By SGN | 23 Jul 2026
Jason Lee Kok Yang’s journey has taken him through all these worlds before the age of 25. Yet beneath each experience lies the same ambition: building bridges between people, ideas, and opportunities across borders.
Jason grew up surrounded by entrepreneurs.
His mother is the founder of a beauty salon chain, while his father had built a promising career in finance.
As a child, Jason also spent time acting in several Mediacorp productions, an experience that introduced him early to storytelling and public communication.
“I’d always been exposed to an entrepreneurial environment, where people start building opportunities once they’ve identified them right away,” he says. And over time, he internalised the same mindset.
Yet he was never a stereotypical solo founder. A self-described people person, Jason preferred bringing people together and creating something collectively. This collaborative instinct followed him throughout his student years.
The skincare company that paved the way for a year in NYC
A simple observation led to the creation of BRO SKIN, an affordable, hassle-free skincare brand leveraging natural, premium active ingredients to cater specifically to men’s needs.
“I noticed that while my female friends were skincare enthusiasts, the same was not true for my male friends,” he shares.
Besides a crash course in entrepreneurship, building BRO SKIN gave Jason an early education in community-building.
“So many opportunities and partnerships came my way because of the people around me, who believed in what I was building,” he admits. “People purchased our products because they believed in our mission and wanted to support our journey.”
These relationships became a powerful source of motivation, and helped reshape the way he thought about customers.
Jason’s time at BRO SKIN taught him another valuable lesson: that assumptions can be costly.
One early mistake emerged during the formulation process. The team initially believed that fragrance-free products would be universally preferred because BRO SKIN was positioned as a clean beauty brand.
“But we realised that many male consumers actually enjoy the fragrance experience,” he says. “They’re used to colognes, body washes and other products with scents. When that element is missing, it changes how they perceive the product.”
Despite being a seemingly small detail, it reinforced the importance of listening closely to customers rather than relying on assumptions. Such lessons in entrepreneurship, customer validation, and community-building would prove invaluable in the next chapter of Jason’s journey.
Making his way towards a life in the Big Apple
In lieu of Yale NUS being dissolved, he was being transferred to its sister university, National University of Singapore and the then-newly formed, NUS College. But rather than letting this disruption stall his momentum, he held fast to his aspirations for deep international immersion.
He trained his sights on the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme for aspiring entrepreneurs, having seen firsthand how family members and peers had leveraged their NOC experience to reshape their professional paths.
Unlike traditional exchange programmes, NOC immersed students directly into startup ecosystems around the world.
“Once you’re in the deep end, you have to start looking for clients, pitching and figuring things out,” he explains. “You are forced to pick things up quickly.”
The selection process for the NYC track was notoriously competitive. “Only 17 of us were selected, out of the hundreds of applicants,” he shares. “To break through, I had to showcase my adaptability, cultural sensitivity, and an entrepreneurial mindset.”
Thankfully, his experience at BRO SKIN paved the way for his future endeavours.
Operating at the speed of light
Jason spent his year abroad working at New York-based startup accelerator QUAY Acceleration, an experience that proved to be transformative.
“When I walked into the office, the first thing my boss told me was that I should not see myself as an intern,” he says. “I was told to see myself as one of the team, so I would take ownership for my work.”
Empowered by this mandate, Jason found himself wearing multiple hats simultaneously.
He designed, structured, and executed corporate accelerator programmes, managed relationships with high-level public stakeholders such as the Westchester County Government and officials from the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, and worked closely with international startups in the hopes of attracting them to the US.
Major events included the SelectUSA Investment Summit, where he got to interact with local county government bodies. The experience taught him how governments, startups, and investors can work together to accelerate innovation
“I don’t think I would have been granted access to such high-level clientele, had it not been for the QUAY Acceleration team,” he reflects.
Jason’s work with QUAY brought him closer to Singapore’s own startup ecosystem abroad. In a classic twist of globalised commerce, he spent time collaborating closely with the Enterprise Singapore team under the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) banner.
This bridge-building allowed him to directly facilitate the market entry of Singaporean innovators into the United States, championing brands ranging from F&B concepts like Playmade to cutting-edge robotics enterprises like QuikBot.
Adjusting to the velocity of NYC’s culture
Singapore was already fast-paced. New York City was on another level.
“Eight to ten meetings a day was the norm, with each session consisting of a 30-minute Zoom call where you’d log on, share agendas, agree on deliverables, and exit,” he recalls.
This frantic business pace was balanced by extraordinary cultural access. Despite the city’s intensity, New York also became a place where he discovered the strength of community.
By immersing himself into the local creative and technology scenes, Jason’s network expanded radically. He found himself invited into exclusive, closed-door product events hosted by global tech giants like Apple, Samsung, and Spotify.
“My cousin invited me to a launch event by Samsung, where I got the chance to watch Doechii perform live at Edge NYC,” he recalls. “And I had a front-row seat!”
“Living in NYC was as international as it gets,” he shares. “NYC is a land of immigrants, where so many people from different walks of life come together in pursuit of a shared dream.”
“I’m so much more culturally aware, and mindful of where I stand in this world.
