In the past, large corporations were often seen as too slow to innovate. Bound by legacy systems and risk-averse cultures, many struggled to keep pace with startups disrupting their industries. But in Singapore, a new model is changing that narrative: corporate venture studios.
Unlike traditional corporate innovation labs, which often remained internal and incremental, corporate venture studios build entirely new startups - often outside the parent company’s direct operations - designed to tackle big industry challenges. By combining corporate resources with startup agility, these studios are redefining how industries from finance to healthcare evolve in the face of global disruption.
Why Corporates are Turning to Venture Studios
The business case is clear. Traditional R&D is expensive and slow, while acquisitions can be risky and costly. Corporate venture studios offer a middle path: they allow companies to leverage their industry expertise and networks while tapping into entrepreneurial energy to build solutions that might not survive inside traditional corporate structures.
In Singapore, where industries like finance, logistics, and energy play central roles in the economy, corporates are increasingly turning to this model to stay ahead of competition. The result is an ecosystem where startups are not just independent disruptors but co-creations between entrepreneurs and established industry leaders.
The Scale of Corporate Participation
According to a 2023 report by Bain & Company, more than 60% of corporates in Asia now engage in some form of external innovation program, with venture studios emerging as one of the fastest-growing models. In Singapore specifically, Enterprise Singapore and the Economic Development Board (EDB) have actively encouraged corporations to adopt venture building, offering incentives and co-funding opportunities. This has led to a rise in corporate-backed studios, many of which focus on industry-specific problems such as sustainable supply chains, fintech innovation, and healthcare technologies.
Case Study: Standard Chartered’s SC Ventures
One of the most prominent examples is SC Ventures, Standard Chartered Bank’s innovation arm based in Singapore. Rather than just experimenting internally, SC Ventures has co-created and scaled multiple startups addressing financial inclusion, blockchain, and digital banking.
One of its ventures, Solv, is a B2B marketplace for small businesses in emerging markets. Built within the SC Ventures studio, Solv has expanded rapidly into India and other Asian markets, showcasing how corporate studios can combine startup agility with corporate reach to tackle systemic industry challenges.
Case Study: Wilmar International and Next-Gen Agritech
Another example comes from Wilmar International, one of Asia’s largest agribusinesses headquartered in Singapore. Through venture-building collaborations, Wilmar has explored innovations in agritech, including precision farming and sustainable supply chain technologies. While these ventures are still emerging, they highlight how corporates in resource-heavy industries are using venture studios to address sustainability challenges while opening new growth opportunities.
The Advantage of Corporate Assets
What makes corporate venture studios particularly powerful is their ability to provide startups with unfair advantages. Unlike traditional studios that start with little more than capital and talent, corporate studios can offer.
Immediate access to customers through established distribution channels.
Proprietary industry data and expertise.
Infrastructure, from labs to logistics networks, that would otherwise take years for a startup to access.
In Singapore, where corporates are deeply integrated into regional trade and finance networks, these advantages make corporate-built startups especially well-positioned to scale across Asia.
Challenges to Overcome
Of course, the model is not without risks. Corporate bureaucracy can creep in, slowing decision-making. There is also the cultural clash between startup speed and corporate structure. To succeed, corporate venture studios in Singapore have had to learn to create independence - allowing ventures to operate with entrepreneurial freedom while still drawing on corporate resources.
SC Ventures, for example, explicitly structures its startups as independent entities, with separate governance and the ability to raise external capital. This hybrid model has proven more effective than purely internal innovation programs of the past.
Why Singapore is the Ideal Base
Singapore offers a unique environment for corporate venture studios. Its strategic location at the heart of Southeast Asia provides access to a fast-growing market of over 650 million consumers. Its strong regulatory frameworks give corporates the confidence to experiment with new models in fintech, healthcare, and sustainability.
Moreover, Singapore’s government has actively positioned the city as an innovation hub, offering grants and co-investments that reduce the financial risks corporates face when launching studios. Combined with a highly skilled talent pool and proximity to both Western capital and Asian markets, this makes Singapore a natural home for corporate-driven venture building.
The Next Chapter: Corporates as Builders, Not Just Buyers
As global industries undergo massive shifts - digitization, decarbonization, and demographic change - corporates can no longer afford to rely solely on incremental innovation. Venture studios give them a chance to shape disruption rather than be disrupted. In Singapore, the rise of corporate venture studios signals a new era where corporates are not just buyers of innovation but active builders. Whether it’s a bank rethinking financial inclusion, an agribusiness pioneering sustainable food systems, or a logistics giant testing green supply chains, these ventures have the potential to set industry standards across Asia.
For entrepreneurs, this means access to resources and distribution networks that dramatically increase their odds of success. For corporates, it means the chance to reinvent themselves through startups rather than being outpaced by them. The message is clear: in Singapore, corporate venture studios are more than an experiment - they are becoming a cornerstone of how industries innovate. The companies that embrace this model now are not just building startups; they are building the future of their industries.