NUS Enterprise invests S$150 million to launch venture capital programme in Asia
NUS will invest S$50 million in selected VC firms to provide structured support for NUS tech startups. The first two VC partners are Granite Asia, a multi-asset investment platform with a 25-year track record of backing breakthrough technology ventures at a global level, and specialist life sciences investor 4Bio Capital, which focuses on advanced therapeutics.
The other S$100 million will be committed to an autonomous investment fund focused on NUS-affiliated startups, with the flexibility to invest alongside selected VC partners.
The initiative is the first of its kind in Asia, said NUS, and seeks to enhance support for early-stage tech innovation by focusing on high-potential ventures within the NUS ecosystem, including startups from the National Graduate Research Innovation Programme (Grip).
How the NUS VC Programme complements the National Grip
The NUS VC Programme complements the National Grip framework by addressing the need for downstream venture development. The National Grip helps those under the programme to transform lab-based research discoveries into globally competitive, market-ready ventures.
Various National Grip startups are still in the early stages of technological readiness and require continued, strategic support to advance from lab to market.
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While Grip currently provides up to S$250,000 in seed funding per startup, the new VC programme focuses on accelerating post-seed growth and preparing ventures for external capital.
This effort is set apart by direct engagement with leading VC firms selected not only for their track records, but also for their market access in global innovation hubs, said NUS.
The programme offers structured support such as mentorship, investor feedback, market entry, fundraising networks, and operational guidance by combining capital with deep venture expertise.
Dr Tan Sian Wee, NUS senior vice-president (innovation and enterprise), said: 'National Grip is an important first step in helping deep tech startups take root. As such, the VC Programme builds on this by pairing promising ventures with globally connected investors, enabling a more complete pathway to scale and commercial success. This is essential given that most startups struggle to move beyond early-stage innovation toward impactful, real-world deployment.'
The NUS VC Programme aims to fill critical funding and mentorship gaps faced by tech startups in Asia. In 2025, VC investments in Asia-Pacific fell sharply to a 10-year low of S$85 billion. With a 5 per cent decline from 2023, early-stage funding has totalled less than S$38 billion in 2024.
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