AI startup founder Anne Cheng said she has a Ph.D. from Stanford. She admits it’s not true

With additional reporting by Candice Lee

Anne Cheng, founder of defunct Singapore-based investment firm Start Up Nation, has been a prominent figure in the country’s startup scene.

A frequent speaker at industry events, she has declared a track record of investing in over 80 startups and amassing US$200 million in assets under management.

Image credit: Timmy Loen

This year, Cheng added a new feather in her cap.

On July 4, she posted on her LinkedIn page a photo of a certificate showing that “Cheng Heng Fun, Anne” had graduated with a “doctor of philosophy in behavioral economics” degree from Stanford University in 2023.

“One would think that you would be over the moon when you get that piece of paper. But I wasn’t. My imposter syndrome crept up behind me, and sent me into panic,” she wrote. “Little Anne would not have dreamed that she would one day be where she is today.”

Anne Cheng’s LinkedIn post about her supposed Ph.D. / Image credit: LinkedIn

But Tech in Asia’s investigation casts doubt on Cheng’s claim of getting a Stanford doctorate.

In an interview with Tech in Asia on July 9, Cheng insisted she was telling the truth: She’s a Ph.D. graduate of Stanford.

By July 10, she had taken down her LinkedIn post. She also dropped “PhD” from her profile name on the platform. On the same day, she sent an email to Tech in Asia, admitting that she misrepresented her educational background.

“I understand that the diploma misrepresenting my education is the main concern at the moment, and rightfully so. I acknowledge what I did,” she wrote.

“Serious lapse in judgment”

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