Yale-NUS alumni blaze entrepreneurial trails with start-up ventures in publishing and higher education

Yale-NUS alumni Dhira Vidhea and Taesun Shim (both from Class of 2024) followed their entrepreneurial dreams and founded their respective start-ups in publishing and higher education. Despite facing setbacks, they continue to aspire to bring their businesses to greater heights.

Dhira, who majored in Economics, founded Tinlit, an online writing platform that connects authors, readers, and publishers in Indonesia. “Growing up, I dreamed of being a published author. I discovered that other authors in Indonesia shared my struggle in commercialising our stories. Thus, I started Tinlit in 2016 to help authors like me get published.”

Dhira is heartened by what Tinlit has achieved. “Today Tinlit has over 12,000 active members and over thirty publisher partners. I was incredibly honoured to be awarded the Emerging Young Leader award at this year’s graduation ceremony by Yale-NUS which recognised Tinlit’s contributions to the Indonesian community. I am also grateful to have secured a project grant from the Maudy Ayunda Foundation in April 2024. I am excited to use these opportunities to strengthen Tinlit’s reach in Indonesia.”

Also majoring in PPE, Taesun created TECO to provide quality, affordable and enjoyable supplementary education to students in South Korea. “I worked several part-time teaching jobs in my first year of college. Through these experiences, I realised a lot of supplementary education was not only too expensive, but not effective in honing students’ abilities.”

Since its inception in 2019 TECO has made strides, signing a new contract with the city of Incheon, South Korea’s third most populous city, to provide English-based seminars to young residents. Taesun shared, “We are also preparing to run English summer and winter break camps at schools in Mongolia later this year.”

However, these successes did not come readily for the two budding entrepreneurs. Dhira recounted, “From 2020 to late 2022, Tinlit struggled to retain users despite consistent community engagement efforts. I had to re-learn the needs of Tinlit’s community and expand our core offerings.” Taesun also encountered several challenges while running TECO, “The company is headquartered in Seoul, but I spend much of my time abroad. The time difference and physical distance make running TECO harder than it needs to be.”

Nevertheless, both Dhira and Taesun are determined to take their ventures to greater heights. Taesun said, “I hope to continue to grow TECO into a platform where education empowers students, regardless of individual backgrounds. We have established ourselves in Korea, and now we look forward to expanding our expertise and programmes in Mongolia and abroad.”

For now, Dhira is focused on strengthening Tinlit’s publishing capabilities and its financial sustainability. “In the coming years, I strive to develop Tinlit into a storytelling platform that can also bridge stories and production houses, to turn them into films! By connecting people in Indonesia’s storytelling space and helping the industry grow one small step at a time, I hope to one day bring local stories to a global audience.”

As their ventures soar into unchartered opportunities and challenges, both are constantly assured by the lessons they have learnt during their time at Yale-NUS College. Dhira shared, “Being at Yale-NUS has supported me by opening doors to many opportunities for personal and professional growth. Conversations with my advisors from the Centre for International & Professional Experience of Yale-NUS College helped me reflect on the work I have done and build conviction in the work I love doing and the impact I hope to create in the long run.”

Taesun concurred, “There are so many opportunities at Yale-NUS. From on-campus jobs to the alumni community, I found everything I needed to both develop as an educator and start my own company at Yale-NUS. Majoring in PPE and the interdisciplinary nature of the liberal arts curriculum at Yale-NUS also helped nurtured my soft skills that were invaluable when I first started TECO, such as cold calling prospective clients and forging business partnerships.”

Both Dhira and Taesun exemplify the spirit of innovation and resilience cultivated during their time at the College, demonstrating the power of perseverance and vision in overcoming challenges. As they navigate the entrepreneurial landscape, we hope their stories can inspire fellow Kingfishers to pursue their passions relentlessly.