Virginia Cha

Dr. Virginia CHA is a Professor of innovation and entrepreneurship in Singapore with multiple appointments at Singapore’s leading tertiary education institutions: Adjunct Professor at INSEAD, Adjunct Professor at NUS Business School, Professor-in-Residence at Platform E (a member of SIM), and other adjunct appointments at SMART and Lean LaunchPad @Singapore. In her multi-faceted 38 year-long industry and academic career which spanned multiple countries, Virginia co-founded or was the sole-founder and CEO of multiple venture-funded, hi-tech companies in Singapore and China, with listings on NASDAQ and HKSE. She has co-authored a book “Asia’s Entrepreneurs: Dilemmas, Risks and Opportunities” which captured Singapore’s recent entrepreneurial history. Additionally, Virginia is a member of the Future Council of World Economic Forum. In addition to teaching entrepreneurship, Virginia is also an active researcher, mentor, and angel investor in Singapore’s entrepreneur ecosystem. Virginia’s latest research into innovation is on the subject of restorative innovation (www.restorativeinnovation.com). This emergent framework uses an economic model on how sustainable goods can reach mass consumption through innovation along three dimensions: increased supply, supply chain efficiency, and increased adoption. This framework is now a subject taught in all the leading Singapore tertiary institutions in innovation, including NUS, INSEAD, and SMU. Virginia is also an active Angel Investor in early stage start-ups, and has been named as “Top 10 Most Frequently Mentioned Mentor” and “…the most influential entrepreneur within the network of Singaporean tech companies.” Virginia’s book Asia's Entrepreneurs Dilemmas, Risks and Opportunities (Routledge), published in 2013, is a “must read for those interested in knowin g a slice of Singapore’s recent entrepreneurial history.” In addition to her professional interests, Virginia’s main passion is in wuxia novels and is an avid fan of Louis Cha’s novels. Virginia earned her first degree in Information Computer Science from the University of Hawaii, and her PhD from the National University of Singapore. She started her career as an operating systems programmer at Burroughs Corporation in the U.S. in 1980. She has lived and worked in Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, in addition to California, Hawaii, and North Carolina in the U.S.A.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) National University of Singapore (2007 — 2011)
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) University of Hawaii at Manoa (1977 — 1980)
• High School International School Bangkok, Thailand (1966 — 1976)

Companies

• Advisor Restorative Innovation (2017)
• Academic Director for SMART Academy * Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology Centre * (2016)
• Adjunct Professor National University of Singapore (2015)
• Global Agenda Council Member World Economic Forum (2012)
• Adjunct Professor, Technology Entrepreneurship INSEAD (2011)
• Professor-in-Residence SIM Platform E (2017 — 2020)
• Entrepreneur In Residence Singapore Management University (2011 — 2016)