Christopher Quek

It's still very important. Feeling of piety, for example, doing good to society. And I think that's something I just wanted to end on, that anybody who wants to... to help the next generation or feel for the next generation is be a mentor of values rather than a mentor of processes.

It's still very important. Feeling of piety, for example, doing good to society. And I think that's something I just wanted to end on, that anybody who wants to... to help the next generation or feel for the next generation is be a mentor of values rather than a mentor of processes.

So I'm just going to end it there and I hope that will give some further thoughts for anybody who has been listening that make a difference. It can be even just advising or mentoring just one person, but that is already a very significant impact to society.

So I'm just going to end it there and I hope that will give some further thoughts for anybody who has been listening that make a difference. It can be even just advising or mentoring just one person, but that is already a very significant impact to society.

Hi, Vince. Thank you for having me here today. And hi, everybody on the show.

Hi, Vince. Thank you for having me here today. And hi, everybody on the show.

Sure. Okay, so hi everyone again. I'm Christopher Kwak here, born and bred out of Singapore. I'm a third-generation serial entrepreneur from Mergen. I say a family that has been running family businesses. 46 years old this year, quite a few people ask, am I really that old? So I just normally tell people, I buy a lot of cheap Korean face masks to make sure that I still retain my youth.

Sure. Okay, so hi everyone again. I'm Christopher Kwak here, born and bred out of Singapore. I'm a third-generation serial entrepreneur from Mergen. I say a family that has been running family businesses. 46 years old this year, quite a few people ask, am I really that old? So I just normally tell people, I buy a lot of cheap Korean face masks to make sure that I still retain my youth.

But in reality, about 20 years ago, I graduated from the University of Melbourne, where I was totally English speaking. And my father told me that once you graduate, off you go to our plant in China, manufacturing automotive parts. And when I went there, I had a massive culture shock, if I might say. Everybody spoke Mandarin, which is naturally expected given the fact it was in China.

But in reality, about 20 years ago, I graduated from the University of Melbourne, where I was totally English speaking. And my father told me that once you graduate, off you go to our plant in China, manufacturing automotive parts. And when I went there, I had a massive culture shock, if I might say. Everybody spoke Mandarin, which is naturally expected given the fact it was in China.

And I was struggling. I couldn't also stand the smoke. I couldn't stand all the pollution that the manufacturing plant was producing. And finally, after three days, I snuck back to Singapore. And my father saw me. He got angry. He shouted at me and he says, off you go back to China. And I told him, I said, I'd rather not do that. And I fled over to neighboring Malaysia.

And I was struggling. I couldn't also stand the smoke. I couldn't stand all the pollution that the manufacturing plant was producing. And finally, after three days, I snuck back to Singapore. And my father saw me. He got angry. He shouted at me and he says, off you go back to China. And I told him, I said, I'd rather not do that. And I fled over to neighboring Malaysia.

And I had a number of Melbourne University friends who were so kind to settle me in. And I spent another six years there in Malaysia doing my very first startup. And I decided that since I'm going to be working in Malaysia, might as well I do a business out of it. After six years, I decided to come back to Singapore. I got married and I did a few other businesses.

And I had a number of Melbourne University friends who were so kind to settle me in. And I spent another six years there in Malaysia doing my very first startup. And I decided that since I'm going to be working in Malaysia, might as well I do a business out of it. After six years, I decided to come back to Singapore. I got married and I did a few other businesses.

I ran restaurants and I also ran education student care outlets. But one of the very interesting things that went through in my career was that at that moment in time, there were quite a number of fellow entrepreneurs, whether they were running traditional businesses, they were running what we call e-commerce, digital businesses at that time.

I ran restaurants and I also ran education student care outlets. But one of the very interesting things that went through in my career was that at that moment in time, there were quite a number of fellow entrepreneurs, whether they were running traditional businesses, they were running what we call e-commerce, digital businesses at that time.

I noticed that they started coming to me and asking me for nuggets of information, advice on how they would look at things. And I just gave it. And soon be told, I guess that developed and evolved into something very interesting. I decided to start an incubator and it was supported by the Singapore government, where we gave out free government grants.

I noticed that they started coming to me and asking me for nuggets of information, advice on how they would look at things. And I just gave it. And soon be told, I guess that developed and evolved into something very interesting. I decided to start an incubator and it was supported by the Singapore government, where we gave out free government grants.

And it became a really fun journey, if I might call it, where I started to get involved very deeply in the startup ecosystem. In fact, over the last 10 years when I was doing this incubator business, I think I advised easily over 1,500 startups. not just in Singapore, but all across Southeast Asia.

And it became a really fun journey, if I might call it, where I started to get involved very deeply in the startup ecosystem. In fact, over the last 10 years when I was doing this incubator business, I think I advised easily over 1,500 startups. not just in Singapore, but all across Southeast Asia.