ASN x TGB Pre-Founder Catalyst Masterclass with AI (For Women)
ASN x TGB Pre-Founder Catalyst Masterclass with AI (For Women)
Turn Your Business Idea into Reality — Faster, Smarter, and with Confidence
Thinking about starting a business but not sure where to begin?
The ASN x TGB Pre-Founder Catalyst Masterclass with AI is a practical entrepreneurship programme designed specifically for women who want to explore entrepreneurship, validate business ideas and leverage AI to accelerate startup building. We are proud to partner with The Generative Beings, Asia’s largest AI founder and builder ecosystem with 15,000+ members across Southeast Asia, for this masterclass.
Our exclusive small-group programme combines self-paced learning, an intensive hands-on workshop, experienced mentors and a thriving entrepreneurial community. Apply proven startup frameworks, rapidly prototype your ideas with AI, receive real-time feedback, and leave with a practical roadmap for your entrepreneurial journey.
We will be running the session exercises from within a Claude project folder, so that the learnings from the session are available to you, even after the session, to continue using AI workflows for your business idea.
Most importantly, you'll become part of one of Southeast Asia's most active startup communities, giving you continued access to founders, mentors, investors and peers long after the programme ends.
Whether you're a professional exploring your next chapter, in a career transition, or have always dreamed of building your own business, this programme will equip you with the mindset, frameworks, AI tools and support network to help you take your first steps with confidence.
Why Join?
Starting a business can feel overwhelming.
Many aspiring founders spend months—or even years—working on ideas that customers never wanted, investing significant time and money before realising they were solving the wrong problem.
At ASN, we've spent more than a decade supporting entrepreneurs across Southeast Asia. One lesson stands out above all else:
Successful startups begin by deeply understanding the right problem before building the right solution.
You'll also discover how your own experiences, strengths, passions and purpose can become the foundation of a meaningful and sustainable business.
Our Results Speak For Themselves
Since the inception of our masterclasses 1.5 years ago, we are proud to have the following outcomes:
2 of our masterclasses women participants have started their businesses
1 has acquired a 25 year old business
1 has successfully selected for a Singapore university venture building programme
Since attending one of our past cohorts of the Prefounder Catalyst programme, participant Siok Hwee started her own company, a platform to help connecting suitable patients to clinical trials. Read her inspiring story by clicking here.
Who Should Attend?
This programme is ideal for women who are:
Curious about entrepreneurship but unsure where to begin
Professionals considering a career transition
Aspiring founders with an early-stage business idea
Corporate professionals exploring side businesses
Freelancers or consultants looking to build scalable ventures
Recent graduates interested in startups
Anyone who wants to use AI to accelerate entrepreneurship
No prior startup experience is required.
What You'll Get
12.5 hours of focused, hybrid learning, between entrepreneurial theory and practicum, designed to give you a basic overview and intuition of the general principles of entrepreneurship, and how to apply them in today’s context.
Over the course of the programme, you'll learn how to:
Think like an entrepreneur and identify real market opportunities
Ideate and discover customer problems worth solving
Evaluate business ideas using the Lean Canvas
Conduct customer discovery and validation
Use AI to do research and ideate
Build an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) or prototype quickly using AI
Gather customer feedback and iterate rapidly using Lean Startup Canvas.
Understand startup fundraising fundamentals
Communicate your business through an effective investor pitch
Most importantly, you'll leave knowing exactly what your next steps are.
What's more, all participants will receive this top selling Smart Business Startup Founder's Guidebook on Amazon (value: $30), autographed by author, our mentor and judge Adrian Thoo too!
(https://www.amazon.sg/SMART-BUSINESS-STARTUP-FOUNDERS-GUIDEBOOK/dp/B0CH2FNRQJ)
Programme Structure
The ASN Pre-Founder Catalyst Programme for Women comprises two parts: a 7-day Self Paced Learning focused on entrepreneurial concepts & theory, and an in-person masterclass segment, where you’ll get a taste of the practical elements of entrepreneurship in a structured workshop session (6 hours over one day)
Part 1 — Self-Paced Online Learning
(6 hours)
One week before the live workshop, you'll gain access to ASN's online learning platform.
