“Make the pie bigger” – that’s what my Singaporean mentor told me when I was hesitating to move my startup here in 2019. Five years later, I couldn’t agree more. This tiny island has transformed my business from a scrappy three-person operation into a team of 45 serving clients across Asia.
The magic of Singapore hit me during my first week here. I found myself sharing a taxi with a Korean founder who’d just closed a $2M seed round. By the time we reached our destination, we’d sketched out a partnership plan on the back of a receipt. That’s Singapore in a nutshell – opportunities lurk around every corner.
Truth bomb: the costs will make you wince. My tiny office in Tanjong Pagar costs more than my previous space in Berlin. But here’s the kicker – within six months of moving here, our revenue tripled. Why? Because Singapore is like a trampoline for Asian market expansion. Monday meetings in Bangkok, Wednesday pitches in Jakarta, and still home for Friday’s team lunch. Try pulling that off from New York!
The government support feels almost surreal at times. Last quarter, my startup received a matched funding grant that covered 70% of our R&D costs. But it’s not just about throwing money at problems. Enterprise Singapore connected us with a manufacturing partner in Vietnam that cut our production costs by 40%. These aren’t just numbers – they’re game-changers for a growing business.
The talent pool? It’s a double-edged sword. Sure, hiring can be brutal – we lost two developers to a crypto firm offering astronomical salaries. But the flip side is access to incredibly diverse talent. Our head of AI is a NUS grad who turned down Google to join us, and our marketing lead brought her experience from scaling startups in India and Indonesia.
Here’s what nobody tells you about Singapore’s startup scene: it’s surprisingly tight-knit. That FinTech Festival everyone raves about? The real deals happen at the unofficial after-parties. My biggest contract came from a 2AM conversation over prata at a Maxwell Road hawker center, not some fancy networking event.
Looking ahead, I see Singapore’s grip on the startup world getting even stronger. Just yesterday, I toured the new quantum computing lab at NUS – the kind of infrastructure that makes Silicon Valley veterans do a double-take. And with traditional financial hubs facing uncertainty, Singapore’s stability looks more attractive than ever.
Want proof? My company just hired our 46th employee – a senior product manager who left a cushy job in London. When I asked why, she said, “Singapore is where the future is happening.” Sitting in my office, watching container ships dot the horizon while my team brainstorms our Southeast Asian expansion, I couldn’t agree more.
This isn’t just another startup hub. It’s a launchpad where big ideas meet pragmatic execution, backed by a government that actually gets it. So if you’re wondering whether to make the move – stop wondering. Pack your bags. The pie is getting bigger, and there’s still plenty of room at the table.