Singapore has long been Asia’s digital powerhouse, but the rules of online discoverability have fundamentally changed in 2025. Artificial intelligence is no longer a buzzword — it is the new gatekeeper of search. From Google’s AI Overviews to Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, and Gemini live summaries, generative and answer engines now decide which brands get seen first. Traditional SEO, built for 10 blue links, is rapidly becoming obsolete. The winners are mastering AISEO — the discipline of optimising for AI-driven answers, citations, and conversational discovery.

The AI revolution hits digital marketing hardest in Singapore

Across industries — finance, e-commerce, real estate, and luxury retail — Singaporean companies are witnessing a seismic shift. AI engines no longer just rank webpages; they synthesise answers, cite sources, and generate responses in real time. A brand that dominates Google’s classic SERP can still disappear entirely from an AI summary if it hasn’t optimised for Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). For Singapore’s hyper-competitive market, where consumer attention is measured in milliseconds, this is existential.

Legacy SEO agencies are struggling to keep up

Marketers across the island are voicing the same frustration: their long-standing SEO agencies, some retained for over a decade, are suddenly “too slow” or “handicapped” in this new battlefield. Contracts built around keyword density, backlink volume, and page-speed scores are delivering diminishing returns when AI engines ignore 90% of traditional ranking signals in favour of semantic authority, entity recognition, and citation trustworthiness.

Also read: How the top 10 best HR systems in Singapore reveal the new standards for HR technology

Top 10 mistakes traditional SEO agencies make in the AISEO era

Here are the most common — and costly — missteps still seen in 2025 Singapore boardrooms:

 

Global giants and Singapore powerhouses are all-in on AISEO

From Paris to Singapore, the shift is unmistakable. LVMH, Cartier, and Richemont are quietly redirecting seven-figure budgets from traditional link-building campaigns into entity-building, proprietary research, and AI-citation strategies. On the tech side, ByteDance (TikTok’s parent), Shopee, Grab, and homegrown ERP leader Multiable have made AISEO the centrepiece of their 2025–2026 growth plans. These organisations understand that appearing in the top three cited sources of an AI answer delivers exponentially higher brand recall than ranking #1 on a classic SERP that fewer people see.

In Singapore specifically, forward-thinking conglomerates and SMEs alike are elevating AISEO above legacy SEO on the marketing agenda. Quarterly board meetings now start with one question: “Are we winning the AI answer?”

Late movers will play permanent catch-up

History shows that search paradigm shifts create winner-takes-most dynamics. Brands that were slow to mobile-first in 2015 or to e-commerce in 2020 never fully recovered their lost share. The AISEO gap compounds monthly: every week a competitor publishes original research, earns high-trust citations, and strengthens its entity graph is another week the laggard falls further behind in the training data of tomorrow’s models.

In Singapore’s digital economy, companies that treat AISEO as “next year’s project” risk permanent relegation to the underdog lane — mentioned only when an AI model needs a footnote, never the headline.

The message from Marina Bay to Jurong is clear: adapt to AI-driven discoverability now, or prepare to be summarised out of existence.

Also read: Why Singapore manufacturers must embrace MES for the future

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While global public markets show positive signs of recovery, Southeast Asia’s journey toward establishing clear and dependable exit pathways for its digital leaders remains critical for long-term investor confidence.

The e-Conomy SEA 2025 report, prepared by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, confirms that investor sentiment is highly focused on exit viability, alongside a proven path to profitability.

Also Read: After the Gold Rush: What comes next for SEA’s digital economy

Global uplift, regional lag

Globally, signs of public market exits are emerging, marked by rising volumes of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) across exchanges like the NASDAQ, HKEX, and SSE Star. In H1 2025, the Americas and the regions of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa saw IPO volumes increase by 11 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively, compared to H2 2024.

In contrast, the SEA-6 region experienced a 21 per cent decline in IPO activity during H1 2025. Despite trailing the global recovery, the regional pipeline remains robust.

The strong local pipeline

Digital leaders in SEA are working actively towards listing, demonstrating a strong regional pipeline that signals hope for recovery:

• Indonesia’s Exchange (IDX): Aiming for 66 listings this year.
• Malaysia’s Exchange (KLSE): Aiming for 60 listings this year.

Together, IPOs in Indonesia and Malaysia accounted for approximately 70 per cent of the region’s total IPO volume over the last 12 months, cementing their role as regional market leaders for public exits. Singapore also maintains an intense preparatory phase, with 30 IPOs currently in the pipeline.

Importance of exit pathways for VC

Investor expectations underscore the need for clearer exit strategies. Dependable exit pathways are listed as one of the four key factors contributing to profitability and investor confidence, alongside realistic entry valuations, clear paths to profitability, and proven monetisation models.

The cautious uptick in private funding, particularly towards late-stage companies, is inherently linked to the anticipation of healthier exit avenues, either through IPOs or through acquisitions driven by the large cash reserves amassed by established local digital leaders.

Also Read: AI-ready but not AI-proof: The skills gap Southeast Asia must close

As the region moves into its next digital decade, the convergence of increasing profitability (with 80 per cent of early-stage portfolio companies now profitable) and more apparent IPO activity in key markets is essential for restoring complete, long-term investor confidence and driving continued capital deployment across the technology ecosystem.

