List of Startup Accelerators and Incubators for Singapore
Singapore brings a wealth of expertise, funding opportunities and market access that is beneficial for every fast growing startups. Plus, the city-state is certainly not short on quality startups accelerators and incubators.
Here’s a list of Accelerators and Incubators that will help passionate entrepreneurs take their projects and ventures to the next level.
(Let us know anytime if we forget any important Singapore based accelerator or incubator) (last update August 2019)
The Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise, raiSE, is a sector developer and membership body for aspiring social entrepreneurs, existing social enterprises, and other individuals and organizations that are interested in contributing to the development of the Social Enterprise sector. raiSE provides a range of support to help social enterprises from start to mature stages, such as funding, advisory services, training, relevant resources and networks.
The organization also runs several startup programs including the Sustainable Impact Accelerator, heralded as Asia’s first VC-backed accelerator dedicated to socially impactful enterprises and provided in partnership with Quest Ventures, as well as the raiSE Incubation Programme, which aims to develop seed and early-stage social enterprises by supporting them in their planning and implementation of go-to-market and go-to-impact activities of their social innovations.
The FinLab, a joint venture between the United Overseas Bank (UOB) and Infocomm Investments, a unit of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, is an innovation accelerator that assists businesses on their digitalization journey with proprietary business tools, webinars, curated events and contents.
In addition to its support to businesses across Southeast Asia, the FinLab also teams up with other industry stakeholders to launch specialized startup acceleration programs.
The PayPal Innovation Lab, based in Singapore, embodies PayPal’s commitment to fostering innovation through collaboration, talent development, and strategic partnerships.
With a focus on driving fintech research, the lab engages with experts in computer science, computer engineering, and information systems to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the financial technology space.
The lab’s programs cater to a diverse audience, from students eager for knowledge to seasoned industry professionals. By providing opportunities for participation, learning, and contribution, the lab nurtures a vibrant community of innovators.
Among its initiatives, the PayPal Fintech Program integrates industry insights into academic curriculums, ensuring students graduate with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in the field. Additionally, the Women Luminaries Program and the GROWSG Program demonstrate PayPal’s commitment to diversity and talent development, particularly among underrepresented groups like women in tech.
Start Path is a virtual program by Mastercard that helps future-proof corporate innovation strategies through connections within a global ecosystem of vetted, later stage startups. Start Path participants accelerate their innovation efforts by accessing holistic support, diverse expertise, cutting-edge research and a rich startup ecosystem.
Start Path’s startup network spans across open banking, digital assets, small and medium-sized businesses and other emerging fintech areas.
AIRmaker is an IoT-focused accelerator for digital health and wellness, and smart nation startups. It leverages on the technology partnerships of Ascendas-Singbridge, Infocomm Investments, and Runyang Group to help the startups propel their business growth. The program connects two of Asia’s most vibrant and developing innovation ecosystem, by featuring a “discovery phase” in Singapore followed by a “build phase” in Shenzhen.
SPH Plug & Play Accelerator is a media and technology-themed accelerator program with a goal of investing in promising startups. SPH Plug and Play brings together all three partners’ unique strengths: SPH’s vast media expertise and resources; IIPL’s network of industry stakeholders including government-linked agencies and research institutes; and Plug and Play’s experience in running multiple themed-accelerators globally.
Established in 2001, NUS Enterprise is the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS). With a commitment to fostering a culture of entrepreneurship, it actively promotes a global mindset and cultivates talents through a combination of experiential entrepreneurial education, strategic industry partnerships, comprehensive support systems, and impactful outreach programs.
NUS Enterprise offers several programs including the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) program, which provides students with entrepreneurship experience in over 10 startup hubs across the globe; and the NUS Start-Up Runway, a program that assists startups in their journey by offering resources and support.
Startup Autobahn Singapore is a corporate co-innovation platform powered by Mercedes-Benz focusing on several domains including customers, automotive retail, aftersales, corporation and infrastructure management.
The program aims to accelerate local startups by helping them develop their idea towards a real-life market fit within the company. It is the first innovation platform focused on mobility in Singapore.
ImpacTech stands as a prominent capacity builder within Southeast Asia, renowned for its extensive expertise in empowering early-stage companies dedicated to creating social and environmental impact across diverse fields and technologies. With headquarters in Singapore and operations extending to Thailand and Japan, ImpacTech orchestrates a range of programs tailored to support such endeavors.
ImpacTech’s programs and projects are distinctly technology-focused, leveraging its global presence to provide startups with a significant advantage in scaling rapidly. Selected startups benefit from access to workshops and content sessions designed not only to establish the foundational elements of their enterprises but also to inspire innovative ideas and stretch the boundaries of their creativity, all aimed at preparing them for Demo Day. Moreover, startups receive tailored mentoring sessions from mentors closely aligned with their progress, needs, and technical domain.
