Five member companies of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) have completed their first 10-week accelerator programme, helping them gain exposure to new strategic directions and business models.
The SICCI Accelerator Programme was run in partnership with NewWorld Foundry – a Singapore-based B2B go-to-market accelerator – under the theme “Build in Singapore. For the Globe.”
The programme, which commenced in February, combined training in go-to-market strategy, productivisation, funding and international expansion with mentorship from professionals with backgrounds at L’Oreal, Temasek and Alfa, among others.
Rather than being an exclusively educational exercise, participants were pushed to validate their ideas in the market through product launches, demonstrations and customer conversations.
Here is a summary of the five participants.
Elevatespot, by Mr Nagarajan Purushothaman built and launched a platform that helps eCommerce businesses track how their products are surfaced and ranked across AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini, while also exploring advertising opportunities emerging within AI platforms.
sbPowerDev, founded by Mr Shitij Bathla, moved from broad Microsoft-focused work towards a single, product-led offering: an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Copilot-enabled workplace safety management solution built for enterprises already using Microsoft tools. The company launched the product and ran live demonstrations during the programme.
Sports League, led by Mr Kumaravelu Varadharajan, began testing a new corporate and community tournament model alongside its existing sports business, engaging Rotary clubs and corporate organisations to gauge demand, with a longer-term goal of expanding the concept across borders.
Service Connections HR Consultancy, a 30-year-old HR firm led by Ms Geetha Mukunnan, began developing an AI-enabled recruitment platform built around “intent-based” matching between employers and candidates, moving beyond traditional resume screening. The company plans to test the concept with potential clients from its existing network.
TekkaDotSG, led by Mr Kumaravelu P, explored expanding its community platform for Singapore’s Tekka precinct into an international bridge model.
It is now in active discussions with a large real estate association in India exploring representation in Singapore, and is considering a white-label version of its platform for other markets.
In a statement, SICCI noted that the programme was shaped around each participant’s individual challenges.
“What has been particularly encouraging is seeing how quickly some of those ideas have moved into products, customer conversations and new business opportunities within the 10 weeks.”
NewWorld Foundry echoed that view, stating that the five businesses came into the programme with very different challenges.
The focus, therefore, was to help each entrepreneur work through the opportunity most relevant to their own business.
It noted that the next phase will be about helping them take those early developments further.
At an appreciation lunch held for the participants by Mr S. Mahenthiran, one of the SICCI directors, stated that the five participants bonded extensively through the course of the programme.
“When everyone walked in, it felt like we were all one big family,” he said, adding that there was a great exchange of knowledge and cooperation between the participants.
“The accelerator programme pushed our level of thinking to better ourselves. It’s been a wonderful journey that we learnt a lot from,” Ms Geetha noted.
Participants of the accelerator programme will continue to receive six months of support following the completion of the programme.
The chamber is working towards the second edition of its accelerator programme, and applications will be open from November 2026, an SICCI representative told tabla!.
Selected candidates will commence the programmme, scheduled for Feb 2027.