The post Recovery without returns: Why SEA’s tech exit problem persists appeared first on e27.

The full integration of AI and the management of evolving talent dynamics necessitate significant process re-engineering within law firms and legal teams.

However, this often proves to be the most challenging step, particularly when coupled with intense client pressure regarding efficiency and pricing.

The process Improvement Gridlock

Implementing process changes is frequently hampered by poor internal communication and practical barriers. For example, in large law firms, gathering all stakeholders is rare, resulting in uneven adoption and unclear communication. The necessary workforce required for implementation often conflicts with billable work, making it challenging to prioritise systemic process improvement.

Also Read: AI is already in Asia’s legal sector — The question is who’s falling behind

Furthermore, slow and bureaucratic approval procedures can render proposed changes irrelevant by the time they are finally sanctioned.

For a successful process change, articulating the ‘why’ behind the shift is essential to secure genuine buy-in. Effective initiatives require both top-down leadership support and bottom-up engagement to create shared ownership. This is particularly evident in regional organisations, where stakeholder engagement across offices — such as between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong — is crucial to maintain consistency and prevent fragmentation.

The governance vs. agility trade-off

Legal organisations face a core challenge in striking a balance between robust governance and operational agility. Larger, established companies typically have extensive policies that ensure strong governance, but these policies often slow down innovation due to lengthy approval processes.

Conversely, agile smaller entities risk fragmented or reactive processes that can elevate operational risk. Legacy systems often persist, not because they are effective, but because teams lack the resources to update them properly. Defined roles, responsibilities, and clear process ownership are vital to striking the necessary balance between governance and flexibility.

Also Read: From search to suggestion: How AI is rewiring SEA’s path to purchase

AI and the client expectations revolution

Generative AI is shifting client expectations dramatically. Clients increasingly demand that their legal partners mirror the efficiency and innovation seen within their own organisations. It places immense pressure on firms to adopt AI tools rapidly.

This pressure is driving an intense debate around client billing and disclosure. Since generative AI saves time and therefore reduces traditional billable hours, firms are grappling with how to charge for the expensive technology itself. Some firms are beginning to bill clients directly for the use of generative AI. Roundtable participants agreed on the importance of transparency and open conversations with clients as the nature of legal work continues to change.

The future of legal pricing

The conversation around pricing models is intensifying. Generative AI is amplifying the existing tension between the traditional billable hour and value-based billing. While boutique firms are increasingly experimenting with value-based models, many clients still prefer the familiarity of hourly rates.

Transitioning to a value-based model requires significant cultural and operational restructuring, particularly in calculating how to price work that has been augmented or produced by AI. As Jonathan Voo, Senior Innovation Manager at Johnson Stokes & Master, summarises, the true value emerges when the entire ecosystem works together: “Instead of chasing individual solutions, the real value comes from how the whole ecosystem works together to solve these interconnected problems and match innovation with what lawyers actually need.”

Also Read: Asia’s legal AI challenge isn’t tech; it’s talent and mindset

Ultimately, the prosperous future of the legal industry depends on the seamless integration of people, technology, and process. This fosters a community of practice that promotes responsible, inclusive, and commercially effective legal innovation.

The post Why legal’s biggest AI problem isn’t technology appeared first on e27.

Asian equity markets began the session on a sombre note, weighed down by a broad-based retreat in technology stocks, a sector that has powered regional gains throughout much of the year. The sell-off reflects growing investor unease over the sustainability of artificial intelligence-driven valuations, especially as major US tech firms like Oracle and Broadcom delivered earnings outlooks that failed to meet elevated expectations.

The ripple effects from Wall Street’s Nasdaq, which dropped 1.81 per cent, have now reached Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul, reinforcing the increasingly tight correlation between global tech sentiment and risk-on assets like cryptocurrencies.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 opened at 49,004.9 points, marking a decline of over one per cent from its prior close of 49,512.28. The losses were led by heavyweight tech and semiconductor-related names, with SoftBank Group plunging 7.25 per cent on concerns that its aggressive AI and venture bets may not deliver near-term returns.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index hovered around 25,405.63 points, slightly lower for the day, but the real pain came from its technology sub-index, which slid sharply as mainland and overseas investors rotated out of growth-oriented equities. Meanwhile, mainland China’s Shanghai Composite bucked the trend slightly, trading at 3,874.3586 points with a modest gain, though it too experienced earlier-week volatility as Beijing’s mixed signals on fiscal stimulus and tech regulation created uncertainty.

At the heart of this market-wide caution lies a fundamental reassessment of AI-driven capital allocation. For over two years, tech companies across Asia, from South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix to Taiwan’s TSMC, have poured billions into AI infrastructure, data centres, and next-generation chip development. These investments lifted stock prices to record highs, supported by narratives of an AI revolution that would reshape global productivity.

Today’s market action suggests investors are demanding more than vision; they want measurable returns. With forward earnings revisions turning negative for several key players, the market is pricing in a potential gap between ambition and profitability.

This shift in sentiment has spilled directly into the cryptocurrency market, which fell 1.64 per cent in the last 24 hours, extending a 7.17 per cent weekly decline. The linkage is no longer coincidental; it is structural. Over the past 18 months, institutional capital has increasingly treated large-cap crypto assets, particularly Bitcoin, as a satellite to the Nasdaq, especially during macro regimes dominated by liquidity expectations and risk appetite.

