Singaporean Startups
If you thought Singaporeans are a boring and uncreative bunch – think again. We’ve compiled a list of startups to prove that Singaporeans can, and do, make the plunge into the dangerous and risky trenches of entrepreneurship. If you’re thinking of following in their footsteps, one warning: beneath the innovative ideas and cool products lies A LOT of hard work and sweat!
1. CreoPop
Bring out the inner child in you with CreoPop – imagine drawing a flower, not just on paper, but in 3D. Or – instead of buying roses for your significant other on Valentine’s Day, you could just use CreoPop to draw one into existence.
CreoPop is the first 3D pen in the world, with innovative technology that enables a user to create his own quirky designs. Safe for use at home, children can literally watch their creations ‘come to life’ as they doodle, not on paper, but in thin air.
Even more astounding is the array of ink available: different colours, elastic ink, magnetic ink, glow-in-the-dark ink, temperature sensitive ink and body paint ink. Just like a smaller counterpart of a 3D printer, your imagination is the limit – or rather, the amount of ink left in the pen is!
Contact Creopop:
Website: http://www.creopop.com/
Address: 8 Eu Tong Sen Street, #18-85 The Central Singapore 059818
Facebook: facebook.com/Creopop | Twitter: @CreoPop | Youtube: youtube.com/CreoPop
2. The Platform Collective
If you’re in need of something – a good or a service – you’d usually pay for them. But why not barter instead? The Platform Collective is an ecosystem for startups and freelancers to exchange their services and skills. By matching the services that startups need, and can give, different startups can collaborate and barter in a mutual exchange.
For instance, if you’re a startup in need of graphic designers, and you’re willing to offer a photography studio in return, you can barter with someone who can provide the service you want, while in need of what you can provide. The bartering process is entirely up to the two parties – from services to hamburgers, as long as both parties are agreeable, it’s a deal!
Contact The Platform Collective:
Website: http://theplatformcollective.com
Address: 31 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637718
3. QLC
Everyone has heard of the ‘mid-life crisis’, but a ‘quarter-life crisis’? With the recent trend of ‘job hopping’, many young professionals, tempted by money and better career prospects, have been hopping around different industries in a bat of an eye. QLC offers the solution of sampling different kinds of real work experiences, without incurring the wrath of your current boss.
QLC works with other startups, non-profit and early stage business to deliver programs for those seeking to learn new skills and gain work experiences – at the comfort of your own home.
All you have to do is enroll yourself in a program – usually a month long and with flexible timings, and you’ll soon be gaining practical exposure and learning under the mentorship of industry specialists. This short, risk-free exposure enables you to try something new; should you like it, go ahead – and make the jump!
Contact QLC:
Website: http://www.qlc.io
Address: Fawkes Monroe Labs, Block 71, Ayer Rajah Crescent, Singapore 13995
Facebook: facebook.com/whatqlc | Twitter: @whatqlc
4. BonAppetour
As you plan meals for your next holiday, forget about Michelin-starred restaurants, ditch the Lonely Planet guidebook and check out Bonappetour instead. Similar to Couchsurfing, Bonappetour is a community where travellers from abroad can enjoy a hearty meal hosted by locals, in the comfort of the locals’ own homes.
From Cape Town in South Africa to Italy in Europe, there is a wide range of dining experiences available, all courtesy of Bonappetour’s own hosts. Just suggest an available date, wait for confirmation from the host, and make payment! Relinquish all fears about the restaurant being too crowded or closed – your meal will be lovingly prepared and awaiting your arrival. For the budding food aficionados or lovers of cultural exchange, there is also an option of signing up to be a host.
Contact Bonappetour:
Website: https://www.bonappetour.com
Telephone: +65 8288 5950
5. Pirate3D
3D printing has arrived at the shores of Singapore – yet it remains elusive to many. With Pirate3D, you can bring home a 3D printer yourself, and its sleek and sophisticated design doubles up as an ornament! With a few clicks, you’ll be able to create your own pencil holders and bracelets and watch them take shape before you.
The whole process is simple: just set up, create your object online, and print or share it wirelessly with your friends. Without any dangly wires or complicated connectivity issues, it is idiot-proof and hassle-free. Now, everybody can be a designer!
Contact Pirate3D:
Website: http://pirate3d.com/
6. thekardiacs
Steps to making a birthday card:
- Stare at the blank paper
- Crack our heads
- Give up and steal some ideas from Pinterest
Over at thekardiacs, a community for artists and art lovers to share and appreciate art, a multitude of cards are available for any occasion and purpose – from birthday cards to motivational words of encouragement.
Or if you’re a talented designer looking for some passive income, upload your designs on thekardiacs, and you’ll be paid if your design sells. It doesn’t matter if you intend to buy a card or not – check thekardiacs out for their pretty designs and witty puns!
Contact thekardiacs:
Website: http://thekardiacs.com
7. Collectibly
If you’re in need of the Iron Man figurine to complete your Marvel Heroes collection, want to showcase the 981203 cards in your Magic:The Gathering set, or simply explore other collections online, Collectibly is the platform for you.
Collectibly enables you to find the limited edition lego piece you’ve been eyeing, and redirects you to sites like ebay for you to purchase them. If you’re looking to meet like-minded collectors like yourself, you can follow others on Collectibly, and compare each other’s collections. Also, if your birthday is coming up and you’d like to drop a hint to your friends, add your dream birthday gifts into the ‘wants’ list!
