ASN Pre-founder Catalyst Bootcamp - New Year edition
Are you at career crossroads and want more control over your life?
Do you wish to run a business but don't know whether if entrepreneurship is really for you?
Stop Waiting. Start Building: Make 2025 the Year You Finally Launch Your Dream Business!
If you were held back by fears of failure or self-doubt to become an entrepreneur, you’re not alone.
Here’s your chance to break free and take the first decisive step toward building the business you’ve always envisioned.
The ASN Pre-founder Catalyst Program is here to guide you through the uncertainties, demystify the process, and help you discover if entrepreneurship is your true calling.
This isn’t just another workshop. It’s a comprehensive startup bootcamp and year long program designed to kickstart your entrepreneurial journey, and get you started, together with like-minded others who are also beginning their startup journey. Hosted by the Asia Startup Network (ASN), this program offers:
Curated, actionable content to help you avoid common pitfalls.
Hands-on workshops, a startup hackathon, and real-time mentorship to help you transform ideas into action.
Practise pitching to seasoned investors and entrepreneurs
Regular Follow up meet ups to keep you going - organised specially for Bootcamp participants to discuss challenges and small/big wins
Access to networking events and a vibrant community of 1,000+ entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors across Asia
Our Gift to you: Amazon top seller: THE SMART BUSINESS STARTUP FOUNDER’S GUIDEBOOK: Launching, Building & Scaling Your Entrepreneurial Vision Successfully Book by Adrian Thoo ($24.90 in Value)
Personalised mentorship (additional)
Plus, you’ll leave with a clear roadmap to launch and grow your business—without quitting your full-time job prematurely.
NEW! Prizes to be won for bootcamp participants:
For the most promising startup from our bootcamp, stand to win S$1,000 in cash funding and additional startup package worth $20,000 of mentorship, discounts and credits from partners.
Selected promising startups from the bootcamp will also gain valuable opportunity to pitch at upcoming angel pitching events organised by Asia Startup Network.
Bootcamp Program Highlights
1h Virtual Vision Boarding session video (sent to participant upon sign up)
Pre-workshop learning: 6 days of Self-paced materials introducing essential startup concepts to fast-track your progress.
In-person workshop on 22 Feb, Saturday from 10am to 5pm: Dive deep into the foundations of entrepreneurship, refine your ideas in a hackathon, Pitch to seasoned investor and entrepreneurs and get live feedback.
Post-bootcamp support:
Our gift to you: THE SMART BUSINESS STARTUP FOUNDER’S GUIDEBOOK: Launching, Building & Scaling Your Entrepreneurial Vision Successfully by Adrian Thoo to find answers to the questions you have during your startup building journey
Stay connected with a supportive network via groupchat, get tips and recommendations for services and products you need when starting your business (legal, incorporation etc)
Regular meet ups with like minded we make sure you keep going - organised specially for Bootcamp participants to discuss challenges and small/big wins
Monthly events such as pitching events, panels and fireside chats with investors and entrepreneurs to continue learning and growing.
Personalised mentorship (Optional)
Investment in Your Future - choose from the following options:
S$600 (7 days self paced learning +7h bootcamp+self-guided journey)
S$999 (7 days self paced learning +7h bootcamp+with personalised mentorship, including 3 one-on-one sessions)
SkillsFuture credits accepted. (check your credits here) Contact us at marketing@asiastartupnetwork.com if you wish to use the credits. Note that the personalised mentorship option has to be topped up with cash.
Please email marketing@asiastartupnetwork.com for the curriculum covered on the bootcamp day itself.
Why Now?
Entrepreneurship doesn’t wait for the “perfect time.” If you’ve been searching for a sign, this is it. Start 2025 with clarity, confidence, and a concrete plan to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality.
Spots are limited, so act fast! Sign up here and join a growing ecosystem of aspiring founders who are turning their ideas into thriving businesses.
Don’t let another year pass you by. Take charge, take action, and make 2025 the year you finally bring your dream business to life!
Our mentors and Judges
Adrian Thoo
Adrian Thoo is a seasoned strategist and visionary leader with a proven track record in guiding startups to success. As a Business Strategy Director at Blazing Conversions and Senior Advisor at Beltap Capital, Adrian brings a wealth of experience across diverse industries, including luxury fashion, education, media, finance, consulting, and technology.
Author of the Amazon #1 "Smart Business Startup Founder's Guidebook," Adrian's expertise lies in crafting effective business strategies, mentoring startups, and fostering entrepreneurial growth. With a deep understanding of the startup ecosystem, he works closely with Venture Capital firms to create accelerator and mentorship programs that empower entrepreneurs to achieve their full potential.
Nison Chan
Nison is the Partnerships Lead at e27, with nearly a decade of experience as a startup founder and venture partner in venture capital.
He collaborates with VCs, accelerators, and government agencies to connect startups with critical resources and networks.
As a founder, Nison successfully expanded his business to Silicon Valley, with critical presence in Singapore, Korea, and KL in 4 years.
