SS Startathon: Post-event Heart To Heart Talk
Sustainable Sustainability Startathon (SSS) is a first-of-its-kind startathon organized by students from NOC and OEP to empower and nurture aspiring entrepreneurs, makers, and innovators to solve real-world sustainability problems. The execution of this startathon was unprecedented, given that this startathon was organized from scratch with almost zilch resources and connections from the start.
Today, we have with us Benjamin Chia (Organizing Director; also B29 SHEN President) and Joevina Ong (Head of Marketing; also B29 SHEN Vice-President of Operations) to share their journey in organizing SSS and their thoughts on the whole process.
Qn: How do you feel now that SSS is over?
Benjamin [B]: I feel relieved and very surprised at how well things turned out! It was heartening to have participants and all our partners thanking us for our efforts. It was especially flattering when many of them asked for a second run; some even offered their support for us to go global! I am immensely touched by the positive responses from everyone.
Joevina [J]: If you want the model answer: fulfilling. But if you want my honest opinion: liberating. (Kidding. Okay, half kidding.) But honestly, *touch my heart*, it was pretty satisfying when you see months of hard work coming to fruition, with the participants enjoying themselves. You know that all the late nights and being distracted at work (oops) were all worth it.
Qn: Did the event turn out how the team envisioned?
B: While things turned out to be different from what we expected, I think the core idea and event ran as we intended for them to be — for example, the show-and-tell booth, cash prize, and incubation opportunity. We had hopes to have Minister Chan Chun Sing gracing the event as part of his trip to Shanghai, but it was difficult for him to visit due to his busy schedule.
J: It did, or even better than we envisioned. Our team did not expect this event to be such a success after experiencing a few firefighting incidents. Well, some things just didn’t go as planned. I was surprised to hear that people specially flew down to Shanghai for the startathon. It was also heartwarming to receive numerous encouraging feedbacks from attendees. Some said that they wouldn’t have known that this was a student-initiated event as it looked professional. Participants had fun; one of them even initiated a LinkedIn group to stay connected. It’s nice to see an organically-born community — something we did not plan for.
Qn: What were some of your concerns when you first embarked on this project?
B: My concern was whether I could manage my time. When I took on this project, I was in the main organizing committee for a Singapore National Day event, on top of other commitments such as work, NOC Projects, SHEN Ex-Co, and Fudan modules. I had a lot of things to juggle with and I wasn’t sure if I had the time for SSS. But I supposed my inner sadism decided to see how far I could push myself. There were many times when I felt exhausted, but I held on by sheer grit.
J: I had reservations about joining the organizing team as it was a busy period for me at work. Furthermore, I am not a big fan of commitment and responsibilities. But like what they say, be uncomfortable with the comfortable. I officially joined the team later than the rest, but I am glad that the core organizing team was formed by a group of supportive people :’)
Qn: What are the fun parts in organizing this startathon?
B: This might sound like I’m a crazy workaholic (you are), but I like face to face meetings. I find that in NOC, we are all busy with our own work such that we don’t have a time where all of us sit down and spend time together. I see this startathon as a great opportunity for everyone to bond together. We would eat together and talk nonsense during meetings. It might have made those meetings a little less productive but overall, the time spent together helped to bring the team closer.
J: Talking to people, loads of people — be it the participants, mentors, speakers, guests or just our own people. I am glad to say that bonds have been formed and I’m still in contact with some of the participants even after the event ended!
Qn: Would you choose to do SSS again if you had the choice?
B: Yes. I’ve learned so many things during this project. In fact, the core team is considering having a second run due to overwhelming requests from our participants, mentors, and judges.
J: I would. I am surprised to hear myself say that but yes, I would. After planning for several events, I have to say that event planning is one of the most burnt-out things to do. But when you are rewarded with smiles and joyous tears of the people who were part of the startathon, you know it is all worth it.
Thank you, Benjamin, and Joevina for their heartfelt experiences and the amount of hard work that they put into SSS. We are certain that this startathon will kickstart the journey towards a more sustainable world. Looking forward to Sustainable Sustainability Startathon 2019!
