One name changed many times. One purpose stayed the same — help SMU students move from curiosity to action, and from aspiring entrepreneurs to founders.
Our story began in 2009 as SMU Real Business, a student-led community created to make entrepreneurship more accessible across SMU. At a time when starting a company could feel distant or intimidating, Real Business brought students closer to founders, industry leaders and the realities of building a venture.
Over the years, the club became known for founder sharings, practical workshops, panel discussions and hands-on competitions. Programmes such as Real Business Weekend challenged students to develop and pitch business ideas within just 52 hours, while Pitch It! gave aspiring founders the opportunity to present their ideas to entrepreneurs and industry judges.
In 2024, SMU Real Business evolved into SMU Start Up Society. The new identity reflected a broader ambition: not only to teach students about entrepreneurship, but to build a community around startups, founders and action. During this chapter, we expanded our programming through startup workshops, founder conversations, networking events and pitch competitions. Entrepreneurs’ Summit 2024 brought together more than 200 participants, founders and students, becoming our largest event at the time. Through initiatives such as SEED, organized in collaboration with SMU’s Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, students gained closer access to alumni founders, mentors and opportunities within the wider startup ecosystem.
Today, we begin our next chapter as SMU Founders Club. Under SMU IIE, we are evolving from an entrepreneurship interest group into a launchpad for SMU’s next generation of founders, with the generous help from Jeff Tung and Benjamin Twoon, our donors. Our focus extends across flagship events, pitch competitions, hackathons, overseas exposure and deeper connections with entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and the wider innovation community.
To help SMU students move from curiosity to action, from ideas to experiments, and from aspiring entrepreneurs to founders.