Inside Our Sold-Out F&B Prefounder Catalyst Workshop
- elisetanyeeling
- Aug 2
- 3 min read
Thinking of launching your own café, restaurant, or cloud kitchen? You’re not alone. The F&B industry in Singapore continues to attract passionate professionals, side hustlers, and aspiring founders ready to take the leap. But the real question is: how do you go from idea to outlet—without burning out or breaking the bank?
That’s exactly why we created the ASN F&B PreFounder Catalyst Bootcamp, a first-of-its-kind initiative in Asia to help aspiring food entrepreneurs build real business skills from real operators.
The Idea: From Conversation to Community
This bootcamp was born out of a casual conversation months ago with Ee Chien Chua, F&B veteran and former owner of the Jekyll & Hyde bar. Together, we envisioned a learning space where aspiring founders could cut through the fluff and learn from those who’ve built, scaled, and survived.
On July 19, 2025, that idea came to life—hosted at the beautiful Santino Coffee HQ, with warm hospitality from Harvey Yew, Head of Marketing & Sales, who served up endless lattes and cappuccinos for our guests.
🔥 Highlights from the F&B Bootcamp Panels
Panel 1: Passion vs. Reality
Speakers:
Fu Yong Hong (CEO & Co-founder, Greendot)
Jacinta Lee (Former Master Franchisee, Wrap & Roll)
Moderated by Elise Tan
Key takeaways:
How Greendot scaled from a canteen stall to 15 islandwide outlets
The tradeoffs between master franchising vs. owning a single outlet
“What we wish we knew before we started”
Real-life turning points that nearly broke the business
Panel 2: Routes to Market – Picking Your Model
Speakers:
Ee Chien Chua (ex-Jekyll & Hyde)
Kian Peng Ang (Founder, The Social Kitchen)
Moderated by Elise Tan
Insights shared:
Choosing between dine-in, cloud kitchens, pop-ups, or delivery-first
Avoiding common rookie mistakes with licensing, partnerships, and fundraising
Building socially inclusive and impactful businesses
Panel 3: Numbers That Make or Break You
Speakers:
Bobby Yeoh (Founder, Excelerate)
Harvey Yew (Head of Sales, Santino Coffee)
Moderated by Ee Chien Chua
Financial wisdom dropped:
The “silent killers” that hurt early-stage F&B businesses
What to consider when acquiring an F&B brand
How to build your margins before building your menu
Thank you so much! A lot packed in for a short session. Great use of my time
from Jee Soo
Another excellent event from Elise. Relevant speakers and experiences to learn from. Very well organized.
From Priyanka Raina
After the panels, we stayed back for a productive networking sessions over sumptuous pastries from Kwaa Song and delicious swiss roll from Dalaland.
Media coverage
📰The Business Times:
We’re honoured that our F&B Startup Bootcamp was featured in The Business Times!
Read the full article: A new workshop to dish out lessons for aspiring F&B entrepreneurs
The coverage helped drive strong interest and ultimately led to our bootcamp being oversubscribed. Thank you, BT!
📺 CNA (Channel NewsAsia):
CNA’s Talking Point crew dropped by to film snippets of our F&B bootcamp!
Catch the segment airing in August or September 2025.
Special thanks to Ee Chien Chua for recommending our program to the CNA team.
📻 CNA938 Radio:
Our co-founders Andrew Tan and Elise Tan were featured on CNA938 with host Hui Wong, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from the bootcamp and what’s next for Asia Startup Network.
Tune in to their full conversation and transcript here.
What’s Next?
Our July bootcamp was fully booked—and we’re already planning the next F&B Startup Bootcamp in September.
Want to join the next one? Spots are limited, and this one’s expected to sell out too.
Why Join ASN’s F&B Startup Bootcamp?
Whether you're a corporate exec eyeing a second act in food, a home-based baker thinking about scaling, or an investor curious about F&B trends, our bootcamp offers:
✅ Real-world playbooks from proven founders
✅ Actionable insights on licenses, numbers, and business models
✅ A network of aspiring and veteran food entrepreneurs
✅ An immersive, zero-fluff learning experience
Asia Startup Network (ASN) is committed to equipping founders with the tools, knowledge, and community to succeed—from idea to impact.
Follow us on LinkedIn | Join our community | Attend an upcoming event
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