e27 reported that Singapore-based influencer marketing platform Affable announced that it has raised S$1 million in seed funding round led by Decacorn Capital. The funding round also includes the participation of SGInnovate through its Startup SG Equity scheme, making Affable the first startup to get funded under the scheme, which aims to “stimulate and accelerate” private investments into local startups with intellectual property and global market potential. Affable uses AI to identify authentic micro-influencers, allowing brands and marketing agencies to engage with relevant influencers and analyse their marketing campaigns.
Topics: A.I., Startups, Investments
MoneyFM 89.3 conducted a live radio interview with Steve Leonard, Founding CEO of SGInnovate. During the interview, Steve gave a brief introduction and background of SGInnovate and reasons for its focus on deep tech. He shared some of the milestones that SGInnovate has achieved since the launch – investing in 29 startups, built a network of more than 1,000 technical individuals interested in joining early-stage tech companies, created and hosted more than 100 events at its premises attracting a total of 9,000 participants. He also addressed some of the challenges typically faced by deep tech startups, such as funding and talent.
Topics: Investments, Startups, Talent
Singapore moves into deep tech and is investing in transformational technologies. SGInnovate Founding CEO Steve Leonard looks into how Singapore seeks to navigate these uncharted waters.
Topics: Investments, Startups
SGInnovate today announced that it has appointed 17 co-investors under the Startup SG Equity scheme that will collectively identify and co-invest with it in early-stage deep tech startups. The criteria will see them invest in areas prioritised in Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 Plan or RIE2020, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain.
SGInnovate is managing a portion of the fund under this scheme, which is aimed at accelerating the growth of deep tech startups. The total value for investments that would be made alongside these co-investors could potentially reach up to S$80 million ($59.1 million) over the next four years.
Beyond the capital infusion, SGInnovate expects startup ventures under this scheme to “benefit from the strategic and management guidance provided by SGInnovate and the co-investors” “Deep technology startups typically have a longer roadmap for development and commercialization, and this may discourage some private sector VCs whose LPs expect shorter-term returns,” said Steve Leonard, Founding CEO, SGInnovate.
Topics: Investments
Web Biotechnology Pte Ltd (WEB, the "Company"), specializing in Cloud-based Remote and Personalized Wearable ECG monitoring today announced a Pre-series A financing round from Singapore-based SGInnovate.
WEB produces the Spyder ECG, the World's first medical grade ECG wearable that transmits continuously through a smartphone to a Cloud Database. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is then applied to the data to analyze ECG rhythm abnormalities in real-time. Its unique 24/7 "always on" system allows continuous patient ECG data transmission from anywhere in the world with a connected smartphone. Physicians can remotely log in securely into the database and report findings to patients from another connected device.
Topics: Investments, MedTech, Startups
SGinnovate, which focuses on tech-intensive, research-driven product companies, will also intensify its efforts in artificial intelligence (AI), which it identified as a transformational technology that will impact most industries.
Deep tech encompasses such technology given that it is based on radical engineering or scientific breakthroughs.
SGinnovate's aims were announced yesterday as part of a new "Deep Tech Nexus" strategy to further strengthen Singapore's deep-tech start-up ecosystem in 2018.
One goal is to make direct investments in at least 20 early-stage, deep-tech start-ups founded here.
Topics: Investments