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Funding Startups

  • Finance & Investment
  • Innovation & Business Improvement
Next Intake: 25 Jun 2025 (Wed)
  • Basic
  • SkillsFuture
  • Short Courses

This module is conducted in-person.

Next course starts on
25 Jun 2025 (Wed) See Full Schedule
Fee
SGD1,090* (as low as SGD127 after maximum funding) Learn More
Duration

1 Full Day (Weekday)

Level
Basic

Who Should Attend

  • Professionals interested in achieving funding for their startups 
  • Entrepreneurs aspiring to have their own startups


PREREQUISITES

There are no prerequisites for this programme. Prior knowledge on any of the topics is not required.

Overview

Raising startup funding is one of the most exciting and challenging tasks for a company. The CEO searches for investors, loans, grants and other forms of funding to help their business grow. If successful, the startup has the capital to continue building its products or providing new features to customers. If not, the company may have to close its doors forever.

Startup funding is at an all-time high. Global venture funding hit $437 billion in Q3 of 2021, up from $284 billion in 2020. Startups around the world benefit from this influx of capital, with the average global deal size at $25 million. Startups worldwide raised a total of $641 billion from investors in 2021.

How do you get a piece of the funding pie? This course explains the essentials of startup funding so participants know what types are available, how funding rounds work, and how to get money to start and grow their business.

Programme Partner

 

Learning Objectives

At the end of the 1-day course, participants will be able to:

  • Gain an overview of the role and types of funding for a startup

  • Understand the stakeholders and steps to take and the factors to consider to achieve funding for startups in Singapore

  • Understand the common reasons for failing to achieve funding for startups and how to mitigate/prevent these pitfalls

  • Discover funding-related insights from both successful and failed FinTech and Tech startup case studies

  • Know what metrics are used to measure the success rate for funding

  • Learn how to manage the funding obtained

  • Understand the risks of funding and what you can do to overcome them

Assessment

As part of the requirement for SkillsFuture Singapore, there will be an assessment conducted at the end of the course. The mode of assessment, which is up to the trainer’s discretion, may be an online quiz, a presentation or based on classroom exercises.

Participants are required to attain a minimum of 75% attendance and pass the associated assessment in order to receive a digital Certificate of Completion issued by Singapore Management University.

Calculate Programme Fee

Click here for more infomation about SkillsFuture Credits (Not applicable for Company-sponsored participants)
For PSEA - Available only for Singapore Citizen below 31 (Not applicable for Company-sponsored participants)

Total Program Fee: SGD0.00

Fee Table

COMPANY-SPONSORED

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

SELF-SPONSORED

SME

NON-SME

Singapore Citizen < 40 years old

Permanent Resident

LTVP+

$327

(After SSG Funding 70%)

$127

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ ETSS Funding 20%)

$327

(After SSG Funding 70%)

Singapore Citizen ≥ 40 years old

$127

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ MCES Funding 20%)

$127

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ ETSS Funding 20%)

$127

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ MCES Funding 20%)

International Participant

$1,090

(No Funding)

$1,090

(No Funding)

$1,090

(No Funding)

All prices include 9% GST

Please note that the programme fees are subject to change without prior notice.

Post Secondary Education Account (PSEA)
PSEA can be utilised for subsidised programmes eligible for SkillsFuture Credit support. Click here to find out more.

Self Sponsored

SkillsFuture Credit

Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use their SkillsFuture Credits to pay for the course fees. The credits may be used on top of existing course fee funding.

This is only applicable to self-sponsored participants. Application to utilise SkillsFuture Credits can be submitted when making payment for the course via the SMU Academy TMS Portal, and can only be made within 60 days of course start date.

Please click here for more information on the SkillsFuture Credit. For help in submitting an SFC claim, you may wish to refer to our step-by-step guide on claiming SkillsFuture Credits (Individual).

Workfare Skills Support Scheme

From 1 July 2023, the Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme has been enhanced. Please click here for more details.

Company Sponsored

Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (ETSS)

  • Organisation must be registered or incorporated in Singapore
  • Employment size of not more than 200 or with annual sales turnover of not more than $100 million
  • Trainees must be hired in accordance with the Employment Act and fully sponsored by their employers for the course
  • Trainees must be Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents
  • Trainees must not be a full-time national serviceman
  • Trainees are eligible for ETSS funding only if their company's SME status is approved prior to the course commencement date. To verify your SME's status, please click here. 

Please click here for more information on ETSS.

Absentee Payroll

Companies who sponsor their employees for the course may apply for Absentee Payroll here. For more information, please refer to:

AP Guide (Non-SME Companies)
Declaration Guide (SME Companies)

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Trainers

Lee Junxian
Co-founder
GoodWhale
Lee Junxian
Co-founder
GoodWhale

Junxian is the Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of GoodWhale, a platform designed to help aspiring investors achieve good and enduring investing health. Before GoodWhale, he co-founded and served as CEO of Moovaz, a global mobility platform addressing key pain points in cross-border logistics, which has since been acquired. He was also Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of CashShield, a big-data analytics and enterprise risk management firm with a presence in the American, Chinese, European, and Southeast Asian markets, backed by prominent investors like GGV Capital, Heliconia Capital, Razer, and Tony Fadell.

 

Junxian was part of the founding team of Alta (formerly Fundnel), a fintech company operating across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia, Brunei, and India. He played a key role in SEA Ltd (NYSE: SE), particularly in launching its e-commerce business, Shopee, in Southeast Asia. Passionate about the Food & Beverage industry, he co-owns Reedz Café Pte Ltd, catering to tertiary education and business park communities.

 

Junxian serves as an innovation and business advisor to several listed companies and is a Venture Partner at Iterative Venture Capital. He holds a Master's in Economics and Finance from Harvard University, an MBA from Fudan University, and a Bachelor's in Business Administration from the National University of Singapore. He is also committed to philanthropy and education, serving on advisory boards and speaking at TED Talks.

 

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