China is thriving with a host of opportunities in a myriad of industries, and is now one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world.

Keen to develop your entrepreneurial thinking and broaden your horizons? Looking for an opportunity to learn more about the startup culture and ecosystem in China? If these tick the boxes for you, then you should consider a programme which provides you with a fulfilling and immersive experience across two markets, Singapore and China, such as the SMU-PEELI Rural Entrepreneurship Programme run by IIE.

The SMU-PEELI Rural Entrepreneurship Programme is jointly organized by the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) and the Jiangsu Tao Shing Pee Education Foundation (Tao Foundation). In this third iteration, approximately 50 participants were selected for the programme. 

The programme consists of two parts – the Cultural & Innovation Immersion component (1 week in China) and the Entrepreneurship Acceleration component (4 weeks in Singapore). It boasts of a robust bicultural experience comprising lectures and site visits to innovative and fast-growing businesses.

During the China leg of the programme this year (3 May to 9 May 2019) student participants attended study visits to the Nanjing Agricultural University Entrepreneurship Incubator, as well as to companies and startups in Shanghai, such as Jinrui Company, Happy Sharing Company, Babybang Company, and Liulishuo Company.

Visit to the Nanjing Agricultural University Entrepreneurship Incubator in Nanjing, 6 May 2019

 

The Singapore leg this year (6 July to 3 August 2019) saw students through a curriculum that espoused on different stages of innovation and entrepreneurship (Start – Build – Sell – Grow). Through the lectures and case studies taught by SMU lecturers and industry experts, as well as fireside chats with fellow young entrepreneurs, participants gained insights and inspiration from the stories of carefully curated speakers. Further, visits to the likes of local start-ups, venture capital firms, big tech companies and social enterprises provided a conducive environment for networking. Finally, the programme culminated in a business plan competition where student teams pitched their ideas to an esteemed panel of judges made up of practitioners in the innovation and entrepreneurship space.

SMU-PEELI Rural Entrepreneurship Programme 2019, Group Photo at SMU

 

What did our student participants say about the programme?

 

"With a good business idea, we all have to start from somewhere small. As you grow your business, new ideas and business models emerge. Adapt whenever you need to. But never forget why you started.” – Zhang Yuhao, School of Information System, SMU

 

“在这之前，我并不知道什么是社会企业。在炉边会谈的PPT中有这么一句话：“工作给予的是生活的目标和希望，没有工作的日子是空虚的” 这句话我太认同了！而也是在这里，我确定了我接下来要走的路，我希望我回到国内，能够尽自己所能创办一家社会企业。”- Liu Jie, Tao scholar

 

“Naïve as I can be, I have never thought that a tuition centre can be franchised all across China as I had always believed that the quality of education provided is highly dependent on the team of tutors. But after looking at how Jinrui managed to expand a simple business model of operating a tuition centre into its current scale, I was truly inspired to do the same in the education sector in Singapore/SEA. ” – Chua Tian Tian, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU

 

Visit to Jinrui Company in Shanghai, 8 May 2019

 

“After pitching at the semi-finals, it made me rethink the importance of being concise and crystal clear with an idea. How do you explain the complex simply? How do you make the simple relatable?” - Lee Jayin, School of Information System, SMU
 

“I never would have thought that a simple coffee chat would bring about so many new ideas and insights. It was rather eye-opening and engaging, and would serve as an impactful step forward in becoming wiser entrepreneurs.” – Martin Layar, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU

 

Top 3 Winners of the SMU-PEELI Rural Entrepreneurship Business Plan Competition:

1st prize: 脱贫攻坚手工致妇（富）

Members: 彭云, 李天涛, 公冶令驰, 郑会玲, 孙振

Mentor: Mr Adrian Ang

 

2nd prize: 智慧蚂蚁-城市垃圾智能生态系统

Members: 殷贺, 马昊阳, 高权, 吴凌吉

Mentor: Mr Jay Teo

 

3nd prize: 职乾教育

Members: 赵丹, 王玥, 郭康宁, 张梦帅, 黄静

Mentor: Claressa Sim

 

SMU-PEELI Rural Entrepreneurship Programme Closing Ceremony, 2 August 2019

 

Stay tuned for next year's intake. More information about the SMU-PEELI Rural Entrepreneurship programme could be found here.