HIS first business was bleeding. Undeterred, Mr Kenny Low, 31, set up another.

It turned out to be the right move for the founder of the City Harvest Education Centre (CHEC), a non-profit private school for students taking the O-level examinations privately.

His second business, O School, is a performing arts centre.

Set up in March last year, it broke even in over a year, and is expected to make $60,000 to $100,000 in profits by the end of next year.

Mr Low said he did not start out aiming to set up social enterprises, the buzzword for commercial enterprises run to address unmet social needs.

"All we wanted was to help people," he said.

O School, recognised in the arts scene as one of the leading studios in street dance training, teaches street dance to individuals and dance teams in four polytechnics and two universities. Singapore Idol winners Taufik Batisah and Hady Mirza have trained there.

Profits from both companies are channelled into bursaries for needy students. These companies are non-religious and independent of City Harvest Church.

Yesterday, Mr Low was named the Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year at an award ceremony at Holiday Inn Park View Hotel in Cavenagh Road.

The annual award was started here last year by the Switzerland-based Schwab Foundation, which recognises the work of individuals who have set up enterprises that tackle social issues.

The award ceremony last night was the highlight of a two-day Social Innovators’ Forum by non-profit organisation Social Innovation Park. It ends today with a public forum.

As the winner, Mr Low will be inducted into the Schwab Foundation’s network of 115 selected entrepreneurs worldwide and will also get to attend the Social Entrepreneurs’ Summit in Zurich, Switzerland and the Regional World Economic Forum Networking in Kuala Lumpur next year.

Mr Low said he is looking forward to the trips, adding: "It’s an encouragement to my team. We will have a different worldview after seeing other social enterprise models at the forum, and see what can be done in Singapore."

The other two finalists were Mr Alvin Lim, 46, chief executive officer of Bizlink Centre Singapore, a job placement agency for the disabled; and Mr Lawrence Khong, 55, chief executive of Gateway Entertainment, an entertainment company.

Mr Lim, who joined the then ailing company as its general manager last year, not only got it out of financial deficit, but also propelled its social mission efforts. He sourced cleaning, packing and data-entry jobs for 314 disabled people – a record in the history of social service here.

He said his company placed about 300 disabled people aged 16 to 62 – including the blind, stroke patients, and the intellectually disabled – for open employment each year.

He said: "People with disabilities are the poorest of the poor. To break the poverty circle, the best way is through employment."

Mr Khong pioneered and conceptualised Project Smile, the acronym for Sharing Magic In Love Everywhere, in 2002. The project trained youths and adults in magic, who would then perform the tricks to entertain the underprivileged in hospitals, day-care centres and homes.

Mr Khong, a magician and also a senior pastor at The Faith Community Baptist Church, said: "I am a pastor and a businessman but I found integration in the care and concern for people. I am using different means to spread the message of love and concern for community and for family. To me, there is no conflict."

LOOKING FORWARD

"It’s an encouragement to my team. We will have a different worldview after seeing other social enterprise models at the forum, and see what can be done in Singapore."

MR KENNY LOW, on learning from the Social Entrepreneurs’ Summit in Zurich and Regional World Economic Forum Networking in Kuala Lumpur next year, which he will get to attend

BREAKING THE VICIOUS CIRCLE

"People with disabilities are the poorest of the poor. To break the poverty circle, the best way is through employment."

MR ALVIN LIM, on finding jobs for about 300 disabled people each year

DUAL ROLE

"I am a pastor and a businessman but I found integration in the care and concern for people. To me, there is no conflict."

MR LAWRENCE KHONG, on his diverse yet complementary roles