When Kelvin Ling enrolled in The NUS MBA in August 2019, he was looking to further his personal development. Little did he know that he would become the co-founder of Oleum Levo, a cleantech start-up, in the space of six months.
Kelvin stumbled into entrepreneurship when he joined a networking session at the NUS Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP), which guides postgraduate students and researchers in creating their own deep-tech start-ups. The event was organised by the programmes office some two months after his MBA journey started.
“Becoming an entrepreneur was completely unplanned,” he recalled. He joined the session because he was curious about opportunities in the entrepreneurship space. Kelvin had always wanted to work on something that he can call his own, and the event was an avenue to explore and establish contacts.
It was at GRIP where Kelvin met his future co-founder, environmental engineering PhD student Yang Xuan who was attending the event to look for a partner to drive the business aspects for his invention.
Kelvin (right) with his co-founder Yang Xuan in an exhibition
The invention in question is a membrane that separates oil from bodies of water; an outcome of Yang Xuan’s wastewater research.
From his wastewater research, Yang Xuan had developed a strong and reusable membrane that separates oil from water bodies. It was different from other products currently in the market as it was more efficient, durable and provided better cost savings.
Kelvin was sold the moment he came across Yang Xuan’s invention. Having worked in oil and gas industry and with a background in Chemistry, he is fully aware of the harmful effects of oil pollution and was excited that the membrane could help address this issue.
“The environmental impact of oil pollution is devastating as it contaminates drinking water and destroys the marine ecosystem,” said Kelvin. “I was determined to make this invention happen,” he said.
My MBA modules covering financial accounting, marketing, innovation and entrepreneurship have enhanced my knowledge and I apply them to running the firm
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At Oleum Levo, Yang Xuan focuses on research and development while Kelvin oversees operations, marketing and financials. “My MBA modules covering financial accounting, marketing, innovation and entrepreneurship have enhanced my knowledge and I apply them to running the firm,” he shared.
Besides the academic modules, The NUS MBA programme’s experiential learning core has been crucial in shaping Kelvin’s entrepreneurial journey. The “Launch Your Transformation” workshop’s focus on building soft skills provided him with key leadership insights, while the “MBA Survival Kit” taught him presentation and pitching know-how.
Kelvin then had the opportunity to apply his skills and showcase his firm at the international stage. The duo brought their idea to the CleanTech Finals Challenge after winning the Singapore Chapter stage. The competition is organised by London Business School and University College London, earlier this year. The virtual competition judges the student teams’ clean technology ideas from concept to start-up phase.
Kelvin’s online presentation at the CleanTech Challenge
While the duo did not win the finals, the budding entrepreneurs gained valuable lessons from the competition. They realised that simple and clear communication is key to helping future investors, customer and the general public understand their product. The competition was also a platform that helped validate their business idea with industry representatives.
Facing the pandemic
With the lifting of the circuit breaker, the team is looking to go ahead with a pilot project with an engineering firm that specialises in treating commercial wastewater.
Kelvin continues to keep busy, juggling his work, Oleum Levo, MBA studies and family. Although he only gets about four hours of sleep every night, he says “every cloud has a silver lining, I can spend more time with my family during this pandemic period.”
Kelvin is eagerly looking forward to the resumption of classes in the fall. Although the classes are going to be conducted online, he is keen to interact with his classmates and professors again.
“The pandemic is an ongoing challenge and we will need to adjust to new ways of working and studying. I think the School has done well to keep everyone updated on the situation and to implement social distancing measures. The BizCareers team is also actively working with industry partners to identify job placements, as well as refresh students’ career planning and choices to align with changes in the job market,” he added.
For Kelvin, his MBA journey has so far exceeded his expectations and he is looking forward to his second year. “I initially joined The NUS MBA for my personal development. Looking back at how the world has changed in the past few months, it has really transformed my perspective in how the knowledge and skills I’ve learnt so far will equip me to thrive in an uncertain future.”
