How OCBC backs women entrepreneurs with financing and networking support

[SINGAPORE] For many female entrepreneurs operating in male-dominated industries, networking and collaboration can sometimes feel daunting, they told The Business Times.

“There are definitely challenges as a junior entrepreneur, especially in how we are looked upon, or how we are perceived (as bosses),” said Brenda Koo, co-founder of event management firm Ultimus Productions.

Female leaders are sometimes “not taken as seriously” as male bosses of a similar rank, and may be perceived as “softer” in demeanour than their male counterparts, she added.

But she also said: “I see the softness as an advantage, and I use that softness to ‘beat them’ with compassion.”

That approach can translate into management decisions such as hiring additional manpower to work in shifts, rather than pushing fewer employees to handle the same workload. This helps to ensure staff welfare is prioritised, and employees remain rested and motivated, she said.

The staff welfare angle is particularly important to Koo, who recalled taking a loan from OCBC during Covid-19 to sustain the business and continue paying her employees’ salaries during the first three years of the pandemic.

For Regine Sum, founder of Nasty Cookie, connecting with other female entrepreneurs – particularly those in the food and beverage (F&B) sector – has been “rather comforting”.

She said: “For the past few years, I’ve been making decisions solely based on what I feel like I should do, so sometimes I fear the decision-making when it gets too big.

“During networking events, when other female entrepreneurs share their journeys and when I talk about my ideas, their validation helps me, because these are senior players who have been in the market for a long time.”

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Both Koo’s and Sum’s companies are corporate clients of OCBC, which has stepped up efforts in recent years to support female entrepreneurs through networking and financing initiatives.

Many women entrepreneurs face barriers to funding and have more limited access to business networks, noted Iris Ng, head of emerging business, global commercial banking, at OCBC.

To address this, the lender in 2024 launched the OCBC Women Unlimited programme in Singapore. Under the initiative, startups founded by women can access financing of up to S$100,000 within the first two years of incorporation, with processing fees waived.

Participants can also attend customised educational workshops and gain opportunities to network and receive mentorship from established female business leaders.

“Through this programme, we aim to build a community where women can learn, share and grow together,” said Ng.

And learn, share and grow they did.

Sum said attending one of the networking events propelled her “forward quite massively”, as hearing the experiences of more seasoned F&B entrepreneurs there helped her decide to acquire two factories in Malaysia in 2025.

“OCBC exposed me not only to people in the dessert scene, but also to those involved in manufacturing, frozen foods and businesses that already have central kitchens overseas,” she added.

“That has helped me scale beyond what I currently know.”

Under the Women Unlimited programme, OCBC has also set a target of providing social loans to 10,000 female entrepreneurs across Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia by 2030.

Asked for her advice to fellow female entrepreneurs, Koo urged them “not to be afraid” of being perceived as having a gentler demeanour.

“Don’t be afraid to lead in a very male-dominant industry or environment,” she said. “What we are perceived as can become our biggest strength.”