Singapore's top university commits $116m for deep-tech startups
TSUBASA SURUGA
SINGAPORE -- The National University of Singapore, the city-state's top university, is launching a 150 million Singaporean dollar ($116 million) program aimed at investing in startups that work in robotics, autonomous driving and other deep-tech fields.
Over the next three years, the NUS VC Program will pour SG$50 million into venture capital (VC) firms with track records in early-stage deep-tech investments and provide support for the university's tech startups, NUS announced on Tuesday. It will set aside another SG$100 million for a separate fund focused on NUS-affiliated firms, with plans to invest alongside the selected VCs.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Nikkei Asia
25 minutes ago
- Nikkei Asia
China EV king BYD's share price drop signals rocky road ahead
Chinese automaker BYD's Atto 2 is pictured during a presentation in Italy in February. The model hits the Singaporean market this week, as the company faces an uphill battle to hit its annual sales target. © Reuters WATARU SUZUKI SHANGHAI -- Shares of BYD, China's leading electric vehicle maker, are under pressure from slowing domestic sales and greater scrutiny over its aggressive pricing strategy.


Nikkei Asia
5 days ago
- Nikkei Asia
Grab eyes Philippines for drone deliveries in autonomous test
Singapore-based ride-hailing app developer Grab reveals a plan to test a drone delivery service in the Philippines. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yuki Kohara) TSUBASA SURUGA SINGAPORE -- Grab plans to pilot a drone delivery service in the Philippines, as the superapp company pushes to adopt autonomous driving and artificial intelligence technologies across emerging Southeast Asian markets, CEO Anthony Tan said on Thursday. Speaking during an earnings call, Tan said the U.S.-listed, Singapore-based ride-hailing app developer is working with Philippine regulators and real estate developer Megaworld, owned by conglomerate Alliance Global Group, to test a drone-powered commercial delivery service in the Philippines.


The Mainichi
23-07-2025
- The Mainichi
Visa told by Japan antitrust watchdog to reform credit info system
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's antitrust watchdog said Tuesday it had told Visa Worldwide Pte Ltd. to reform its business practices after concluding that the firm restricted and pressured card companies to use its credit information system. It marks the first administrative action taken by the Japan Fair Trade Commission against a credit card company. The commission said global credit card brand Visa Inc.'s Singaporean unit, which manages the Asia-Pacific region including Japan, had charged higher fees to other credit card firms that did not use its network to check credit information. The commission said the Visa unit has submitted plans to improve its practices, adding that it has accepted the plans. The company was exempted from facing fines or other punitive measures under the antimonopoly law. Visa Worldwide said in a comment "the plans will be fulfilled and a structure based on strong compliance will be maintained." According to the Japan Consumer Credit Association, as of 2020, the Visa credit card brand accounted for about half of the market share in Japan. The total amount of credit card transactions in the country in 2024 stood at 116 trillion yen ($785 billion). Credit card transactions involve an issuing company and management company, which both utilize a trusted reference system when a transaction is made, according to the watchdog. Interchange fees, typically set by global brands, are paid by the management company to the issuing company during a transaction, while the issuing company pays a service charge to a different company -- in this case Visa Worldwide -- providing the reference system. While Visa Worldwide had applied preferential rates under certain requirements, it altered the conditions from no later than November 2021 to necessitate the use of its network, leading some companies to switch to the system under Visa despite it costing more than others. Visa's practice is believed to have been aimed at increasing revenue by excluding competitors from the market. Japanese authorities had been investigating allegations the practice violated the antimonopoly law, which prohibits companies in a dominant position from imposing unfair trading terms on firms with a weaker standing. Tuesday's administrative action against Visa Worldwide does not mean that the practice "violated" the law. Under the plans submitted to the commission, the Visa unit will restore conditions for preferential rates to previous iterations. A third-party entity, approved by the watchdog, will also check for improvements and report to the commission over the next five years.