A Feminine Force

She’s a doctor, a serial entrepreneur and a mother of three. But for Elaine Kim, CEO and Co-Founder of crib, a social enterprise that empowers women through entrepreneurship, breaking down the barriers between women and their dreams may be her most trailblazing path yet.

- Adeline Loh

There is a particular complication that comes with motherhood and being an entrepreneur, one which Elaine Kim knows well. “Many people don’t want to support female entrepreneurs. They think women won’t be able to give their 100 per cent once they become mothers,” says Kim, the co-founder and CEO of social enterprise Crib (Creating Responsible & Innovative Businesses).

It’s a mindset which the 34-year-old – a doctor, serial entrepreneur and mother of three – seems uniquely qualified to challenge. Case in point: After giving birth to her son – her third with venture capitalist John Kim – last October, she returned to work in just two weeks and started planning the inaugural Crib Summit, which takes place this month on March 11-12.

Addressing issues of the day facing women in the workplace, the summit features an impressive list of speakers: Chung Un Chan, the former prime minister of South Korea; HRH Dr Princess Nisreen El- Hashemite of Iraq; and Grace Fu, Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth. There’s also a smorgasbord of workshops by industry experts to provide practical takeaways for attendees.

Crib was founded two years ago, and it has since rode on a huge undercurrent of support. With 300 members, it lists the who’s who of local businesswomen, with Claire Chiang, Elim Chew, Priscilla Shunmugam and Shermay Lee as its advisers, and it has over 50 high-net-worth investors keen to support women-led businesses.