• Digify

  Led · Seed · Jul 2013

  Digify offers cloud-based secure documents that are strictly controlled and self-destruct after being read on a mobile device. Its platform employs layered defenses and encryption, prevents forwarding, and blocks screenshots during viewing. The company targets organizations that need to protect secrets and lists Singapore’s Internal Security Department, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Fuji Xerox, and the Economic Development Board of Singapore among its customers. Augustine Lim, Digify’s managing director and an eight-year Singapore government veteran, demonstrated the product at MobileBeat 2013. Digify has nine employees and previously raised $1 million in seed money from Red Dot Ventures and SPRING Singapore. The company is seeking $5 million to accelerate product development; rivals include Fixmo.

• Gcorelab Pte Ltd

  Led · Seed · Apr 2013

  Gcorelab has developed a patented cooling system that uses cooling plates and an “oblique fin technology” the team says can deliver 50–80% better results than liquid cooling while using the same energy. The system uses sensors to regulate cooling and includes heaters and coolers to maintain optimal temperatures in cold climates. The startup targets battery packs in applications from laptops to electric vehicles and is working with a bus manufacturer in China. Gcorelab also highlights secondary markets such as wind-turbine and aerospace cooling. The company was founded in early 2011 by Lee Poh Seng (PhD in mechanical engineering) and Ray Kung (MBA), who serves as business development lead. Recently it received seed funding of $482,000 (S$589,000).

• iCarsClub

  Led · Seed · Mar 2013

  iCarsClub is a Singapore-based company operating PPzuche, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) car-rental platform. The company’s core product is PPzuche, which facilitates peer-to-peer car rentals in China. iCarsClub raised $60 million in a Series B round specifically for its China venture. The funding was provided by IDG Capital Partners and MorningSide Ventures. The article does not disclose operating metrics, detailed plans, or other financial information. iCarsClub provides a platform that enables car owners to rent out their own vehicles by the hour; the company installs hardware in members’ cars so renters can unlock doors via a phone app connected to a central server. Unlike Zipcar, iCarsClub does not own or supply vehicles. The startup launched in December and is testing the concept in its home market of Singapore. The team of five, led by CEO Eddy Zhang, plans rapid expansion to China within the year, specifically targeting Beijing and Shanghai. iCarsClub has set targets to attract 5,000 members and 1,000 cars in Singapore and another 1,000 cars in China by the end of the year. Financially, the company recently closed a seed round of approximately $482,000 to fund its growth plans.

• Pirate3D

  Led · Seed · Jan 2013

  Pirate3D is a Singaporean startup that built the Buccaneer, a consumer-focused 3D printer priced at $347 on Kickstarter and positioned as far cheaper than competing desktop machines. The company emphasizes software: a web-based drag-and-drop GUI, an Android app, and a Smart Objects library to let non‑CAD users customize and download objects. Pirate3D plans to outsource the device "brains" so other hardware makers can plug into its software ecosystem and intends to release an SDK to encourage community contributions to the object library. The firm hit strong early demand on Kickstarter, taking more than $1.43M in pledges and securing over 3,000 preorders. For manufacturing, Pirate3D is working with third-party manufacturers headquartered in Singapore while doing mass production in China. The company expected first prototypes in December and full shipping of consumer models beginning in February of the following year. Pirate3DP is a Singapore-based startup developing an affordable, user-friendly consumer 3D printer called the Buccaneer. The Buccaneer is currently in the prototyping phase and is slated for launch in the middle of this year. The company envisions the device as a “playground for artists to create, monetize and share ideas with others.” Founders are Roger Chang, Brendan Goh, Tsang You Jun and Neo Kok Beng, the latter described as a serial tech entrepreneur and a professor at the National University of Singapore. Venture capital firm Red Dot Ventures has invested $482,000 USD in Pirate3DP. The team says it intends to bring 3D printing into homes by making the technology low-cost, efficient and user-friendly.

• Ascenz

  Led · Equity · Dec 2012

  Ascenz is a Singapore-based maritime technology company founded in 2008 by Sia Teck Chong and Chia Yoong Hui. It supplies remote monitoring systems that track fuel consumption and bunkering and transmits data from moving ships to an onshore control office. Its patented software monitoring system enables customers to monitor fuel usage in real time and sends back engine status and current location. About 70% of Ascenz’s current clients are Singaporean firms. The company hopes to extend its customer base into China — where many ships in the region are built — as well as markets in Europe and the Middle East. Ascenz recently received $482,000 in funding from incubator Red Dot Ventures.

No current team members are available.