Francis Yeoh

Francis Yeoh is a Professor at the School of Computing, National University of Singapore (NUS), where he serves as the Professorial Fellow for Entrepreneurship and oversees the school’s entrepreneurship initiatives. He also holds the role of Executive Director for the Mediapreneur Incubator, a corporate incubation program for media startups under Mediacorp Pte Ltd. His career spans over 30 years, during which he has worked as a research scientist, research institute director, internet startup CEO, investor, policymaker, and academic.

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Loughborough University (UK)
• M.Sc. in Management, MIT Sloan (USA)
• B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering (Honors), Loughborough University (UK)

His research interests focus on Startup Eco-system, Entrepreneurship Education, and Sharing Economy, with broader expertise in Technology Management, Venture Funding, and Innovation. At NUS, he actively mentors startups through pitch slams to secure funding and leads the Furnace incubator program, which provides dedicated resources and mentorship for student-led ventures.

Francis Yeoh contributes to grant panels for startups and social enterprises, drawing on his experience from national innovation programs like proof-of-concept grants and early-stage venture funds during his tenure at Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF). He also emphasizes advising students on entrepreneurial risks, income stability, and family support.

The labs and teams he is involved in include the Mediapreneur Incubator and the Furnace program, which have nurtured successful startups such as StaffAny (workforce management), Investing Note (financial advice), and ViSenze (AI visual search). These initiatives align with his vision to build a Silicon Valley-like environment in Singapore by fostering passion, determination, and foresight among young entrepreneurs.