Over 55 students, alumni, industry partners and staff attended the SMU Student-Alumni Networking Dinner Event in San Francisco on 22nd April 2017. Held at the Courtyard by Marriott San Francisco Downtown, the event was organised by the Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) in partnership with the SMU Entrepreneurs Alumni Group, SMUpreneurs.
The alumni and student participants enjoyed dinner and drinks whilst networking alongside industry professionals in Silicon Valley’s renowned start-up ecosystem. With this being the first alumni networking event in San Francisco, it also signifies a milestone in OAR’s journey in reaching out to SMU alumni in various overseas destinations and promises to strengthen the network of SMU alumni globally.
The networking event is also held in conjunction with SMU’s Entrepreneurship Study Mission to Silicon Valley, a one-of-a-kind study trip that fosters alumni and student collaborations. The delegation, led by Associate Professor Low Aik Meng, comprises 28 students and 8 alumni mentors, all of whom are involved in the start-up / entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Organised by SMU School of Accountancy with tremendous support from the President of SMUpreneurs, Mr Ivan Chang (BBM 2014) and the SMU Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the study mission entails a 10-day visit to various start-ups, venture capital firms and incubators based in San Francisco. Student participants worked alongside alumni mentors to better understand the start-up ecosystem in Silicon Valley, and prepared case study reports to support the various start-ups’ Asian expansion plan.
With the success of the entrepreneurship study mission to Silicon Valley, students and alumni could look forward to more of such collaborations for future study trips.
Submitted by Linda Mulyani, BBM Graduating Class of 2017