Collyer Law LLC celebrates 3rd anniversary as Founder Azmul Haque and law firm garner more accolades
FirstCOUNSEL’s parent company Collyer Law LLC celebrated its 3rd anniversary in November 2018. The milestone was marked with a cocktail party at the gorgeous The Arts House, with a hundred clients and colleagues! 2018 has been quite a year for us as FirstCOUNSEL Founder & Collyer Law Managing Director Azmul Haque was ranked in the "A-List 2018" for Singapore by Asia Business Law Journal, and Collyer Law was ranked again as a leading international law-firm for India-related wo
Lufthansa opens its first overseas innovation hub in Singapore
"SINGAPORE - Lufthansa Innovation Hub (LIH), the digitalisation and innovation unit of the German airline, launched its first foreign office in Singapore on Monday (Jan 28). LIH Singapore will focus on market developments in the digitalisation of travel and establish a network of strategic partners here... 'More than ever, Asian startups, but also digital enterprises, are the driving force behind fundamental changes along the travel chain,' said Christian Langer, managing dir
Upcoming events in Singapore for start-ups, SMEs and entrepreneurs
Singapore has such a dynamic ecosystem that sometimes the number of events offered can be overwhelming. Here at FirstCOUNSEL, we're going to help you out by putting together a curated list of upcoming events in Singapore for start-ups, SMEs and entrepreneurs: Jan 29 - TRIVE Labs Powered by JustCo Official Launch Party! (JustCo @ Marina Square) Free Jan 30 - DrinkEntrepreneurs x Reapra x Tribe Theory (Tribe Theory Startup Hostel) Free Jan 30 - Startup Playbook: Vietnam - Marke
OCBC's new credit scheme targets 'serial entrepreneurs'
"OCBC Bank is introducing a new credit scheme that targets entrepreneurs running more than one business, giving them access to loans 'a few months before incorporation' of the new venture. The bank said the market is sizeable, citing figures that show one in three new businesses incorporated in Singapore between 2015 and 2017 belongs to an entrepreneur already running a business. The launch of the Serial Entrepreneur credit scheme follows a 12-month pilot programme that start
Singapore startups hauled US$7.5b in funding in 2018
"Startups in Singapore continued to account for the lion’s share of regional funding after raising US$7.5b in 2018 across 189 deals, according to a report from e27. In comparison, Indonesian startups raised a combined US$4.7b in 2018 followed by the Philippines whose startups took home US$304.2m haul. Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand’s total recorded funding raised are at US$232m, US$193.8m and US$92.9m... 'Singapore is arguably the capital of startups in Southeast Asia. With i
Dyson moves head office to Singapore
"DYSON is moving its corporate head office to Singapore 'to reflect the increasing importance of Asia' to its business, the British home electronics maker said on Tuesday night, accompanying the release of its financial results for 2018. Its plans for 2019 also include a doubling of its Singapore Technology Centre and increased investment in neighbouring Malaysia. Said Dyson chief executive officer Jim Rowan: 'In 2018, Dyson made its largest investment in the UK while driving
DBS 'open' to investing in startups, CEO says
"DBS Group Holdings is open to investing in digital economy startups and forging partnerships to gain access to new customers, according to the chief executive of Southeast Asia's largest bank. Speaking in an interview with the Nikkei Asian Review, Piyush Gupta said that in the future 'banks [will] have to work for partnership models' rather than hew to 'the pipeline business' in which banks funnel loans to clients. Gupta is particularly interested in 'distribution partnershi
The e27 Southeast Asia Startup Ecosystem Report 2018 is here
"Southeast Asia at a glance e27 tracked 5,828 active tech startups and captured a total of 436 deals and US$17.26b funds raised across the ASEAN-6, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam (presented in Alphabetical order). These were companies who either created a new profile and/or updated their existing ones on e27’s media platform in 2018. The 34-page document details each country’s narrative in 2018 with - A qualitative overview based on t
How Singapore is Becoming Asia's Enterprise Financing Hub
By Pooja Singh "Singapore has always been a big supporter of startups and enterprises. Between 2012 and 2017, the number of tech startups in the island nation grew from 3,400 in 2012 to 4,000. This boost can be attributed to a conducive business environment, ample government support, and a strong entrepreneurial community. The government’s commitment towards entrepreneurial support was reconfirmed last November, when the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced a US $5
FirstCOUNSEL hosts exclusive networking event for lawyers interested in #newlaw
Thank you to everyone who attended our exclusive networking event for lawyers this week! We had a great time meeting everyone, talking about #newlaw, and sharing a very special wine tasting with In Vino Veritas Private Limited - Singapore and Quinta do Zambujeiro (and even had the honor of having the vineyard owner Emil Strickler himself tell us about his wines)! As our CEO Azmul Haque mentioned at the event, please send us your CV (to hello@firstcounsel.co) if you are intere