The 24-hour correlation between Bitcoin and the Nasdaq-100 now stands at plus 0.89, meaning the two move in near lockstep. When US tech falters, crypto follows, and today’s Nasdaq weakness is fuelled by AI scepticism, which is transmitted directly into digital asset markets.

Also Read: Crypto’s fragile comeback: Technical relief meets macro uncertainty

Compounding the pressure was a significant liquidation cascade in crypto derivatives markets. In just 24 hours, Bitcoin saw US$153 million in liquidations, a 148 per cent increase from the prior day, with short positions accounting for US$79.5 million of that total. Such aggressive unwinding of leveraged positions typically occurs when prices breach key technical levels, triggering stop-losses and margin calls in a self-reinforcing spiral.

With total open interest across crypto derivatives at US$776 billion, the ecosystem remains highly sensitive to volatility shocks. The 7-day Relative Strength Index for Bitcoin has plunged to 15.4, signalling extreme oversold conditions, a level that historically precedes short-term bounces. Without a catalyst, oversold does not automatically mean reversal.

Further undermining confidence is the curious paradox surrounding XRP. Despite the recent launch of an XRP exchange-traded fund that has drawn US$1 billion in inflows since November, the token itself trades 47 per cent below its all-time high. This disconnect between institutional adoption and price performance has sown doubt among retail traders and algorithmic strategies alike.

If a regulated ETF with billion-dollar backing cannot reignite momentum in a top-five asset, the broader altcoin market may lack the firepower for a meaningful recovery. As a result, Bitcoin dominance has climbed to 59.2 per cent, reflecting a flight to relative safety within an already volatile asset class.

Crypto’s traditional role as a hedge has also diminished. Its 24-hour correlation with gold has turned negative at minus 0.35, indicating that in the current environment, it behaves not as a store of value but as a high-beta tech proxy. This shift matters because it means that during macro stress, such as uncertainty around central bank policy, crypto no longer offers diversification benefits. Instead, it amplifies risk. Traders now view it through the same lens as semiconductor stocks or cloud software equities, a leveraged bet on future innovation with limited near-term cash flows.

Also Read: From quantitative tightening to quantitative crypto: How policy shifts are rewriting market rules

Looking ahead, all eyes in Asia will turn to the Bank of Japan’s policy decision later today. While Japan has maintained ultra-loose monetary policy longer than any other major economy, recent inflation data and yen weakness have sparked speculation that a rate hike, however modest, could be on the table. Such a move would tighten financial conditions in the region, further pressuring high-duration assets like tech stocks and crypto. Even the mere acknowledgement of a policy shift could trigger another leg down in risk markets.

In this context, the path for Bitcoin and Asian tech hinges less on fundamentals and more on macro liquidity. The market is no longer rewarding vision alone. It requires evidence that AI investments will translate into earnings, that crypto ETFs will drive sustainable demand, and that central banks will not abruptly withdraw the punchbowl. Until those questions are answered, volatility will persist, and the correlation between the Nasdaq and crypto will remain a dominant force shaping price action.

The current oversold RSI reading may hint at a tactical bounce, but without a shift in narrative or policy, any relief rally could prove fleeting. The era of unquestioning faith in AI-driven growth appears to be giving way to a more discerning, earnings-focused regime, one that will separate speculative narratives from enduring value.

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As someone who’s spent years working across brands and agencies in Asia, I’ve seen firsthand how communication in this part of the world is evolving. What once used to be a function for visibility has now become a lever for business growth. For years, the story of Asia’s rise has been told through statistics — population size, GDP growth, and internet users.

But what’s happening now is far more interesting than just numbers. It is a shift in how people form opinions, how trust is built, and how stories travel across markets. This is what makes Asia an important place to watch for the future of PR and communication.

The growth story

A shift is happening across Asian boardrooms as the role of communication inside companies is changing. Many local businesses that once viewed communications as a tactical afterthought are now treating reputation as a business priority.  Companies across India, Indonesia, and Vietnam are investing heavily in reputation management and not just visibility. These businesses are seeking clarity in how they are understood by their stakeholders.

When markets move this fast, reputation becomes your most valuable currency. This change is visible in the way senior leaders approach communication as they are actively involved at the strategy table, not as an afterthought in the corner. A strong reputation helps companies stand firm when everything around them is changing.

Industry estimates place the global PR market at well over a hundred billion dollars in 2025, with Asia Pacific emerging as one of its strongest growth engines. Yet the region’s rise cannot be explained by market size alone. What truly sets Asia apart is the character of the work being produced here, where teams draw on a deep understanding of local culture to shape stories that feel authentic at home and still travel effortlessly across borders. The region may offer immense scale, but its real strength lies in the honesty and cultural clarity of its storytelling, which is beginning to influence how the global industry thinks about communication.

Also Read: 53 per cent of green claims are misleading: How 2026 will redefine PR to avoid greenwashing

The digital edge

Asia has some of the most active mobile and social users in the world. People are constantly connected, and conversations move quickly. This environment gives PR a very different rhythm. Influence is no longer held by a few large platforms. It sits with creators, community groups, employees and everyday users who express an opinion.

