Episode notes
In this special episode of Intrigued to Innovate, host Dr Jovan Tan does something he has never done before — he steps aside and lets you drive the conversation.
For the first time on this podcast, the questions came from you — our listeners, the next generation of innovators — who sent in what you were almost too afraid to ask out loud. To answer them, Jovan brings together three people who know this journey from the inside: an educator (Dr Elliot Law), an alum-turned-founder (Vishnu Saran), and a student still in the thick of it (Harini Ravichandran). Same questions. Very different answers.
In this episode, you'll discover:
· The Real Startup Killer: Why people management — not product or technology — is what truly makes or breaks a team
· The Founder Mirage: How to tell genuine intrinsic drive apart from fad-chasing
· Why Teams Fail: What struggling teams really blame, and the hidden patterns underneath every breakdown
· The Validation Trap: Why "fake validation" can quietly stall your progress — and what real validation looks and feels like
· The Grit Code: The specific habits that sustain young innovators through their darkest moments
· The Unasked Question: Why the questions you are most afraid to raise are almost always the most important ones in the room
If you have ever wondered whether the struggle is worth it, this episode was made for you.
Guests: Dr Elliot Law, Programme Director, NUS Innovation and Design Programme (iDP) & Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programmes, NUS College of Design and Engineering (CDE); Vishnu Saran, Co-Founder & CEO, Invigilo Technologies & NUS iDP Alumnus; Harini Ravichandran, Final-Year iDP Student, National University of Singapore (NUS)
Hosted by: Dr Jovan Tan
Produced by: Low Tse Han & Dr Jovan Tan
Presented by: NUS Innovation & Design Programme (iDP) at the NUS Engineering Design and Innovation Centre (EDIC)