Benjamin Z.M. Lee

Benjamin Z.M. Lee is a financial literacy activist, educator and serial entrepreneur from Singapore. He is mostly known for his mentorship and advocacy work via the nonprofit organization One Young World and the Singapore University of Social Sciences. He is also a public speaker and lecturer on fair capitalism.

Early biography

Lee was born in Singapore and grew up in Beijing, Hong Kong and the San Francisco Bay Area, receiving his education through the international school system. At age 12, Lee won scholarship to attend Raffles Institution. Later, he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws at University College London. He then obtained a postgraduate degree in Management from King's College London. While attending university in the United Kingdom, he was elected President of the United Kingdom Singapore Students’ Council.

Activism and community involvement

Lee is an advisor and representative of the charity organization One Young World in Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Lee has been instrumental in fostering social involvement among young entrepreneurs, focusing on issues such as community leadership, environmental conservation, education, and catalytic philanthropy. Lee is also an Ambassador of the Tutu Foundation and a pro-bono entrepreneurship mentor at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, as part of an entrepreneurship program jointly offered by Chinese internet company Alibaba. In addition, Lee has taught workshops on entrepreneurship and social innovation at universities, including Columbia University, the London School of Economics, INSEAD, the National University of Singapore and Singapore Institute of Management.

Entrepreneurship

Lee has founded, invested in, or served as an advisor to several companies, most of them within the realm of digital economy or consumer digital media industries. Among the most notable enterprises are Sugar (interactive urban discovery app, founded in 2013), Sapio (online learning hub, founded in 2017), and Ixora (venture capital firm, founded in 2019). Through the years, Lee has been an active angel investor and business mentor, occasionally taking up board seats at companies in which he has invested. In particular, he is focused on companies in the consumer marketplace, or digital media categories, such as Supernova Brands, GetKlarity, ZAOZAO, The Good Natured Company, and Monsieur Fox. He is also a founder and Chairman of the Board at the Asset Management Academy of Singapore, a training institute for asset management professionals, with rigorous accreditation programs in asset classes including PE/VC, private wealth management, private debt, real estate, and equities.

Views on capitalism and social mobility

Lee is an advocate for social mobility and equal access to opportunity, based around the notion that 'one's present circumstances should not be determined solely by the conditions of their birth'. He often speaks on debunking myths on entrepreneurship, career development, and financial freedom. Lee also supports gender equality in business and society.