This has changed the way communication teams work. Campaigns succeed not because they are the loudest but because they understand the moment and speak in a way that feels familiar. The region’s constant digital pulse forces communicators to be alert, responsive and in tune with everyday behaviour. It also shows something important. Stories born here can travel widely while still keeping their cultural character.

The evolving role of PR

Technology now sits at the centre of communication work, and tools that track sentiment or highlight early signals have made it easier for teams to understand what is taking shape around a brand. These inputs are useful, but they do not create trust by themselves. What matters is how communicators read the information and turn it into choices that feel right for the business and for the people it serves.

Clients today are far less interested in surface metrics and more focused on what communication delivers in real terms. They want support that strengthens investor belief, helps them navigate policy conversations, builds credibility inside the company and shapes how customers perceive their intent. This shift has encouraged communicators to engage with the business more deeply and speak in terms that matter to decision makers rather than defaulting to media outputs.

The most effective practitioners are those who can switch comfortably between strategy, technology and storytelling. They absorb the data, but they also rely on their instincts and understanding of human behaviour to explain what something means and why it matters. This blend of analytical input and cultural intuition is a natural strength across many Asian markets, where communicators often work close to both the business and the consumer. It is this balance that is beginning to define the next stage of PR in the region.

Also Read: The Singapore workplace in 2025: Job hugging, emotional salary, and a whole new approach to leadership development

The collaboration imperative

Asia’s diversity is both its challenge and its creative fuel. With so many languages, cultural references and social behaviours shaping each market, no single idea can simply be lifted and placed everywhere. This reality has pushed agencies and brands to work in a far more collaborative way, sharing insight across teams, adapting ideas in real time and building campaigns that recognise the nuance of each audience.

What is emerging from this way of working is a style of communication that feels both expansive and grounded. A message developed in Singapore can take on a new dimension when shaped with the multitudes of India. An influencer-driven narrative from Seoul might find its most relatable expression in Manila as well. When teams work across these borders, the work gains a texture that is hard to replicate elsewhere. It carries the polish expected of global campaigns, but it still reflects the character of the market where it lands. This blend of scale, sensitivity and shared creation is becoming Asia’s competitive edge. 

The road ahead

The next stage of PR in Asia will reward practitioners who pay close attention to how people live, speak and form opinions. The signals that shape communication in this region often show up in everyday behaviour long before they appear in research. Understanding these shifts — from the way communities organise themselves online to the way cultural references shape trust will matter far more than relying only on formal data.

For global brands, approaches that work elsewhere cannot be pasted onto Asia. Our communities need strategies built on local insight, an appreciation for cultural rhythm and a sense of how local audiences respond when a brand enters their space. Teams within the region already understand this instinctively, and that is why they are increasingly shaping the direction of the work.

Asia is no longer seen as a follower in the global communications landscape. Its mix of digital activity, cultural depth and willingness to experiment is producing ideas that feel fresh and relevant. Many of the conversations that influence the industry’s future will start here, driven by people who understand that in this region, real connection carries more weight than any amount of scale.

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For a decade, the management canon swung like a pendulum. First by declaring the supremacy of gut feelings, then the inevitability of ‘big data’. In practice, the best leaders do neither. They pair fast, comprehensive analytics with adaptable human heuristics and simple rules honed by context to make sharper, faster, and more resilient choices.

This is especially true in today’s startup ecosystem, where we are drowning in information yet starved for wisdom. We have real-time dashboards for user acquisition, churn rates, and burn rates. We track every click, scroll, and impression. This firehose of ‘big data’ analytics, we are told, holds the key to comprehensive insights and rapid, effective strategy.

And it does. Data analytics is spectacularly fast and ruthlessly efficient at identifying the what. It can tell you that 29 per cent of your users drop off at the payment screen. It can flag that your new feature has a 0.9 per cent adoption rate.

But data is usually silent on the why. The biggest challenge in an organisation’s application of big data lies in the fact that there is a lot of data, but very few insights. Abundant data does not necessarily lead to smart decisions.

And this is exactly where the company leader’s most undervalued asset comes into play: human intuition. This is not necessarily referring to blind gut feel, but rather the collection of highly adaptable, experience-driven heuristics that allow a leader to see around the corner, not just at the graph on the screen.

The best leaders I have worked with are not data-purists or instinct-driven cowboys. They are hybrids. They combine the comprehensive, high-speed processing of big data with the nuanced, adaptive sensemaking of human heuristics. This integration is what leads to truly effective strategic decisions.

The SME’s dilemma: “We don’t have a data science team”

This is where I often hear the objection, for example, from a startup that I am currently working with at Singapore’s LaunchPad. They raised a concern that the hybrid model sounds great for larger organisations like Grab or Google, but they are running an AI startup with only 50 employees. They questioned their ability to achieve this without having, for example, a team of PhDs to run regressions.

My answer is unequivocal. This hybrid method is not only achievable for startups and SMEs, but it is also possible to do it better because there are fewer organisational structure layers, faster feedback, and less political noise. The constraint is not capital; it’s clarity and cadence.

