Valery Tan (right), a SUSS Human Resource Student, and Elmer Yap (left), a SUSS Supply Chain Student.
Driven by their passion to create a women-centric start-up, Valery Tan and Elmer Yap partnered as co-founders to embark on their entrepreneurial journey with “Surety”. Inspiration struck Valery when she witnessed her mother's growing concerns during perimenopause. Seeing unanswered questions in the air, Valery and Elmer delved into research on perimenopause, ultimately deciding to create a platform to educate women about menopause.
Surety's vision is to become a "Unified Platform for the Aging" targeting the sandwiched age group of the young seniors, who are neither young nor classified as elderly. Surety strives to break the stigma and eliminate fearmongers that surround menopause by driving conversations about its challenges, all while creating a holistic ecosystem to support women's physical and mental well-being. They aim to raise awareness, provide women with resources, and build a community of like-minded women to confront these struggles together. Surety prides itself in its unique menopause treatments. In contrast to other Western brands in the market, Surety is introducing and guiding women to explore traditional treatment methods, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional Malay Medicine.
Before the ideation of Surety, Valery and Elmer participated in the SUSS Venture Builder Programme with hopes of generating viable business ideas. Through the programme, they met mentors who guided them on their journey and advised them to narrow down their ideas and pivot to one with potential. The duo described the Venture Builder Programme as an ideation sandbox which provides budding entrepreneurs with networks, mentorship, and a safe space to develop and refine their ideas. During their time in the programme, Valery and Elmer acquired essential entrepreneurial skills and knowledge to strengthen the foundation of their venture. To this day, they continue to apply what they've learned to enhance Surety's potential.
Photoshoot of the Surety Team with their community - Surety Goddesses.
In fact, what better way can Surety return the favour? Valery and Elmer decided to empower the Surety Goddesses by inviting them to model and strut the runway! Recognising the lack of diversity in Mature Women Models, Valery and Elmer sought to spread the message of self-love among the Surety Goddesses. Surety encouraged mature women of all ages, races, and body types to pose for professional photoshoots. Through this experience, Surety provided an opportunity for the Surety Goddesses to explore a new side of life, of feeling more beautiful and confident in their bodies.
Surety has welcomed a new team member onboard as part of their recent efforts to empower more women. They hired an intern - a former housewife in her 50s, who is pursuing SUSS' Part-time Bachelor of Communication degree programme, to diversify their knowledge and continue Surety’s mission.
Valery and Elmer offer words of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: "Persevere through the journey. When you believe in your idea, you will find the means to realise it." They believe that, as business founders, the most vital aspect is to "discover yourself, your values, and the attributes you value. Your mentality forms the crux of your business which sets you apart from someone simply doing business.”
Surety has come a long way since its inception in Venture Builder. The duo has since moved on to pursue Alibaba Cloud – SUSS Entrepreneurship Programme to elevate Surety. Are you interested in bringing your start-up to the next level and attracting funding? Join us now!