Innovation Cybersecurity Ecosystem at BLOCK71 (ICE71) is the region’s first cybersecurity entrepreneur hub. Based in Singapore, ICE71 is a partnership between Singtel Innov8, the VC arm of the Singtel Group, and the NUS, through its entrepreneurial arm NUS Enterprise.
ICE71 is focused on developing and supporting early and growth stage cybersecurity entrepreneurs and startups from around the world. ICE71 runs a range of programs designed to support cybersecurity individuals and start-ups from idea development to the creation, acceleration and scaling of cybersecurity startups. The ICE71 Inspire and ICE71 Accelerate programs are run by CyLon, the leading global cybersecurity accelerator and active investor in early stage cybersecurity startups.
The Shell StartUp Engine is a global innovation program, with a Singapore chapter, catered to early to growth stage energy startups looking to develop their capabilities and power business growth within the smart, clean energy landscape.
The program’s aim is to deliver more and cleaner energy solutions to help meet Singapore and Asia’s growing needs. Leading this transition to a low carbon future, Shell Startup Engine’s objective is to help grow and stimulate the smart, clean energy startup ecosystem in Singapore, creating value for both entrepreneurs and the society.
The Shell StartUp Engine provides a structured six-month program aimed at assisting startups in building expertise and fostering connections within a broader community, positioning them for success. Participants gain access to curated sessions offering insights into the energy sector, engagement with representatives from Shell and external industry experts to refine their startup’s value proposition, tailored workshops for capacity building, and an exclusive program curriculum. Additionally, startups connect with a diverse community of mentors, subject matter experts, fellow energy startups, corporates, investors, academia, and government agencies.
Iterative, an accelerator exclusively focused on Southeast Asia, operates in structured batches to facilitate optimal learning and collaboration among startups. Upon enrollment, each startup is paired with a lead partner who guides them throughout the program, setting growth goals and providing tailored support. Regular meetings with lead partners offer founders valuable guidance, ensuring effective prioritization and progress. The 12-week program concludes with Demo Day, where startups showcase their progress to potential investors, marking the culmination of the batch.
Founded by cofounders of Decide.com (acquired by eBay), Iterative differentiates itself with partners, mentors, advisors, and investors who have all previously started, sold, and operated startups. Iterative’s mission is to build the strongest and most supportive network in the region for early stage founders.
Visa Accelerator Program Asia-Pacific
The Visa Accelerator Program is designed for growth stage companies looking to expand their market reach, with a focus on product solutioning, technical integration and fast-tracked commercialization.
The Visa Accelerator Program was created to help startups unlock their growth potential and scale across the Asia Pacific region, by collaborating on joint solutions that address the biggest opportunities in digital payments.
Together with Visa’s payment experts, product architects and business development teams, startups in the Visa Accelerator Program get to rapidly co-develop, test, and iterate new solutions, while pursuing tangible go-to-market opportunities with our extensive network of financial institutions, merchants and digital partners over a course of six months.
Now in its fourth year, the Visa Accelerator Program has enabled the growth of some of APAC’s most prominent startups.
StartupSpaze is a sector-agnostic startup incubator managed by Spaze Ventures. The program provides an initial tranche of seed funding of S$50,000 to S$500,000 for a small equity stake, along with intensive mentorship and training, helping selected startups grow and thrive with its network of mentors and investors.
Incorporated in 2014, Spaze Ventures is a seed capital firm based in Singapore. The firm has a portfolio of tech startups from a broad spectrum of sectors including fintech, edtech, e-commerce, media, foodtech, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and enterprise technology. It provides seed capital to early-stage technology startups. It engages and invests in entrepreneurs and startups in the earliest stage possible.
EduSpaze is Singapore’s first edtech accelerator supported by Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), the enterprise development agency. It aims to nurture a vibrant edtech startup ecosystem that serves the education sector in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Eduspaze helps early stage edtech startups strengthen their products, go-to-market, accelerate their growth, and collaborate with stakeholders in the education space to address sector-specific challenges with innovative solutions to improve learning outcomes and the impact of education.
The three-month acceleration program gives selected startups seed funding of up to S$500,000 for a small equity stake, based on their valuation, and access to a global network of partners.
EduSpaze is a part of Spaze Ventures.
Mbanq Labs is a banking-as-a-service (BaaS) acceleration program worldwide that’s aimed at creating global fintech infrastructure. Originating in Singapore, the organization’s ambition is to expand the acceleration program to Europe and the US.
The program caters specifically to early-stage fintech startups spanning diverse sectors like banking, payments, and compliance. Through strategic partnerships with prominent cloud platforms such as Mbanq Cloud, IBM, and Amazon Web Services, Mbanq Labs equips startups with credits, enabling them to develop their products and contribute meaningfully to the global fintech landscape.
