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Singapore Global Founder Programme (GFP)
An EDB initiative launched in April 2025 attracting experienced founders to build globally ambitious ventures headquartered in Singapore.
What are the main aims and objectives?
The Global Founder Programme (GFP), operated by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) through its New Ventures arm, aims to attract experienced founders from Singapore and abroad to launch and scale globally ambitious ventures headquartered in Singapore, with the goal of establishing innovative companies with the potential to become global industry leaders in high-growth sectors including AI, sustainability, deep tech, digital economy and healthcare, while deepening Singapore's startup ecosystem, anchoring substantive operations locally, and creating high-quality jobs and partnerships for Singaporeans through access to EDB's curated networks, investors and institutional partners.
How does the program work?
GFP is a selective, facilitation-based programme under EDB New Ventures, targeting a deliberately small cohort of experienced "0-to-1" founders — those with strong track records building products, platforms or businesses from scratch.
Eligibility and selection. The programme targets three founder profiles: founders who scaled a startup into a global business; senior builders within MNCs or unicorns who led major product or business lines; and deep-tech founders who have built companies to strong commercial traction. Meeting eligibility criteria does not guarantee admission. EDB explicitly states GFP is "a targeted programme with a limited cohort size," selecting founders based on entrepreneurial track record, venture potential and strategic fit with Singapore.
Support offered. Once accepted, GFP provides a suite of non-cash facilitative support:
- Ecosystem access: EDB curates introductions to investors, strategic partners, customers and advisors at appropriate stages to refine product-market fit, build partnerships and support market expansion.
- Setup and operational ease: EDB supports streamlined business incorporation, regulatory navigation and talent acquisition in Singapore.
- Work pass facilitation: Founders may be invited to apply for Singapore's ONE Pass — a work visa for top business and entrepreneurial talent — alongside hiring and relocation support.
- Expert networks: Founders access EDB New Ventures' network of sector experts, early customers and co-development opportunities for product iteration.
GFP does not advertise direct cash grants. Support is described as tailored: "not all programme benefits are automatically granted" and vary by venture stage, strategic alignment and Singapore potential.
The programme focuses on sectors including enterprise SaaS, fintech, healthcare, manufacturing, AI, sustainability and deep tech hardware. Applications are submitted directly to EDB, which screens and selects on a rolling basis.
What is the overall cost?
No information available.
How was it implemented?
GFP was announced in Singapore's Budget 2025 as part of a package to strengthen the enterprise and startup ecosystem, with the government signalling intent to encourage global founders to anchor ventures in Singapore.
On 22 April 2025, EDB formally launched GFP via a media release titled "EDB Programme to scale global ventures in Singapore," describing it as a targeted initiative for experienced founders to launch their next venture from Singapore. The programme is delivered through EDB New Ventures, EDB's venture-building arm, which had been running an informal version of this work for two years prior to the formal launch.
GFP builds directly on prior EDB New Ventures activity: in the two years before launch, EDB worked with over 50 founders and supported the launch of over 30 ventures headquartered in Singapore, which collectively raised over USD 450 million in early-stage funding across enterprise SaaS, fintech, healthcare and manufacturing. GFP was designed to formalise and scale this activity into an explicit programme with defined eligibility criteria and a structured offer.
Implementation steps included defining founder and venture eligibility criteria (published in Annex A of the press release and the FAQ), establishing an application and selection process to maintain cohort quality, and integrating GFP with Singapore's ONE Pass work visa and existing talent facilitation frameworks.
An information booklet and FAQ page were published on edb.gov.sg, providing founders with guidance on eligibility, application process and programme benefits. By early 2026, EDB's Year 2025 in Review confirmed GFP had moved from pilot to a functioning programme supporting a substantial cohort.
What impact has been measured?
GFP launched in April 2025 and early outcome data is available from EDB's Year 2025 in Review (published February 2026):
- GFP is supporting over 40 ventures, with a focus on AI, green economy and deep-tech hardware.
- Collectively, these ventures have raised SGD 1.7 billion (approximately USD 1.26 billion) in funding.
- Approximately one quarter of this — around SGD 425 million (approximately USD 315 million) — is projected to go towards expanding Singapore operations and partnerships, contributing to local jobs and ecosystem development.
What lessons can be learned?
- No dedicated budget published: The absence of a disclosed GFP budget makes it impossible to calculate cost-effectiveness or compare public investment per venture or job created.
- Attribution challenge: Because EDB New Ventures was already working with founders before GFP's formal launch, it is analytically difficult to separate GFP's specific contribution from the pre-existing pipeline; fundraising and venture figures span both periods.
- Selective by design, limited reach: GFP deliberately targets a small cohort of experienced, high-track-record founders. This depth-over-breadth approach excludes emerging founders who lack prior scale-up experience, raising questions about whether it complements or competes with broader startup support schemes.
- Complexity of overlapping schemes: GFP sits alongside EntrePass, sector-specific grants, the Corporate Venture Launchpad and general EDB incentives. Advisors note that navigating the boundaries between these schemes can be confusing for incoming founders.
- No independent evaluation yet: All published impact figures come from EDB itself; no third-party or academic evaluation of GFP's incremental contribution to Singapore's innovation economy has been published.
- Potential perception of elite bias: By focusing on founders with proven 0-to-1 scale-up experience and links to unicorns, MNCs or deep-tech exits, GFP may reinforce perceptions that state support is concentrated among already-successful, well-connected individuals rather than early-stage talent.
- Dependence on EDB matchmaking quality: GFP's value rests on the quality of introductions and curated connections EDB can provide. Scaling cohort size without matching organisational capacity could dilute the experience that makes GFP attractive to high-calibre founders.
