Remarks by Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Dr Tan See Leng at Launch of A*StartCentral 2.0 and Commemoration of A*StartCentral’s 10th Anniversary

1. Good afternoon. My heartiest congratulations to A*StartCentral on a decade of supporting our deep tech startups, and the launch of A*StartCentral 2.0 to take this work into the next phase.

2. These milestones are significant not just for A*STAR, but also for Singapore’s deep tech startup ecosystem.

A*StartCentral’s contributions to the deep tech ecosystem

3. Deep tech innovations and their applications will address real-world needs, create new industries and growth opportunities, and strengthen Singapore’s position in an increasingly competitive global economy.

4. A*StartCentral contributes to this effort by helping deep tech startups create transformative products, processes, and technologies, translating promising ideas into commercially viable ventures.

a. To date, more than 100 ventures have leveraged A*StartCentral’s venture programmes and incubation facilities.

b. These ventures have raised more than S$1.6 billion and created over 1,800 jobs.

5. This progress reflects the dedication of the individuals and organisations present here today.

Guiding deep tech startups to commercial success

6. Beyond good science, successful entrepreneurship requires understanding real customer needs and building a credible pathway to scale. These are among the skills and perspectives a founder will pick up through A*StartCentral programmes like Open Mike and Essentials Bootcamp.

7. Earlier, I met Dr Rachel Sim, co-founder of Ocellivision and an A*STAR scientist. Rachel participated in both Open Mike and Essentials Bootcamp, which helped build her entrepreneurial acumen.

a. She engaged potential customers early and explored commercial opportunities even before spinning off the company. This helped Ocellivision develop its technology around real clinical needs from the outset.