Mbanq Labs provides startups with an array of support mechanisms, including complimentary office space at Launchpad, intensive customized training programs, and mentorship from industry experts. Functional support encompasses legal and financial guidance, strategy formulation, global market expansion, and marketing assistance. Furthermore, startups benefit from exposure through investor demos at Mbanq Events and opportunities to pitch at events organized by Mbanq or its partners, as well as over S$250,000 worth of benefits.
Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First Singapore
Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First Singapore, launched in January 2024 by Google Cloud and EnterpriseSG, is a three-month equity-free accelerator program for AI first startups based in Singapore. The accelerator aims to connect the best of Google’s products and people to empower startups to scale their business, towards success in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and technology.
Selected startups benefit from a range of resources designed to accelerate the development and commercialization of proprietary products using generative AI. These include up to US$350,000 in Google Cloud credits upon graduation, access to Google Cloud’s unified AI stack, and mentorship and technical support from Google’s product development teams, AI engineers, and esteemed startup ecosystem network partners such as Alpha JWC Ventures, Co-Creation Lab, Golden Gate Ventures, Manulife, Red Dragon AI, Touchstone Partners, among others.
Participating startups also have the opportunity to showcase their achievements and connect with potential investors and corporate customers at a Demo Day hosted by Google Cloud and EnterpriseSG.
German Accelerator is committed to empowering German startups to expand globally. Through its intensive programs, the organization guides high-potential companies on a rapid learning journey to explore and access the world’s foremost innovation hubs in the US, Asia, and South America.
In Asia, German Accelerator offers two programs: the Market Discovery program, which helps German startups validate the suitability of their business in new potential target markets such as India, Japan, and South Korea; and the Market Access program helps startups to enter Asia with the support of our expert mentors and local team. Startups get access to and enter the identified target markets in Asia, and the program length will be individualized according to their company’s needs.
Operated under the Start2 Group, German Accelerator is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).
Tenity Accelerator & Incubator
Tenity (formerly F10) is the leading collaboration space for fintech in Switzerland, Singapore, the Nordics, Spain, Turkey and the UK, focusing on innovation in the finance industry for a better future. Tenity’s programs promote the successful growth of startups in the fintech, regtech, and insurtech industries. At the same time, Tenity gives its board of corporate members access to the latest ideas and prototypes.
Tenity is sponsored by UBS and SIX, the operator of Switzerland’s stock market and a powerful center of world-leading service providers in securities trading, securities transactions, financial information processing, and cashless payment transactions.
The organization’s excellent connections allow it to connect fresh startups with experienced corporate members and invest in today’s best ideas for a brighter future for the whole world.
Tribe Accelerator is a globally focused blockchain accelerator that selects the most promising growth-stage startups utilizing blockchain technology to tackle real-world problems and supercharge their go-to-market strategies through its global network.
The accelerator team works with the portfolio companies to co-design go-to-market strategies through partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, governments, and tech companies to drive the mass adoption of their solutions. Through ongoing co-innovation and ecosystem building efforts, Tribe can continually develop strong corporate and government networks to provide unparalleled access into industry opportunities, as well as a steady pipeline of potential capital to the portfolio companies.
Surge operates as a 16-week program in Singapore, blending in-person and online group sessions to provide founders with the tools to establish enduring companies. The program’s key offerings include access to up to $3 million in seed funding, with the potential to raise subsequent rounds post-program, support and collaboration opportunities, and actionable insights from global experts, founders, and operators.
Surge is intentionally small and curated with each Surge cohort usually having between 10 to 20 companies. There have occasionally been larger cohorts with more than 20 companies.
Founders typically spend three to four days together, in person, at the start and end of the program, and also attend group online sessions every Thursday in between those in-person sessions. There are also optional operator-led studio sessions on specific company building topics on key weekdays when Surge is in session.
The LongHashX Accelerator, established in early 2018, stands as a pioneering Web3-native accelerator committed to catalyzing the growth of Web3 startups. The LongHashX Accelerator, run by Singapore-based blockchain investor LongHash Ventures, works closely with ecosystem and infrastructure partners to accelerate the world’s next generation of early-stage founders.
Across its nine cohorts, the LongHashX Accelerator has leveraged the voluntary support of a diverse panel of mentors comprising Web3 founders, investors, and core contributors. These mentors provide invaluable guidance on tokenomics design, decentralized governance, and community building, enabling startups to make significant strides from inception to execution swiftly.
Accelerating Asia is an early-stage VC fund headquartered in Singapore. Accelerating Asia runs an award-winning flagship accelerator program and a seed fund, working with high-impact and high-potential startups from all sectors across the region and sets them up for success.
