Ask an Expert: Tech Start-up Ecosystem in Singapore & Australia
This month on Ask an Expert, Cassy Xie, Director of Trade and Investment for Southeast Asia at Investment New South Wales answers your questions on the Tech Start-up Ecosystem in Singapore and Australia.
Q: What are the best resources available (no strings attached) to tech start-ups in both Singapore and Australia?
A: For early-stage tech start-ups or founders in Singapore or Australia, I usually recommend starting with resources that don’t take equity or charge high entry fees. At this point, support should focus on discovering markets, validating the business model, and accessing real-world pilots — not on giving up ownership too early.
For start-ups landing or testing out the Singapore market, some of the most valuable (and low-barrier) resources include:
- Investment NSW’s Going Global Export Program, which provides market insights and connections for exploring new regions.
- SGInnovate’s deep-tech community
- IMDA’s Open Innovation Platform
- EnterpriseSG’s Startup SG suite
- Hatch — launched by the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX)
Through IMDA’s Open Innovation Platform, start-ups can engage directly with corporates and industry partners in a structured “sandbox” setting. Hatch, on the other hand, focuses on public safety and security innovation, helping start-ups with dual-use technologies such as AI, drones, or cybersecurity secure non-equity funding, operational testing, and end-user access. These are all great opportunities to secure early-pilots.
For tech companies scaling into Australia or New South Wales, the Austrade Landing Pads, NSW International Landing Pad programme, and NSW Tech Central ecosystem are outstanding platforms. They connect founders with research institutions, help them navigate Australia’s R&D incentives, and open doors to customers in priority sectors such as clean energy, medtech, and advanced manufacturing.
In short, the programmes mentioned in both markets share common principles relating to enabling market access. They help tech start-ups build real traction with customers, partners, and pilots with no strings attached or any equity dilution.
Q: What are the emerging tech sectors that both Singapore and Australia are prioritising right now?
A: Australia and Singapore share strong common ground across Deep Tech, Health Tech, Digital Tech, Clean Energy, and Advanced Manufacturing. Both economies are driven by a shared belief in building resilience, sustainability, and trust in their innovation ecosystems.
In Singapore, the National AI Strategy 2.0 is moving from pilots to scaled deployment, with strong emphasis on AI governance, semiconductors, and sustainability tech. The city-state also continues to lead in Health Tech and Urban Tech, leveraging its deep strengths in healthcare innovation and smart city solutions.
In New South Wales and Australia, the focus mirrors Singapore’s. Through the NSW Trade & Investment Strategy and Industrial Policy, Australia is investing heavily in AI, quantum, medical science, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing. The goal to build 1.2 million tech workers by 2030 reflects a national commitment to skills and capability building.
Both countries are also accelerating the energy transition. Singapore is positioning itself as a hub for carbon services and green finance, while Australia and NSW are fast becoming global renewable energy and critical minerals powerhouses.
For start-ups and investors, this alignment creates exciting opportunities along cross-border value chains. For instance, Australian clean-energy or medtech innovations scaling through Singapore’s digital, financial, and regional networks.
It’s clear that the partnership between our two ecosystems is evolving from simple trade exchanges to co-creation of technology, anchored by shared industrial ambitions and a common belief that innovation must advance both sustainability and with strong societal benefits.
Q: What incentives or support mechanisms are available for Singaporean startups looking to enter the Australian market, and vice versa?
A:
For Singapore start-ups entering Australia:
Australia offers several strong, non-dilutive programs to help founders test, validate, and grow. The R&D Tax Incentive provides tax offsets for eligible R&D activities, including for foreign-owned entities with an Australian subsidiary. This is especially useful for deep-tech and health-tech companies requiring further research, development and validation of their technological products/solutions. At the state level, hubs like NSW Tech Central provide landing support, introductions, and networks to customers and partners across priority sectors such as clean energy, digital tech, and advanced manufacturing.
For Australian start-ups expanding into Singapore:
Enterprise Singapore’s Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) offers up to S$100,000 per new market to offset expansion and set-up costs. The Startup SG programs provide early-stage grants, mentorship, and access to accelerators, while IMDA’s Open Innovation Platform (OIP) connects startups with real corporate challenges and pilot opportunities across ASEAN.
