Experience entrepreneurship firsthand as you design, prototype, and launch your own business idea with up to $2,750K in milestone-based equity-free funding.
The “Design-Your-Own Entrepreneurship” Work-Study Elective (WSE) is a high-impact alternative to the traditional corporate internship. Over 20 weeks, you will navigate the unfiltered reality of building a business—from conducting intensive customer discovery to shipping a functional prototype. It is the ultimate bridge between academic theory and real-world execution.
Backed by milestone-based prototyping grants, you will have the capital to reduce early build friction and run real market tests. Through rigorous bi-weekly mentoring, you will confront strategic blind spots and sharpen your instincts as a founder. The journey culminates in a high-stakes Demo Day—the perfect launchpad to pitch active investors and scale your venture.
You earn up to 3 Credit Units (graded Pass/Fail to encourage bold innovation), inclusive your internship credit.
Founder Ownership
Dedicated mentor.
Demo day access.
Showcase your startup to real investors during our exclusive Demo Day near the end of the program.
Info session
Meet the Main Mentor
7 May, 7-8pm
YPHSOL Seminar Room 2-1
For questions, please contact soonloo@smu.edu.sg
“… deeply appreciate the development and mentorship I had received during my time at SMU.”
JEFF TUNG
Chairman, SY Holdings (publicly listed)
“… outstanding 0-1 entrepreneurship development.”
BENJAMIN TWOON
Co-Founder, Alta
“… gave us the courage and inspiration to pursue … at the next level.”
ADRIAN ANG
Co-Founder, Hepmil Media
Can I take other classes?
Yes. To ensure optimal learning and venture progress, you may take up to two additional courses concurrently with this WSE.
What is the weekly structure?
Every week, you are expected to spend 4 days making consistent, independent progress on your startup. Every 1-2 weeks, there will be progress check-ins, methodology workshops, and deep-dive mentoring.
Prerequisites and the prototyping grants
You do not need a fully formed idea or a technical team—solo founders are fully encouraged. The only prerequisite is a bias for action. To remove the friction of building, accepted founders have an opportunity to unlock an initial grant strictly to cover tools like software, domains, APIs, and hosting. As you hit validation milestones, you unlock further launch grants to scale your experiments. We are currently finalizing the exact tiers, so treat this capital as a bonus. If you are applying for a large cash payout, you are in the wrong place; these grants are deliberately small. The real financial upside comes from the venture you build and the industrial investments you attract later, not the prototype budget.