Making time personal

SMU School of Economics undergraduate Nicholas Han and his brother, Jonathan Han, were featured in The Business Times, where they shared the genesis of the company and future plans. The brothers have set up Schaffen Watches, an online retailer that invites its customers to personalise timepieces. Schaffen was incubated by SMU Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (IIE), which has given the brothers access to key investors. Last year, they made their pitch to the IIE. In the months following their acceptance into the programme, they raised S$100,000 through angel investors, including their mentor Virginia Cha, a veteran tech entrepreneur. The seed funding enabled them to make a minimum order for supplies and to hire two watchmakers, who now work out of a workshop in Jurong.