Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) believes the impact of companies in the lives of the vulnerable in our community is manifold and hence rolled out Singtel Future Makers program today. With its establishment, the Singaporean telecom aims to help social impact startups grow their business.
The telecom giant promises with this six month long program promises a cash funding of up to S$20,000 to the selected seven startups. They want to ‘help young entrepreneurs or start-ups with socially impactful ideas grow and scale their business’. Each of them will avail other non-monetary benefits namely business workshops, mentoring and coaching support from industry experts, networking opportunities. They will also gain access to commercialisation opportunities and a chance to connect to Singtel’s regional mobile associates. Candidates can apply for the program until 24 August on its website.
Singtel Vice President of Group Corporate Social Responsibility, Andrew Buay said,
Social impact start-ups want to bring about meaningful and impactful change to society. However, roadblocks in funding support, lack of experience in commercialising business ideas sustainably, and missed partnership opportunities can often hamstring even the best idea. Through Singtel Future Makers, we want to play a part to help them turn their ideas into reality.
The company took this initiative to contribute to the public’s understanding and support of social entrepreneurship. It wishes help change makers build a more inclusive society through innovative technologies. Singtel had shown its interest in social-entrepreneurship via its partnership in the Enabling Change Social Innovation Programme. It was Singapore’s first social impact tech incubator programme that focused on persons with disabilities held last year.
Singtel has been in news for quite a while. It launched largest shareable mobile data bundle in the beginning of this month. The telco also joined hands with Airtel few days before to deliver high-speed, secure data network coverage to Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the US.