Startups receive competitive funding at founder-friendly terms, and have access to best-in-class mentors, investors, customers, and a network of partners. Through strategic partnerships with multinationals, governments, development organizations and education institutions, Accelerating Asia supports better engagement with startups and more effective implementation of new technologies.
Accelerating Asia’s flagship program provides selected startups with up to US$250,000 in investments, tailored advice, access to an extensive network of fellow founders, mentors, partners and investors, and dedicated support.
BLOCK71 is an initiative by NUS Enterprise in collaborative and strategic partnerships with established corporates and government agencies. It is a technology-focused ecosystem builder and global connector which catalyses and aggregates the startup community.
BLOCK71’s Global Startup Runway is a year-long intensive equity-free incubation program designed to help the most promising founders leverage BLOCK71 and its partners’ global network and expertise to take on uniquely Asian markets, and scale high impact solutions to create value for society and industry.
The program targets young startups building high-impact solutions for smart, sustainable environments, health and wellbeing, industry 4.0 and Web3 in Singapore.
BLOCK71’s Booster is a structured six-week immersion program crafted to initiate founders into the Global Startup Runway Track. It enables Founders to build upon a strong core for long term scalability and impact.
Founder Institute Singapore, part of Silicon Valley-based Founder Institute, helps high-potential entrepreneurs and teams with the critical support network and structured process needed to build an enduring company. Since launching in Singapore in 2010, the program has created over 130 promising technology companies in the region, like Vault Dragon, FoodRazor, and many more.
The Founder Institute is the world’s premier pre-seed startup accelerator and startup launch program based in Silicon Valley. Its programs have helped over 7,000 entrepreneurs raise over US$1.75 billion in funding. Its comprehensive step-by-step program provides selected startups with the structure, mentor support, and global network they need to start an enduring company. In addition, the Founder Institute is the only program of its kind that accepts solo-founders and founders with day jobs, and that shares equity with all participants.
AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator
The AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator is dedicated to accelerating the growth of emerging foodtech and agtech startups addressing sustainability challenges within our food system. With a belief in holistic support for founders, the program offers a USD$100,000 investment from the AgFunder GROW Impact Fund along with in-kind benefits.
Throughout the accelerator program, participants engage in a series of one-on-one virtual coaching sessions with GROW’s innovation and entrepreneurship experts over a five-month period. Regular check-ins with the AgFunder investment team, including an impact measurement framework, ensure alignment with program goals. Additionally, startups benefit from mentor sessions with a global network of cross-industry partners, group learning sessions, and networking opportunities with other agrifoodtech entrepreneurs.
The accelerator targets startups operating in various sustainability-focused areas within agtech and foodtech, including biomaterials, digital transformation, waste reduction, precision tech, food bioprocesses, and carbon market solutions.
StartupX is an innovation, venture and startup enabler based in Singapore. StartupX partners with leading corporations to collaborate with startups, run global programs to help companies grow, build vibrant communities to support the next generation of founders, and help local governments build and develop thriving ecosystems.
StartupX’s initiatives are supported by a select group of over 250 mentors, investors, founders, and corporate leaders across Southeast Asia and beyond. It works with companies from all over the world with the goal to drive impactful innovation on a global scale.
EthAum Venture Partners is a deeptech revenue scaler headquartered in Singapore with 100+ portfolio startups from Seed to Series B stage serving Fortune-1,000 organizations globally. The firm runs the Zero BS Revenue Scaler Program, which helps post-revenue, business-to-business (B2B) startups acquire customers, partners, and investors and guarantees measurable results.
EthAum targets revolutionary entrepreneurs and their breakthrough creative ideas in the fields of blockchain, AI/ML, the Internet-of-Things (IoT), robotics, extended reality, and more.
HyperX is a three phase hackathon-to-accelerator platform that supports founders and innovators from the earliest stages through their ideation process, to late-stage solutions that are ready to be commercialized and implemented at scale.
The platform comprises HyperHack, a three-day global hackathon that brings together best minds from across the globe to ideate, hack, design, and build sustainable solutions to better our future; HyperSpark, a 10-weeks pre-accelerator program that seeks to help ideation stage, sustainability-driven startups go from prototype to market launch; and HyperScale, StartupX and Temasek’s inaugural accelerator for startups ready to cross borders and scale their sustainable innovations globally.
CRIB is a social-oriented acceleration program for women entrepreneurs, offering services such as business matching, networking, and assistance for professional development. CRIB aims to empower women to become successful entrepreneurs, achieve personal fulfillment, financial independence and good work-life integration.
CRIB provides various programs across three key platforms: CRIB Society, a community of women and entrepreneurs who support, inspire and equip one another through networking forums and lifestyle events; CRIB Match, a platform that helps find venture partners who provide seed funding in Southeast Asia; and CRIB Equip, a platform that provides startups with expert resource, advice and support.
Featured Image: Edited from Pixabay
