National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) Visiting Singapore

Group photo was taken with representatives from NCTU, Lenovo, SEA Gamer Mall, Outside App and BlackStorm Consulting

Representatives from NCTU visited Singapore last week and looked forward to learning more about Singapore’s startup ecosystems and Intellectual Property (IP) management.
This would help them in facilitating and supporting the students, professors and startups under their care better in these aspects.
Blackstorm Consulting assisted in arranging and coordinating various meetings, talks and site visits for them to attend.

NCTU representatives were welcomed warmly by BlackStorm Consulting at WeWork premise. They wanted to find out more on how the co-working space works and thus an introductory tour was arranged promptly for them by BlackStorm Consulting. They had the first-hand experience of walking around the perimeter, sighting different startups working in this common area.

*Representatives from NCTU were listening attentively as Tommy, COO of SEA Gamer Mall shared his business insights and experiences*

After exploring the shared zone, BlackStorm Consulting immediately linked NCTU to Terence (Head of Cloud and Software Ecosystem, APAC in Lenovo), Tommy (COO of SEA Gamer Mall and Nicholas (Co-Founder, Business Development of Outside App).

Through further introductions, every party in this discussion learnt about one another better and was keen to explore partnerships in the future. Overviews and insights on the various ecosystems were also exchanged with one another. All parties left the discussion with many meaningful takeaways.

*Thaddeus Koh, co-founder of e27 was presenting with NCTU representatives taking down notes*

At noon, NCTU was then introduced to e27, a strategic partner of BlackStorm Consulting. They were given a presentation by the co-founder of e27, Thaddeus Koh. e27 is not just an online platform in providing media coverage, but also in creating networking opportunities and training entrepreneurs through boot camps and classes. With such strong and vast connections, many startups can leverage e27 in obtaining funding, partnerships, publicity and advisory. NCTU was impressed by the functions and operations of e27. They shared some of their accelerator programmes and hoped to improvise over time. The engagement was fruitful throughout the session as many relevant queries were raised and addressed interactively.

After a hearty lunch, BlackStorm Consulting accompanied NCTU members to NTU where they spent the whole afternoon for a closed-door session with the representatives from NTUitive. Both ends shared on how IPs are managed in their respective institutions.

*Graduated startups were introduced to NCTU at Block 71 by NUS enterprise*

On the next day afternoon, Blackstorm Consulting brought NCTU to Block 71 where it was an initiative by NUS Enterprise to build a technology-focused cluster, drawing on the significant cost-synergies and large economies of scale. NCTU learnt about the different programmes and supports NUS Enterprise has offered to the students and startups. The startups would graduate from the incubation programme once their products were made ready. Their businesses would be reviewed on regular basis and if there were signs of stagnancy, the founders were advised pragmatically to cease to cut losses. Funding and resources can be of better use and allocated to other startups of greater needs.

Along with the introduction and history of NUS Enterprise, few startups such as AirHost, Red Dot Drones and Ownrides were invited to share their startup experiences. Some of these startups expressed interest in entering Taiwan and would like to join the accelerator programmes over there. As BlackStorm Consulting set up business and is well-connected in Taiwan, we extended to link up relevant parties to the interested startups.

*NCTU members were briefed on the maritime ecosystem in Singapore at Pier 71*

After few minutes of networking, NCTU was brought around the premise for a site tour. They visited Pier 71 where the budding businesses of maritime industry are housed and nurtured. As Singapore is located strategically as global port hub, maritime plays a significant role to the country’s economy growth. It was an eye-opener for everyone to understand more about this industry and its ecosystem.

*Group photo taken at Fusionopolis with members from NCTU and BlackStorm Consulting*

After visiting Block 71, NCTU ended the day by visiting the newly open gaming arena by Bountie. They were given a tour around the arena, understanding different aspects and trends of esports and gaming. Interestingly, there are rooms catered for esports players to enjoy their games collectively and privately. With lesser distractions, the players can discuss strategies and coordinate better when comes to executions in their games.

All in all, BlackStorm Consulting was privileged to bring NCTU representatives to different areas to understand the ecosystems of diverse verticals in Singapore and meet potential partners. They had enjoyed the hospitality and learnt a lot during this trip. Soon, BlackStorm Consulting will also be tagging along with other accelerators and startups from Taiwan as they approach us with the intentions of visiting Singapore for further understanding of its startup ecosystems. This can be encouraging as Singapore continues to be a thriving ground for startups.

About BlackStorm Consulting
BlackStorm Consulting (http://blackstormco.asia/) is a boutique growth consultancy firm that specialises in corporate strategy, profit management and investment management. We mainly serve clients in four sectors: FinTech, Gaming, Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT), and Manufacturing.

Our clients and connections are internationally present and range from small and medium sized businesses, MNCs, to government agencies.