Large corporations use big data to optimise an existing, proven machine. The benefit of a startup is that it is still building the machine. Its greatest advantages are speed, agility, and a deep, intuitive connection to customers. These advantages are often lost at scale.

For an SME, ‘big data’ is a misleading term. A data lake is not always necessary; you just need the right data. Instead of hoarding data just in case, you collect fit-for-decision data, which is the smallest, fastest, most reliable signals that inform this decision at this moment. Similarly, what’s not always needed is a costly platform or tool to get enterprise-grade visibility of your data. The goal is time-to-insight, not tool sophistication.

Also Read: Why Generative AI requires a paradigm shift in technology and culture

I normally have the following suggestions for startups or SMEs that I work with in terms of the hybrid model, marrying intuition with big data:

Data tells you What, intuition asks Why

For a startup, your ‘big data’ is simply your Google Analytics, your Mixpanel dashboard, your CRM, or even your Stripe payment history. The goal is not to analyse everything, but to find the critical few metrics that matter.

Returning to the data point mentioned earlier, “29 per cent of users drop off at the payment screen”, there are two trains of thought.

• The data-only response: “The page must be broken. Let’s refactor the code. Let’s A/B test the button colour.”
• The hybrid response: The leader looks at the data, but then their intuition (heuristics) kicks in. “I wonder if this isn’t a technical bug, but a trust bug. We ask for a credit card right after they’ve seen only one feature. It feels too aggressive. What if we move the paywall after the user sees the ‘Aha!’ moment?”

Data shows what happened. Human intuition, built from a deep understanding of customer psychology, provides the hypothesis as to why.

Use intuition to form the hypothesis, use data to validate it

This is the most resource-efficient way to operate. Instead of using limited engineering resources to test every possibility, company leaders can utilise their intuition to make an educated bet.

• Intuitive hypothesis: “My gut tells me our best customers aren’t the ‘enterprise’ clients we’re chasing, but the small agencies who use the tool daily.”
• Data-driven test: “Let’s pause our expensive enterprise outreach for two weeks. Let’s take that small budget and run a hyper-targeted campaign aimed at 100 small agencies. We will measure the conversion rate and, more importantly, the 30-day engagement.”

This is a simple, inexpensive experiment that uses a human heuristic to set the strategy and direction, and a clean data set to validate (or invalidate) it. This method focuses efforts on a single, high-leverage target instead.

Also Read: Generative AI in daily life: A practical guide

Resources that focus on sensemaking, not just reporting

With limited resources, your most valuable meetings are not data reporting meetings. They are data sensemaking meetings to figure out the why and what.

• A reporting meeting says: “User sign-ups were down 15 per cent.”
• A sensemaking meeting asks: “User sign-ups were down 15 per cent. What else was true last week? Was it a holiday in a key market? Did a competitor launch a new campaign? Did our blog post on a technical topic drive away non-technical users? What does this mean?”

This is a cultural shift. It empowers your team to be data-informed, not data-imprisoned. It gives them permission to bring their human insights, their conversations with customers, their frustration with the product, and their sense of the market into the conversation alongside the dashboard.

The achievable hybrid powered by GenAI

This hybrid approach is now more accessible than ever, thanks to the rise of generative AI. For resource-constrained startups and SMEs, generative AI models can significantly lower the fixed cost of analysis (data cleaning, correlation and pattern detection, forecasting), translate founders’ tacit rules-of-thumb into testable prompts or lightweight decision checklists, and run rapid what-if simulations that managers validate with contextual judgment.

AI, that’s used with a human-in-the-loop, with clear guardrails on data quality, privacy, and bias, doesn’t replace intuition. Instead, it amplifies disciplined intuition by making evidence easier to assemble, assumptions more explicit, and decisions faster, cheaper, and more consistent for startups and SMEs.

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2025 has been a year of unlearning and rebuilding what work means to me.

When I moved to Singapore last year, I expected a smooth professional transition. I had spent a decade leading strategy, operations, and culture, helping scale organisations and managing complexity across teams. I assumed my next step would be joining another mission-driven organisation, just in a new geography.

But Singapore had other plans for me.

The first few months here were disorienting. I was in a new country with no professional network, balancing the beautiful chaos of life with a two-year-old, and trying to figure out what “work” might look like in this new season of life.

I met several incredible people and organisations. Founders, non-profits, and operators. Everyone seemed to be building something exciting. I started thinking about how I wanted to shape the next decade of my career. I had loved being a Chief of Staff and working at the centre of strategy, systems, and people. Yet every time I thought about going back to full-time work, something in me resisted.

That’s when the idea of working as a Fractional Chief of Staff began to take shape.

It wasn’t a decision I had planned. It emerged from a mix of curiosity and practicality: the desire to stay close to meaningful work while designing a schedule that worked around my family.

Still, the idea of launching my own business was terrifying. The thought of putting myself out there, selling my work, and operating without the safety net of an organisation was uncomfortable. I also wondered if the Chief of Staff role could even work in a fractional capacity.

Eventually, I stopped debating and told myself one thing: just start.

Building a new identity

For years, my identity had been intertwined with titles, teams, and institutions. Going fractional felt like stepping off a well-paved highway onto a winding trail. There was freedom, yes, but also a deep sense of uncertainty.

Still, I knew one thing clearly: I wanted to create value without burning out.

