Singapore's venture-capital market became more selective in 2025, but artificial intelligence remained one of its strongest areas of growth. Singapore-based firms raised S$5.9 billion across 472 deals, while AI deal value grew 30% year on year to more than S$1.8 billion. AI represented approximately 30% of total venture deal value and 42.8% of deal volume, up from 30.9% in 2024.
The figures point to a capital shift towards AI-native platforms, applied AI and data-driven business models. This article examines the policy infrastructure behind that shift, profiles selected companies to watch and outlines the evidence investors increasingly expect from founders.
The companies below are presented as startups and scale-ups to watch, not as an official ranking. Selection reflects funding, institutional backing, technical differentiation, commercial traction or relevance to Singapore's AI and deep-tech ecosystem.
Singapore's AI funding and institutional landscape
Capital growth and transaction share
According to the Singapore Venture Funding Landscape Report 2025 by EY-Parthenon and Enterprise Singapore, Singapore-based firms raised S$5.9 billion across 472 deals in 2025. AI deal value exceeded S$1.8 billion, while the sector accounted for 42.8% of total deal volume. The concentration suggests that investors continue to back technically differentiated AI companies even as the wider market becomes more selective.
The concentration suggests that investors continue to back technically differentiated AI companies even as the wider market becomes more selective.
Public policy, research and talen
Singapore has committed more than S$1 billion from 2025 to 2030 to public AI research and talent development under its updated National AI Research and Development Plan. The programme is organised around fundamental research, applied research and talent development.
The policy is reinforced by the broader S$37 billion Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 plan and an additional S$1 billion for Startup SG Equity. The latter expands public co-investment beyond early-stage ventures to include growth-stage deep-tech companies.
Singapore retained fourth place globally in the StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index. Startup SG also reported that Singapore ranked first for startup community activity, reflecting the density of engagement through platforms such as the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology.
AI and deep-tech companies to watch in 2027
Supabase: enterprise infrastructure and developer tools
Supabase is a Singapore-based database company offering an open-source platform for building applications with database, authentication, storage and related backend infrastructure. The company announced a US$100 million Series E round led by Accel and Peak XV, with participation from Figma Ventures and existing investors.
Why it is worth watching: Supabase provides core data infrastructure used by developers building modern software and AI-enabled applications. Its relevance is stronger as a developer platform and data-infrastructure company than as a pure-play AI startup. Funding amounts should remain in the currency used by the company's announcement unless a dated exchange rate is disclosed.
Surfin: intelligent financing and fintech
Singapore-focused reporting on the 2025 venture-funding landscape identified Surfin as having raised more than US$33 million to support expansion into new markets and strengthen research and development.
Why it is worth watching: Surfin represents the intersection of fintech, financial data and AI-enabled product development. Its expansion roadmap is relevant to readers tracking how Singapore-based technology companies use the city-state as a regional launchpad.
Neurowyzr: MedTech and brain AI
Neurowyzr developed the Digital Brain Function Screen, a digital neuroscience assessment designed to screen cognitive function. The company says the assessment takes approximately 15–20 minutes, can be completed online at home or in a clinic, and is listed or notified with regulatory bodies in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Vietnam and the United States.
The company raised an additional US$2.1 million in seed funding, bringing total funding at that time to US$3.3 million. The round was co-led by Jungle Ventures and Peak XV's Surge.
Reported users of the screening technology in Singapore include Parkway Shenton, SATA CommHealth, Farrer Park Hospital, MHC Medical Centre and O'Joy.
Why it is worth watching: Neurowyzr illustrates how AI and digital neuroscience can be commercialised through healthcare providers, screening centres and regulated medical-device pathways.
Thermalytica: advanced materials and clean technology
Thermalytica develops TIISA® thermal-insulation materials for energy-efficient appliances, sustainable construction and net-zero buildings. Enterprise Singapore named the company the Grand Winner of SLINGSHOT 2023. Thermalytica states that its Singapore subsidiary serves as a strategic hub for deploying its nanomaterial insulation technology across ASEAN.
The company reported winning the SLINGSHOT 2023 Grand Prize after competing among 4,700 startups from 150 countries. A JETRO interview also reported that its technology is designed to reduce energy consumption and that the company is working with partners on product testing and expanded production.
