Singapore’s Minister for Communications Dr Yacoob Ibrahim last week launched an all-in-one facility for building ‘amazing’ start-ups.
An initiave of Infocomm Investments Pte Ltd (IIPL), the investment arm of Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), Build Amazing Startups Here (BASH) is the country’s biggest integrated ecosystem for tech startups that includes accelerators, investors, incubators to entrepreneurs.
“As part of Singapore’s journey to be a Smart Nation, we are also working on some really tough global challenges brought on by the inevitable trends of ageing population and urban density. That’s the purpose of having BASH, the go-to-place for tech builders, investors and innovators to do more great things together,” said Steve Leonard, Executive Deputy Chairman of IDA and Chairman of IIPL.
Occupying more than 25,000 square feet on Level 3 of Block 79, the IIPL facility will provide all the necessary facilities and support for entrepreneurs, including a prototyping lab, mentorship and community networks.
IIPL said it will curate local and global data challenges to help young tech builders tap open data sets and develop big, scalable ideas that can tackle worldwide challenges.
Startup teams that have undergone acceleration can also be housed at a co-working and collaboration space in BASH to continue receiving guidance as they build business traction and market access.
Dr. Ibrahim during the launch that IIPL has partnerered with Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and Sunnyvale-headquartered global accelerator Plug and Play to run a corporate accelerator program that will build high growth, innovation driven Singapore-based digital media startups.
The first run is targeted to commence by the middle of this year.
“The media industry is undergoing many changes today. It also presents opportunities for young entrepreneurs to contribute their ideas and create an impact in the industry,” said Alan Chan, Chief Executive Officer of SPH.
He added that SPH has invested in Glints through the SPH Media Fund that would continue to fund promising early stage ventures.