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Draft:Lawrence Chen

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Lawrence in 2022

Lawrence Chen (born 1978) is a Singaporean hedge fund manager, entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder, chief executive officer, chief investment officer, and owner of Golden Horse Fund Management, a global hedge fund company.

Early Life and Education

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Lawrence Chen was born and raised in Singapore. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics of Transition Countries from the University of California, Berkeley. During his time at Berkeley, Chen developed a strong interest in economics, particularly the economic transitions of formerly state-controlled economies. His academic focus and the exposure to diverse global economic systems laid the foundation for his future career in finance and investment management.

Career

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Lawrence Chen began his career as a Senior Financial Analyst with Forum Partners Investment Management LLC ("Forum Partners"), a global private equity firm with US$6 billion in assets under management. He was a key member of the Forum Asia JV I and II teams, which raised and invested US$1.5 billion in assets. These investments spanned 40 companies across 16 countries and achieved an impressive annual internal rate of return (IRR) of 21.2%.

Following his tenure at Forum Partners, Mr. Chen joined F&H Fund Management Pte. Ltd. ("F&H"), an accredited fund manager under Singapore’s Global Investor Programme. As Executive Director, he led the investment, operations, and compliance functions for F&H Fund I and Fund II, which collectively managed over US$1 billion in assets. Under his leadership, the funds were awarded the "Preferred Provider" status after a rating review by Mercer Pte. Ltd. During his time at F&H, the funds made substantial investments across growing enterprises and industries in China and Southeast Asia.

One of the highlights of Mr. Chen’s career was arranging a structured financing deal of US$18 million through senior secured debt facilities and US$32 million in convertible bonds for Sunshine Holdings, the first Chinese property company to list on the Singapore Exchange.

In 2015, Mr. Chen founded Golden Horse Fund Management, where he continues to leverage his extensive experience in investment management, infrastructure, and real estate, focusing on delivering superior risk-adjusted returns.

In addition to his professional work, Mr. Chen is an active member of Business China, an initiative launched by Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, aimed at nurturing an inclusive bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans to strengthen ties between Singapore and China.

Philanthropy

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Education

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Lawrence Chen has been deeply committed to fostering education and innovation, particularly in the fields of finance, technology, and artificial intelligence. Golden Horse Fund Management collaborates with leading educational institutions such as the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and Singapore Management University (SMU) to provide opportunities for the next generation of talent.

In 2018/19, Golden Horse Fund Management partnered with the NUS Investment Society to host the Algorithmic Trading Competition, a hands-on learning event designed for undergraduate and graduate students from NUS, NTU, and SMU. The competition offered students the chance to develop and assess trading algorithms, providing them with invaluable exposure to real-world trading strategies and the evolving world of financial technology.

In addition to supporting academic initiatives, Lawrence Chen and Golden Horse Fund Management have also made generous donations to NUS to further their commitment to higher education and research. The firm has established internship programs, offering students real-world experiences in finance and technology.

Through the Golden Horse AI Education & Research Centre, Lawrence Chen is leading a groundbreaking initiative aimed at empowering young minds with the tools to excel in the digital age. The Centre sponsors study camps and hands-on workshops for primary school students, focusing on coding, financial literacy, and artificial intelligence. In partnership with AI Singapore, the Centre also seeks potential recipients for the Golden Horse Artificial Intelligence (GHAI) Scholarship, designed to nurture the next generation of AI innovators.

Chen is also a member of the Singapore FinTech Association (SFA), contributing to the growth and development of the fintech and digital sectors in Singapore.

Healthcare

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Lawrence Chen and Golden Horse Fund Management have demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing healthcare through strategic partnerships and philanthropic initiatives. One of the most notable contributions is the establishment of the Golden Horse Fund Management Diagnosing Brain Injuries Research Fund in collaboration with the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) in Singapore.

The fund, with a pledge of $216,000 over three years, is dedicated to the development of an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm designed to automatically diagnose CT brain scans for patients suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The AI algorithm aims to significantly reduce the time required to diagnose brain injuries, potentially diagnosing scans in minutes and sending results to doctors via instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. This rapid diagnosis is expected to improve clinical outcomes by enabling faster clinical interventions, thereby enhancing patients' chances of recovery.

The Golden Horse Fund Management Diagnosing Brain Injuries Research Fund is the first named fund at NNI and has the potential to impact up to 53,000 patients in Singapore each year. Moreover, this technology has the promise of being adapted for other medical fields, such as tumour detection on histology images, broadening its global impact and improving medical diagnosis worldwide.

This partnership between Golden Horse Fund Management and NNI is part of Chen’s ongoing efforts to drive innovation and improve the quality of healthcare, both locally and globally. The initiative has received significant recognition, including features in prominent publications such as The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao.

References

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