Singapore Startup Scene Scores a Hat Trick!
It’s a hat trick for Singapore! The last few days have been really crazy. Singapore startups have been reaching heights never before seen. We first had iTwin, the first ever Singapore based startup to be featured as one of the 50 launching companies at TechCrunch50. That very evening, we reported how Pechora Technologies, another Singapore based startup, bagged the Innovation Award at the Broadband World Forum 2009. They were the only winning company from South East Asia.
And just today, we hear that Socialwok, one of the pitching companies at the unConference Singapore 2009 event we organized in May, won the Demopit of TechCrunch50. Among the loads of startups there, they were picked by the Silicon Valley community to be one of the winners of the Demopit section alongside Odesk and Clynde.
That’s a hat trick for Singapore and a big boost to the fledgling startup industry here!
I recently commented how the lack of exposure to Singapore based startups have been hampering growth in general. We have a decent number of great technology companies with excellent concepts and implementations, but low users. Until there is a way for startups to get connected to a bigger ecosystem with a lot more early adopter users, who will try out products from startups, share them with their friends and provide comments to improve them, the user growth number will more or less remain stagnant, with a very low probability of the typical hockey stick growth observed by successful Silicon Valley startups.
What Can Startups Do About This?
Getting your startup exposed out there is all about leveraging the big guys. As Ming Yong from Socialwok pointed out, distribution is key! By working with platforms such as GTUG, BizSpark and a whole other range of groups, your startup will get the early exposure it needs. Events is definitely another great way to leverage on to. Although we do have a lack of events here, there are a decent number of good quality ones where startups can interact with the web technology community. The quality of the events in Singapore is definitely on par with those run in the valley.
I often hear of startups complaining that it’s pointless going for events all the time. I seriously disagree with this. Events are the best way to meet people. You never know who you may meet and how introductions can happen. Events are also a great place to get feedback on your product and get inputs from potential clients. Events get your startup out there and put a face to the brand name.
Socialwok, iTwin and HomeCamera definitely made the right choices by getting into events. Kudos to them and kudos to the startups in Singapore! :)
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