Edallianz is an Educational business found by Eric Lim, in Singapore, providing learning platforms for students.

What’s your story?
I spent 12 years in a technology business before I started two education companies in Singapore. One company deals with children’s fitness and the other organises events to equip parents with the right wisdom to become better parents. At that time I had no clue about education business. In my mind, I only knew education can help one to become happier or one to get out a mess.

We also successfully brought in an unknown children’s enrichment company and cultivated it into a market leader in its industry. After 13 years in dealing with parents and operating a children learning company, it gave me a holistic understanding about those problems that both the learning providers and parents face in their journey.

Last year, I decided to embark on a new journey and Edallianz was birthed with the idea of combining Star Alliance and Trip Advisor concept for the learning industry. Our goal is to set ourselves as an advisory platform company in the learning industry by providing and connecting the right program to the right learner. We aspire to organise and bring knowledge directly to the individual.

What excites you most about your industry?
Today, Edallianz has developed multiple products with one already launched and the rest currently undergoing testing. We have hundreds of schools and thousands of members who have on-boarded our platform. This is an exciting industry, it is a billion dollar industry in Asia.

We are working to add value to both the learning companies and parents or learners. It is not only the huge market potential that excites us but rather the opportunity to impact both the learning providers and families to improve their lives through learning. We want to ignite learning in Asia through optimising the matchmaking process with technology.

What’s your connection to Asia?
I was born and grew up in Singapore. I am Asian.

Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Definitely Singapore despite its size. Efficiency, infrastructure, government stability, Singapore branding, transparency and Asia connections are all important criteria for me. Once we are operationally ready, it is easy to expand to the rest of Asia.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
When a door closes, there will definitely be another door opening.

Who inspires you?
David Low, Chairman and CEO of Futuristic Store Fixtures, a Temasek invested company and overall winner of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 Singapore. Today, Futuristic has outfitted more than 7,000 retail stores worldwide including those belonging to Victoria’s Secret, Guess and Bath & Body Works.

A secondary school dropout, his perseverance, his dedication to learn on his own, his hungriness and fighting spirit and go against all odds to achieve his success is very inspiring. He told me once that the learning market in Asia is extremely huge and encouraged me to take on the task to create a mission in this market. He is currently our shareholder and advisor.

Another person who has inspired me a lot is my Dad who once told me when I was only in primary 6 “You will never be outstanding if you stay as an employee forever.” This planted a seed in me from a young age that one day I will be a businessman.

What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
Things that will happen twice. Once in our mind and once in reality. Nothing is impossible, there are only things that you don’t dare to think of.

If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I believe I would still be doing business but I would be more daring more willing to volunteer myself for things that others don’t want to do. I would also start my business younger.

How do you unwind?
Listen to Jazz, watch a movie or a walk in the park.

Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Phuket. It has a beautiful sea, mountains and shopping. A place that can be both quiet and full of activities.

Everyone in business should read this book:
The Starbucks Experience, 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary by Joseph A. Michelli

Shameless plug for your business:
Edallianz is the Star Alliance and Trip Advisor of the learning industry. Our goal is to organise knowledge and make it accessible and connected to everyone. We are also working towards using Edallianz as a platform to enable less privileged learners to access quality programs.

How can people connect with you?
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: http://linkedin/in/ericlim101

This interview is part of the ‘Callum Connect’ series of more than 500 interviews

Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started,
built and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder of The Marketing Group PLC. He is the author two best selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’ and ‘Agglomerate’.

Connect with Callum here:
twitter.com/laingcallum
linkedin.com/in/callumlaing
Download free copies of his books here: www.callumlaing.com

Recently Published

Key Takeaway: The mystery of consciousness has been a subject of debate for centuries, with numerous theories vying for the title. In 2024, the Cogitate Consortium conducted an “adversarial collaboration” between Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT) and Integrated Information Theory (IIT). The study aimed to test the theories under neutral conditions, revealing that confirmation bias […]

Top Picks

Key Takeaway: President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship” accused the previous administration of stifling free expression by working with social media companies to curb misinformation and label misleading content. However, recent research suggests that less regulation can actually make the internet a less free place for speech, […]
Key Takeaway: Recent research published in Science has revealed that the brain uses multiple learning mechanisms simultaneously, revealing the complexity behind brain wiring. Neurons communicate through electric signals called synapses, which form complex networks of connections that transmit information. The traditional theory of synaptic plasticity assumes uniformity between neurons, but the new study found that […]
Key Takeaway: A new study published in Nature Astronomy claims that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has detected atmospheric signals on K2-18b, a distant world 124 light-years from Earth. The researchers found traces of molecules often associated with biological activity on Earth, including dimethyl sulphide (DMS). The scientists are 99.7% confident in the presence […]
Key Takeaway: Belief in the supernatural, including ghosts, spirits, astrology, and psychic powers, is more common than people might expect. These beliefs offer a sense of control, meaning, and comfort in the face of life’s unpredictability. They fall outside the boundaries of conventional science and include ideas like fate, spiritual forces, and life after death. […]
Key Takeaway: Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is rapidly redefining human potential, with breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and machine learning enabling the translation of thoughts into action. The brain is a complex network of over 80 billion neurons, processing thoughts, memories, emotions, and sensory inputs. Advances in AI, miniaturized electronics, and neuroimaging have led to the […]

Trending

I highly recommend reading the McKinsey Global Institute’s new report, “Reskilling China: Transforming The World’s Largest Workforce Into Lifelong Learners”, which focuses on the country’s biggest employment challenge, re-training its workforce and the adoption of practices such as lifelong learning to address the growing digital transformation of its productive fabric. How to transform the country […]

Join our Newsletter

Get our monthly recap with the latest news, articles and resources.

Login

Welcome to Empirics

We are glad you have decided to join our mission of gathering the collective knowledge of Asia!
Join Empirics