He has a proven track record of identifying high-potential startups, developing investment decks, and facilitating connections with investors and industry experts.
Aparna Saxena
Aparna Bhatnagar Saxena is a feminist, a vegan, an environmentalist.
She has lived and worked in 4 countries in Asia and is now an impact entrepreneur, and having previously worked in start-ups, SMEs, larger corporations and impact businesses.
Under her leadership, TORAJAMELO has cemented its identity as a slow ethical lifestyle business, with a BCorp certification, PETA Vegan approved stamp, and Forum Fair Trade Indonesia membership.
The organization has a strong ESG focus and works on environmental, social, and cultural sustainability of indigenous communities of Indonesia. Aparna also launched AHANA, a showcase of curated ethical brands that is a focused move towards making conscious consumerism mainstream.
Aparna is co-founder of Vriksh Impact Partners, a boutique impact investment and advisory firm in India that is focused on supporting early stage businesses especially women founded and plant-based businesses.
As the Indonesia lead of Asia Start-up Network, Aparna’s role is to lead a thriving network that collaborates and supports entrepreneurs and businesses across the ASEAN region.
Aparna regularly coaches and mentors Female entrepreneurs and social impact entrepreneurs across Asia Pacific on leadership development, running small businesses, ESG fundamentals, and managing during difficult times.
What our past participants said
Average Rating: 5.0/5.0 on Luma
Jess: "I really enjoyed the pre-reading, workshop, pitch and the networking session! :)
Thank you for organising this wonderful session! It was well organised, concise, compact and yet impactful!
I am also appreciative of the clear "instructions" notes next steps in the emails sent to the participants which speak volumes the attentiveness and passion behind all these :)
Your sharings and insights have indeed crystalised my next steps which I will be taking. Thank u for rendering your support which I deeply appreciate!"
Sihan Chia: "The Asia Startup Prefounder Catalyst program is a content-rich and action-packed workshop that I would recommend to anyone who is thinking of building their own startup. It was a great learning experience working on a lean canvas and understanding the elements of building a business idea.
The instructors Andrew, Elise, and Kai were clear and concise in their delivery of the course material, which made it easy to digest concepts such as the lean startup and methodology. They also invited guest speakers who were seasoned startup founders, who gave their valuable perspective and insights generously. The friendly atmosphere was conducive for asking plenty of questions and getting feedback, which was really helpful for clarity. "
Sign up now
Join ASN Pre-founder Catalyst program as an individual but expect to graduate into a large vibrant and supportive startup ecosystem and mentorship support.
Interested to take it to the next step? Simply sign up on Lu.ma!
What happens after this Pre-founder Program
Continue to join us for our second program. We understand that entrepreneurship demands more than just business savvy—it requires strong leadership and communication skills. That's why our second course includes advanced topics and workshops focused on enhancing your leadership abilities and communication prowess.
If you're ready to embark on this transformative journey or have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to marketing@asiastartupnetwork.com. Let's unlock your full potential together. Visit www.asiastartupnetwork.com/accelerate for more details.
Photos from our past bootcamps
Why The Pre-Founder Catalyst Bootcamps?
Our curriculum stands out for its blend of Eastern and Western philosophies, offering a comprehensive approach that extends beyond technical skills. Led by a team of seasoned operators and investors, we prioritize not only business acumen but also personal development, helping you uncover your passions and craft a sustainable business idea aligned with your life goals.
About Asia Startup Network
ASN didn’t start as an educational institute or training centre. ASN is a living, thriving startup ecosystem. Their founders have spent more than one decade coaching and supporting entrepreneurs and created one of the largest communities of > 3,000 startup founders, operators, investors and partners in Southeast Asia to collaborate and support each other’s growth. Since 2020, ASN has been organising 100s of startup workshops, events and programs to help entrepreneurs leapfrog their growth and raise funding. Join ASN for the knowledge, but stay because of the network. These are the reasons why taking a course at ASN and quickly plugging into the community would move the needle more than you expect.
ASN is founded by Elise Tan and Andrew Tan. Elise has experience designing programs and personally coaching hundreds of founders at incubators and accelerators for over 10 years. She assisted more than 40 companies in raising more than US$1 million each. Andrew has more than 10 years of leadership experience founding his own social enterprise, building start ups and managing scale ups, as well as running ground up initiatives and communities, Andrew has a proven track record of driving growth and success and this will be transferred directly to this accelerator and its startups.
ASN began firstly with Mentor For Hope in 2020, an impactful mentoring initiative initially supported by the Temasek Foundation under the OSCAR grant. The initiative facilitated 525 mentoring hours for 300 founders adversely affected by the COVID crisis, connecting them with invaluable insights from 250 investors, partners, and experts.
In 2021, Elise and Andrew organised Makan For Hope Festival (with zero budget), a series of 30 virtual roundtables featuring VC managing partners and founders from notable startups like PropertyGuru, Shopback, and Carousell. The festival drew participation from 500 attendees, raising $123,000 in charity donations.
Sign up at now on Lu.ma here!