Lien Centre for Social Innovation

🎉 We are thrilled to announce the top 10 teams that have been selected to join the Women in Entrepreneurship Incubator powered by Standard Chartered Singapore and Singapore Management University!

After an incredibly competitive application process, we're excited to reveal the exceptional women-led teams that have demonstrated remarkable potential and innovation. These extraordinary entrepreneurs have been chosen for their groundbreaking ideas, unwavering passion, and commitment to driving impactful change in their respective industries.

Join us in congratulating the following trailblazing teams:
▪️ Bridging Generations – Innovating the preservation of culture and heritage
▪️ Commenhers - Revolutionising sustainable fashion
▪️ Ferticlay - Transforming waste into sustainable building materials
▪️ FinESG – Driving sustainability in business through data analysis
▪️ Full Circle Family - Artificial intelligence for parental wellbeing
▪️ GatherRound - Empowering communities through social impact initiatives
▪️ Greenairy – Revolutionising indoor air quality through plant-based air purification
▪️ Milkiway - Streamlining patient care by maximising health plans
▪️ Picknic - Personalised nutrition solutions for cancer patients
▪️ SpedGrow - Empowering special needs individuals via tech-driven financial education

💡 Each of these teams embodies the spirit of resilience, creativity, and entrepreneurship, and we cannot wait to support them on their journey to success. Over the coming months, they will receive tailored guidance, mentorship, and resources to help them scale their ventures and make a lasting impact on the world.

A big thank you to our selection committee for their diligent work and to all the inspiring applicants who showcased their incredible visions and determination. Stay tuned for updates on the incredible progress these teams will undoubtedly make!

We are privileged to be one of 50 grant recipients, and the only one from Singapore, of Citi Foundation’s inaugural Global Innovation Challenge. The US$500,000 grant will support an investigation of the root causes of Food Insecurity locally and the development of an evidence-based pilot programme to empower and uplift food-insecure households to eventually sustain themselves independently.

Food insecurity is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, directly impacting communities around the world. The grant will strengthen our existing work on food insecurity in Singapore and, through an in-depth knowledge of the lived experiences of households, enable us to innovate a solution to systemic challenges facing low-income urban communities.

Citi Foundation’s inaugural Global Innovation Challenge provides a total of US$25 million to 50 organisations working to improve food security and the physical and financial health of underserved communities. The Lien Centre for Social Innovation at Singapore Management University is honored to work with Citi Foundation in this valuable partnership and looks forward to connecting with fellow grantees from around the world for the exchange of best practices.

Learn more about other recipients across the globe: citifoundation.com/challenge

It’s a wrap! Singapore Management University interns came together last Friday to share their summer work experience in the non-profit sector under the Diana Koh Social Transformation Programme. Their scope of work ranged from community research on lower income families and innovations to address senior needs, to dysphagia awareness programming and content creation on ADHD, to fundraising and corporate philanthropy research plus many others!

It was a pleasure for the Lien Centre for Social Innovation to facilitate university-industry collaborations that enable students to gain experiential learning, contribute to NPOs and participate in building a more vibrant, just and inclusive Singapore. Many thanks to all the NPO supervisors, colleagues and members who made this a memorable summer for our interns, our guest speaker Ryann Lai from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Estate of Diana Koh and Baker Hughes for their support!
A big thank you to our internship partners:
aidha Beyond Social Services Boys’ Town Care Corner SG CARE Singapore Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore Daughters Of Tomorrow Food from the Heart (Singapore) Lion Befrienders Unlocking ADHD

Don’t miss the chance to access SGD $80,000 in seed funding! Get ready to transform your innovative ideas into successful ventures that create meaningful impact.

Be part of the Women in Entrepreneurship Incubator powered by Standard Chartered Bank and Singapore Management University.

Access the training, mentoring, and seed funding you need to:
✅ Fuel your startup’s growth
✅ Make your mark in the industry
✅ Break barriers for female-led businesses
✅ Build lasting connections with fellow trailblazers and more!

The application period ends soon, so gather your team and seize the moment. Apply now! 👉 https://bit.ly/43vqeOx

💰 $80,000 of seed funding available to visionary women ready to grow their social business idea - https://lcsi.smu.edu.sg/wie-2023
Explore the Women in Entrepreneurship Incubator, designed to provide female entrepreneurs with the training, mentorship, and seed funding needed to launch and scale their ventures. If you have an impact venture or idea that focuses on any one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and overlaps with either growth in Asia, digital transformation, or sustainable living - stand a chance to be selected for the incubator!

Find out more: https://lcsi.smu.edu.sg/wie-2023

[Fireside Chat] Caregiver Resilience 101: How Resilient Are You? Resilience is the ability to adapt and recover from stress, adversity, or challenging situations. It is the capacity to bounce back from difficult experiences, setbacks, and failures, and to keep going despite obstacles or difficulties. Caregivers often face a variety of stressors, such as long hour...

