[PART 3] 60 companies which have formed Singapore

[This is the final instalment of Vulcan Post’s three-part SG60 series, where we shine the spotlight on 60 homegrown businesses that have shaped Singapore. You can read the previous instalment here.]

Over the a long time, Singapore has been formed not solely by its individuals but additionally by the manufacturers they’ve constructed.

These homegrown companies inform tales of innovation and resilience, reflecting the spirit of a nation that always adapts and evolves.

On this closing instalment of Vulcan Submit’s SG60 sequence, we spherical off our celebration of 60 exceptional native companies which have performed a major function in shaping Singapore’s economic system—and like our earlier instalments, we’ve organized them so as of founding 12 months:

41. ShopBack (2014)

ShopBack began out 9 years in the past in 2014 because the brainchild of former Zalora executives Henry Chan and Joel Leong.

The cashback rewards firm recorded solely three transactions a day when it first began, however it has since grown to turn out to be considered one of Singapore’s rising startups and a number one participant within the area’s e-commerce panorama.

In the present day, ShopBack has over 50 million consumers throughout 13 markets in Asia Pacific, and facilitates over US$4 billion in annual gross sales for over 20,000 on-line and in-store companions.

The platform additionally processes upwards of half 1,000,000 transactions day by day.

42. NinjaVan (2014)

Lai Chang Wen, the CEO of Ninja Van, has all the time had a robust entrepreneurial streak. He first began a made-to-measure menswear enterprise referred to as Marcella, however throughout a six-month stint in China establishing a manufacturing unit for it, he determined to raise the enterprise by shifting into e-commerce.

Nonetheless, unreliable courier providers meant that a lot of his clients’ deliveries had been delayed or misplaced. Realising that Singapore’s logistics infrastructure wasn’t optimised for e-commerce, he got down to change the sport.

In 2014, Lai co-founded tech-driven logistics firm Ninja Van with two long-time mates, Shaun Chong (now CTO) and Tan Bo Xian (COO). Inside simply three years, the homegrown agency expanded into six different Southeast Asian markets: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

In 2021, Ninja Van achieved unicorn standing after elevating US$578 million in a funding spherical led by Alibaba Group, valuing the corporate at over US$1 billion. In the present day, it delivers over 2 million parcels day by day and serves greater than 120 million clients throughout the area.

43. Cloversoft (2014)

Few would commerce profitable, high-paying careers for entrepreneurship, however Cloversoft founders Angela Sim and Lynn Yeo took the leap—and it looks as if their gamble has paid off.

The model began out with unbleached bamboo tissues and bathroom rolls in 2014, and now, armed with analysis labs in each Europe and Singapore, Cloversoft has expanded its product vary to incorporate rest room cleaners, laundry detergent pods, dishwashing liquid, physique washes, and extra.

In the present day, Cloversoft is a family identify in Singapore and has expanded into Taiwan and Indonesia, bringing its eco-friendly merchandise to extra customers throughout the area.

44. GCL World Holdings (2014)

GCL World Holdings produces and distributes video video games throughout seven international locations, and has cast greater than 15 multi-year offers with big-name publishers corresponding to TAKE-TWO, CD Projekt Pink, Warner Bros. Video games, SEGA, and Bandai Namco.

The group is liable for bringing some award-winning favourites to Singapore, together with Hogwarts Legacy, Grand Theft Auto V, Pink Useless Redemption II, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Elden Ring.

The corporate can be the mother or father holding group of some different Singaporean firms, together with YouTuber Jianhao Tan’s Titan Digital Media.

Earlier this 12 months, GCL World Holdings went public on NASDAQ in the USA by way of a merger with particular goal acquisition firm RF Acquisition Corp. 

45. 99.co (2014)

99.co was based in 2014 by Darius Cheng, Yan Phun, and Conor McLaughlin, stemming from private frustrations with the property rental search expertise.

The founders discovered the property renting course of riddled with outdated listings, duplicate or pretend listings, and unresponsive brokers.

This led them to create 99.co, with the aim of offering a extra user-friendly and environment friendly platform for renters.

