Chinese diversification helps fuel Singapore start-ups

Chinese companies have moved to Singapore amid geopolitical tensions, supply chain decoupling, and the pandemic, bringing expertise and talent from China and an eagerness to invest in Singapore’s technology and start-up scene, which is viewed as a key hub from which to deploy capital into the rest o

April 6, 2023 . 3:04 AM

1 min read

Chinese companies set up or redomicile in Singapore amid geopolitical tensions, supply chain decoupling, and the pandemic.
About 500 Chinese companies have moved to Singapore in the last calendar year, including family office funds, private equity firms, and wealth managers, bringing expertise and talent from China and an eagerness to invest in Singapore’s technology and start-up scene.
Singapore is viewed as a key hub from which to deploy capital into the rest of south-east Asia, home to 675mn people, and is a “gateway” to south-east Asia where many regional start-ups have their holding companies.
Chinese investors see massive potential in a region with a young, growing middle class where successful innovation and products from China can be replicated.
Chinese capital has helped foster a generation of start-ups in the region, but some start-ups and experts doubt whether Singapore can produce enough talent and sophisticated innovation to put it in the same league as tech-savvy countries, such as Israel.