The more I explored, the more it became clear that this model wasn’t just a personal compromise; it was part of a broader shift in how work itself is evolving. Across industries, leaders are realising that not every problem requires a full-time hire. Many need experienced operators who can jump in, solve complex problems, and set up systems for long-term sustainability.

Also Read: 3 pivotal AI trends driving tech innovation in 2026

So, I took the plunge. I began by designing my own website, updating my LinkedIn, and started circulating my offering among the founders I knew. The first few times were a total miss, with founders telling me within five minutes of the call that I am not the one they are looking for, or that the Chief of Staff can never be a fractional role for them.

And that’s where I found the beauty of this model. A rejection only meant that the client was not right for you. Unlike a job rejection, it didn’t make me question who I was and if I was good enough. It only told me which kind of clients would find me valuable. And with this belief, I persisted.

For four months, I kept at it. I kept writing on LinkedIn, meeting people with a new introduction, and refining my value proposition. The first ones to take a chance on me were my previous employers. And I will always be grateful to them.

In the last 45 days, I have spoken to 10+ prospective clients. I am now on one project and hoping to convert 2 more by the end of this month. If everything goes well, I might even be fully booked by the end of the year. It’s wild to think that I did not consider this before.

And as I speak to more people, I am realising two things:

• There is demand for fractional work because organisations and founders come in all shapes and forms.
• While it may sound great on paper (yay, part-time work only!), building a fractional business and selling yourself is gruelling.

The shift toward fractional work mirrors a broader transformation happening globally. More leaders are choosing flexibility over hierarchy, expertise over titles, and contribution over control.

Also Read: Why 2026 will be the year AI finally delivers on its promise for finance

Singapore, and Asia at large, with its thriving startup and social impact ecosystem, is at the crossroads of this change. The region is full of builders, people who are ambitious, global, and open to new models of collaboration. That’s where the fractional model thrives. It allows for agility, experience, and balance, values that will come to define the next generation of work.

Personally, it also aligns with how I want to live and lead: present for my child, engaged in meaningful work, and continuously learning. It’s not about doing less; it’s about doing what matters most.

A lesson I’ll carry forward

If I had to distil this year into one takeaway, it would be this: your career (and identity) doesn’t have to fit the form it once did to have meaning.

We’re conditioned to measure success through stability. One job, one title, one ladder. But meaning often lives in the transitions: the quiet experiments, the bold pivots, the messy middle where identity and ambition wrestle.

Choosing the fractional path taught me that reinvention doesn’t mean starting over. It means carrying forward what you’ve built, the skills, relationships, and the clarity, and applying it in a way that fits the season you’re in.

As 2026 begins, I’m excited to deepen this journey by doing new projects and learning more about how founders and organisations operate in different ways. At the same time, I am excited for anyone who is choosing this treacherous path of putting themselves out there and exploring the fractional model for themselves.

This year wasn’t about doing it all. It was about doing it intentionally.

And that, I’ve learned, is the real freedom.

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Asia is ageing faster than ever but it is also transforming at an unprecedented pace. Cities are growing as urbanisation speeds up. According to the United Nations’ data, 68 per cent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas, as currently 55 per cent of the population today are city dwellers and many of them are based in the Asian continent.

As the world increasingly embraces emerging technologies such as AI, the way we live and work is visibly evolving, where the lines are sometimes blurred between offices and homes. This overall progression raises an important question: can the spaces we inhabit actually help us not just to live longer, but also to live better lives?

We can see that health isn’t something that is confined to clinics anymore. Across Asia, designers, entrepreneurs and technologists are exploring how wellness can be integrated into daily life. Residential developments, co-working spaces and hotels are changing the way they operate. These buildings are beginning to think of novel ways to serve their end users and are starting to encourage physical movement, face-to-face interaction and cultivating a sense of community. The end goal is to use even the smallest of design or service provision tweaks to contribute to the long-term wellness of its consumers.

Also Read: The ageing economy: Why investors should bet on longevity over AI 

From my experience in hospitality and fitness, I’ve seen how many spaces still prioritise convenience over vitality and the true dynamism of human experience. Elevators dominate, seating fills communal areas and corridors are often utilitarian in concept, designed purely for efficiency.

However, thoughtful adjustments can make a difference. Making stairs visible, creating communal lounges that invite meaningful gatherings and conversations, allowing natural light to flow. These interventions already exist in some co-living developments in Singapore, wellness-focused hotels in Seoul, or office campuses experimenting with “walking meetings” and creative stairwell designs in other parts of Asia. Over time, these seemingly small changes can improve mobility and social connection.

Thoughtfully designing spaces, with a focus on human wellbeing, has its advantages. And there is real potential for innovation and impact. Startups across Asia are currently exploring how to combine spatial design, technology and data to promote healthier living. Some are embedding sensors in co-living spaces to understand how residents move and interact.

Others are rethinking office layouts to encourage more productive collaboration, movement, and engagement. The goal isn’t just about technology but about making wellness feel effortless, intuitive and naturally integrated into daily life. Every design decision becomes an opportunity to support preventative health and longevity.

The next wave of wellness innovation won’t be another app reminding us to take 10,000 steps. It will come from spaces and experiences that make human movement, connection and wellbeing second nature. These will work as environments that help people live more actively and more conscientiously through the power of deliberate and thoughtful designing.

