Want to launch a business but don’t know where to start? There’s a programme for it. Or two, if you live in Singapore. ‘Talent investing’ companies, within the larger scope of venture capital, help potential founders define a business model, find a co-founder and, if it works, raise funding to launch. And talent investing programmes even pay a salary.
UK-headquartered Entrepreneur First (EF) brought its twice-a-year programme to Singapore in 2016 in what was its first overseas expansion. It quickly got a rival, when Magnus Grimeland, the former CEO of German venture builder Rocket Internet’s online fashion seller Zalora, started Antler in Singapore one year later.