The social entrepreneur on pushing for change and creating sustainable impact
There is a nerd in all of us—whether driven by the satisfaction of solving mathematical problems or obsessing over the mythical world in Game of Thrones. For Audrey Tan, her passion lies in alleviating poverty in Southeast Asia through technology.
“I’ve tinkered with technology since I was a teenager, and created my own fashion e-commerce website when I was 18,” says the Generation T 2018 honouree. “In my third year at the National University of Singapore, I got to study technology entrepreneurship at Stanford University as part of the NUS Overseas College programme. It was then that I also did a product marketing stint at Qik, a live video mobile application firm (later acquired by Skype), which opened my eyes to the benefits of using tech for good.”
Upon completing her overseas stint in 2009, Audrey returned to Singapore and started PlayMoolah with her friend Min Lee to increase financial literacy among youths. In 2016, she established Angels of Impact with social impact investor Laina Greene to fund, support and provide marketplace access to female-led social enterprises battling poverty in the Asean region. Here, she tells us more about the inspiration behind her social entrepreneurial ventures and how she's hoping to impact society.