7 Incubators Selected for Singapore NRF TIS Means More Money For Startups

Back in August 2009, the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Singapore announced a call for incubators to apply for a new Technology Incubation Scheme (TIS). The scheme, with its 85-15 (gov-incubator) funding split and attractive buyout options, favours the incubator who has the resources to fullfill its criteria and execute operations. When the call was announced, there were no specific number of incubators that NRF said they will appoint. It would all have to depend on the quality of incubators who applied. Now, 7 incubators have been selected. Here they are.

Clearbridge Accelerator

Clearbridge Accelerator is the new Singapore incubation arm of Clearbridge Partners, a Hong Kong based venture capital firm. All our team members are Singaporean technopreneurs and young scientists who share the desire to build inspiring and impactful companies in Singapore.

Our objective is to translate core technologies from the laboratory into commercial products that will result in sustainable and lasting enterprises. We focus on key emerging and disruptive technologies that will make a dramatic impact in tomorrow’s world, and our incubator will provide the necessary funding,
mentorship, operational and execution discipline to deliver determined and accelerated results.

Our initiatives and investment focus areas are in biomedical devices, nanotechnology, advanced material sciences/ceramics and computational algorithms.

I2G Tech Accelerator

I2G Tech Accelerator focuses on the “business to business” areas of Clean Energy, Wireless, IT, Industrial and Medical Technologies. Our core beliefs are that all start-ups need three attributes to be successful: first they must be global from day one; second they need capabilities, capital and connections to succeed and third, they must have a lifecycle of funding.

We operate alongside our incubatee companies by providing 50 years of combined hands-on experience in creating, growing and monetizing technology companies. We bring our global connections with senior industry leaders in companies to get business deals done. With our own funding and through our partnerships with Silicon Valley venture capital firms, we provide necessary funding requirements to enable growth to successful exit.

Neoteny Labs

Neoteny Labs is an early-stage technology incubator founded by entrepreneur and venture capitalist Joichi Ito that focuses on incubating and investing in early-stage startups across Asia, primarily in market segments such as Consumer Internet, Mobile Applications and Consumer Hardware and Electronics Design. It is currently in the process of raising Neoteny Seed Fund 1, an early-stage pan-Asian venture fund, and expects the Fund to commence operations in Q1 2010.

The recent successes of ubiquitous platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Apple iPhone and Google Android, coupled with the advent of the Internet, open standards and advanced software development methodologies such as Agile, have significantly lowered the cost of product development while accelerating the pace of innovation. Entrepreneurs innovating upon the Internet are now able to bootstrap with less and get further along than before.