NUS Enterprise announced that Playground Global and Matter Venture Partners have joined its $117 million NUS VC Programme.
NUS Enterprise is the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore. The program is designed to support early-stage technology innovation and high-potential ventures across Singapore’s deep tech ecosystem.
Through the partnerships, Playground Global and Matter Venture Partners will gain closer access to Singapore-based start-ups developing technologies across artificial intelligence, biotech, quantum technologies, advanced materials, semiconductors, robotics, and other hard tech categories.
The partnerships are also intended to help Singapore’s deep tech start-ups expand into the U.S. market by providing access to Silicon Valley venture networks, technical expertise, market intelligence, and corporate partnerships.
Singapore is home to more than 4,500 tech start-ups and has committed about US$29 billion under its Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 plan to strengthen national innovation capabilities.
Playground Global is a Silicon Valley-based early-stage venture firm focused on technically ambitious founders working across engineering and science. The firm has US$1.7 billion in assets under management and invests in areas including next-generation computing, automation, energy, and engineered biology.
Matter Venture Partners is a venture firm focused on hard tech founders building advanced semiconductor, electronics, and physical AI innovations. The firm supports founders with access to partners and manufacturing networks across Silicon Valley and industrial ecosystems in Asia, Europe, and the United Arab Emirates.
NUS Enterprise will also establish its first global outpost at The Studio, Playground Global’s 70,000-square-foot incubation facility in Silicon Valley.
The outpost will provide NUS-backed founders with access to wet and dry laboratories, advanced prototyping workshops, precision engineering tools, and market exposure to help validate technologies and engage U.S. customers.
NUS Enterprise said the outpost is part of a broader strategy to connect Singapore’s innovation ecosystem with key global markets. The initiative is expected to help founders gather market insights, understand customer needs, refine solutions, and improve product-market fit.
The NUS VC Programme has two major components. NUS has committed to invest US$39 million over three years in selected venture firms with early-stage deep tech investment track records. It has also set aside US$78 million for co-investments alongside these venture partners in NUS-affiliated start-ups.
The program’s VC partners now include Granite Asia, 4BIO Capital, Playground Global, and Matter Venture Partners.
Since 2001, NUS Enterprise has supported 10 unicorns, more than 3,000 start-ups, and 5,500 students.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are excited to partner with NUS Enterprise to support the next generation of deep tech founders emerging from Singapore. Building globally competitive technology companies requires access to long-term support, deep technical expertise, and access to international networks. We look forward to helping more global founders navigate that journey.”
Bruce Leak, General Partner at Playground Global
“The next generation of globally significant HardTech companies will be built across ecosystems, not within a single geography. Singapore is a critical node in that network, with talent, capital, technology and ambition concentrated in one place. Through this partnership with NUS Enterprise, Matter Venture Partners is excited to support Singaporean HardTech founders who are thinking globally from day one, by connecting them with the right partners, manufacturing networks, and market access needed to succeed at scale.”
Dr. Wen Hsieh, Founding Managing Partner of Matter Venture Partners
“Silicon Valley is one of the most demanding proving grounds for deep tech, with investors and competitors that move at a relentless pace. Research-based founders need investors who understand how deep tech companies are actually built and scaled, not just funded. Through our partnerships with Playground Global and Matter Venture Partners, and from our Silicon Valley outpost, our ventures can see opportunities early, test against real customer demand, sharpen product-market fit, and grow into category leaders across global markets.”
Dr. Tan Sian Wee, NUS Senior Vice President of Innovation and Enterprise
