Singapore lah? James Norris

Where is the best place in the world for a social entrepreneur to live and build a social enterprise?

1. New York City London Tokyo Paris Hong Kong Chicago Los Angeles Singapore Sydney Seoul Brussels San Francisco Washington Toronto Beijing Berlin Madrid Vienna Boston Frankfurt2.78

Alpha++ world cities: London, New York Alpha+ world cities: Beijing, Hong Kong, Milan, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo Alpha world cities: Brussels, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Moscow, Mumbai, Seoul, Toronto Alpha− world cities: Amsterdam, Athens, Auckland, Bangkok, Budapest, Caracas, Dublin, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Jakarta, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Prague, Rome, Santiago, São Paulo, Stockholm, Taipei, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich

1. Defend your assertions with data or logical conjecture 2. “Criticize by creating” an alternative answer/solution (paraphrasing Michelangelo) 3. Be nice

Where is the best place for a social entrepreneur in 2020? Where is the best place for a bootstrapping social entrepreneur? Where is the best place for a well-financed social entrepreneur? Where is the best place for a newbie social entrepreneur? Where is the best place for a seasoned social entrepreneur?

How do you reach your customers or beneficiaries? Do you distribute online or through physical channels? Are there relevant industry clusters anywhere? Etc.

1. Access to talent 2. Access to funding 3. Access to markets 4. Good business climate 5. Supportive culture

Very high standard of living which draws talent in Liberal immigration laws for foreign talent #1 labor force in world

S$1M social innovation challenge S$588K social enterprise competition Asia’s first social stock exchange Growing venture philanthropy community S$300K grants for social entrepreneurs focusing on employing disadvantaged Singaporeans S$200K grants for enterprises focused on volunteerism or philanthropy S$50K grants for young entrepreneurs under 26 #1 in Asia for philanthropy and #1 in world for concentration of millionaires

Geographically situated between three of the largest markets in the world: China, India, and Indonesia Airport rated #2 in world with multiple discount airlines flying the region

#1 place in world to do business 80% of population is English-literate and much of the other 20% can speak at least the basics Very low corporate income taxes and zero tax on first S$100,000 for first three years No capital gains taxes Tied for #1 for lack of corruption Effective government bodies work to support enterprise #1 at protection of intellectual property

Approximately 150 existing social enterprises Online community-edited directory for the social sector (“a Wikipedia for people who care”) Dedicated social enterprise association Multiple dedicated social entrepreneur co-working spaces being built Multiple dedicated academic institutions Established degree program in social entrepreneurship at polytechnic level Widely circulated sector-focused publication read by people in over 650 cities Five million residents and 9.7 million annual international travelers concentrated in a very densely populated space (with an amazing transportation system) creates a unique melting pot of ideas

Very small domestic market of 5 million Financing for small to mid-sized social enterprises may currently be difficult past pre-seed stage, especially until the Impact Investment Exchange opens and the venture philanthropy community grows Very risk-averse society Local Singaporeans are effectively indifferent to social entrepreneurs (only 12% have heard of the term)

0 million more people in Europe 4 million more people in Oceania 31 million more people in North America 57 million more people Latin American 243 million more people in Africa 429 million more people in Asia

James Norris