Contact Collectibly:
Website: http://www.collectib.ly
Facebook: facebook.com/Collectibly | Twitter: @Collectibly | Blog: blog.collectib.ly
8. Totsense
To all the mothers out there: you’ve probably lost count of the number of sleepless nights you’ve had, and when your child is finally sleeping soundly, you heave a sigh of relief. Yet, as you gaze down at her sweet, serene face, you wonder just how soundly she is sleeping.
With Totsense, real-time alerts of your child’s movement, sleeping patterns, heart rate, respiration etc are sent to your phone. Simply slip the unobtrusive sensor mat under the mattress, and along with the cotside monitor, your child will sleep as comfortably as sleeping beauty.
By considering your child’s age, gender and sleeping habits, Totsense alerts you to any worrying trends, and helps you make the best decisions for her. Now, all mothers can sleep as soundly as babies too!
Contact Totsense:
Website: http://www.totsense.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/totsense
9. Street Smart University
Picture yourself on the MRT: everyone around you is hooked onto their phones, scrolling through Instagram or Facebook – but you, yes you’re using your phone, but you’re learning something. Street Smart University provides short and structured video courses under 5 minutes, on everything from entrepreneurship to personal finance, enabling you to learn on the go.
Through the courses, you’ll be learning skills and experiences you can apply in the real world, from industry experts at just a small cost. With Street Smart University, learning is made convenient and easy. Imagine the time saved travelling to school, and never worrying again about falling asleep during lectures!
Contact Street Smart University:
Website: http://www.streetsmartuniversity.info
Facebook: facebook.com/StreetSmartUniversity | Twitter: @StreetSmartUni
Youtube: youtube.com/user/StreetSmartUni
10. Smartmissimo Technologies
Even though athletes are usually in the pink of health, they are often victims to a whole host of muscle injuries. PowerDot, the brainchild of Smartmissimo Technologies, is a wearable muscle stimulator, specially for athletes to work out and recover their muscles – anytime, anywhere.
Designed for comfort, the PowerDot can be worn under your clothes, where workouts can be activated with a tap of your mobile phone. Using Electrical Muscle Stimulation to send electrical impulses to the muscles, the PowerDot comes with preset training programs to cater to different athletes with individual training needs, such as resistance for gymnasts and active recovery for runners. Can you imagine sitting down and working out at the same time? Pretty cool right!
Contact Smartmissimo Technologies:
Website: http://getpowerdot.com/
Address: 4 Shenton Way, #28-01 SGX Centre ll, Singapore 068807
Facebook: facebook.com/getpowerdot | Twitter: @GetPowerDot
Youtube: youtube.com/user/GetSmartMio
11. ShopBack
You know there’s a massive deal going on when you see an impenetrable crowd of Singaporeans crowding the store – but with ShopBack, the best deals are now online. With ShopBack, for every purchase you make (using the best deals and coupon codes scouted for you), you even get cashback!
ShopBack is completely free to use, and with hundreds of local and international merchants – think Zalora, Luxola and Courts – everything you buy becomes so much cheaper.
Contact ShopBack:
Website: https://www.shopback.sg/
Address: 10 Anson Road #26-04, International Plaza, Singapore 079903
Telephone: (+65) 6589 8708
12. Green Pot Tea
Have you ever wondered what happens when you cross chili with chocolate, or mix mango and green tea together? Think chili chocolate tea and mango green tea – all specially blended by Green Pot Tea. Green Pot Tea prides itself for using whole tea leaves, flowers, and herbs – nope, no tea dust, no grounded tea, and definitely no perfume!
Feel free to blend your own combinations of tea: choose from popular herbal ingredients such as pomegranate and chamomile, choose your tea base, and voila! Green Pot Tea will specially customise their packaging just for you.
Green Pot Tea also offers a variety of Asian and Western tea; forget about those dubious slimming teas out there, and try their Herbal Wellness Tea series which is packed with flavour and health benefits!
Contact Green Pot Tea:
Website: http://greenpottea.com/
Address: #07-22, A’Posh BizHub, 1 Yishun Industrial Street 1, Singapore 768160
Telephone: (65) 6684 0363
Facebook: facebook.com/greenpottea
13. Luxola
Imagine a large, virtually boundless departmental store: if Zalora is the clothes section, Luxola is the beauty section. Luxola has everything a girl needs to look pretty – from make-up, skincare, bath and body soaps to nail accessories.
Luxola also features its best selling products and editor’s picks, letting you know what are the best items to buy without having to ask the store assistant. Curious about what’s ‘in’? Luxola lets you in on the latest beauty trends, and directs you to the relevant products to satisfy the inner fashionista in you. To all the men out there who are feeling left out: don’t worry, as Luxola also sells mens’ products too!
Contact Luxola:
Website: http://www.luxola.com/
Telephone: +65 8493 7315
Facebook: facebook.com/Luxola | Twitter: @luxolasg | Youtube: youtube.com/user/LuxolaVideo
Conclusion
It’s certainly not true that Singaporeans are dull, boring, and merely good at mugging – Singaporeans were the ones who solved the quarter life crisis, created their own 3D printers, and blended their own chili chocolate tea!
I hope you were wowed by the originality and creativity of these ideas, because I certainly was. Be sure to support our local entrepreneurs by spreading the word and buying their products online. Happy Birthday Singapore! #SG50