In an interview with Channel NewsAsia, SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business alumnus Jamon Mok shared the genesis of his company, Backstreet Academy, a “peer-to-peer impact travel online platform for unique experiences in developing countries”. Backstreet Academy sells one simple but compelling idea – learning from locals in their own countries. 
 

Mr Mok said the social enterprise was a way the founders felt that they could contribute to the world and work towards helping those in poverty. From just one experience in Kathmandu, the platform now lists more than 1,200 activities in 40 cities across 10 countries in Asia. It features experiences hosted by more than 1,000 locals across the region – the majority of whom have increased their incomes by two or three times and moved out of poverty since signing up – as well as local managers and a pool of freelance translators in each country, Mr Mok said.