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The one where eChai turned Draper Startup House Singapore into a full house
Meanwhile, across eChai
Wei Zhu, Raunak Mehta
Founded 2016, Igloo is a full-stack, B2B2C embedded-insurance insurtech, distributing micro and usage-based cover through platforms like Shopee, Lazada and Gojek across SE Asia. Uses big data and automated c...
Walter de Oude (founder)
Founded 2014 as Singapore's first digital life insurer; merged with Aviva Singapore (2020) to become the largest locally-incorporated life insurer with a digital-first model. FLAG: fully acquired by Japan's ...
Michael Wu, Tiantian Kullander (+ co-founders)
Founded 2017 as a crypto trading/financial-services firm; peaked around a US$3B valuation (2022). FLAG: founded in Hong Kong and relocated its HQ to Singapore — now a SG-headquartered digital-asset group. Re...
Kris Marszalek, Rafael Melo, Gary Or, Bobby Bao
Global crypto exchange/app founded 2016. FLAG: founded in Hong Kong; operated via Singapore-based Foris DAX Asia (a Malta-holding subsidiary) and headquartered in Singapore, where it holds an MAS Major Payme...
Jihan Wu, Daniel Yan, John Ge (Yuesheng Ge)
Founded 2019, Matrixport is a digital-asset financial-services firm (trading, custody, structured products, wealth management) headquartered in Singapore with a bespoke parametric-designed HQ. Reached unicor...
Mathias Imbach, Gerald Goh
Founded 2017 on Swiss–Singaporean heritage; the world's first regulated digital-asset bank (2019). FLAG: dual-hubbed in Zurich and Singapore (also Luxembourg, UAE) — the SG entity (Sygnum Singapore, CMS-lice...
Eric Barbier, Peter De Caluwe
Founded 2016, Thunes operates a global cross-border B2B payment network (the 'Direct Global Network') reaching 130+ countries. Hit unicorn status in 2023 at a $900M+ valuation; raised a $150M Series D in 202...
Kelvin Teo, Reynold Wijaya
Founded 2015 (at Harvard Business School), Funding Societies is SE Asia's largest SME digital-financing platform, having disbursed US$4B+ across 5 markets. Backed by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 ($144M Series C+, ...
Wei Zhu, Raunak Mehta
Founded 2016, Igloo is a full-stack, B2B2C embedded-insurance insurtech, distributing micro and usage-based cover through platforms like Shopee, Lazada and Gojek across SE Asia. Uses big data and automated c...
(Ant International)
Digital Wholesale Bank serving MSMEs, licensed by MAS and launched 2022. FLAG: wholly-owned subsidiary of Ant International (China) — Singapore-incorporated but foreign-parent-controlled; included as an SG-l...
Sailor Zhong (Zhong Gengfa)
Founded 2017, HQ'd in Singapore since 2019, ChainUp is a blockchain/Web3 infrastructure provider — digital-asset exchange systems, wallets, custody, KYT, liquidity and tokenization — serving 1,000+ clients a...
Walter de Oude
Launched July 2024 by Singlife founder Walter de Oude, Chocolate Finance is a spare-cash management account targeting ~3.5–4.2% returns with no lock-ins. Scaled to ~S$1.1B AUM and ~100k users within a year; ...
Yusho Liu, Gerry Eng
Founded 2014 by two Singaporean 'army buddies', Coinhako is a homegrown MAS-licensed crypto exchange (on/off-ramp) for retail, HNW and institutional clients. Among the first exchanges to receive MAS in-princ...
The Singapore chapter of TiE, the global Indus-diaspora entrepreneurship org (founded 1992/94). The single most important South-Asian founder network in Singapore. Runs TiE Angels (four investor–founder matchmaking sessions a year), TiE ...
Established 1924, the premier business association for Indian businesses in Singapore, with 600+ members. Acts as advocator, connector and enabler — trade documentation, business advisory, networking sessions, seminars, and access to Sta...