Have an innovative solution to help low-income families and communities tackle food insecurity? Check out the Citi Foundation Global Innovation Challenge on Food Security!

Register latest by March 22, 8PM GMT to take action!

Calling for to advance !

The Citi Foundation is looking to fund innovative solutions that help strengthen the financial health of low-income families and communities. Grants of US$500,000 will be awarded to 50 organizations.

Four prioritizes relating to food security:
Access | Affordability | Availability | Resilience

Registration deadline: March 22, 8pm GMT
Learn more and register now: http://www.citifoundation.com/challenge

From all of us at the Lien Centre for Social Innovation, Happy Lunar New Year!
May the new year be filled with good luck and prosperity

Empowering children improves confidence, problem-solving skills, and academic scores.

Children may be small, but they have the power to make BIG impact! The DFC Singapore team is united by the hope to give children a platform to shape society with their ideas. 💡💭

Through a simple four-step FIDS framework, empowers children with an "I CAN" spirit, instilling 21st century skills, promoting employability and increasing social and emotional competencies.

Find out more about the DFC Singapore here: https://socialspacemag.org/children-for-impact-madhu-verma-sophie-march-and-anu-garg-on-giving-voice-to-tomorrows-changemakers
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The project aims to highlight various community projects in Singapore that helps to create a more vibrant, just, and inclusive society. Follow to discover more social impact stories in Singapore.
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"What’s good for business can be good for society!"

Tiziana is a young, mission-driven entrepreneur who wears many hats! Her early drive to start something of her own has resulted in various ventures that have strong developmental and community-building qualities. 🏘️💖

Find out more about her interest in social entrepreneurship and the advice she has for aspiring young changemakers here: https://socialspacemag.org/girlboss-tiziana-tan

The project aims to highlight various community projects in Singapore that helps to create a more vibrant, just, and inclusive society. Follow to discover more social impact stories in Singapore.
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Did you know that the brain processes images 60,000 time faster than text? That's where EYEYAH! comes in by creating interactive art about current important social issues for the next generation to understand the world around them. It also helps to build their creative skills to problem-solve for a better future!

Swipe left to find out more about why Tanya co-founded the company, the initial challenges she faced and the impact she has made since! Find her full story here: https://socialspacemag.org/art-attack-tanya-wilsons-creative-mission-to-engage-children-on-social-issues
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The project aims to highlight various community projects in Singapore that helps to create a more vibrant, just, and inclusive society. Follow to discover more social impact stories in Singapore.

Wishing everyone a joyous holiday season!

"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." ~ Malcolm X

The team at Solve Education aims to do just that, by delivering quality education to everyone, focusing on the BOP (Bottom of Pyramid) demographic. 📚🗺️🧭

Swipe left to read some advice from CEO (Global), Janine Teo, on how you can have a more purposeful and successful entrepreneurial journey! For her full story, click the link here: https://socialspacemag.org/video-janine-teo-on-education.

The project aims to highlight various community projects in Singapore that helps to create a more vibrant, just and inclusive society. Follow to discover more social impact stories in Singapore.
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We spy with our little eyes another good in the hood! 🤓

Being myopic themselves, Tanvi R. Thombre, Ethan Lum and Daryll Wong recognised the importance and potential in a device to curb childhood myopia and improve eye health among adults. Their foresight led to the creation of Oculario. 👀✨

Swipe left to see what convinced them to embark on this project, their biggest challenge ahead, and their future plans! For their full story, click the link here: https://socialspacemag.org/2020-hindsight-smu-and-sutd-students-share-their-vision-to-combat-childhood-myopia

The project aims to highlight various community projects in Singapore that helps to create a more vibrant, just and inclusive society. Follow to discover more social impact stories in Singapore.
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Who says we can only do good within Singapore?

David Chen left his role as a fencing coach at Singapore Sports School to plunge into his rice venture in Myanmar. Besides improving the livelihoods of local rice farmers, his relatively young enterprise has also yielded some tasty results through responsible farming. 🌾👨‍🌾👩‍🌾

Swipe left for the story behind his career move and conviction for impact through business. For his full story, follow the link here: https://socialspacemag.org/rice-to-the-occasion-david-chen .

The project aims to highlight various community projects in Singapore that helps to create a more vibrant, just and inclusive society. Follow to discover more social impact stories in Singapore.
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Who said the elderly don't need gadgets too? The Golden Concepts is a great platform offering innovative eldercare products and assistive devices that enable seniors to go about their day with more convenience and ease. 👵👴

Read on for co-founder Vanessa Keng's sharing about what "heart ware" means and her mission to leverage technology for social good! Full story here: https://socialspacemag.org/silver-generation-golden-age-vanessa-keng
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