Meet Our EdTech Committee Co-Chairs

Meet Our EdTech Committee Chairs

SGTech’s EdTech Committee was formed in late 2020. We interviewed the Co-Chairs of the EdTech Committee, Ms Jamie Tan and Mr Stanley Chia, to find out what members can look forward to from this newly-formed committee.

Could you share more about yourselves as committee co-chairs?

Jamie: I am the founder of Flying Cape, an EdTech company that powers marketplaces specifically built for the education sector. ‘Flying Cape for Children’ is currently the most extensive tuition and enrichment marketplace in Singapore. We use this platform to provide recommendations from over 800 education brands in the private education space.

Stanley: I am the co-founder of Cialfo, a platform that provides resources for career and college guidance to counselors and students from international high schools applying to international universities. We currently serve high schools in 90 countries whose students are applying to global universities, predominantly in the US, UK, Canada and Asia.

What do you think are the challenges that Singapore companies face in your industry?

Jamie: The private education sector in Singapore was badly hit by COVID-19. Many brick-and-mortar service providers were forced to go digital to survive. Today, most traditional education centres have gone online and into the EdTech space, causing a shakeup. These companies need a lot of help and support. Associations such as SGTech can provide leverage for companies in the "eduspace".

How visible is the EdTech sector here? How can the committee help members prepare and strengthen for the future?

Stanley: Regionally, the industry has seen a massive boost in awareness from recent Unicorn investments in EdTech startups, such as in India and China. There was also a lot of publicity on Singapore EdTech startups receiving new investments in late 2020.

Apart from India and China, many investors are now considering investing in Southeast Asia. This is the right time and opportunity for the industry to get together. By bringing together a community of founders in our committee, we can share resources and grow together.

Jamie: With everything now online, there are no longer geographical boundaries or limitations. Many EdTech players are entering Singapore. This situation is both an opportunity and a threat for us. While a diversity of choices can grow the market further, existing players have to defend against the new competition.

What is the goal and vision for the committee?

Jamie: We want to support our industry and encourage Singapore companies to use Singapore brands. At the same time, there is also an opportunity to bring the Singapore brand to overseas markets. Singapore generally has an excellent reputation in Asia. As an industry association, members can band together so that we don't have to struggle alone when we venture overseas.

What are the activities planned for this year? What would you like to achieve in 2021?

Stanley: The EdTech Committee's activities this year will centre on promoting and advocating our vision, onboarding new members, organising networking events, business matching and looking at opportunities to support internationalisation and collaboration.

My aspiration is to help my fellow EdTech entrepreneurs succeed. As a community, we want to help our local companies win more funding, grow to the next stage and successfully internationalise.

Jamie: It's great that the government has identified EdTech as one of Singapore's growth pillars. With this stated interest in the industry, we expect to see the government and the private sector collaborating strongly in the future.

In the past, we were fragmented and had no collective voice. Now, as an association, we can reach out to other stakeholders in a formalised manner.

We are in a much stronger position to build a vibrant EdTech industry in Singapore and bring our education brands overseas.

What do you see as a call to action for your committee this year?

Stanley: We are new. Our immediate priority to get more EdTech firms to join our committee and be part of our vibrant community of exchange. Let's advocate for one another.

Jamie: We can be stronger together. It doesn’t matter if you are large or small. Let’s band together as a ‘Singapore’ brand and grow the EdTech industry together.

Join us!

We hope that this has given you a glimpse of the goals and focus areas for the EdTech Committee.

Contact us at [email protected] to find out more about SGTech's EdTech Committee or join us as a member.