Cover (Image: Generation T)

He has broken the record for the highest amount raised by an individual

One of Singapore’s change-makers and our Generation T 2017 honouree, Anthony Tan, has broken another record. Not only is his ride-hailing app one of Southeast Asia’s first unicorn start-ups, but the Grab co-founder has also single-handedly raised S$202,010 (at time of writing) in support of Children's Cancer Foundation's annual outreach campaign, Hair for Hope. That’s a record-breaking sum raised by an individual since the campaign’s inauguration in 2003, and more than double of Anthony’s initial goal of S$80,000.

S$90,000 of the donations came from Masayoshi Son, founder of Japan’s SoftBank Group and Grab investor, while Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi donated S$10,000.

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Above Grab's satellite event (Image: Anthony Tan's LinkedIn)

Collectively, Grab Singapore has raised S$329,663.67 to date, with 107 driver-partners and staff participating in a satellite Hair For Hope event.

In a note posted on his LinkedIn profile, Anthony shared that the cause was “a deeply personal one” as his mother-in-law was a cancer patient, and his wife Chloe was deeply affected when she saw her mother losing her hair.

“I am a soon-to-be father of three, and I can’t imagine the grief that these children and their families go through when they receive the diagnosis and start cancer treatment,” he continued.

On Anthony’s Hair for Hope page, he wrote that “every child deserves to just be a child”, and thanked friends, family and business partners for showing their support.

The CEO shaved his head for the campaign on July 11, during a company leadership retreat in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

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Above Anthony and his son (Image: Anthony Tan's LinkedIn)

The official Hair for Hope event took place on July 27 and 28 at VivoCity, drawing in 2,826 volunteers. Combined with its 52 satellite events, the 2019 campaign has garnered more than 5,400 volunteers and raised more than S$4 million.

The campaign will continue accepting donations until September 30, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going towards the Children’s Cancer Foundation. Do your part here.

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