this, Figma designers can place more emphasis on their digital creations which can be exported into functional websites and apps. This tool supports HTML outputs, export styles as CSS, import existing styles from Tailwind CSS configuration files and provides automatic optimising of designs for code conversion.
Who is Stephen Alvin?
Stephen Alvin is the co-founder of FireJet. With a Bachelor in Engineering from Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), he aims to bridge the gap between design and development through FireJet. Stephen has also co-founded other initiatives and has experience in research and development product testing and firmware maintenance. Interestingly, he has also designed and created content for coding courses, and conducted Python programming classes for young students.
What is Sotravel?
Sotravel is a social travel platform that fosters socialising through adventure. The company organises group travel to various activities within Singapore and abroad such as skiing, diving, camping, and even ascending to Mount Everest base camp! This is almost like a super updated version of the classic travel tour groups, with the added social factor and less of the boring long bus rides to visit touristy spots. Through the site, users can also view and chat with the group members to know the demographics and how many people will be going prior to the trip. Packages typically include essentials such as accommodation, meals, equipment, passes, and lessons. It is almost all-inclusive, as flights and travel insurance are not included.
Who is Larry Lee?
Larry Lee is the founder of Sotravel. With an extensive background in software engineering, Larry founded the social travel platform after gaining inspiration from having travelled during an exchange to Copenhagen and a ski trip to the French alps with other students. With the decline of social events after graduating, along with the Covid-19 restrictions, he realised the importance of these experiences, and hence, Sotravel was born.
What is Ventur-io?
Ventur-io is a tech talent connector from Singapore to the United States (US). The company helps US startups and venture capitalists (VC) to tech talent from Singapore. According to their site, they provide connections to the top SIngaporean universities such as NUS and NTU. Their services include the sourcing of tech talent for US companies looking for interns, attachments and full-time hires. They also have lawyers to assist with the various types of US visa applications.
Who is Sze Ying Teo?
Sze Ying Teo is the global talent partner from Ventur-io. She has vast experiences in managerial positions at various companies and according to her profile, she believes in connecting individuals above and beyond the professional landscape. Through her work, she has always been in the business of people and growth, and thrives at where they come together.
What is Veri?
Veri is a NFC-based solution and digital asset integration for luxury verification and assurance.
Who is Yong Ming Yang?
Yong Ming Yang is the founder of Veri. Hailing from National University of Singapore (NUS) Computing, Computer Science, he is a software engineer with a passion for Web3.
What is vibefam?
vibefam is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform built for boutique fitness brands. They provide software to various boutique fitness companies that want to scale their business. As a company, their mission is to empower fitness entrepreneurs with the ideal solution for scaling and expanding their fitness communities. vibefam assists them in growing their businesses and communities without the hassle of the laborious administrative tasks, and they have successfully cultivated a substantial user base across regions such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.
Who is Diane Loh?
Diane Loh is the co-founder of vibefam. With a background in computer science, she also oversees the web administrative development and the security of vibefam as their CTO. During her time at NUS, she has also received the university’s merit scholarship for her academic results, co-curricular records and outstanding leadership qualities.
What is Zenith Learning Group?
Zenith Learning Group is a local education company, currently expanding into educational technology, also known as edtech, to promote equal access to education. Founded in 2019 to help Junior College education students, they now have various branches across Singapore. Their mission is to provide a comprehensive, world-class education. Notably, Zenith aims to combine their pedagogical expertise with technology to further empower their students such as gamified online learning platforms.
Who is Evan Heng?
Evan Heng is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Zenith Learning Group. He has been the teacher, CEO and director at his education company, which speaks to how well he knows his company and its inner workings. As a person, Evan enjoys practising mixed martial arts and watching musicals and theatre outside of work. He is also interested in important social issues, typically those related to the environment and income inequality.
What is NUS Entrepreneurship Society?
NUS Entrepreneurship Society is NUS’ tertiary entrepreneurship organisation. This society fosters entrepreneurship within the university and equips each generation of entrepreneurs with necessary skills and knowledge. They collaborate with students, industry experts, and a network of startup ecosystem partners to actively promote entrepreneurship and drive innovation. They have organised several events such as UNICON and Ground Zero.
Who is Felix Ling?
Felix Ling is the president at NUS Entrepreneurship Society. He has an impressive education record at both Raffles Institution (RI) and NUS. At RI, he had a perfect score for the A Levels, proceeded to achieve First Class Honours (Highest Distinction) along with the merit scholarship at NUS for his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Felix is also part of NUS College, the premier multidisciplinary honours college where he learns topics ranging from sociology, psychology, literature, history, economics, and philosophy.
Who is Lee Yan Chung?
Lee Yan Chung is the vice-president of the NUS Entrepreneurship Society. He has a Diploma with Merit in Financial Informatics, Information Technology and is currently a business school undergraduate currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration. Lee Yan Chung was part of several internships that demonstrated his experience in business development. The track record of both presidents of the NUS Entrepreneurship Society are definitely impressive, and destined for remarkable achievements in the days to come.
Who is Hussein Sulaiman?
Hussein Sulaiman is the programme head of NUS Enterprise’s BLOCK71 Indonesia & Vietnam, which enables startups to scale across borders. He has been working within many startups, in the areas of business model development, expansion, and operations management. He is an early member of several renowned brands in the region such as BeMyGuest, Lazada, and Zilingo. Hussein has played a pivotal role in shaping and overseeing their operational growth and management from their inception.
Intrigued?
Join us at Breakfast and Brew, where we are dedicated to fostering meaningful connections within the entrepreneurship ecosystem while promoting environmental consciousness. Our workshops are designed to provide a distinct platform to connect with fellow industry entrepreneurs who share your vision for a greener, more sustainable future. If you're eager to engage with like-minded startups and their innovative founders, we'd love to hear from you. Reach out to us to express your interest and become an integral part of this exciting experience!
