ThinkX Global

Doing good isn't enough if the business behind it can't last.

That's the idea behind the Ventures with Impact Living Lab, which we opened last week with Staytion at Dhoby Ghaut, launched by Madam Halimah Yacob. Seven ventures are trading there now, selling to the people walking past.

Thank you to The Business Times for covering it.

Here, we talk about , , and

Link to Article:

ThinkX Global launches programme to help impact ventures build sustainable businesses Its long-term aim is to ensure these enterprises do not have to rely on grants Read more at The Business Times.

Last Friday (21 August 2026) marks a meaningful milestone for us here at ThinkX Global, as we officially signed our MOU with gostaytion.com to launch our Ventures with Impact Living Lab! 🎉

Our launch was witnessed by honoured guests - Madam Halimah Yacob, the Chancellor of Singapore University of Social Sciences SUSS and former President of Singapore; Mr Zamani Razali, the First Secretary of the High Commission of Brunei Darussalam to Singapore; and Ms Sanprapha Vudhivorn from the Royal Thai Embassy in Singapore; corporate stakeholders, working partners, as well as our friends from the entrepreneurial and nextgen ecosystem.

Madam Halimah Yacob, in her opening remarks, highlighted that “Goodwill in Singapore is not short in supply. Too many good initiatives end when a funding cycle ends.” And, we truly resonate with that as our Ventures with Impact Living Lab’s mission is to help founders to sustain their companies long after the funding ends. From rented impact to sustained impact.

Another key highlight of our launch was the amazing panel session put together and moderated by our own Futures Design maestro, Saiful. We had Renee Chong (co-founder and COO of 漫話日記), Dr Jonathan Chang (CEO of Kethan Foundation), Bruce Liew (Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion at AWWA), J. Glenn Tan (Director of Global Affairs at Blockchain for Good Alliance), and Hector Tan (AIxTech Community Lead of AI Singapore) come together to share their personal and professionals insights and perspectives on ventures with impact.

Now that we’ve locked in , we’ll continue to build on our , , and offices 💯

ThinkX Global launched our Ventures with Impact Living Lab (VWILL) with Staytion at Dhoby Ghaut yesterday, in the presence of the Chancellor of Singapore University of Social Sciences and former President of , Madam Halimah Yacob, First Secretary of the High Commission of Darussalam, Mr Zamani Razali, and from the Royal Thai Embassy, Singapore - สถานเอกอัครราชทูต ณ สิงคโปร์i, Ms Sanprapha Vudhivorn, among other guests from all sectors of the industry you can think of - IHLs, Foundations, SSA, GLC, Ventures, Corporates.

90% of the guests have not heard of ThinkX before. Our Managing Director, Wei Liang Lim shared about this in his welcome remarks. That's the nature of our work. We sit at the back end, as infrastructure for the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We do not run a fund. We work with governments, corporates and universities across the region to build the systems that back their entrepreneurs. VWILL is one of the things we do to build this ecosystem. We should stop giving ourselves excuses that this is how Social Entrepreneurship works.

We are not here to cannibalise what is already working. We are here to fill a gap that none of it was built to fill. As Madam Halimah shared in her Opening Speech, "Goodwill in Singapore is not short in supply. Too many good initiatives end when a funding cycle ends. The people they served are left asking what happened, and the founders, who gave years of themselves, are left starting over."

We are moving VWI from Rented Impact to Sustained Impact. And we led by example, telling and supporting the Ventures first story.
- Our backdrop and booths, by MANMANHAN, which creates reusable event furniture and solutions. This saved us 1,288 KG of CO2.
- Our door gifts are supported by Cirqulo, which makes products out of single-use plastic waste
- Refreshments were curated from The Mutual Plate, which works with small F&B businesses to protect local heritage.
- Token of appreciation by CradleSloth, a homegrown sleep-wellness brand dedicated to helping people rest and recover better.

The launch also brought together one of the most diverse group of panellists we have ever seen. A representative from each sector of the industry, moderated by Saiful Anuar.
- Renee Chong, Co-founder and COO, MangaChat
- Dr Jonathan Chang, CEO, Khetan Foundation
- Bruce Liew, Senior Director, Diversity and Inclusion, AWWA Ltd
- Glenn Tan, Director, Global Affairs, Blockchain for Good Alliance (BGA)
- Hector Tan, AIxTech Community Lead, AI Singapore
The panel shared all their perspectives on VWI. A founder's struggle. A funder's view. An SSA's preference. A regional argument. And an AI angle for VWI.

We didn't get to catch everyone during the launch. But if you are keen to support and co-create Sustained Impact together, lets talk.

Happy National Day, Singapore. 🇸🇬

Sixty-one years on, the same drive that built this nation still shows up in every founder who backs an idea and gets to work. Here's to the people shaping what comes next.

Majulah Singapura.

ทรงพระเจริญ — Long Live His Majesty the King.
We extend our warmest congratulations and respectful wishes to His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua on the auspicious occasion of His Majesty’s Birthday Anniversary.
We wish His Majesty continued good health, happiness, and a long and prosperous reign.

Calling all startups!

The Global FinTech Hackcelerator 2026 is now open for applications.

This year's Corporate Champions are looking for solutions to pilot with finalist teams:
🏦 GXS Bank — Adaptive Risk Modelling Systems
💎 Julius Baer — Reimagining Private Banking for Digitally Native HNW Clients
🛡️ Zurich Insurance — Closing the SME Protection Gap

What finalists stand to get:
→ SGD 20K cash stipend per team
→ 1:1 mentorship with senior industry leaders
→ Access to our Investor Network of active VCs and FinTech investors
→ SGD 240K shared across the winners of each problem statement
→ Pitch on Demo Day at Singapore FinTech Festival, the world's largest FinTech stage, with 70,000+ attendees from 142+ countries

Open to Pre-Series A startups building for or expanding into Southeast Asia with applications welcome worldwide.

Apply by 14 August: https://lnkd.in/guytRnqh

ThinkX Global is a proud partner of the Global FinTech Hackcelerator 2026, organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) at SG FinTech Festival (18–20 Nov).