Founded 1993/94, the second-largest overseas IIT community — 3,500+ IIT alumni in Singapore with roughly 100 entrepreneurs among them. A non-profit that builds the IIT network locally and is a natural feeder of technical founders and ang...
THE flagship — the world's largest FinTech festival, organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) with the Global Finance & Technology Network and Constellar. 2025 marked its 10th anniversary (12–14 Nov), preceded by the Insigh...
The world's largest crypto conference — 2025 drew a record ~25,000 attendees from 160+ countries with 500+ exhibitors at Marina Bay Sands. Two days of five simultaneous forums, and it anchors a citywide "TOKEN2049 Week" with 1,000+ side ...
e27's flagship two-day SEA startup summit — in 2025 (11th edition) it drew 8,000+ founders, investors, corporates and government stakeholders across three themed stages (Future, Forge, Growth) with 150+ speakers. Its TOP100 program showc...
Asia-Pacific's largest private equity and venture capital gathering — a four-day Informa event bringing 2,500+ senior decision-makers, 1,200+ LPs and 1,000+ GPs from 50+ countries, with 75,000+ meetings. Confirmed LPs include Temasek, GI...
Founded 2006, Singapore-based — the SEA startup ecosystem's go-to platform for insights, connections, funding and talent, with a startup database and the e27 Pro investor-matching subscription. Also runs the Echelon conference. Primary o...
One of Asia's largest VC firms (~US$9B AUM across 13 funds, 400+ companies), spun out of Sequoia in 2023 and rebranded Peak XV. Runs a dedicated ~US$850M Southeast Asia fund plus the Surge seed accelerator, with Singapore as its SEA hub ...
Founded 2009, one of the most prolific early-stage investors in Southeast Asia with a Singapore–Jakarta base and 300+ portfolio companies. Known as the first backer of Indonesian giants Tokopedia and Traveloka. Runs a multi-stage, sector...
The physical cradle of Singapore's startup scene — a ~56,000 sqm JTC-run estate at the former Ayer Rajah Industrial Estate, created in 2015 after the Blk71 pilot (with NUS Enterprise, IMDA and Singtel Innov8). It clusters 30+ incubators,...
The world's most active early-stage VC and 'Day Zero' company-builder — and, notably, headquartered in Singapore (founded 2017 by Magnus Grimeland). Its Residency model backs individuals pre-team/pre-idea, helps them find co-founders, th...
A Y Combinator-style accelerator and VC based in Singapore, founded 2020 by Hsu Ken Ooi and Brian Ma, focused squarely on Southeast Asia. Runs two cohorts a year, investing ~US$150k per startup for a small stake across an intensive 12-we...
The Singapore presence of the global Techstars mentorship-driven accelerator network (its first Asia program launched 2018 with Rakuten). Runs 90-day cohorts seeking Asia startups with sharply differentiated solutions, investing ~US$20k ...
One of Southeast Asia's most active early-stage investors, running its regional operations and accelerator programming out of Singapore since 2012. Backs pre-seed to Series A startups (first checks US$250k-US$500k) across SEA and runs th...
The region's first integrated cybersecurity startup hub, launched March 2018 as a joint venture between Singtel Innov8 and NUS Enterprise, and supported by the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) and IMDA. Runs Inspire (pre-accelerator bootcamp)...
Singapore's first government-backed blockchain accelerator, launched 2018 and supported by Enterprise Singapore. A product-development-focused, neutral platform whose network partners span MAS, Temasek, IBM, Intel, Citibank, HSBC, BMW Gr...
The pioneering 'talent-investor' company builder that backs exceptional technical individuals pre-team and pre-idea, running a ~6-month Form-then-Launch program to co-found deep-tech startups. Its Singapore hub (from 2017, supported by E...
The APAC headquarters (since 2010) of the Silicon Valley-born global innovation platform that matches startups with corporate partners. Runs industry-specific 12-week accelerator batches — notably a multi-corporate Fintech & Insurtech pr...
