AngelCentral Deep Dive Series: Understanding the Growth & Evolution of Accelerators & Incubators
This is a hybrid event. Please indicate whether you will be attending in-person or online (via Zoom) when you register for the workshop. Note: We encourage all participants to join in-person to interact with the panellists and network with the other participants.
Singapore has built its reputation as a global hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. A key driver of this is the strong presence of accelerators and incubators – these programs play an instrumental role in nurturing early-stage companies by providing founders with the resources, mentorship, and funding they need to grow. Each one brings a unique value proposition to startups, significantly improving their chances of success in an increasingly competitive environment.
According to a study done by the Harvard Business Review, they found that startups who participated in an accelerator raised 50% to 170% more from investors, and were also more likely to be alive or acquired than similar startups that were not part of such a program. But as the startup landscape matures, these accelerators and incubators have had to get with the program. How are they evolving to stay relevant? What new challenges are they facing? And what lies ahead?
For this workshop, we bring together leaders and experts from established accelerators and incubators to share their perspectives on:
The current state of innovation within the accelerators and incubators
How accelerators/incubators have grown and adapted over the years
The challenges of running such programs in today’s climate
The hurdles startups face when joining and graduating from them
What investors and founders should know about their role in the ecosystem
This deep dive offers a behind-the-scenes look at how these platforms are adapting to changing times, and what founders and investors should know about their value in the startup journey. Whether you’re an investor, founder, or ecosystem builder, this is your chance to gain insights directly from the people shaping the future of startup acceleration.
About the Keynote Speaker
Mr. Craig Dixon, Founding General Partner, Accelerating Asia
Craig founded Accelerating Asia in 2019 with co-founder Amra Naidoo. With his extensive startup investment experience, including over 100 startup investment rounds, Craig oversees Accelerating Asia’s Venture Capital fund which invests in pre-Series A startups. Under his leadership, the Accelerating Asia portfolio has now crossed a US$600 million valuation from startups all over the region, including Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and most recently, Middle East and North Africa. Craig frequently shares his expertise on venture-building and startups as a sought-after speaker in Asia and through articles shared on the Accelerating Asia blog (https://www.acceleratingasia.com/craigs-blogs). Craig holds an MBA from the University of Maryland/HKUST.
About the Panellist(s)
Mr. Kevin Leung, Program Director, Graduate Research Innovation Program (GRIP)
Kevin currently serves as the Program Director of GRIP - Graduate Research Innovation Program at NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial division of the National University of Singapore. Since its inception in 2018, NUS GRIP has emerged as a flagship venture creation program, guiding researchers and postgraduate students to become deep tech entrepreneurs. This program leverages the university's deep technology expertise to facilitate the translation of world-class research into startups that develop and commercialize groundbreaking technology platforms, and over 100 spinoffs have since emerged from GRIP. In 2025, GRIP expanded into a national initiative, accessible to all autonomous universities and research institutes across Singapore, a $50 million project in partnership with NTU and supported by the National Research Foundation. A seasoned technopreneur, Kevin has established and led multiple ventures across various countries.
Mr. Alvin Tam, Assistant Director, SMU Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (IIE)
Alvin is the Assistant Director of the Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (IIE) at Singapore Management University (SMU), where he heads SMU's flagship Business Innovations Generator (BIG) - an incubation programme dedicated to accelerating the growth of early-stage startups across diverse sectors. For more than a decade, Alvin was actively involved in the startup landscape both as a founder and operator, with rich entrepreneurial experience in the B2C, retail and impact-driven sectors. His blend of practitioner insight and institutional leadership informs his approach to venture building, founder development, and ecosystem collaboration. Alvin also plays a key role in SMU’s engagement with global startup platforms such as the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC), and is passionate about creating inclusive, high-impact opportunities for early-stage founders.
About the Moderator
Mr. Phey Teck Moh, Partner, AngelCentral
Phey Teck Moh is a mentor and angel investor in the Singapore entrepreneur ecosystem. He co-founded AngelCentral, to build a community of angel investors; offering education workshops and curate startups for angel investments. At Entrepreneur First, Teck Moh is a mentor to extraordinary people to build amazing startups from scratch. Xpanasia is an advisory company specializing in Telecommunications and Information Technology companies in Asia Pacific.
He had retired as Asia President, Motorola Solutions in May 2013. During his tenure, Motorola Solutions Asia Pacific grew to more than US$1B. Prior to Motorola, Phey was the President & Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Internet, a NASDAQ- listed Internet service provider in Asia Pacific. He started his career at IBM and moved to Compaq.
About AngelCentral
AngelCentral is one of the fastest-growing community of angel investors in Southeast Asia. We organize regular curated pitch sessions, angel education workshops and provide syndication services.
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