Build or Die: Building Companies Early
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Build or Die: Building Companies Early
Supported by OpenAI
16th May, Singapore during AI Engineer Week.
Most people wait.
Wait to graduate.
Wait to feel ready.
Wait until it “makes sense.”
Some don’t.
Why Attend:
We’re putting together a group of founders who started early and figured things out while doing it.
Introducing Build or Die: Building Companies Early, a curated event bringing together founders who started early and chose to figure things out while doing it.
We’ll kick things off with a technical session supported by OpenAI: showing how we’re actually building and shipping.
Then a panel with people who didn’t follow the usual path.
🍹What’s On
5:45 PM - 6:15 PM: Arrival & Networking
6:20 PM - 6:30 PM: Aspire For Startups Sharing
6:30 PM - 7:15 PM: OpenAI Session (Live Demo + Q&A)
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A hands-on session led by OpenAI covering Codex and real-world usage of their latest models
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Includes live workflows, practical use cases, and open Q&A with the team
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Attendees will receive API credits and Codex subscriptions
7:15 PM - 8:15 PM: Founder Panel
- A candid discussion on building early, managing scale, and making unconventional decisions
🎙 Featured Speakers:
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**Jonathan Liem:** Founder of Inflect and **Nex,** started at 14, worked for a diplomat, now handling 7-figure contracts
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**Willis Wee****:** Founder of Tech in Asia (YC W15), acquired by SPH Media in 2024.
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**Pairie Koh****:** Stanford University fellow at 17, research at Ego AI (YC W24)
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**Ying Cong****:** Co-Founder of Glints, dropped out of Wharton School and paid back his bond to build
8:15 PM - 9:30 PM: Networking & Refreshments
🚀 Special Segment
Introducing Project Contrarian
A private member group for founders across APAC who skipped university to build something out of the norm
Small, curated, and focused on people actually executing.