A Dialogue with Dr Shi Xu "From Academic to Tech Tycoon" (Virtual)

Title: From Academic to Tech Tycoon

A former Associate Professor at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore), Dr Shi Xu took a leap of faith when he left the University in 1999 to establish Nanofilm Technologies International with a start-up capital of S$300,000. Today, with Nanofilm’s listing, he has become a billionaire. Could his success have come sooner? How did he manage to bounce back from the economic setbacks faced by so many companies in 2004? How does he continue to drive innovation in his business? What advice would he give to faculty, researchers and students aspiring to start their own companies and become successful entrepreneurs? Join us at this exclusive event as Dr Shi shares his perspectives on his journey and the lessons learnt along the way.

About the Speaker

Dr Shi Xu received his PhD in Thin Film Technology from the University of Reading, UK, in 1991. He was a former Associate Professor at NTU Singapore before he founded Nanofilm based on his award-winning patented filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) technology. Under Dr Shi’s leadership, Nanofilm has grown into a multinational technology and manufacturing group with more than 1,400 employees and over 50 international patents and applications. Dr Shi has achieved numerous accolades, including being named the 2017 EY Entrepreneur of the Year, and receiving the Technology Innovation Leadership Award from Frost & Sullivan in 2021.