“This physical centre will bring innovators and community builders to spark connections and help new players join the ecosystem,” DPM Heng said.
Meanwhile, DPM Heng also announced the expansion of the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) network to the Netherlands.
Launched in 2017 by Enterprise Singapore, the GIA strengthens Singapore’s connections to major innovation hubs around the world.
With the new nodes in the Dutch cities of Amsterdam and Eindhoven, the GIA network will now run acceleration programmes in 23 cities. Enterprise Singapore has supported over 600 tech start-ups through the GIA since 2019.
Enterprise Singapore will partner with Dutch start-up accelerator Startupbootcamp to run the 12-week GIA acceleration programme in Amsterdam, offering Singapore-based tech start-ups a series of virtual masterclasses and coaching sessions to build market knowledge and refine entry strategies.
This will be followed by an in-market immersion, including business meetings and pitches to Startupbootcamp’s corporate partners, such as Alliander and Shell.
Dutch start-ups looking to expand into Singapore can collaborate with Startupbootcamp to learn more about Singapore’s innovation ecosystem and tap the infrastructure here to scale their solutions across South-east Asia.
DPM Heng said: “Start-ups in Singapore will benefit from the strong logistics infrastructure and connectivity that the Netherlands provides into Europe, and partnerships with Dutch corporates like Alliander, ASML, Philips and Shell.”
Dr Mark Lim, founder and chief executive of space tech start-up Aliena, told The Straits Times that the $440 million funding top-up will be beneficial for deep tech start-ups. His firm recently closed a funding round under the Startup SG Equity scheme, where it raised $7.42 million from investors including Seeds Capital and venture capital firm Wavemaker Partners.
“The capital provided from Seeds Capital in our funding round has allowed us to transit from deep research and development that took
