SMU alumnus Denise Lim is the first Singaporean restaurateur in Xela, the second business city in Guatemala. She started the restaurant at the age of 27 in September 2012. La Esquina Asiatica Restaurante is one of the few foreign restaurants in Guatemala selling affordable Southeast Asian cuisine such as chicken dumplings and satay. Intending only to learn Spanish in Guatemala before heading to Costa Rico, she fell in love with the city and decided to stay. Despite having just a small restaurant, Denise makes the effort to help the economy and women, by supporting a local NGO, Trama Textiles, in their efforts to lift women out of poverty through selling traditional handmade products. She is now starting on a second start-up, a Spanish language learning hub, which connects native Spanish speakers and Asians in Singapore through Skype.