Through the years, the corporate has made two important acquisitions: UrbanIndo, considered one of Indonesia’s largest property portals, and SRX (Singapore Actual Property Alternate), a property platform and information supplier in Singapore.

These acquisitions have deepened the corporate’s presence in these markets. In 2023, 99.co posted US$17 million in income.

46. Oddle (2014)

Jonathan Lim, founder and CEO of Oddle, was an F&B proprietor. He opened his restaurant The Garden in 2011, and has over 13 years of expertise within the meals and beverage (F&B) and expertise trade.

As an F&B proprietor, he discovered many gaps within the trade that trigger challenges for him and different F&B homeowners. Although there are various digital platforms to work with to supply a better, holistic expertise for his or her clients, it could actually get overwhelming, and restaurant homeowners themselves don’t get a lot management or profit over the providers. 

Dealing with comparable issues corresponding to an inconceivable six-figure quota in an try to construct an internet ordering website for his restaurant, Jonathan determined to be the change wanted on this trade. 

He then began Oddle in 2014, a one-stop platform that focuses on serving to F&B homeowners digitise their enterprise along with co-founders Alan Goh and Yong Xiang Pua. From reservation programs to loyalty programmes, Oddle empowers eating places to higher handle operations and develop income.

In the present day, over 5,000 eating places use the platform, together with well-known Singapore manufacturers corresponding to Dian Xiao Er and Gyu San. Oddle has additionally expanded its footprint to different markets, together with Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

47. Carro (2015)

On-line automotive market Carro was based in 2015 by Aaron Tan, Aditya Lesmana and Kelvin Chng after noticing a scarcity of transparency and effectivity within the used automotive market in Southeast Asia.

The platform permits customers and sellers to purchase and promote automobiles, whereas additionally providing insurance coverage, financing and after-sales providers.

Carro achieved the coveted US$1 billion unicorn standing in June 2021 after securing US$360 million in funding.

Moreover Singapore, it at present has a presence in six markets throughout the Asia-Pacific area: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. It has greater than 4,500 workers throughout the area.

Simply yesterday, stories have surfaced that Carro is at present making ready for a US preliminary public providing (IPO) as early as 2026.

48. Past the vines (2015)

Past The Vines was established in 2015 by husband and spouse group Rebecca Ting and Daniel Chew. 

On the time, Singapore’s style scene swung between high-concept luxurious and mass-market fundamentals, leaving a spot for items that had been well-designed, well-made, practical, and accessible. The duo noticed that hole, and constructed a model to fill it.

In the present day, Past The Vines is finest recognized for its iconic Dumpling Bag: a light-weight, water resistant, reversible nylon carryall that has turn out to be a staple in lots of Singaporeans’ wardrobes.

Past Singapore, the model has established shops in Thailand and the Philippines. It has additionally held pop-ups in Japan.

49. Allies of Pores and skin (2016)

Nicolas Travis as soon as struggled with horrible zits as an adolescent. It took years for his pores and skin to clear, and he discovered the method of discovering the ‘proper’ merchandise very arduous and intimidating.

This prompted him to start out his personal skincare line—Allies of Pores and skin. He needed to empower individuals with fuss-free merchandise which might be concentrated, multi-tasking nutrient reservoirs.

Allies of Pores and skin began out in 2013 with only one product, after Nicolas spent two and a half years doing analysis and improvement. The model slowly expanded to a few merchandise, which generated over half 1,000,000 {dollars} in Singapore gross sales inside only one 12 months.

In the present day, Allies of Pores and skin has a projected income of US$50 million for 2025 and is bought in 36 international locations in over 800 shops globally. 

50. Circles.Life (2016)

Circles.Life was based in 2014 by Rameez Ansar, Abishek Gupta and Adeel Najam to disrupt Singapore’s telecommunications trade.

They aimed to handle the shortage of innovation and poor customer support they noticed in current telcos, providing a digital-first method with extra clear and reasonably priced plans. 

Since then, Circles.Life has been disrupting the market and taking over established giants like Singtel, M1, and StarHub.

In 2024, the corporate restructured underneath the mother or father entity Circles, dividing into three distinct models: Circles software program, Circles.Life, and Jetpac, a journey eSIM enterprise.

