#56 [Exit Strategy for Local and Regional Entrepreneurs — CXO Business Forum 2025 Highlights]【区域企业家的退出策略——2025年CXO商业论坛亮点】
In today’s competitive economy, Exit Strategy is no longer just a long-term ambition—it is a strategic imperative for founders and business owners seeking to realize value, attract strategic investors, or transition via M&A. 在当今竞争激烈的经济环境中，退出策略不再是遥远的目标，而是希望实现企业价值、吸引战略投资者或通过并购（M&A）顺利转型的创业者和企业主的关键战略要务。
At iMerv Digital, we are now extending Advisory Services to help growth-stage businesses prepare for such exits through strategic investment stakes and M&A pathways, backed by a network of ready buyers across the region. iMerv Digital 现已推出战略投资咨询服务，协助成长期企业通过股权投资与并购渠道实现退出目标，并由我们遍布区域的现成买家网络提供支持。
The recent CXO Business Forum (AM), held on 1 August 2025 and organized by the Global Business Chambers Summit, delivered timely insights for startups, SMEs, and family-run enterprises striving for digital transformation, valuation uplift, and workforce sustainability. 由全球商会高峰会主办的2025年CXO商业论坛（上午场）于8月1日举行，为初创企业、中小企业以及家族企业提供了关于数字化转型、企业估值提升及员工保障的前沿见解。
🏁 From Founder to Exit – Heng Wah MOK, Ledgen
🏁 从创始人到退出 —— Heng Wah MOK （Ledgen）
Mok shared a practical roadmap for moving from startup to growth and scale-up, emphasizing that:
- Documentation and real-time retrieval are crucial to close deals at the right moment.
- Accounting is strategic, not just compliance—especially under U.S. standards.
- Founders must learn to delegate and take calculated risks, much like Cao Cao, who empowered generals to make battlefield decisions.
- Mok分享了一套从初创阶段到增长、再到规模化的实战路径，强调：
- 文档管理与即时调用能力在关键交易时刻至关重要；
- 会计不仅是合规工具，更是战略工具——特别是在注重审计的美国市场；
- 创业者应学会授权并承担可控风险，正如曹操那样让将领自主决策。
“To exit at a good valuation range, you must find the right buyer—one who sees your worth at the top end.” “要在高估值区间成功退出，关键在于找到认可你价值的合适买家。”
🤖 AI & Compliance – A Path to Higher Valuation
🤖 人工智能与合规——提升企业估值的关键路径
As digitalization reshapes enterprise value, compliance and AI readiness have become core enablers of business attractiveness in the eyes of investors and acquirers. 随着数字化重塑企业价值，合规性与人工智能能力已成为投资者和并购方评估企业吸引力的核心要素。
✅ Smart Hiring with AI – Hector Lin , JobStreet by SEEK
✅ AI赋能招聘 —— Hector Lin （JobStreet by SEEK）
- 85% of SMEs haven’t adopted AI tools in hiring, risking lag in talent acquisition.
- SEEKPass, a skill passport co-developed with MOM, enables verified work credentials.
- 85%的中小企业尚未在招聘中使用AI工具，导致在人才竞争中处于劣势；
- SEEKPass与新加坡人力部联合开发，可验证工作资历，提升信任度与招聘效率。
✅ Digital Skilling & Talent Transformation – Leslie Loh , Lithan Academy
✅ 数字技能与人才转型 —— Leslie Loh（Lithan Academy）
- Serving 50,000 learners and 2,000 enterprises
- AI enhances productivity, personalizes learning, and optimizes workflows.
- 平台覆盖50,000名学习者与2,000家企业；
- 人工智能可提升工作效率、个性化学习体验，并优化流程。
🧠 Creative & Brand Strategy – More Than Tech
🧠 创意与品牌战略——不仅限于科技
🎨 Alex Chua , Pixlr Group
- “Beyond IQ and EQ, we need a Curiosity Quotient to lead in the GenAI era.”
- 他提出：除了IQ与EQ，*好奇心指数”* 是通向GenAI时代领导力的新标配；
🏹 Dr. Anson Lim, The BrandLaureate
- Insights from Sun Tzu’s Art of War, Inamori’s people-first ethos, and Tim Cook’s leadership.
- 品牌竞争需讲策略、懂时机；参考了孙子兵法、“人本管理”的稻盛和夫哲学，以及Tim Cook的“以人为本”的领导力。
🔧 AI in Action – Deployment, Governance, and Transformation
🔧 AI落地应用——部署、治理与变革
💡 Brandon Lim, Google Cloud
- Collaborating with EDB and Enterprise SG to democratize AI and build MVPs.
- Google正与新加坡EDB与Enterprise SG合作，推动AI普及化与最小可行产品（MVP）开发。
📊 Jacklyn Lim, e2i (NTUC)
- CTC grants help companies digitize with the right governance model.
- 企业可通过签署谅解备忘录（MOU）并设立**公司培训委员会（CTC）**来获得自动化与数字转型支持资金。
💼 Labour & Livelihoods – Future-Proofing Workforces
💼 员工保障与未来劳动力
🛡️ Manfred Schmoelz, Mavi Holding
- Income protection insurance ensures workforce stability during downturns.
- 收入保障险为员工提供稳定保障，是企业吸引投资者与并购方的重要加分项。
🧭 Anson Kuah Siau Hian, ASK Training
- Manpower Management frameworks: income, mentorship, co-workers, prospects, models.
- 从“三国志”中提取人力资源管理之道，构建：收入预期、导师制度、同事关系、职业前景与工作模式五大要素。
🚀 AI Trends & Market Growth – Lenovo, Gleematic
🚀 AI趋势与市场成长 —— Lenovo 与 Gleematic 分享
- AI budgets expected to triple in 2025.
- Singapore’s Gen AI market will grow from $1.34B in 2025 to $4.64B by 2030 (CAGR: 28.1%).
- 2025年AI预算将翻三倍；
- 新加坡的生成式AI市场预计将在2030年达到46.4亿美元，年复合增长率达28.1%。
“With AI, staff work on the system, and AI works in the system.” “AI时代，员工主导系统，而AI执行系统内部的逻辑。”
🧾 Automate to Comply – David Lau, Autom8de
🧾 合规自动化 —— David Lau（Autom8de）
- One platform to automate financial processes and integrate with IRAS, ACRA, InvoiceNow.
- 提供自动化平台，完成财务报表、税务合规并无缝连接IRAS、ACRA、电子发票系统（InvoiceNow）。
💡 Final Thought
💡 结语：成就退出目标，保障员工未来
For startups and SMEs, the path to higher valuation and exit readiness includes: 对于初创企业与中小型企业而言，走向高估值与成功退出之路，必须：
- AI adoption
- Workforce upskilling
- Compliance automation
- Clarity of documentation
- 接纳AI技术；
- 推动员工技能升级；
- 实现自动合规；
- 注重文件规范与信息透明。
With the right advisory partner, the journey from growth to acquisition can be achieved—securing livelihoods, preserving legacies, and unlocking capital for future innovation. 在合适的战略顾问与并购顾问的帮助下，企业可顺利从成长走向退出，实现员工安稳、企业传承与资金释放。
