Angeline Tan has always stood at the crossroads of innovation and community building. As the Center Director of BLOCK71 Silicon Valley at NUS Enterprise, she isn’t merely managing a startup ecosystem she’s actively nurturing the next wave of global founders. Her recent reflection on the journey of Jørn Lyseggen, the founder of SHACK15, offers more than just admiration; it reveals her own deep-rooted commitment to enabling impactful entrepreneurship.
Angeline Tan doesn’t just talk about ecosystems she builds them. Her interest in Lyseggen’s story is not incidental. It resonates deeply with the kind of work she champions every day: the creation of inclusive, borderless environments where innovation thrives. Like Jørn, who never intended to become a founder but ended up building communities from Ghana to San Francisco, Angeline Tan recognizes that the most transformative ventures often begin not with a grand plan, but with an authentic desire to serve.
What stands out in Angeline Tan’s post is not the narrative of success, but the quiet power of intention behind it. Jørn Lyseggen may have started Meltwater with just $15,000 and scaled it into a $125 million global enterprise, but it’s his decision to establish MEST in Ghana that captures Angeline Tan’s attention and rightly so. For Angeline Tan, this reflects a profound truth: entrepreneurship isn’t just about building companies; it’s about building people and places, creating opportunities where none existed, and shaping legacies that transcend balance sheets.
Angeline Tan brings this same philosophy to her work at BLOCK71. The center is more than a co-working space or an innovation hub it’s a launchpad for ideas that challenge convention and push boundaries. Under her guidance, BLOCK71 Silicon Valley has become a connector between Asia and the world, a place where bold ideas from diverse cultures converge and flourish. In amplifying Jørn’s story, Angeline Tan is highlighting the kind of founder mindset she seeks to cultivate: one that is resilient, value-driven, and deeply invested in the power of community.
The parallels between SHACK15 and BLOCK71 are hard to miss and perhaps that’s exactly why Angeline Tan chose to share this story. Both were born from humble beginnings: one in a literal shack on a pier in Norway, the other as a strategic initiative by NUS Enterprise to bridge the entrepreneurial worlds of Singapore and Silicon Valley. Both spaces are now vibrant communities, proof that meaningful innovation starts with intention and is sustained by collaboration.
Angeline Tan’s leadership is marked by this clarity of purpose. She isn’t dazzled by the flash of unicorns or headline valuations. Instead, she champions sustainable growth, inclusive ecosystems, and founders who view entrepreneurship as a form of service. Her post subtly but powerfully affirms that the greatest entrepreneurs aren’t always the loudest or the most celebrated they are often those who, like Jørn, lead with humility and give more than they take.
In Angeline Tan’s world, storytelling is more than inspiration it’s instruction. She offers Jørn’s journey as a blueprint for what the next generation of founders can aspire to. And through BLOCK71, she is actively shaping that generation, giving them not only the resources to build but also the mindset to build with meaning.
What makes Angeline Tan’s perspective compelling is her global lens. She sees innovation not as the privilege of a few tech hubs, but as a global movement. Whether it’s in Singapore, Ghana, or Silicon Valley, she believes that brilliance knows no borders and she’s determined to prove it. Her excitement about the synergy between SHACK15 and BLOCK71 isn’t about partnerships for PR; it’s about shared missions and shared futures.
Angeline Tan’s leadership invites founders to look beyond personal gain and consider their broader impact. Her voice adds weight to an emerging narrative in the startup world: that the most valuable ventures are those that lift others up. It’s a vision that challenges the status quo and encourages founders to define success on their own terms ones that include empathy, collaboration, and purpose.
Perhaps what Angeline Tan does best is connect the dots between people, ideas, and places. In spotlighting Jørn’s story, she also shines a light on her own values: generosity, humility, and the courage to build something bigger than oneself. And in doing so, she reminds us that the heart of entrepreneurship lies not in disruption alone, but in connection and contribution.
Angeline Tan is not just leading a center she’s cultivating a culture. One where innovation is inseparable from empathy, where ambition is grounded in values, and where founders are encouraged not just to dream, but to serve. In a world that often chases scale at the expense of substance, Angeline Tan’s vision is a timely reminder of what truly matters.
And if there’s one thing we can take from her reflection, it’s this: real impact doesn’t always begin with a business plan. Sometimes, it starts with a story a story that inspires us to build, give back, and believe in something greater.
