|__ BUSINESS “There are more funds now for startups ‘but easy money may breed complacency There is no lack of funds for start-ups these days, with the Government setting up programmes lke the National Research Foundation s Technology Incubation Scheme and Spring Singapore's Young Entrepreneur ‘Scheme For Start-ups. However, while this has encouraged more ‘people to taka the enrepreneusial toute it has also led toa dition of the tale pool Said James Chan, an iavestment manager ‘of Neoteny Labs, a pan-Asian venture fund land incubator “When i to easy to get the ‘money, everyone wants to bea leader and be ‘par of management, no one wants to do the ‘engineering work anymore ‘Sutha Kamal, an entrepreneur, agreed that ‘When investors knocked on the doors of ‘Singapore-based travel search eg ‘Wegotcom thre ears go, one af het ‘conditions for invescing ws Tor Wego to pack ‘pand move wo Silicon Vall These days the six yard company does ‘demands anymore ‘investors didnot fel comfortable ‘avesting i startups rom smaller markets tur now that they tnderstand the markets bot, i's diferent” sald Ross Vee, the founds! of Wego.com. Mohan Bean te director of 27,2 ouping of internet companies ad investors {har arrange networking nesions and industry vent het ase Ubsered the ae {tend These days there's more action moving {o Asa and Singapore" he su With the avalaity of nds and talent hore, startups are also nding Singapore more Trowever, Wong Meng Weng, the director of Di, a Singapore-based ineubetor focused on Imenioning start-up sid that though “Singapore ood locaton for businesses Focused on the Asa Pei, many star-ups tre ic the aby to sel internationally “Tp resoo: They donot understand the sarket inthe United Sates an Europe. To Solve this problem, start-ups can bringin {ales from oversea ho fan help. be another government programme they can get funding irom.” "However, even though there are more funds now avalable to start-ups, Government funds are disbursed cazefully in order to protect money that comes from the pul ‘Other than disbursing funds, the ‘Government can focus on providing the Inastrucure that star-upe wil nee. For extmple a fast broadband network wil be beneficial to start-ups and will encourage | while itis good to help the hopefuls get "he Government’ ole would be beter Started, easy money may aso breed served focusing on the bigger picture and complacency. Tong-term impact. ts job ito think 20 t 30 THe said: They have failed the fst test f they have the mindset that there wl always years ahead said Darius Cheung the founder ‘fTeuCabe, a mobile security company. 1 Lai \With more action moving to Asia, At least eight new intemet companies wil investors are more bbe eunched at a web technology investing in Singapore-based startups —_corference next month Its a web technology conference that wil see {select roup of mote than 30 speakers Coreg gore 0 sek noes Detworkng and start-up clare Organised by 27, a grouping of Iexeret companies and fvesors that arange ‘erworking sessions and industry evens the ‘snferenee wil ake place from June 6 2. ‘highlight ofthe conference vail be the taunch of eight to 10 new Interaet companies ‘On dhe fst day, the new startups wil ge to pitch thelr prods and service to 3 Pare ‘of experts which ince investom ‘There wil aso be «panel discussion on mentorship, investment and few funding odes with speakers ftom venture cal ‘oups,incubsors end Government funding "Keynote speakers at the conference include big names inte start-up and investment ttn such a Bret Teal, the senior director ‘Sf corporate development st Zynga, the social {game network responsible for Facebook game Sitta Wary, and Dave McClre from San Franceco based Pounders Fund For more information on how to buy ticks, go {to wuswamlando.comiechelon2010 hem ‘A stots by Tham Yuen