There are also bilateral agreements in place to make collaboration smoother than ever. The Singapore-Australia Digital Economy Agreement allows frictionless data flows, e-payments, and e-invoicing (vital for SaaS, AI, and FinTech firms); while the Singapore-Australia Green Economy Agreement provides funding and opens doors for joint projects in climate tech, carbon services, and industrial decarbonisation.
Q: What are the main differences in tech talent availability or skills between Australia and Singapore?
A: In Australia, there are clear digital skills gaps which the universities are addressing—namely in AI and Cybersecurity. This drives strong demand for senior engineers and applied researchers. The national target is to achieve 1.2 million tech workers by 2030. However, Australia and in particular NSW has a much deeper pool of deetech talent compared to Singapore, making it a great place for R&D and industrial pilots.
Singapore faces a very similar situation as well, except that it sees fiercer competition for top tech talent given that several large companies have established their Regional Headquarters in Singapore. Like Australia, the smaller companies and organisations are competing for AI/data, cybersecurity, go-to-market tech talent. Given the openness of the market, Singapore is stronger than Australia in terms of know-how in regional commercialisation, Southeast Asia expansion, and multilingual partnerships.
Q: What advice would you give to Singapore-based investors or accelerators looking to partner with or invest in Australian start-ups, and vice versa?
A: My first advice is to find partners early and locally. Work with strategic VCs, corporates, or state agencies that understand the customer landscape and regulatory environment. These partnerships can significantly accelerate due diligence and open doors to real pilot opportunities.
Second, make the most of non-dilutive support. In Australia, combine the R&D Tax Incentive, state precinct support, and the Export Market Development Grant to fund product validation and market expansion. In Singapore, pair EnterpriseSG’s MRA or Startup SG grants with agencies’ Open Innovation Platform to co-create pilots. These programs extend your cash runway and de-risk new market entry.
Finally, hire the right people for market access. Look for talent who not only bring the right skills but also align with your company’s values and mission. The right hire can make all the difference in building partnerships, guiding investments, and allocating resources wisely across jurisdictions.
Ultimately, I have observed how success for tech start-ups often comes down to smart partnerships, creative use of ecosystem support, and the right people. It’s never about capital alone when building sustainable growth.
Q: How do you see the start-up collaboration between Australia and Singapore evolve over the next 3–5 years?
A: I think we’ll see the Digital Tech/AI, Clean energy/Sustainability, and Deeptech (including advance manufacturing technologies semiconductors) flywheel start to spin faster. With Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0 and its strength in semiconductors, alongside Australia’s National Reconstruction Fund and focus on critical technologies, there’s huge potential for collaboration in AI-at-the-edge, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy innovation — from grid modernisation and storage to industrial decarbonisation.
We’ll also see bigger, infrastructure-scale projects emerging. Both governments are doubling down on the Green Economy Agreement workstreams, which will open new pathways in green trade, energy transition, and sustainability standards.
And finally, the ties between venture capital, corporates, and accelerators will deepen. The accelerator programmes I mentioned earlier will keep acting as repeatable on-ramps for startups and investors on both sides.
Beyond trade and investments of both countries, I do expect a lot more co-development of technologies and industries of the future in the years to come.
Ask an Expert is a monthly series in which we call on subject experts within the AustCham Singapore community to answer questions that we may have on a specific topic. The strength of our community is in the diverse expertise within our membership, and we want to use this initiative to tap on the knowledge of our members to enrich the community as a whole.
Our expert for this month is Cassy Xie, Director of Trade & Investment at Investment NSW, the New South Wales Government’s economic development agency. She leads efforts to strengthen trade and investment ties between NSW and Southeast Asia.
Based in Singapore, she supports the global expansion of NSW companies in the digital economy, green economy, and energy transition sectors by building partnerships with corporates, investors, and government agencies. With prior experience at EDB Investments and A*STAR driving innovation initiatives and strategic investments in advanced manufacturing and digital economy, Cassy brings a strategic, outcomes-driven approach to advancing high-impact initiatives and fostering cross-border collaboration.
Connect with Cassy on LinkedIn.