Startup accelerators, known as seed accelerators, are fixed-term, cohort, or group-based programs that involve seed investment, sales, connections, mentors, education, and in most cases, a pitch event to acquire capital for graduating startups in this competitive industry. It provides education, guidance, and funding to early-stage, growth-oriented businesses.
Southeast Asia is regarded as a powerhouse for the talent needed to launch successful businesses, which explains why a slew of startup accelerators and incubators are springing up over the region.
In Southeast Asia, startup accelerators have had a significant impact and have become an essential community component. Here’s a list of some of the region’s startup accelerators.
Seed Ventures is a venture capital fund management company that invests in startups seeking their first investments at the seed stage. It seeks to empower founders and dreams. Successful startups receive services, cash, and mentorship to start, grow or save their companies.
SV holds a shark tank pitching platform called Ask-A-VC (AVC) bi-weekly with cheque sizes of SGD $20k to $500k. Furthermore, also offering VDF1 an interest-free loan to startups in exchange for equity
Affordable Abodes was founded to develop low-cost housing to allow those living at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) to own a home. They are based in Malaysia and have expanded to Singapore – aiming to improve the lives of the poor in the ASEAN proximity and beyond by building sustainable housing solutions. The cost of a new home is significantly low while increasing its quality by taking advantage of innovative bio-composite materials and less complicated construction methods.
- Plug and Play, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand
Located in the heart of Singapore, where it was born in 2010, Plug and Play were born to invest in prestigious high-tech startups in the region. They have since expanded to Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Corporations, entrepreneurs, investors, governments, and other stakeholders can collaborate on their open innovation platform to help develop a dynamic regional ecosystem.
- Billion Bricks, Singapore
Billion Bricks reimagines housing via design and technology, allowing everyone to become a homeowner. They blend housing communities and renewable energy into a financially viable business proposition by offering self-financing solar home solutions. Started as a non-profit organization in 2013, their goal was to find new approaches to solve the worldwide housing crisis. Despite all of humanity’s progress, more than one billion people are still without a house, a number that is expected to double by 2030
- Antler, Singapore
Antler is a global early-stage venture capital firm that supports and invests in extraordinary entrepreneurs. They bind entrepreneurs from various backgrounds to build the defining companies of tomorrow in Singapore, Asia’s most vibrant startup ecosystem and innovation hub.
- Cubo Modular, Philippines
At Cubo Modular, they envisioned a world where everyone has access to sustainable, cheap, and dignified housing. Everyone is safe from external factors such as pollution, diseases, and crime. They can make this a reality for people while restoring the planet’s natural resources, thanks to their patent-pending housing technology.
- Gradana, Indonesia
Gradana is Southeast Asia’s sensei among the property fintech industry. They have established their presence in Indonesia’s fintech business by introducing its first product: P2P lending for mortgage down payment financing, to achieve seamless online property funds for the region.
- My Dream Home, Cambodia
The founder of My Dream Home, Kongngy, was moved by the generosity of a group of garment workers who, despite their poverty, helped him, and he wanted to repay their goodwill. Building with a dream, MDH intends to increase its services to aid the citizens who need it the most, primarily the semi-urban poor in Phnom Penh, to reach at least 150K by 2030. By delivering more effective services while reducing costs through increased efficiencies and procurement, they would build more homes for people. My Dream Home is looking for funding of $100,000 from donors/impact investors to:
- Keep the same net income of 20%
- Lower the price of bricks by 15% more
- Franchise machines to provinces
- Pounamu, Myanmar
Pounamu emphasizes bamboo design and construction in Myanmar dedicated to the growth of the bamboo industry. They believe that this industry should be focused on the Bamboo Cycle, a circular economy. Pounamu offers services in all three phases of the Bamboo Cycle:
- Sustainable Bamboo forestry
- Bamboo treatment
- Bamboo design & construction
In terms of bamboo design and construction, Pounamu also offers services like management and delivery of Bamboo construction projects, such as eco-resorts, eco villages, and private residences. They also include workshop training on bamboo construction.
- Sampangan.id, Indonesia
Sampangan. id’s objective is to use carbonization technology known as the “Magic Box” to turn all types of garbage into sustainable resources for the circular economy. They’ve successfully developed a zero-waste processing method that collects mixed waste and converts it into various high-value products such as activated carbon. In a nutshell, the idea is comparable to that of a rice cooker or an oven. Only there is no fire, but heat radiation.
- Social Light, Philippines
Social Light Inc. takes great pride in its accomplishment in making the internet a fundamental human right. Their goal is to develop solutions that increase value over time with the sheer focus of creating an entirely free internet connection to low-income communities.
- TapEffect, Cambodia
TapEffect is a social enterprise that combines technical expertise and financial resources to ensure that rural piped water networks are designed, constructed, and operated sustainably. A unique management method for piper water systems can supply safe and inexpensive water to rural and semi-rural communities.
- Spark, Thailand
Spark helps high-potential Thai entrepreneurs in the early stages of their development by providing intense mentorship sessions with regional and international professionals to help them guide and build their capabilities, products, and solutions to meet the global market’s needs.