Circles is at present exploring a list on the NASDAQ in New York, whereas Circles.Life is making ready for an preliminary public providing on the Singapore Alternate (SGX).

51. Homage (2016)

Eldercare tech startup Homage was based by Gillian Tee after she returned to Singapore following 15 years of residing within the US.

She was impressed to create the platform after experiencing difficulties discovering high quality take care of her mom, who had kidney issues and mobility points.

Gillian additionally noticed a excessive fee of readmission for seniors as a consequence of insufficient post-hospitalisation care and the overall battle of main caregivers.

Again in the USA, Gillian famous how expertise helped to enhance senior care, and he or she was eager to discover an analogous mannequin in Singapore. Therefore, along with two different co-founders, she began Homage in 2016.

By 2022, Homage had grown to 15,000 part- and full-time caregivers, expanded to Malaysia and Australia, and raised greater than US$45 million in funding.

52. Physician Anyplace (2017)

When Lim Wai Mun first based Physician Anyplace, healthcare was a very new area for him. 

He had a background in engineering, however began out within the finance trade with Normal Chartered doing non-public fairness. He then spent near a decade in Temasek Holdings, the place he helped conceptualise and set up Singapore-based LNG firm Pavilion Vitality. 

In 2016, Wai Mun was on a service outreach mission when he observed a major hole in healthcare entry for older seniors who couldn’t depart their properties as a consequence of immobility. 

This expertise planted the seed for Physician Anyplace, a telehealth startup that aimed to supply fundamental healthcare providers to these in want, no matter their location.

What started as a non-profit facet mission in 2017 finally developed right into a viable enterprise that aimed to resolve the numerous ache factors that hinder entry to high quality, reasonably priced healthcare. In the present day, Physician Anyplace has expanded to turn out to be a regional healthcare supplier, serving greater than 2.5 million customers throughout six Southeast Asian international locations, together with Thailand and Vietnam.

53. Endowus (2017)

In case you’ve ever thought of investing, chances are high you’ve come throughout Endowus.

Arrange in 2017, this digital wealth advisor helps individuals in Singapore attain retirement objectives and turn out to be extra financially literate by providing numerous investing choices for money, Central Provident Fund (CPF) and Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) funds.

Endowus Group at present serves over 100 thousand purchasers with content material, recommendation and entry. With group property of over US$7 billion, it is among the largest impartial wealth managers in Asia.

54. Prism+ (2017)

When Jonathan Tan began PRISM+ in 2017, he confronted a frightening problem: breaking into the extremely aggressive gaming monitor house dominated by international electronics giants.

Nonetheless, Jonathan was undeterred. With a imaginative and prescient to disrupt the market and provide customers higher worth for his or her cash, he launched PRISM+ in 2017 with a value level that was a fraction of what rivals had been providing.

Through the years, the corporate has expanded past the gaming phase, though the core identification of the enterprise stays the identical. Their goal is to make premium applied sciences accessible to the lots by way of their direct-to-consumer (D2C) e-commerce enterprise mannequin.

In the present day, PRISM+ is a number one client electronics model in Singapore with a rising regional presence, working shops in Australia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It has constructed a popularity for innovation, customer support, and reasonably priced pricing.

55. Zenyum (2018)

Who doesn’t want to be born with a set of straight pearlies? 

Until you might be aligned in that division, braces can value something between S$3,500 to S$6,000, relying on the orthodontist and affected person’s enamel situation. 

Whereas governmental establishments provide cheaper providers, waitlists will be so long as two years. A personal clinic might present sooner service with extra consideration, however it additionally costs larger costs.

For this reason Julian Artopé determined to create invisible braces model Zenyum, which develops 3D-printed invisible braces which might be 70% extra reasonably priced than most clear braces remedies.

He roped in co-founder Frederik Krass, who additionally serves as Chief Operation Officer (COO), and conceptualised Zenyum in August 2018. The corporate is now in 9 Asian markets, and has served over 50,000 clients.

56. Lionsbot (2018)

In case you’re somebody who travels ceaselessly, you might need noticed animated robots gliding across the airport, diligently cleansing the premises.

These revolutionary cleansing robots will not be simply restricted to Changi Airport—they’re additionally onerous at work at hospitals, places of work and numerous different places globally, together with The Shard and Wembley Stadium in London, and Dubai’s Competition Metropolis Mall.

And these high-tech robots are proudly made in Singapore.

The mastermind behind them is LionsBot—one of many fastest-growing firms in Singapore, rating fifth in the Straits Instances‘ 2024 record. On the helm of the enterprise is husband-wife duo Dylan Ng and Michelle Seow, and Dr. Mohan Rajesh Elara, who joined the enterprise afterward.

All of LionsBot’s merchandise are manufactured domestically. The corporate just lately opened a S$12 million manufacturing facility in Kranji, able to quadrupling manufacturing output in comparison with its older Changi website.

As of 2024, LionsBot has bought greater than 2,500 robots to over 30 international locations.

57. YouTrip (2018)

YouTrip’s story is rooted in humble beginnings—each for the corporate and its founder, Caecilia Chu. The daughter of a postman and a kindergarten trainer, she grew up in Hong Kong’s low-income public housing.

However Caecilia was a gifted pupil with a head for numbers; she earned scholarships to a few of America’s high universities, paving the best way for a profession that included stints at McKinsey, Citi, and two Chinese language fintech corporations.

In 2017, nonetheless, she stepped away from the company quick observe. Impressed by her father’s struggles to safe a mortgage to start out a enterprise when she was 5, she determined to chart her personal path.

Drawing on her background in finance and consulting, she co-founded YouTrip in Singapore along with her schoolmate, Arthur Mak. The multicurrency pockets permits customers to retailer, convert, and spend cash in over 150 fiat currencies with out the charges usually charged by banks or cash changers.

The response was swift—inside 48 hours of launch, YouTrip drew 20,000 customers. What started as a two-man operation has developed right into a 250-strong group eight years on, serving tens of millions of customers throughout the area.

58. GetGo (2021)

GetGo is driving the car-sharing revolution in Singapore.

It was based with the imaginative and prescient of placing the liberty to drive in everybody’s arms.

In a world the place automotive possession is changing into more and more costly, the enterprise is offering an accessible and reasonably priced answer to fulfill the wants of those that want driving freedom.

Since its launch in 2021, GetGo has seen substantial progress, increasing from 400 automobiles and 10,000 customers to over 3,000 automobiles and half 1,000,000 customers in three years.

Most just lately, the group behind GetGo launched ZipZap, a brand new automotive subscription platform that goals to supply the advantages of non-public automotive entry with the flexibleness and monetary accessibility that as we speak’s drivers more and more search.

59. Aupen (2022)

Lately, Aupen has made waves within the style scene—its purses have been seen on American IT-girls like Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber.

Behind the model is Nicholas Tan, a former nationwide swimmer for Singapore. He has taken half within the Asian Video games in 2010 and SEA Video games in 2007 and 2011. He was additionally a part of the group to take house the gold for Singapore within the males’s 4x100m freestyle relay on the 2007 SEA Video games.

He first stepped into the world of style as a mannequin for Dolce & Gabbana’s 2014 spring/summer season marketing campaign, changing into the primary Singaporean man to function in a high European model’s marketing campaign for a seasonal assortment. 

Nicholas began Aupen in 2022 to create sculptural purses that broke away from the cookie-cutter designs dominating retailer cabinets.

At present, its greatest markets are Europe and America.

60. Belief Financial institution (2022)

In 2022, Belief Financial institution was launched as a three way partnership between Normal Chartered Financial institution and Fairprice Group. It supplied financial savings account, bank card and private accident insurance coverage at its debut.

In simply two months, Belief Financial institution had managed to realize 300,000 sign-ups, and by 2023, it had greater than 500,000 clients, which is about 10% of Singapore’s grownup inhabitants.

In the present day, Belief Financial institution is the biggest and quickest rising digital financial institution in Singapore. Because it continues to develop its buyer base and income, CEO Dwaipayan Sadhu expects the lender to be worthwhile across the finish of 2025.

• Learn different articles we’ve written on Singaporean companies right here.

Featured Picture Credit score: NinjaVan/ Cloversoft/ DoctorAnywhere/ GetGo