A leading corporate innovation and venture-development firm with a major Singapore office, operating the Startupbootcamp accelerator and building corporate-backed ventures. Singapore-based programs include the Supply Chain Resilience Acc...
Asia's largest homegrown flexible-workspace provider, founded in Singapore in 2011 by Kong Wan Sing. Its flagship at The Centrepoint on Orchard Road pioneered facial-recognition entry and on-demand workspace; it also runs THE COLLECTIVE ...
A premium, hospitality-led coworking operator founded in Singapore with a boutique-hotel-lobby aesthetic aimed at founders, professionals and growth-stage teams. Runs 7 CBD locations (Raffles Place, Orchard, Chinatown). Acquired by Indus...
The Singapore arm of the global flexible-workspace brand, operating ~12-14 locations concentrated in the CBD and Downtown Core. Its 21 Collyer Quay flagship (opened 2022) is the largest WeWork in the entire Pacific region. Popular with v...
A pioneer of Singapore coworking (founded 2012, from the merger of Impact Hub Singapore and Collision 8), long the country's largest coworking entrepreneurial community. A Google for Startups partner space, giving members access to globa...
Singapore presence of BITSAA International, the global BITS Pilani alumni network. Another significant South-Asian technical-founder and professional community in Singapore, running alumni networking and referral activity that overlaps h...
A volunteer-run Singapore community collective (5,000+ people) hosting AI meetups, workshops and hackathons since 2023. Grassroots builder energy — a key channel for reaching hands-on AI founders and engineers in the city. **link:** ht...
The largest English-language tech media company focused on Asia (~1M monthly traffic), spanning news, a jobs marketplace and tech conferences across the region. A dominant voice shaping startup narratives and events in Singapore and SEA....
Love, Bonito
Co-founder of Love, Bonito, a homegrown women's fashion label designing for Asian bodies. She and the Tan sisters (Viola and Velda) started as blogshop BonitoChico in 2005 and rebranded to Love, Bonito in 20...
ShopBack
Co-founder and Head of International Expansion at ShopBack, the Singapore-born cashback and rewards platform launched in 2014. She helped scale ShopBack across the region, the platform now spans multiple mar...
Zilingo (legacy)
Indian-origin (Mumbai) co-founder and former CEO of Zilingo, a Singapore-HQ'd B2B fashion-and-apparel supply-chain platform founded in 2015; she was on track to be the first Indian woman to co-found a US$1B ...
Unravel Carbon / The Hub Singapore
Serial entrepreneur and community builder: co-founder/CEO of The Hub Singapore (one of the country's earliest coworking communities) and co-founder/CEO of Unravel Carbon (YC W22), an AI-powered enterprise de...
KeyReply
Co-founder and CEO of KeyReply, a conversational-AI / patient-engagement platform for healthcare and insurance organizations, accredited by Singapore's Ministry of Health and named a Gartner Cool Vendor. A v...
The Great Room
Architect and former banker who co-founded The Great Room in 2016, a premium/hospitality-led coworking brand headquartered in Singapore with locations across the region (later acquired by IWG/Industrious). I...
Beacon Fund
Co-founder and CEO of Beacon Fund, a Singapore-based gender-lens private-debt fund (seeded by Patamar Capital, 2020) financing women-owned/led SMEs across Southeast Asia. Also a partner at Patamar Capital. A...
Singapore-rooted global platform running the world's largest startup competition for women and technology, active in 40+ countries, plus a She Loves Tech Fund and Alliance to close the gender funding gap. Po...
Described as the world's first global corporate women's private network and collective angel fund, high-powered female executives (75% Singapore-based) who mentor and invest in early-stage startups. Combines...
Southeast Asia's first private-debt fund dedicated to gender equality and social impact, seeded by Patamar Capital in 2020 with an initial US$50M target and an evergreen structure. Provides debt/mezzanine of...
The planned research district: BLOCK71 and LaunchPad anchor early-stage startups, and Biopolis holds the biotech and biomedical cluster around A*STAR and NUS.
