Singapore just turned 60 this weekend, and after nearly 15 years living here, I keep coming back to the same fascinating question:
What if more companies actually ran themselves the way Singapore runs itself?
Because Singapore isn't really just a city-state, it's a masterclass in strategic thinking. A live experiment in intelligent design applied to everything from urban planning to economic policy.
Here's what sets it apart: while most places scale through brute force, Singapore iterates with genuine intent. Where other nations wrestle with data privacy as an afterthought, Singapore builds trust into the foundation. And whilst most businesses chase trends, Singapore moves on actual signals.
The results speak for themselves.
The Companies That Get It
You can see this strategic mindset reflected in the companies that have grown up here:
Grab started as a taxi app and became Southeast Asia's first decacorn. Today, they serve over 500 cities with 187 million users, handling payments, deliveries, mobility and more. That's platform thinking in action.
Carousell began as a hackathon project and has grown to tens of millions of users across eight markets, completing a merger that valued the group at over US$1.1 billion. Classic Singapore approach: start lean, scale smart.
Ninja Van was founded in 2014 and now delivers over a million parcels daily across Southeast Asia. They've solved logistics where infrastructure was supposedly the constraint. See the problem, design around it, scale beyond it.
These aren't isolated successes. Singapore is producing a new generation of startups in AI, public transport and fintech, all building for global markets from day one.
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What I've Observed from the Inside
Having been fortunate to mentor Singapore founders over the years, what strikes me most is their discipline. These aren't typical "move fast and break things" entrepreneurs. They don't chase vanity metrics or get distracted by the latest shiny trend. They build systems. They don't just talk about scale, they design for it from the start.
Four Strategic Principles Worth Adopting
- Optimise relentlessly From housing allocation to healthcare delivery to how hawker centres are zoned, Singapore optimises everything. What would happen if your organisation applied that same rigour to every process?
- Act on signal, not just data Singapore doesn't wait for perfect information. They read behavioural patterns, move early, and scale what works. It's how the best AI systems operate: pattern recognition followed by rapid iteration. For more on this, consider reading about AI's Secret Revolution: Trends You Can't Miss.
- Build trust into the architecture Singapore's approach to data governance balances utility with privacy from the ground up. They don't bolt on trust as an afterthought, instead they architect it from day one. This aligns with discussions around We Need Empathy and Trust in the World of AI.
- Think platform, not product From digital identity to transport systems, Singapore designs for interoperability. They're not building one-off solutions, they're creating scalable foundations that enable future innovation. This approach is also seen in how Singapore, Microsoft team up for AI growth.
The Bigger Picture
At SQREEM Technologies, we focus on real-time behavioural intelligence and precision at scale. But often, the best example of that philosophy in action is happening right outside our office, at national level.
Singapore isn't just smart. It's strategic.
And that distinction makes all the difference.
The Question for Leaders
So here's what I'm curious about: What would it look like if your company ran like Singapore? Not just the efficiency elements, but the strategic thinking, the platform approach, the early signal detection, the trust-first design?
It's a framework worth considering.
Have you seen examples of companies successfully applying nation-state strategic thinking? What lessons from Singapore's approach could work in your industry? For instance, how does this compare to discussions on APAC AI in 2026: 4 Trends You Need To Know?
Thanks for reading,
Adrian
Latest Comments (6)
This piece certainly gives us cause for reflection, eh? Celebrating 60 years and still being dubbed the "smartest experiment" is quite a badge of honour. I'm especially intrigued by the notion of a 'platform-like thinking' approach. While it’s clearly driven incredible efficiency and growth, I wonder how Singapore navigates the potential trade-off between this highly optimised, almost rigid, systems mindset and the spontaneous innovation that often sparks from less structured environments. Do we risk becoming too predictable in our pursuit of optimisation, or is there a layer of controlled chaos built into the blueprint that I'm missing? Just a thought from a fellow Singaporean.
C'est vrai, this emphasis on platform thinking from Singapore is fascinating. It reminds me a bit of how we in Europe are grappling with digital sovereignty – trying to build our own robust systems rather than just relying on others. A good lesson in self-reliance and meticulous planning, indeed.
Truly an experiment, but at what cost does this "optimisation" come? We need to balance progress with the human touch, lah.
"Smartest experiment"? Perhaps, but one wonder's if this relentless 'optimisation' comes at a human cost, a sort of efficient sterility.
This article makes some solid points eh. Singapore's platform thinking has certainly been a gamechanger for our little red dot. But I wonder, as we continue to optimise and systemise everything, are we perhaps risking a bit of that organic, creative spark down the road? Interesting to ponder.
Wah, 60 years strong, quite something eh? This article really hits the nail on the head about our "platform-like thinking" and systems approach. You see it everywhere, from our public services to how businesses operate here. But, sometimes I wonder if this relentless optimisation culture, while efficient, perhaps stifles a bit of genuine creativity or risk-taking that isn't immediately measurable. Are we becoming *too* good at tweaking an existing blueprint instead of sketching out entirely new ones? Just a thought lah. Still, credit where credit's due, it's impressive to see how far we've come.
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