During this week, you'll learn eight essential entrepreneurship topics, alongside practical AI tools that will help you accelerate every stage of startup building.
Topics:
Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Identifying assumptions
Opportunity Discovery
Customer Problems & Validation
Competitor analysis
Business Models
Startup Mindset & Decision Making
Startup Fundraising 101
The self-paced programme allows everyone to arrive at the live workshop with a common foundation.
Part 2 — Live In-Person Masterclass with AI
(6.5 hours + 1-hour lunch)
This highly interactive workshop with AI being an integral component allows you to learn by doing, as well as learn through interactions with experts, mentors, judges and peers.
Working individually and in small groups, you'll rapidly move from an idea to a validated business concept with expert guidance and feedback.
Live Programme Schedule:
10:00 AM — Entrepreneurship Foundations
Understand what makes startups different from traditional businesses and learn how successful founders think.
11:00 AM — Finding the Right Problem
Identify meaningful customer problems that are worth solving instead of jumping immediately to solutions.
Lean Canvas Workshop
Map your customer segments, value proposition, channels, costs, revenue and key assumptions using the Lean Canvas.
12:30 PM — Lunch
1:30 PM — AI Startup Building
Learn practical workflows using modern AI tools such as Claude to:
Research markets
Analyse competitors
Plan customer interviews
Do a rapid prototype sprint
Draft marketing content
Create landing pages
Improve productivity
Turn your idea into an early prototype within hours instead of weeks.
We will start the project in Claude and our participants will be able to continue working on it after the masterclass.
3:30 PM — Mentor Office Hours
Receive personalised feedback from experienced startup founders, investors and operators who will challenge your assumptions and help refine your business idea.
4:30 PM — Pitch Showcase
Present your startup idea to mentors, investors and fellow participants.
Receive practical feedback on both your business model and your presentation.
5:30 PM — End of Masterclass
What You'll Walk Away With
By the end of the programme, you'll have:
A validated startup idea
A completed Lean Canvas
A clearer understanding of your customers
An AI-assisted prototype or MVP
Practical experience using AI to build businesses
Personalised mentor feedback
A roadmap for your next 90 days
Greater confidence in your entrepreneurial journey
A supportive community of founders, mentors and investors
Smart Business Startup Founder Guide worth $30, autographed by author Adrian Thoo
Testimonials
I really enjoyed the pre-reading, workshop, pitch and the networking session! :)
Thank you for organising this wonderful session! It was well organised, concise, compact and yet impactful!
I am also appreciative of the clear "instructions" / notes / next steps in the emails sent to the participants which speak volumes the attentiveness and passion behind all these :)
Your sharings and insights have indeed crystalised my next steps which I will be taking. Thank u for rendering your support which I deeply appreciate!
Jess Chua
"The Prefounder Catalyst programme was a great learning experience, working on a lean canvas and understanding the elements of building a business idea. The instructors Andrew, Elise, and Kai were clear and concise in their delivery of the course material, which made it easy to digest concepts such as the lean startup and methodology. "
Sihan Chia Cofounder, Fashion Collective Singapore
"It is so important to journey with others on the same stage of startup business - learning together and holding each other accountable for our growth."
Crispina Tay Industry Mentor, National GRIP Programme
Beyond the Masterclass
Unlike many entrepreneurship courses that end after a single workshop, your founder journey continues with ASN.
Graduates gain opportunities to:
Continue working on the idea developed during the masterclass. The whole knowledge base would be available to you in their own Claude folder, which you can reference for any future business-related workflow from within Claude. and this is easily exported into any other ai tool of your choice.
We continue to support you for your startup idea. You will become an exclusive member of the ASN Masterclass alumni (Join ~100 other alumni) on whatsapp group.
Attend quarterly curated networking events just for alumni only
Attend startup networking events
Participate in exclusive women founder gatherings through Remarkable Women
Connect with experienced mentors
Receive introductions to investors when ready
Continue learning through advanced entrepreneurship programmes
Become part of ASN's growing startup ecosystem across Southeast Asia
Programme Fee
S$600 (include the Smart Business Startup Founder's Guide)
Flexible installment plans available.
