Opening Remarks By Associate Professor Justina Tan, Vice President, Strategic Partnership & Engagement, SUSS, at the SUSS Venture Builder Demo Day 2026

Date: 3 Jun 2026

Mr Paul Kan, Country Head, SME Banking (Emerging Enterprise), UOB

Ms Connie Low, First Vice President, Emerging Enterprise, UOB

Distinguished guests, partners, faculty, and friends of SUSS

 

  1. Thank you for joining us today at the SUSS Venture Builder Demo Day, held in conjunction with Echelon Singapore 2026 – one of Asia’s leading technology and startup conferences.

     

  2. We appreciate your presence and support for our founders and the wider SUSS entrepreneurship community.

     

  3. We are honoured to have Paul and Connie from UOB here with us today, and we are grateful for UOB’s support in sponsoring two awards of S$5,000 each for our most promising impact ventures.

     

  4. At SUSS, we believe learning should remain closely connected to the realities of work, community, and everyday life. Our programmes are developed with industry and sector partners to ensure learning remains relevant to evolving needs and professional pathways and accessible across different life stages and responsibilities. Through SUSS Entrepreneurship, we extend this approach by encouraging founders to develop ventures that contribute positively to society and create meaningful impact for the communities they serve.

     

  5. A key initiative is the SUSS Venture Builder Programme, a three-month structured programme that supports aspiring and existing founders in building and sustaining impact-driven ventures. Supported by Ngee Ann Kongsi, the Mrs Lee Choon Guan Enterprising Spirit Fund, and SUSS, the programme features two tracks:

     

    • Impact track, for individuals developing impact-related or gerontology-focused ventures for the Singapore market; and the

    • Silver track, for individuals aged 50 and above embarking on entrepreneurial journeys addressing opportunities and needs in these areas.

       

  6. Since 2020, the Venture Builder Programme has supported more than 300 founders and enabled over S$2 million in venture funding.

     

  7. To our investors and industry partners, thank you for being part of this journey. Your support, networks, and mentorship play a crucial role in helping these ventures grow and create meaningful impact.

     

  8. We hope today’s Demo Day will spark new conversations, partnerships, and opportunities for collaboration, and that the pitches will inspire new ideas and possibilities.

     

  9. Thank you.