The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) has launched the Global Founder Programme (GFP), a targeted initiative for experienced founders to launch and scale their next venture from Singapore.
A key aim of the GFP is to establish innovative new ventures with potential to be global industry leaders. These ventures can leverage Singapore’s vibrant tech, R&D and talent pool to grow. The growth of these ventures will in turn strengthen Singapore’s startup ecosystem.
“Singapore is at the nexus of global business, innovation, and talent. Through the Global Founders Programme, we look forward to partnering experienced founders to build new ventures with global potential, right here in Singapore” said Jermaine Loy, Managing Director, EDB.
GFP founders are serial entrepreneurs and seasoned builders from around the world, including Singapore. They bring their deep domain expertise, wide networks, and experience from having successfully grown new businesses and building global ventures at an accelerated pace.
A holistic suite of resources and tools will be available to GFP founders, along the journey of their venture growth. This includes:
a) Access to Singapore’s ecosystem: Founders will join a community of like-minded entrepreneurs, strategic partners, investors and advisors with curated programming. Founders will also be invited to apply for Singapore’s ONE Pass for top business talent and can tap on resources to navigate Singapore’s business landscape and lifestyle options.
b) Operational ease and setup: Support for streamlined business setup and talent facilitation services for founders to build high-performing teams in Singapore.
c) Expert networks: Founders can build new ventures with support from experts and customers through EDB introductions at suitable junctures in their early-stage growth journeys, to refine product-market fit and business strategies. This helps to drive strategic partnerships, secure access to markets and capital, as well as expand into new market segments.
Thriving community of new ventures and founders
Over the past two years, EDB has been working with over 50 founders and facilitated the launch of over 30 new ventures. These ventures have raised over US$450 million in early- stage funding, cutting across diverse industries such as enterprise SaaS, fintech, healthcare and manufacturing. A rapidly growing number are emerging in high-growth sectors like artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability and deep tech. Many of these ventures have also provided opportunities for Singaporeans to take up leading roles, including in product development and international business growth.
AI wealth platform Arta Finance, which launched in October 2024, collaborated with EDB to develop and market test its B2B strategy for financial institutions (FIs). The company is now expanding its AI-driven product innovation from Singapore to consumers, partners, banks and FIs internationally, with the local team driving global marketing, partnerships and app development alongside its dual headquarters in the U.S.
“Our partnership with EDB was instrumental in conceptualising and kickstarting our B2B market approach and go-to- market strategy for banks. Over a focused 13-week period, their deep industry insights and facilitated connections helped us refine our proposition into a robust white-label solution — now a core pillar of our business strategy. As we gear up to partner with large and small banks globally, we are confident that the strong foundation built in Singapore will serve as a blueprint for success” explained Caesar Sengupta, Co-Founder and CEO, Arta.
SEAI Technologies is a Singapore-headquartered AI-driven company that provides proprietary API-based machine learning solutions to enterprises. Its platform helps businesses across finance, retail and manufacturing unlock growth, operational efficiency and smarter decision-making.
“Singapore offers one of the most dynamic ecosystems in the world for founders, combining top, multidisciplinary talent, forward-thinking regulations and a deep commitment to advancing research and technology. It is the perfect environment to test, scale and explore new areas of growth. I call Singapore home because of its unique blend of connectivity, ambition, and community. I’m excited to be part of EDB’s Global Founder Programme and to be building something new from the ground up here, with the potential for global impact ” said Magnus Ekbom, Co-Founder and CEO, SEAI Technologies.
