Following a two-year hiatus of international travel and study programs, edtech company HEX has launched its first global immersive program for startup founders and students since the pandemic, designed to guide new and early-stage ideas to make them a reality.
The two-week hands-on program called Endeavour Singapore – from 2-16 July – will take place in the emerging Asian startup hub of Singapore, which has overtaken Silicon Valley as the number one place for startup talent and is home to over 3800 tech-enabled startups.
What roles does HEX play in the education sector?
Since it was founded in 2017, HEX has delivered innovation and entrepreneurship programs to over 5000 university students and the next generation of talent. It has led over 40 local, global and virtual study tours, like visits to Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tel Aviv and beyond.
HEX will be one of the first education programs restarting in Singapore, following tourism restrictions easing this month. Startups and students from around the globe will participate in the program, with early applicants joining from around Australia, UK, Vietnam and US.
Learning from business, social impact and innovation leaders like Google and Zendesk, and in collaboration with Victorian Government Trade & Investment – South East Asia, Victoria’s service offer for Aussie scaleups, participants will work on their own real business problems and iterations of their own startups with the support of business experts and mentors.
What can one expect from the Endeavor Singapore?
Throughout the program, ‘HEXies’ will learn new economy skills like rapid prototyping, market research strategies, growth hacking, pitching their idea, as well as raising capital and investment. They will have direct access to investors, accelerators, founders and experts from Australia and Singapore to arm themselves with a business support network.
Jeanette Cheah, CEO and founder of HEX, says: “We’re excited to be kicking off our first international program since the pandemic started, and have students and startup founders from all around the world join us in the fast-growing startup ecosystem of Singapore.”
“The past two years of border closures and restrictions forced us to rethink and redesign our programs and delivery, and while it was a challenge, we are proud to share that we had around 1500 students across 13 countries take part in our virtual programs.”
“As educators teaching students how to innovate and respond to the fast-changing business world, it was important for us to ‘walk the talk’ and evolve our business strategies so we could continue to thrive. It’s been a long-awaited moment to re-launch our global programs, and we’ve been working closely with Australian Government agencies to make this possible.”
“Whether you’re an early-stage startup founder with an idea or a student who is keen to learn hands-on skills and knowledge about innovation and entrepreneurship, we encourage you to apply and learn from a strong network of business experts,” she further commented.
Are there any success stories of HEX programs?
University students taking part in HEX programs are eligible to receive academic credit from participating universities. Currently, HEX is affiliated with more than 37 global universities, and has academic credit approved across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK and the US.
Nick Maina, founder of ISSAMUST, is a former HEX alumni who participated in HEX’s Singapore program in 2019, a final-year university student, and the founder of ISSAMUST – a social enterprise streetwear brand aiming to provide awareness on social issues through designs.
Prior to joining the HEX program, Nick Maina didn’t have a business idea in mind – he just knew he wanted to learn entrepreneurship and eventually start a social enterprise-based service. He did the HEX program as part of his studies at Griffith University, and during the two-week program, created the idea of a clothing brand with social purpose.
He learned everything to do with founding a business, getting funding to pitching to VCs, and credits the program as the launchpad. He says it was the ‘best experience of his life’, and the community formed remains his strong network with whom he can bounce ideas off.
HEX is accepting applications for Endeavour Singapore until midnight on Sunday 24 April.