Also Read: Asia’s longevity shift: How healthspan innovation is transforming technology and everyday life

Singapore’s “Healthier SG” initiative, a government programme that focuses on preventative health for its residents, shows that human longevity is no longer just a public health concern but a platform for entrepreneurship, creativity and systemic thinking. This isn’t about supplements, wearables or medical interventions. It’s about reimagining how we live, work, and age through the spaces we inhabit, and how small, thoughtful changes can ripple into lasting impact.

If we begin to design with connection and purpose in mind, ageing doesn’t have to be about slowing down or physical deterioration. The future of longevity in Asia is increasingly being shaped by the ingenuity of building design and architecture, and this is a moving trend that is becoming a widespread phenomenon across the world too. And this is definitely something the Western world should pay attention to and hopefully draw inspiration from to ensure that more people can live better and longer lives, with the very help of the buildings they reside and work in. Readers, watch this space.

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Singapore maritime electrification startup Pyxis has secured SGD 13 million (~US$10 million) in the first close of its SGD 18 million (~US$14 million) growth funding round, as investor interest intensifies around the urgent push to decarbonise Asia’s coastal shipping sector.

The round is also supported by a coalition of climate-tech, venture capital, and maritime strategic investors, including the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), SEEDS (the investment arm under SG Growth Capital). Returning investors Shift4Good, Motion Ventures (the world’s largest maritime tech fund) and SG Growth Capital also participated.

Also Read: How PIER71 is steering the next wave of maritime innovation

Strategic investment also comes from Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, via its corporate VC arm, MOL PLUS.

The raise was catalysed by MPA’s Expression of Interest programme for electric vessel financing, part of Singapore’s broader effort to build a full electric harbour craft ecosystem and support early adopters of clean maritime technologies.

Beyond equity, Pyxis has also secured green debt financing from OCBC to support vessel deployment and charging infrastructure development. The debt facility, earmarked for vessel capital expenditure, provides additional flexibility to accelerate commercial rollout.

Maritime decarbonisation pressure is mounting across Asia

The funding comes at a critical moment for maritime decarbonisation. Shipping accounts for approximately three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions — more than the entire airline industry — with emissions rising by 20 per cent over the past decade. In Southeast Asia alone, coastal shipping contributed 3.8 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, and without stronger regulation, emissions could quadruple by 2050.

Against this backdrop, demand for electric vessels is accelerating across Asia. The region operates more than 70,000 coastal and in-port vessels, while Singapore expects around 1,600 harbour craft to transition to electric or low-carbon alternatives as part of its national sustainability goals.

Electric vessels, charging infrastructure and a proprietary platform

Pyxis is positioning itself at the centre of this transition. Its electric vessels and energy systems are designed to lower the total cost of ownership by reducing fuel and maintenance expenses, while significantly improving energy efficiency and cutting emissions.

Also Read: How a data-driven approach can optimise decarbonisation in the built environment

At the core of its offering is Electra, a proprietary energy and vessel management platform. Electra enables real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and fleet-level optimisation to improve reliability and reduce downtime.

To date, Pyxis claims to have secured 17 orders for electric vessels from multiple customers across the region, including Singapore. In parallel, the company is building a network of ultra-fast marine charging sites, with two locations already deployed and more planned in partnership with local stakeholders.

A 300kW charging site is also scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2026, marking Pyxis’s most aggressive growth phase since inception.

Scaling production and regional expansion in 2026

Proceeds from the round will fund Pyxis’s next phase of growth, including scaling production of its Pyxis One, Pyxis R and Pyxis L vessel series to meet demand from Singapore, Japan and emerging ASEAN markets.

The company will also continue advancing the Electra smart ecosystem with deeper IoT integration, predictive maintenance tools and vehicle-to-grid capabilities, while expanding next-generation ultra-fast marine charging infrastructure across the region.

Earlier this year, Pyxis launched Pyxis R, its next-generation solar-electric passenger ferry in Singapore, demonstrating how clean vessels can transform urban coastal mobility and tourism. In November 2025, the company signed a Heads of Agreement with MOL (Asia Oceania) to explore the feasibility of a joint venture, building on a 2023 memorandum of understanding.

Regionally, Pyxis is expanding through a strategic partnership with Utomodeck Group in Indonesia, supporting electrification efforts across the world’s largest archipelago. Looking ahead, the company plans to debut Pyxis L — a luxury-focused electric vessel designed for premium hospitality and private charters — in early 2026.

Also Read: Why investors are betting big on Asia’s social impact startups

With cumulative funding of approximately US$14 million to date, Pyxis is now among the better-funded maritime electrification startups in Southeast Asia, as regulatory pressure, environmental urgency and technological maturity converge to reshape the future of coastal shipping.

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As Southeast Asia grapples with widening social gaps, climate pressure, and uneven access to essential services, a growing group of startups is leveraging technology to address problems that extend beyond pure commercial gain. From mental health and healthcare access to sustainable food systems, farmer livelihoods, and workplace equity, these companies sit at the intersection of innovation and impact.

