Singapore is the gateway to Asia’s bustling technology and financial scene, and home to a diverse and ambitious entrepreneurial community. This article focus on the top 15 Best Singapore start-ups to watch in 2018.
Singapore is Asia. The island city-state that occupies a strategic point in the Straits between India and Hong Kong was founded as a colonial settlement by Stamford Raffles in 1819. Today, it is a fusion of the rich diversity of cultures from all across Asia.
It captures the essence of Asia in terms of trade and culture while at the same time standing as a bastion to the high-tech future. In many ways, it is the future.
Singapore is something of an economic miracle. After gaining independence from Malaysia in 1965, the city-state was divided and race riots ensued. However, under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore decided to put differences aside, embrace tolerance and concentrate on growth. In a single generation, it jumped from a developing economy to a port of affluence.
A prime business destination, the Singapore economy is highly diversified but its biggest areas of growth are in finance, technology and telecoms.
It is the chosen home of Facebook co-founder and billionaire Eduardo Saverin, and it boasts an eclectic array of start-up hubs, accelerators, meet-ups and venture capitalists.
There are prominent investors in the Singapore start-up scene, including: 500 Startups, Sequoia Capital, Wavemaker Partners and Dymon Asia Ventures, to name a few.
And so, here are our bets on the start-ups from Singapore to watch in 2018.
15. 99.co
With investors that include the aforementioned Saverin, 99.co is a start-up focused on the Singapore real-estate market, which is understood to be one of the top 10 real-estate markets in the world. The map-based search engine uses smart algorithms to connect house-hunters with the properties they want. Founded by serial entrepreneur Darius Cheung, 99.co recently raised $7.9m in a Series A round from investors including Saverin, Sequoia and 500 Startups.