A breakdown of the top incubator and accelerator programmes relevant to Singapore-based founders building in AI, developer tools, and product strategy.
| Programme | Type | Funding | Equity | Duration | Focus | SG Presence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y Combinator | Accelerator | USD 500K | 7% | 3 months | Generalist | No (SF-based) |
| Antler Singapore | Pre-seed VC + Builder | USD 125K-375K | 10% | ~3 months | Generalist, solo founders | HQ in Singapore |
| Iterative | Accelerator | USD 150K-500K | 10-15% | 3 months | SaaS, Fintech, SEA | HQ in Singapore |
| BLOCK71 | Incubator | Equity-free | 0% | 6 weeks - 1 year | Deeptech, AI, Web3 | HQ in Singapore |
| Entrepreneur First (EF) | Pre-seed VC + Builder | ~USD 80K-100K | ~10% | ~3 months | Solo founders, talent-first | Yes (SG cohort) |
| Accelerating Asia | Accelerator + VC | USD 250K | Equity taken | 100 days | Impact, B2B, Fintech | HQ in Singapore |
| 500 Global | Accelerator | USD 150K | 6% | 4 months | Generalist, global | Yes (SEA presence) |
| Surge (Sequoia) | Accelerator + VC | USD 1-2M | ~15-20% | 16 weeks | India + SEA, scalable tech | Yes (India/SG) |
| Plug and Play APAC | Accelerator | USD 50K-150K | Varies | 3 months | Insurtech, Healthtech | Yes (SG hub) |
| The FinLab (UOB) | Incubator | Grant support | 0% | 3-6 months | Fintech, SME digital | HQ in Singapore |
| Philip Yeo Fellows (PYI) | Fellowship | SGD 20K | 0% | 1 year | Any (societal impact) | HQ in Singapore |
| Startup SG Founder | Government Grant | SGD 50K (1:1 match) | 0% | Ongoing | First-time founders | HQ in Singapore |
| Startup SG Tech | Government Grant | SGD 400K-800K | 0% | Project-based | Tech commercialisation | HQ in Singapore |
| Startup SG Equity | Gov Co-Investment | SGD 2M-12M | 0% (gov), VC takes | Per round | Tech with IP | HQ in Singapore |
| EDG | Government Grant | 50% of costs | 0% | Project-based | Innovation, productivity | HQ in Singapore |
| MRA Grant | Government Grant | SGD 100K/market | 0% | Project-based | Overseas expansion | HQ in Singapore |
<aside> 🇺🇸
The gold standard. San Francisco-based, globally recognised. If accepted, you relocate for 3 months.
</aside>
Tradeoffs: