Welcome to the “Entrepreneurship in Singapore” blog. This blog is part of the newly launched StartupDecisions.com.sg website. StartupDecisions is a “how to” platform for current entrepreneurs and aspiring founders from across the globe and it encourages these innovators to consider Singapore as the venue for their venture.
Our Mission
The mission of StartupDecisions is to democratize entrepreneurship by demystifying the startup landscape.
In the past, launching a business required large sums of capital and personal connections to investors and other gatekeepers. It was a challenge to meet co-founders and acquire the business knowledge required to start a new venture. These barriers stifled innovation.
The Internet and the adoption of free market economic models across the globe have made it easier than ever before for enterprising entrepreneurs to bypass traditional gatekeepers and bureaucrats to create new innovative businesses. Although old school networking remains important, today’s entrepreneurs have a distinct advantage: they can use the Internet to connect to a global network of founders, mentors and investors. These economic models and technology have “democratized” entrepreneurship, allowing individuals to start businesses with minimal capital investment. StartupDecisions is part of this movement.
Our website will support innovation, entrepreneurship and the advancement of early-stage businesses. We want to help founders transform their nascent idea into a profitable business. StartupDecisions will provide information, mentors, investors and other resources to help founders.
We specifically want to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation in Singapore. We believe that Singapore’s true value to the startup ecosystem has not yet been fully recognized by the global entrepreneurship community. With a vast pool of young educated citizens, deep capital markets, strong integration with the Asian economies, low taxes and a very pro-business polity, Singapore is destined to be a significant hub for startups in the very near future. We seek to raise awareness about Singapore’s benefits to all stakeholders in the startup ecosystem: from founders and investors to banks and government agencies.
Therefore, StartupDecisions is a place for you to visit frequently if…
- You have a startup idea but are not sure how to turn into a successful business
- You want to find out more about the startup ecosystem in Singapore
- You want to connect to an online network of like-minded founders, investors, mentors and other industry experts
- You want to attend startup events and workshops in Singapore
What can you expect to find here
Our website will provide informational content and online networking portal for the entrepreneurship community of Singapore. The information you can find on StartupDecisions is divided into two categories:
- General articles about entrepreneurship and startups
- Specific articles about Singapore
STARTUP ARTICLES
The foundational articles in this section of our website will guide you in everything you need to know in order to launch a startup. We will complement this section by our blog where we will discuss current developments in entrepreneurship.
We want to demystify the startup process. We provide resources to guide a would-be entrepreneur through every stage of starting a business. For ease of navigation, our resources are organized chronologically through the lifecycle of a startup, allowing you to quickly find the information that suits your current needs.
- Startup Idea and Initial Planning: how to validate your idea with customers, creating a launch plan and ensuring early-stage financing
- Launch and Growth: when and where to launch your startup, hiring the right team, fine-tuning your business model for scaling
- Planning the exit: common exit strategies, integrating exit into overall startup plan
SINGAPORE ARTICLES
One of the most important decisions an entrepreneur will ever make is where to locate his or her business. Ideally, you should be looking for a location that meets the following criteria:
- Unbureaucratic, business-friendly government
- Low taxes
- Robust legal system to protect your rights
- Geographically close to other major markets
Combining all these features with a high quality of life, Singapore is an optimum location for a startup. In 2014, 129,000 new businesses were formed in the region. Covering topics from regulatory environment to startup financing, our articles will educate you on the basics of doing business in Singapore – without legalese or jargon. Our articles are currently organized around:
- Why Singapore: Advantages of choosing Singapore as the location for your startup
- Regulatory Framework: Legal and compliance framework for launching and managing a startup in Singapore
- Singapore’s Tax System: Low taxes, including no taxes on dividends, capital gains, and foreign-earned income
- Business Laws and Regulations: Common business laws in Singapore that are relevant to startups, Singapore’s red-tape free approach to governance.
NETWORKING PORTAL
In addition to our informational content, StartupDecisions will provide an online networking portal for Singapore’s entrepreneurship community. The portal will provide an online space where founders, investors, mentors and other industry experts in Singapore’s startup scene can find, connect and interact with each other. We will also organize local workshops and networking events for Singapore’s startup community.
Our website will evolve and grow over the coming months. We hope to see you back!
