Told in a narrative, story-telling style, this book tells the story of how NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) was founded, and the critical role played by the NOC in the development of Singapore's startup ecosystem. It chronicles how the founders overcame various challenges to launch the first NOC run in 2002. Featuring the experiences of many individuals whose lives have been touched by the programme, the book captures the early days of NOC startup entrepreneurs who are now household names in the Singapore startup scene. It is a must-read for readers interested in entrepreneurship and how it can be nurtured, and those who are keen to understand the history of Singapore's startup ecosystem.
Professor Chee Yeow Meng is Director of the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme, Vice Provost (Technology-Enhanced and Experiential Learning) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and a Professor at the Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Management. As Director, he spearheads the university's experiential entrepreneurship education programmes. Professor Chee was also Associate Vice President (Innovation and Enterprise) from 2019 to 2022.
Preceding his tenure at NUS, Professor Chee was Head of the Division of Mathematical Sciences (2008–2010), Chair of the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (2011–2017), and Interim Dean of the College of Science (2018–2019) at the Nanyang Technological University.
Prior to entering academia, Professor Chee held senior positions in public service, participated in national level committees, and represented Singapore in various international forums and councils.
Professor Chee also embarked on the entrepreneurship path as a co-founder of a spin-off company and went on to found several start-ups before returning to public service and eventually joining NUS. He continues to be actively involved in the start-up ecosystem.
Professor Chee is a Fellow and Council Member of the Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications, and a senior member of IEEE. His research interest lies in the interplay between combinatorics and computer science, especially coding theory, extremal set systems, and their applications.
He received the BMath, MMath, and PhD degrees in computer science from the University of Waterloo in 1988, 1989, and 1996, respectively.
Grace Chng is a well-respected and deeply sourced veteran tech writer with a ringside view of key global tech events. She also has in-depth knowledge of the influencers and entrepreneurs of Singapore's start-up ecosystem. Grace was the tech editor for Singapore's morning daily newspaper, The Straits Times, from 1993 to 2014, where she wrote and edited stories on technology development and issues in Singapore and the world.
She has written two other books, namely Intelligent Island, the Untold Story of Singapore's Tech Journey and Zero To 30: Singapore's Supercomputing Journey.
About NUS Overseas Colleges
At NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC), selected students will get to work at leading entrepreneurial hotspots across the globe which include Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City, New York, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Stockholm and Toronto ― while taking classes at our renowned partner universities like Stanford University and Tsinghua University. Our programmes run between six to twelve months for first-hand insights into innovative start-ups, to experience the challenges faced by the founders and launch your next big idea. That's why the NOC programme isn't just another internship, it's an experience of a lifetime. We are home to over 3,600 NOC alumni who have founded over 1,000 startups globally.