Why it is worth watching: Thermalytica is not a conventional AI startup. It is better classified as an advanced-materials and clean-tech company that reflects the broader deep-tech opportunities supported by Singapore's ecosystem.
Support launchpads and due-diligence infrastructure
Talent development and applied research
The National AI R&D Plan is designed to strengthen long-term research, high-impact applications and talent development. Precise allocations across its three pillars are not publicly disclosed, so individual research-centre or domain figures should not be inferred without an official source.
AI Singapore is another important institutional platform. Singapore's Ministry of Digital Development and Information states that the National Research Foundation will invest up to S$150 million over five years in the national programme.
Global platforms and innovation competitions
SLINGSHOT is Enterprise Singapore's global deep-tech startup competition, held as part of SWITCH. Its purpose is to identify innovative startups and help them scale from Singapore into international markets. Programme domains have included transformative digital technologies; environment, energy and green technology; consumer media, goods and services; health and biomedical; and manufacturing, trade and connectivity.
Official programme material has included rent-free workspace at JTC LaunchPads and EntrePass support for eligible foreign founders. SLINGSHOT 2026 was promoted with more than S$2.2 million in grant prizes. Applicants should confirm the current prize structure and eligibility against the official competition page before applying.
Institutional support and launch infrastructure
Enterprise Singapore's Startup SG platform brings together public programmes for founders, technology commercialisation and growth. Startup SG Tech supports proof-of-concept and proof-of-value development, while Startup SG Equity provides co-investment support for Singapore-based technology startups with intellectual property and global-market potential.
Singapore-based technology startups with intellectual property and global-market potential. SGInnovate invests in deep-tech startups and supports companies built around scientific and technological breakthroughs. NUS Enterprise and NUS GRIP support research commercialisation and venture creation through venture building, mentorship and commercialisation support.
What investors are looking for
- Singapore's funding data suggests that AI remains attractive even as overall venture activity becomes more selective. Capital is not moving towards every company using AI terminology. Investors are more likely to test technical defensibility, commercial traction, capital efficiency and the path to regional or global expansion.
- Proprietary technology or IP: defensible technology, data assets, patents, models or technical know-how.
- Product-market evidence: revenue, paid pilots, user growth, renewals, customer concentration and deployment data.
- Technical scalability: the ability to expand beyond one customer, market or manual implementation.
- Capital efficiency: burn rate, runway, gross margin, infrastructure costs and the relationship between growth and capital consumed.
- Commercialisation pathway: a credible route from Singapore into Southeast Asia and global markets.
- Regulatory readiness: especially important in MedTech, fintech, cybersecurity, education and products handling sensitive data.
- These are analytical criteria rather than a single official venture-capital scoring framework. Founders should treat them as a practical interpretation of the current funding environment, not as requirements imposed by every investor.
How founders can elevate an AI startup profile
Build an evidence-led narrative
A credible profile should move beyond feature listing and follow a clear evidence chain: market challenge → technical solution → measurable economic value. Explain the operational problem, the role of the AI system, why the approach is difficult to replicate, what changed after implementation and which customers, markets or regulators validate the result.
Validate data and claims
- Prioritise regulatory filings, government agencies, academic institutions and official company announcements.
- Use named investor or accelerator announcements for funding and programme evidence.
- Use reputable business publications with identifiable reporting for independent context.
- Use startup databases and market directories for discovery and cross-checking, not as the sole evidence for important claims.
Avoid unsupported superlatives such as ‘first in Southeast Asia’, ‘the leading AI startup’ or ‘used by major hospitals’. Every material claim should identify its source, date and whether a number refers to funding, revenue, valuation, grant support or total capital raised.
Explain why Singapore matters
Singapore should be presented as a launchpad rather than the entire addressable market. A strong profile explains why the company is based there, which institutions support it, what customer or regulatory validation it has achieved, how it can expand across Southeast Asia or globally, and whether its advantage comes from IP, research talent, infrastructure, capital or partnerships.
Published by the Global Apex Tech Editorial Desk. Partner involvement, when applicable, is disclosed above the headline. For editorial questions or source material, contact editor@globalapextech.org.