The university is the latest academic institution in the Asian country to launch an investment fund to support spinouts.
Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) and venture capital firm Walden International have partnered on a new fund to invest in the university’s spinouts.
The Nanyang Frontier Fund has an initial target of S$50m ($38m). Lip-Bu Tan, chairman of Walden International, and unnamed associates of Tan have committed S$5m to kickstart the fund. Nanyang Technological University has co-invested another S$5m.
Tan, who was a student at Nanyang University in the 1970s, said in a press release: “I strongly believe Nanyang Frontier Fund can identify startups of disruptive technology from NTU and Singapore, and it can nurture and scale them to become Singapore-based global companies.”
Singapore’s universities are increasingly moving towards financing their spinouts. In July, Duke-NUS Medical School, a Singaporean graduate-entry medical school, launched an incubator and funding programme to commercialise its academic research.
Live Ventures raised $7.5m towards its $15m target. Over the next five years, it will provide up to $371,000 per academic research project. It will invest in resulting spinouts and partner with public and private companies to co-fund projects.