Programme Instructor
Shivang Gupta
Shivang is the founder and CEO of The Generative Beings (TGB), Asia’s largest AI founder and builder ecosystem with 15,000+ members across Southeast Asia. He works hands-on with AI every day, building automation pipelines, AI-powered tools, and content systems for TGB without a traditional engineering background, proof that anyone can build with today’s AI. Through TGB’s masterclasses, conferences, and the AI Village pavilion, he has helped thousands of founders, builders, and enterprise teams go from AI-curious to AI-native. He brings a practitioner’s lens to every session: what actually works, what breaks, and how to ship.
Mentors and Judges
Joe Low
Joe Low is a dedicated investment strategist and mentor with a strong focus on nurturing startups. With extensive experience in guiding early-stage companies, he leverages his expertise to help entrepreneurs navigate the complexities of launching and scaling their businesses. As a passionate supporter of innovation, he actively engages in mentorship roles, providing invaluable insights and strategies to aspiring founders. His commitment to fostering a collaborative environment encourages creativity and growth, empowering startups to thrive in competitive markets.
Adrian Thoo
Adrian Thoo is a seasoned strategist and visionary leader with a proven track record in guiding startups to success. As a Business Strategy Director at Blazing Conversions and Senior Advisor at Beltap Capital, Adrian brings a wealth of experience across diverse industries, including luxury fashion, education, media, finance, consulting, and technology.
Author of the Amazon #1 "Smart Business Startup Founder's Guidebook," Adrian's expertise lies in crafting effective business strategies, mentoring startups, and fostering entrepreneurial growth. With a deep understanding of the startup ecosystem, he works closely with Venture Capital firms to create accelerator and mentorship programs that empower entrepreneurs to achieve their full potential.
Join ASN's Female Prefounder Catalyst Masterclass as an individual but expect to graduate into a large vibrant and supportive startup ecosystem and mentorship support.
Interested to take it to the next step? Simply sign up on Lu.ma!
Photos From Past Masterclasses
Partners
We thank The Generative Beings and Wantedly Singapore for this support.
What Happens After Pre-Founder Catalyst
We understand that entrepreneurship demands more than just business savvy—it requires strong leadership and communication skills. That's why our second course includes advanced topics and workshops focused on enhancing your leadership abilities and communication prowess.
If you're ready to embark on this transformative journey or have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to marketing@asiastartupnetwork.com. Let's unlock your full potential together.
Visit www.asiastartupnetwork.com/accelerate for more details.
About Asia Startup Network
ASN didn’t start as an educational institute or training centre. ASN is a living, thriving startup ecosystem. Their founders have spent more than one decade coaching and supporting entrepreneurs and created one of the largest communities of > 3,000 startup founders, operators, investors and partners in Southeast Asia to collaborate and support each other’s growth. Since 2020, ASN has been organising 100s of startup workshops, events and programs to help entrepreneurs leapfrog their growth and raise funding. Join ASN for the knowledge, but stay because of the network. These are the reasons why taking a course at ASN and quickly plugging into the community would move the needle more than you expect.
ASN is founded by Elise Tan and Andrew Tan. Elise has experience designing programs and personally coaching hundreds of founders at incubators and accelerators for over 10 years. She assisted more than 40 companies in raising more than US$1 million each. Andrew has more than 10 years of leadership experience founding his own social enterprise, building start ups and managing scale ups, as well as running ground up initiatives and communities, Andrew has a proven track record of driving growth and success and this will be transferred directly to this accelerator and its startups.
ASN began firstly with Mentor For Hope in 2020, an impactful mentoring initiative initially supported by the Temasek Foundation under the OSCAR grant. The initiative facilitated 525 mentoring hours for 300 founders adversely affected by the COVID crisis, connecting them with invaluable insights from 250 investors, partners, and experts.
In 2021, Elise and Andrew organised Makan For Hope Festival (with zero budget), a series of 30 virtual roundtables featuring VC managing partners and founders from notable startups like PropertyGuru, Shopback, and Carousell. The festival drew participation from 500 attendees, raising $123,000 in charity donations.
Remarkable Women in Tech and Business
Founded by Elise Tan, the active and supportive community provides a safe place for women working or running tech or traditional businesses to ask questions, network and find friends. Sign up here on bit.ly/remarkableW.