Facebook unveils ‘Startup Station’ in Singapore

Dan Neary, Facebook’s VP for Asia Pacific, talks about why the company is going aggressive in the region. / Photo credit: Kylee McIntyre

Facebook today announced the launch of Startup Station Singapore in a tie-up with the city-state’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

The six-month program supports data-driven startups that are in their growth stage. It’s Facebook’s first data innovation startup program in Asia, and second globally – after “Startup Garage Paris.”

Startup Station Singapore will kick off in February next year, and the first cohort will include startups from across Southeast Asia.

It will offer opportunities for mentorship, networking, training, and data use in a live environment facilitated by IMDA. The data use will take place in a regulatory sandbox, which creates a controlled environment for testing of products and services.

The program will also provide access to Facebook’s program for developers, FbStart, and its co-working space in Singapore.

Applications begin today and will close on December 7, 2018. It is open to any data-driven startup with an established business model and datasets looking to scale their business.

Facebook will be looking for eight to 12 startups to join the first cohort. Interested parties may apply here.

Startup Station Singapore is powered by Rainmaking, a London-based global cooperative of entrepreneurs that supports 16 accelerators and 25 startups. Rainmaking has co-working spaces and offices in Berlin, Copenhagen, and London, as well as offices in Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Singapore in Asia.

Office expansion

The announcement came as part of Facebook’s new expanded office opening at Marina One. The four-story office will house Facebook’s Singapore and Asia-Pacific teams.

“Out of the 2.2 billion people who are on our platform monthly, 894 million are here in Asia Pacific,” said Dan Neary, Facebook’s vice president of Asia Pacific. Facebook now has 18 offices in 12 countries.

The Marina One office holds 190 employees, and its cafeteria has a rotating menu with cuisines including Mediterranean, Chinese, and Indian.

Photo credit: Kylee McIntyre