Rather than positioning technology as a silver bullet, the startups in this list focus on practical, locally grounded solutions — digitising fragmented systems, improving access for underserved communities, and making everyday services more efficient, inclusive, and resilient. Together, they offer a snapshot of how “Tech for Good” is taking shape across the region, driven by founders who are building for real-world outcomes as much as scale.

Also Read: Beyond Silicon Valley dreams: Why Southeast Asia is rewriting the rules of tech for good

1. Safe Space (Singapore)

A B2B2C digital mental healthcare provider offering therapy and preventive mental health services through online and offline channels. Safe Space works with therapists, corporates, and individual users, combining digital tools with human-led care to improve access to mental health support in the region.

2. SeeYouDoc (Philippines)

A digital healthcare platform connecting patients with doctors, clinics, hospitals, and laboratories. SeeYouDoc provides appointment booking, teleconsultations, electronic medical records, e-prescriptions, and digital payments, addressing inefficiencies in the Philippines’ largely offline healthcare system.

3. HeyVenus Integrated Healthscience (Singapore)

An AI-powered health and workplace platform focused on Asian women, with a particular emphasis on menopause and midlife health. HeyVenus provides personalised health insights for individuals and data-driven tools for employers to support retention and productivity, while working with partners across healthcare, academia, and policy.

4. DayaTani (Indonesia)

An agritech startup supporting smallholder farmers with AI-driven and IoT-enabled tools. Its offerings include a virtual agronomist for crop diagnostics, weather stations, soil testing kits, and operational farming support, aimed at improving yields and reducing input costs in early-stage farming pilots.

DayaTani was one of the startups selected for the inaugural Asia-Pacific programme of Better Earth Ventures-led Agritech ClimAccelerator Singapore.

5. Eratani (Indonesia)

An agritech company building an end-to-end agriculture ecosystem in Indonesia, spanning financing, supply chain management, and produce distribution. Eratani focuses on improving farmer welfare and addressing structural issues that limit capital access and discourage younger participation in the agriculture sector.

In April this year, the startup secured US$6.2 million in Series A funding from Clay Capital (lead), TNB Aura, SBI Ven Capital, AgFunder, Genting Ventures, and IIX.

6. Semaai (Indonesia)

A farmer-first agritech company providing integrated services to farmers and rural agri-retailers through physical Semaai Tani Centres. The platform helps users access financing, services, and markets, working closely with agricultural shop owners to improve rural income opportunities.

In February 2023, Semaai closed a bridge funding round led by Accion Venture Lab and XA Network, with participation from existing investors Sequoia Surge and Beenext.

Also Read: Semaai looks to elevate agritech solutions, financial inclusion in Indonesian farming

7. RegenX (Singapore)

A sustainability-focused agritech startup promoting regenerative farming practices. RegenX uses technology to support soil health, biodiversity, and more sustainable agricultural outcomes, targeting long-term resilience in food production systems.

In 2023, the climate tech startup secured US$500,000 in pre-seed funding from Wavemaker Impact.

8. PasarMIKRO (Indonesia)

A digital marketplace platform designed to help micro-entrepreneurs and small merchants bring their businesses online. PasarMIKRO focuses on enabling wider market access and basic digitisation for underserved merchant communities.

PasarMIKRO is backed by German finance company DEG and Ceniarth, a single-family office dedicated to impact-first investing.

9. TreeDots (Singapore)

A food supply chain platform that connects surplus food suppliers with food and beverage businesses. TreeDots aims to reduce food waste while helping small suppliers and retailers generate additional revenue through excess inventory redistribution.

In 2021, TreeDots secured US$11 million in a Series A funding round co-led by East Ventures and California-based Amasia.

10. NodeFlair AI (Singapore)

A tech talent platform using data and AI to improve salary transparency, job matching, and career mobility within the technology sector. NodeFlair targets engineers and tech professionals seeking clearer market insights and opportunities.

Three years ago, NodeFlair raised US$2 million Series A funding led by Iterative with participation from 500 Global and Persol Venture Partners.

11. Groundup.ai (Singapore)

An industrial technology startup using AI and IoT sensors to predict machinery failures and improve workplace safety. Groundup.ai helps companies shift from reactive maintenance to predictive and preventive operations.

Also Read: Built for all or built to fail? Why tech for social impact must start with inclusion

In July this year, the firm closed a US$4.25 million Series A funding round led by Tin Men Capital, with ongoing backing from Wavemaker Ventures and participation from SEEDS Capital.

12. XpertFlow (Singapore)

A workflow and expert collaboration platform designed to improve productivity and knowledge sharing. XpertFlow focuses on helping organisations access expertise and manage complex workflows more efficiently.

13. Little Totler (Singapore)

A family-focused startup supporting healthy eating habits and lifestyle development for young children. Little Totler provides tools and community resources for parents and caregivers during early childhood stages.

14. Hey Roomie (Philippines)

A digital platform that helps communities organise, connect, and engage around shared living spaces, interests, or activities. Hey Roomie positions itself as a virtual homebase for modern, community-driven interaction.

15. Kiddocare (Malaysia)

A childcare technology platform supporting early childhood care and development. Kiddocare connects parents with caregiving services and resources to help manage children’s health, wellbeing, and daily care needs.

In 2023, Kiddocare concluded an undisclosed pre-Series A financing round led by Artem Ventures.

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