Last year, during peak-pandemic, we supported Mentor For Hope, and that was just the beginning!

"Makan For Hope Festival" is launched!

This year, the startup and investment community in Southeast Asia is co-creating a first-of-its-kind “Makan For Hope Festival”, to inspire entrepreneurs through meaningful virtual dialogues over food and fundraise $125,000 to support vulnerable communities impacted by COVID, in conjunction with Fei Yue’s 30th anniversary. We are glad to lend support once again!

As reported in April 2020, many of some 300,000 Singapore residents who earn below $2,000 have seen sudden dips in their income during the pandemic, especially after new measures on April 7 restricted businesses deemed non-essential, among other things.

The Makan For Hope Festival is a series of 30 online roundtable conversations taking place over lunches or dinners from June 24th to July 30th 2021. At each session, a seasoned founder or investor will host and share best practices, experiences or industry insights with 10 entrepreneurs or aspiring founders to inspire and encourage peer learning. These hosts include CEO of Carousell, Shopback and Helicap as well as partners at Vertex Ventures, Golden Gate venturers and Monk’s Hill Ventures.

The hosts are taking the lead in raising donations by donating minimally $1,000 while interested participants donate $100 (early bird price) to attend one of the sessions.

"Last year, I lost my job during the pandemic and I can empathize with the deep financial impact
on families and individuals. I feel encouraged by like-minded and warm hearted individuals, such
as Andrew Tan, who band together to raise funds for Singapore-based charity Fei Yue. Funds raised will pay for much needed emergency funds, occupational and speech therapy for children from Fei Yue’s Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) from low income families, as well as for elderly living in rental flats supported by the Active Ageing Centres (AAC)." Elise TAN Yee Ling, 35, co-founder Makan For Hope.

Early bird registration for Makan for Hope Festival sessions will begin on www.makanforhope.org on 10 June 2021.

Aspiring entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs who are facing financial assistance may request for sponsorship. Meals for each session will be catered from social enterprises such as Soul Food and Pope Jai Thai and delivered to participants’ homes.

“I know what a privilege it is to learn from people’s experiences and that’s something Mentor For Hope made more accessible. The idea for Makan For Hope sparked while thinking how to bring the startup ecosystem, including companies and users from Wantedly, together and give back in different ways to create long-lasting impact. It is easy to have goodwill in good times, but in these trying times, how we help others will make a greater difference.” Andrew TAN, 35, Country Manager of Wantedly Singapore.

“For over 30 years, Vertex has been an active participant in and a beneficiary of the Singapore
start-up ecosystem. #MakanForHope initiative is one of the many programs that we have
participated to give back to the ecosystem and help the disadvantaged population in
Singapore.”-- Carmen YUEN, Partner of Vertex Ventures.

“SVCA is very proud to be partnering with Makan for Hope this year. This collaboration is
uniquely attuned to SVCA’s role to help bring together VC mentors, successful entrepreneurs,
technology leaders and startup founders to create learning opportunities through meaningful
conversations and at the same time give back to the community during this difficult period.
Under SVCA Cares, we have in the past raised funds for charitable causes through auctions at
our Gala Dinner. The collaboration with Makan for Hope is the first of many new initiatives that
we have planned under the SVCA Cares banner for the venture and private capital industry in
Singapore to give back to society beyond the role that we in any case play in fostering
innovation and job and economic value creation.” - Sanjay GUJRAL, Chairman of SVCA.

“It is crucial that we focus on those who are deeply affected by this pandemic and provide our
time, donations and heart to aid these beneficiaries in need. On behalf of the Tech community in
SEA, I look forward to hosting virtual roundtable conversations to inspire and nurture future
leaders in the tech and financial industry.” -- David Z WANG, co-founder and Group CEO of
Helicap.

To find out more information about this charity initiative for the startup ecosystem and beyond, please visit https://www.giving.sg/campaigns/makanforhope2021.

About Makan For Hope
Makan for Hope is a non-profit initiative of Asia Startup Network. We are a community of
startup founders, investors, accelerators and incubators, helping startups grow across Asia
Pacific, USA and Europe. Central to our approach is the spirit of paying it forward. In 2020 we
organized “Gratitude-Covid mentoring” and raised $43.000.
https://www.makanforhope.org

About Fei Yue Community Services
Fei Yue Family Service Centre started in 1991 and provided counselling services to support
families in need. Five years later, Fei Yue Community Services was established as societal
needs evolved over time. Our range of social services and capabilities have since expanded
and today, we collectively serve over 80,000 clients annually.
With over 600 Fei Yue passionate professionals to support and serve the communities, we are
deeply connected with our communities and operate more than 34 centres island wide. We
serve and attend to families in need, children with special needs or come from abusive homes,
youth-at-risk, caregivers, prison inmates, couples looking to adopt, people with mental health
issues and needs, and the elderly.
https://www.fycs.org

About SVCA
The Singapore Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (SVCA) is a not-for-profit
organisation formed in 1992 to promote the development of the venture capital (VC) and private
equity (PE) industry. The association strives to promote the professional development of the
industry and facilitate interaction and collaboration among its members. The association also
acts as a platform for dialogue on regulatory and policy issues pertaining to VC and PE and
builds linkages to centres of VC and PE activities in the region.
https://www.svca.org.sg