EPIC 2019: Startup Career Fair
EPIC 2019, an innovation festival has ended on a high note. This year, over 800 attendees from all walks of life came down to Launchpad @ one-north to immerse themselves within the Singapore vibrant ecosystem.
Jointly organised by Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) and Jurong Town Corporation (JTC), the theme was “Experience the Power of innovation and Collaboration,” sparking panel discussions, company visits and startup career fair. Countless conversations revolve around everything from the inspiring stories of entrepreneurs to the challenges faced by corporates to trends in co-innovation, start-up space, and new business models. Through it all, industry experts, innovation enablers, SMEs, corporates, startups, students, and professionals shared their knowledge and experience.
With the rise in the number of startups with entrepreneurship and innovation taking place, the buzz that created at the startup career fair is not to be missed! It drew a large crowd of jobseekers from diploma graduates to final year undergraduates to experienced professionals seeking to learn more about the available opportunities for them. More than 35 startups representing a variety of industries including health, sports and social enterprise were offering jobs in the different fields from marketing, business development to technical roles. The startup career fair aims to heighten the awareness of working in startups, connect talents to the opportunities and increase new growing industry awareness.
“From what I recalled; this is my first time at a startup career fair which explains why my booth is pretty empty! [laughs] It’s been quite a good experience and I have met a few potential candidates who will be sending in their resumes to me. It’s also great to see another sports tech company here which can be quite rare in Singapore,” said Akira Hirakawa, Co-founder at Red Dot Drone.
Eleanor Wong, Marketing Manager at Smartfuture hopes to create more awareness to people about their IoT and AI – enabled healthcare solutions and to spread the idea of prevention is better than cure. Their portable kiosks allow users to check their key health metrics such as blood pressure, blood glucose and receive fitness recommendations.
“It is challenging to overthrow the traditional healthcare mindset but as time goes by, we believe that we can change that with greater exposure in public areas. On the hiring side, we are looking for interns in the business development and marketing field. We would like to expose students to the world of entrepreneurship and startups. They can learn a lot and understand the hard work that entrepreneurs have to go through,” said Ms. Wong.
Aspiring youths at the career fair looking to take up the challenge of working in a fast-growing startup were enthusiastic and ready to get their hands dirty. When asked about the lean manpower that some startups might have, most youths were not afraid to shoulder more responsibility and see it as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Things are indeed changing. Startups are gaining popularity among youths who are entering the workforce and now seeing it as one of their possible career choices.
Amanda Yang, final year undergraduate student is passionate about technology, specifically in supporting start-ups in their quest for disruptive technology. Having worked in a startup before, she enjoys the collaborative work culture.
“It’s really cool to see so many startups are here today. Back then, these are almost non-existent. In just a few years, our startup scene is sprouting and continue to grow from strength to strength. Working in a startup pretty much means that you have to do everything regardless is it mundane or challenging. A steep learning curve, fast-paced environment, close-knit teams. You will stretch yourself beyond what you think is possible, ” said Ms. Yang.
A large proportion of experienced professionals also made up the crowd. Among them was a 35-year-old software developer who wanted to be known as Mr. Lim is considering a job switch to the deep tech industry. He said, “I came down to find out more what the startups have to offer, and I do agree that working in startups might result in a pay cut. However, it would be worthwhile if I can find the one that I am passionate about and I want to put my skills to test.”
Employment landscape in Singapore is indeed evolving due to the rise of startups and demographic change in the workplace (Millennials and forward-thinking professionals). These call for new perspectives and the impact of startups on the economy will remain vital in the years to come. We look forward to continuing to attract talents and connect them with the startups to build a robust and connected startup ecosystem.