Boom of Accelerators in Singapore
E27.CO: Here’s everything you want to know about Singapore’s startup scene. Take a look at some of the biggest players — the major deals made and insights into entrepreneurial behaviour
I first put together the landscape of the startup ecosystem in Singapore back in May 2014, which was an infographic I called the SINGASCAPE.
To be more efficient during meetings (so that I have more time to focus on how to help the other party), I came up with a self-serving infographic, which anyone could use intuitively.
Since then, much has changed and the scene has certainly evolved.
One of the most striking trends has been the explosion of accelerators in Singapore, as operators all over the world take advantage of the emerging Southeast Asian startup scene to expand their operations, source for talent and tap into the emerging growth markets of the region.
While accelerators are nothing new globally, we’re seeing renewed fervour by governments and large corporates to embrace this relatively new model of company creation.
The promises of the accelerator bandwagon are attractive: startups are the new growth engine for the digital economy, create (high value) jobs, foster faster product innovations within large organisations, and it doesn’t hurt that they are hip and trendy.
When I first put together Version 1.0 of SINGASCAPE, there were essentially only two-three accelerator players in Singapore. Joyful Frog Digital Incubator, or JFDI in short, which takes a page from Techstar’s playbook, was arguably the most prominent and successful pioneer in the region.
Fast forward 12 months later and it is hard to miss the colourful burst of logos of new accelerators that populate Version 2.0 of SINGASCAPE. Some of these have already set up in Singapore, while others are in the process of doing so. Fin-tech looks to be a key trend among these accelerators. Read the full article
DEALSTREETASIA: AccelerAsia is a unique accelerator that has its roots in Singapore, but has expanded to cover the region with offices in Jakarta and Manila.
Launched in 2010 by three European expatriates — Arnout Mostert, Joeri Gianotten and Frank Bomers — Accelerasia helps firms from the US, Canada and EU that are entering Southeast Asia, with business development, sales and go-to-market activities in the region.
Recently, the Singapore startup ecosystem has seen entry of other specialist accelerators and incubators from Russia (InspirAsia) and Australia (muru-D), DEALSTREETASIA caught up with Joeri Gianotten, one of the partners and co-founders of Accelerasia, to find out more about the changing business ecosystem, Accelerasia’s operations in the region and his views on the ASEAN. Read the full article