The birth of the ‘Still Singaporean’ podcast
As Jason’s network grew by leaps and bounds, he kept crossing paths with Singaporeans occupying highly niche, world-class spaces across New York.
These people were designing sets for Broadway, navigating portfolios at institutional giants like BlackRock, and leading large tech publications. “Despite being physically far away from home, at their core, they remained true to their Singaporean identity,” he shares.
Seeking a way to capture these narratives, Jason approached the Singapore Global Network (SGN) team with a proposal: a dedicated storytelling platform that spotlighted unique diaspora stories of Singaporeans abroad.
The SGN team offered immediate, enthusiastic backing.
Launched against the backdrop of Singapore’s SG60 celebrations, the six-episode series showcased stories of individuals that were redefining what it meant to be Singaporean abroad.
Guests included the likes of Singaporean celebrity real estate broker from SERHANT, Chester Yow; Justin Chan, Managing Director at Blackrock; Cherlynn Low, Executive Editor at Engadget, and Broadway costume designer, Johanna Pan.
“The aim of the podcast was to show Singaporeans at home that there are many different paths to success,” Jason explains. “Whether you choose to build your career in Singapore or overseas, what matters is having the courage to pursue such opportunities that are meaningful to you. I hope these stories help encourage others to think a little about the possibilities outside our little red dot.”
The sheer strength of the overseas Singaporean community was evident not just in compelling stories, but also through daily interactions, as Jason would soon experience.
Faced with just three days to completely vacate and reinstate his NYC apartment, Jason decided to organise a yard sale, the details of which he shared on a popular Telegram channel for overseas Singaporeans, ran by SGN.
“Within minutes, Singaporeans started showing up at my doorstep, either with offers to help me move, or to take the furniture off my hands,” he shares, deeply touched at how the community had shown up for him.
“They told me, we know how tough it is to move out of an NYC apartment, let us help you,” he says. “It was one of the most heartwarming, authentic interactions I’ve ever experienced.”
Still Singaporean has since evolved into Majulah Abroad, a community platform that connects Singaporean youths and young professionals with global career opportunities and innovation ecosystems across Singapore, San Francisco, New York, and Shanghai.
Returning home to navigate new opportunities in the AI frontier
Following his transformative year in the Big Apple, Jason returned to Singapore and dove headfirst into the deep end of cutting-edge technology.
Through an NOC connection, he was introduced to the founder of Centaur Lab, an AI-focused sister company of tech venture studio Tappollo Media, best known for their work on digital hospitality platforms, SevenRooms.
Recognising Jason’s international network and drive, he was tasked to set up Centaur Labs’ office in Singapore. Jason leveraged on his professional network and successfully anchored the business locally, which led to his appointment as the Head of Singapore office.
At Centaur Lab, Jason enjoys immense autonomy, focusing heavily on enterprise AI deployments and strategic partnerships.
“My role is highly partnership-centric, and involves me sourcing clients that want to deploy AI software, or improve their existing AI tech stack,” he shares.
So far, Jason’s team has rolled out several high-profile interactive projects across Singapore, which include an app called Yeego, which uses interactive AI avatars to share the personal backstories of marginalized makers, for the Temasek Shophouse-back brand Martket by ABRY; an AI-powered ‘wine sommelier’ for F&B establishments like Surrey Hills Grocer, Hai Di Lao, Tanglin Cookhouse and more.
Jason’s professional footprint, however, extends far beyond a traditional nine-to-five.
He also serves as an Investor Relations Manager at SinoLion Capital, linking high-net-worth individuals from China to regional business deals; and is spearheading SinoEDGE, an accelerator platform to help Chinese enterprises internationalise through Singapore.
His international experience also earned him a spot in the EDB’s highly coveted Management Associate Programme, reflecting his growing interest in building connections between Singapore and global innovation ecosystems.
“If there’s anything my work has taught me, it’s that communities and opportunities are built through genuine relationships and trust,” he shares. “I work in relationship-driven industries, and I’ve realised that the strongest partnerships are not formed transactionally, but from people supporting and building mutual trust.”
Advice for young Singaporeans
Jason’s positive experiences overseas have instilled in him an appreciation for international exposure.
“I would always encourage Singaporeans to seize the opportunity to go overseas when possible, because the way you think and view the world will be transformed for the better,” he says. “While Singapore offers a safe bubble of incredible opportunities, we are wired to wait for good things to come to us.”
“When you travel overseas, you are forced to think out of the box.”
And after years of being one of the few Singaporeans in a room, Jason has also learnt to stand tall and proud in his Singaporean identity. “You might want in to blend in at first, but resist the urge,” he shares.
“There is so much power in embracing your Singaporean identity, so never be ashamed of it, because, as a people, we’ve come so far.”
About Jason
Jason Lee Kok Yang works at the intersection of innovation, investment, and international partnerships, supporting companies and organisations as they expand across Asia. Drawing on experience living and working in Singapore, the US, and China, he is passionate about connecting entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, and governments to build stronger cross-border innovation ecosystems.
Outside of work, Jason enjoys hosting conversations with founders and ecosystem leaders, exploring ideas around entrepreneurship, technology, and the future of global business. Beyond innovation, he is also an avid aviation and automobile enthusiast.
Connect with him here.