26 companies 8 coworking
Strong in Biotech, Healthtech
The downtown core where the fintech, web3 and financial-services companies sit, next to the banks, funds and MAS.
31 companies 9 investors 3 coworking
Strong in Fintech, SaaS
Beyond the two poles, companies are spread across the island. Many carry a Singapore holding-company base as a regional headquarters for a business operating across Southeast Asia.
66 companies 42 investors 15 coworking
Strong in SaaS, Ecommerce
Answers about the Singapore startup scene
What does the startup ecosystem in Singapore look like?
Singapore is the gateway hub of Southeast Asian tech. It is Asia's fintech and web3 capital (Nium, Thunes, Aspire, plus a crypto cluster around Matrixport and StraitsX), home of the super-apps (Sea, Grab, Carousell), and the base for two global niches, carbon markets and agri-food-tech, plus a real maritime and trade-tech cluster. The vertical pages above map who is building what.
Why is Singapore the gateway to Southeast Asia for startups?
It combines rule of law, a deep pool of state and sovereign capital (Temasek, GIC, EDBI), the MAS fintech sandbox, and neutral positioning between India, China and the rest of SEA. Many founders base a regional holding company here to operate across Southeast Asia, which is why so much India to SEA startup flow runs through the city.
Where do founders network in Singapore?
At meetups, demo days and industry weeks more than at closed conferences. eChai runs free, open founder meetups in Singapore with an India to SEA flavour. Beyond eChai there is a thick layer of communities and anchor events, from Singapore FinTech Festival to TOKEN2049, listed in the communities section below. The simplest first step is to show up to an upcoming event.
Who are the Indian founders in Singapore?
A large share of the city's most valuable startups are Indian-founded or Indian-led, from Nium and Syfe in fintech to Multiplier and CYFIRMA in B2B software. The Diaspora tab above maps that cluster company by company, and lists the India-linked networks, TiE Singapore, SICCI and IITAAS, that eChai connects into.
Who are the active VCs and investors in Singapore?
The ecosystem is government-catalysed: state-linked capital (Temasek and Vertex, GIC, EDBI, SGInnovate) sets the tempo, alongside cross-border India to SEA funds like Leo Capital, Jungle Ventures and Peak XV, and Antler, one of the world's most active early-stage investors, is headquartered here. The investors section above lists firms by type.
Which accelerators and incubators are in Singapore?
BLOCK71 and LaunchPad at one-north anchor the early-stage scene, Antler runs its founder residency here, and the government stack (EnterpriseSG, EDB, MAS, A*STAR) provides grants and programmes. The incubators and coworking section above lists them by type.
What are the strongest startup sectors in Singapore?
Fintech and web3 lead, followed by the super-app, commerce and logistics lineage (Sea, Grab, Carousell, Ninja Van). Singapore also leads two global niches, carbon markets and agri-food-tech, and runs a genuine maritime and trade-tech cluster. See the vertical pages above for the full, filterable list.
How do I join the startup community in Singapore as an Indian founder?
eChai is free and open, and the Singapore chapter is built around the India to SEA bridge. Pick an upcoming event above, RSVP and walk in, no application or fee. It is one of the most natural on-ramps for an Indian founder landing in Singapore to meet both diaspora founders and the wider ecosystem.
How do I find a co-founder in Singapore?
Go where founders already gather. Antler runs a structured co-founder residency, but most pairings start informally at meetups, demo days and industry events. Come to a few eChai Singapore events, meet people building adjacent things, and the conversations tend to find their own way to co-founder fit.
What are the best startup events in Singapore this week?
The upcoming events block above is live: RSVP to the next eChai Singapore meetup. Beyond eChai, the city runs Singapore FinTech Festival, TOKEN2049 and a steady stream of sector meetups and demo days, listed in the communities section.
New to the Singapore startup scene? Start here.
eChai runs free, open founder meetups in Singapore, and connects the India to Southeast Asia founder bridge. No membership, no fee, just show up. RSVP to the next one and meet the people building here.
See upcoming Singapore events
