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.

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Jon Russell

Jon Russell is Southeast Asia editor for The Ken based in Bangkok. Originally from the UK, Jon moved to Thailand in 2008. He’s passionate about telling thoughtful business stories, and tracking the impact of the internet in his adopted home of Southeast Asia.

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