In short
Faith Driven Singapore is the Singapore chapter of the global Faith Driven Entrepreneur (FDE) movement. It was started by Prof. Aleks Farseev, founder and CEO of the Singapore AI company SOMIN, after Henry Kaestner, co-founder of Faith Driven Entrepreneur, challenged him at the FDE global conference to plant a chapter in Singapore. The first Foundations session met at BLOCK71 Singapore on 14 August 2024. Aleks was later joined by co-builders Aidan Chan and Yuh Tyng Hsiao, and the community has grown to more than 200 members.
How did Faith Driven Singapore start?
It started with a conversation. At the Faith Driven Entrepreneur global conference, Aleks Farseev met Henry Kaestner, who co-founded the movement and, before that, co-founded the telecoms company Bandwidth. Henry did not ask Aleks to attend more events. He challenged him to plant a chapter in Singapore. In Aleks's own account on farseev.com, "that single invitation became Faith Driven Singapore."
Every chapter began with one person saying yes.
Who is the founder of Faith Driven Singapore?
Aleks Farseev ("Sasha") was born and raised in Russia and came to Singapore in 2013 for a PhD in computer science at the National University of Singapore. He stayed, founded the marketing-intelligence company SOMIN, and became a research professor, a Forbes Technology Council columnist and a professional accordionist who founded Accordion Singapore. He is a father of three.
His faith has deep roots. He was baptised as an infant into the Russian Orthodox Church, and as an eight-year-old he prayed for a duck on a failed village hunt. Thirty seconds later, his mother walked in holding one. He tells that story in our article on his Salt&Light interview. In Singapore, he says, he "met God again", worshipping at City Harvest Church while staying rooted in the Orthodox tradition.
Before FDE, his company joined DMV Redemptive Labs, the accelerator of Digital Mission Ventures, first with Aleks as a cohort member and later as a mentor. That is where "business as mission" became a practice for him rather than a phrase. It also shaped his idea of redemptive marketing.
Why did it take time to find co-founders?
After the invitation, Aleks looked hard for a co-founder. Plenty of experienced, willing people stepped forward, but none was the right fit, and he refused to settle. The goal was specific: a genuine community of Christ-following founders, not a business fellowship where everyone quietly sells to everyone else.
The right people came through the sessions themselves. Aidan Chan, a former startup founder and venture investor, kept turning up and later led sessions himself. Yuh Tyng Hsiao, a marketer turned AI-and-automation entrepreneur from City Harvest Church, joined in 2025. With both of them alongside, Faith Driven Singapore truly launched.
Timeline: how the chapter grew
A prayer for ducks
An eight-year-old's prayer on a village hunt becomes the story Aleks returns to "every time I have doubts about God".
Singapore
He comes for a PhD at NUS, stays, founds SOMIN, and meets God again at City Harvest Church.
Tested
War cuts off much of the business. He refuses to abandon his team, keeps paying staff while they find new work, and restarts the company in Southeast Asia.
Business as mission
First as a founder in the cohort, then as a mentor to other founders.
The invitation
Henry Kaestner challenges Aleks to plant a Faith Driven chapter in Singapore.
Session 1 at BLOCK71
Cohort 1 of the Foundations Group begins with "Our Call to Create", meeting monthly at BLOCK71 Singapore.
Cohort 2
The group moves to Suntec, where rooms often held 20 to 27 people.
Cohort 3
A mobile community: Browzwear, Marina One, Kampung Siglap, Father's House and the YMCA.
Taipei, then London and Kenya
The first overseas group starts in Taipei. New groups are taking shape at Meta's London office and in Kenya.
FDE 2026 Conference watch party
Singapore gathers at 105 Sunset Way to watch the global conference together.
Why does the chapter keep changing venues?
"We keep changing venues — not because we want to, but because God does," Aleks says. In two years the group met in seven places across Singapore: a startup hub, a convention centre, a tech company's office, a condominium dining room, a community retreat centre, a ministry space and the YMCA. Each was a neutral space that belonged to no single church, which suits a room of people from many churches, some from none, and at least 16 countries. You can see every session on our gatherings page.
The people who said yes
Henry Kaestner
Co-founder, Faith Driven Entrepreneur. He issued the invitation to plant a Singapore chapter.
Aleks Farseev
Founder, Faith Driven Singapore. APAC / Southeast Asia Ambassador for Faith Driven Entrepreneur. Founder and CEO of SOMIN.
Aidan Chan
Co-builder, Faith Driven Singapore. A former startup founder and venture investor who has led Foundations sessions.
Yuh Tyng Hsiao
Co-builder, Faith Driven Singapore. A marketer turned entrepreneur in AI solutions, automation and digital marketing.
What does "no cost, no catch" mean?
Gatherings and Foundations Groups are free. Volunteers run them, and monthly partners fund the food and venues. Nobody pays to belong, and nobody is there to sell. That was the higher bar Aleks set from the start, and it is still the test for every new group.
Questions about our story
Who founded Faith Driven Singapore?
Prof. Aleks Farseev, founder and CEO of SOMIN, started Faith Driven Singapore after Faith Driven Entrepreneur co-founder Henry Kaestner challenged him to plant a chapter in Singapore. Aidan Chan and Yuh Tyng Hsiao later joined as co-builders.
When did Faith Driven Singapore start?
The first Foundations Group session, "Our Call to Create", met at BLOCK71 Singapore on 14 August 2024. Three cohorts have run since then.
Is Faith Driven Singapore part of Faith Driven Entrepreneur?
Yes. It is the local Singapore chapter of the global Faith Driven Entrepreneur movement and uses FDE's Foundation Course and resources.
Does Faith Driven Singapore have groups outside Singapore?
The Singapore team helped start the first overseas group in Taipei. New groups are forming in London and Kenya.