How University Research Becomes a Global Startup: Lessons from Singapore

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What does it take to turn university research into a global startup? We talked to founders, investors, and academics at Singapore's A5X conference to find out. The key: collaboration, capital, and a clear path to market.

What does it take to turn a promising lab discovery into a company that competes worldwide? And what can Europe and Asia learn from each other about innovation, investment, and emerging tech? Those were the questions on my mind at Singapore's A5X conference, where I was invited by NUSX—the National University of Singapore's innovation and enterprise arm—to talk with founders, investors, and academics about the future of DeepTech. Across six conversations, plus interviews with the winners of the Singapore Defense Tech Hackathon, one theme kept surfacing: scientific breakthroughs alone aren't enough. To build successful tech companies, you need capital, infrastructure, international collaboration, and a clear path from lab to market. ### Beyond the Lab One of the biggest developments at A5X was the evolution of NUS Enterprise into NUSX. Their ambition? Generate $1 billion in financial returns and develop technologies that positively impact one billion people by 2035. For Dr. Tan Sian Wee, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Enterprise at NUS, hitting those goals means rethinking how ventures get created in the first place. Instead of just investing in existing startups, NUSX wants to spot commercially promising research early, validate its market potential, and assemble the teams needed to turn discoveries into businesses. > "So it's really a talent pipeline, a technology pipeline, a capital pipeline and then an impact pipeline. That's what we're thinking about step by step by step." A key part of that strategy is Nova, NUSX's new AI platform. It's designed to analyze university research and identify potential commercial applications, licensing opportunities, and industry partnerships. Professor Benjamin Tee, Vice President of Ecosystem Building at NUSX, reinforced the focus on commercialization. As a serial entrepreneur and researcher, he knows firsthand how hard it is to translate academic discoveries into products—especially in fields that need expensive infrastructure and long development cycles. For Tee, research institutions have to think more about practical outcomes. He put it this way: "What is happening today is that there's a massive change in how we think about research and its impact. Many agencies today are looking at impact both commercially as well as social. The way to bring impact to people is really to take the next step. Going out of your lab, talking to potential people, potential users, and seeing how your technology can fit into their workflow, into their lives." ### Bridging Two Worlds International collaboration was another hot topic, especially after NUSX announced a partnership with Munich-based UnternehmerTUM. Professor Helmut Schönenberger, co-founder and CEO of UnternehmerTUM, explained how they've built a venture-building ecosystem that connects education, research, prototyping, investment, and industrial partnerships. But he argued that even the best local ecosystems can't provide everything a globally ambitious startup needs. "I think every ecosystem has its strengths and then the question is, as an entrepreneur, 'where do I need a base to really bring the company to the next phase?' [...] If you really want to build a global company today you have to leverage many ecosystems." Munich offers access to established industrial networks, engineering expertise, and European customers. Singapore, meanwhile, brings a gateway to Asian markets, strong government support, and a growing DeepTech scene. ### What This Means for European Startups So what can European founders take away from all this? A few things stand out: - **Start commercializing earlier.** Don't wait until your tech is perfect. Talk to potential users and validate market fit from day one. - **Think beyond your backyard.** Even the strongest European ecosystems can't give you everything. Look for partnerships in Asia, the US, and beyond. - **Leverage university resources.** Programs like NUSX show how universities can be more than just research hubs—they can be venture builders. - **Use AI to spot opportunities.** Tools like Nova help identify which research has real commercial potential, saving time and resources. As Dr. Tan put it, it's about building pipelines: talent, technology, capital, and impact. That's a framework that works anywhere—whether you're in Berlin, Paris, or Singapore. The bottom line? Turning research into a global startup is a team sport. You need the right partners, the right infrastructure, and the willingness to step out of the lab and into the market.

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