 Ash Singh: At 29 he continues to draw attention, this time for his business ventures and achievements, now that he’s a successful international entrepreneur. Seven years ago, fresh out of the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario, Canada), he sold his software company to a Singapore-based firm, which asked him to move there as part of the deal. He did, and he has since started and exited many more ventures. “In Asia everything happens at tremendous speed,” Ash says. He quickly realized the pace suited him and his career ambitions. He talks a lot about wanting to spend more time with his parents and friends in Canada - something he tries to make up for with regular visits - but Singapore has proven to be too good of a base. “If I was in Canada, I would probably be living in the suburbs, which would mean I could have maximum three business meetings with investors a day because of the distances. In Singapore, because it is small and everything is so near, I can have six meetings a day.” There’s also greater access to capital given Singapore’s status as an Asian financial hub. And a policy to attract more top international talent has doubled the population to five million in the past decade. “I’ve had more failures than successes,” says Ash Singh, who was named one of Asia’s Best Young Entrepreneurs by BusinessWeek magazine in 2009. He adds that he believes learning from mistakes and getting good advice is all part of the journey.
Although he attributes much of his success to hard work and plenty of luck, Ash Singh says exposure to different business cultures has provided a boost. “The turban and the beard helped.” They not only made him appear more mature to potential investors and clients, they opened the door to Asia’s influential Sikh business community. (On a lark, he created a popular turban-themed app called Turbanizer.) In the early days, Kartar Singh Thakral, one of Singapore’s most influential businessmen and a fellow Sikh, was among those who mentored Ash, regularly offering advice and the home-cooked Punjabi meals the young entrepreneur missed while he was away from Canada. (Kartar Singh's daughter has since become Ash’s wife and they have a young son.) And last year, Ash Singh was invited to attend the prestigious Forbes Global CEO Conference in Sydney, where he met Carlos Slim, the Mexican billionaire who by some calculations is the world’s richest man. “I was the youngest and the poorest guy at the conference,” Ash says with pride and good humour. |
The Turbanizer Ash Singh, the creator of Turbanizer has launched a campaign to virtually "turbanize" 100,000,000 people by the first anniversary of the Sikh Temple shooting that occurred recently through a free Android and iOS app called "The Turbanizer". His goal is to raise awareness and raise money for the victim’s families. "We have been concerned about the knowledge of Sikhs and turbans in general since 9/11. Traditional media has certainly helped but it always seems "preach to the converted" We want to hit the masses and the best way to do that is through viral digital media. Turbanizer helps people visualize themselves in a turban using their smartphone. A user can try on "traditional" turbans that are commonly worn by Sikhs. You can also try on fashionable turbans that were crowd sourced by Turbanizer fans from all over the world. This includes turbans representing different countries and sports to bring a theme of universality to turbans. "The Turbanizer is a multi-faith initiative to bring turbans to the world." Our team of developers and designers represent more than 5 countries and religious beliefs. They all came together here in Singapore for this cause. We also had support from several corporate partners who helped us create the apps. It’s been an awesome experience. The app is free to download on Apple's App Store and Android Play Store. It will be launching soon on Microsoft's Window Mobile platform by the end of the month. Proceeds from the In-App purchase of turbans will be donated to the families of the Wisconsin shooting victims. "As Confucius once said, I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand. I hope that people can see what they look like in a turban and hopefully peak their interest to understand our culture and values." For more information on how to download the app and support the families or the tragic shooting in Wisconsin, visit www.turbanizer.com or follow us at @Turbanizer
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His personal experiences inspired one of his big projects - a reality program called Angel’s Gate, produced under the umbrella of Interactive SG, which he founded and where he serves as managing director. On the show, entrepreneurially minded contestants compete for funding and fame before an audience not only on TV, but also on the web.
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Ever wondered Now you can with Turbanizer, an easy to use and amazing way to turn everyone into a turban wearing superstar using your mobile device. Use Turbanizer with your family, friends, colleagues and enjoy the new look. Ready to bring the turbans to your town?
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