5 Things that Surprised me About Singapore as an US Expat
Coming into Singapore as a US expat, I didn’t expect stark differences, and saw Singapore as another major flourishing metropolitan with Western influence. I felt that I had a good grasp of the country from everything I’ve read or seen online.
Having the recent opportunity to come and live in Singapore, these are the 5 things that really surprised me about the Lion City.
Singapore could be the next Silicon Valley of the Southeast. Globalized, innovative, and having a low barrier of entry — this is what comes to mind when I think of Singapore.
Singapore is one of the most prosperous nations in the world, boasting the world’s freest economy in the 2020 index. Heads are turning to invest in early stage startups in Singapore as more international fellows flock here to chase their startup dreams in Asia, instead of Silicon Valley. Raising seed is less competitive here, national initiatives drive the need for tech solutions, and investors here are hungry to find their next rocket ship to throw money at.
Even Singapore’s government has committed $300 million to focus efforts on investing in domestic startups.
At MTI Committee-of-Supply 2020, the Government has announced a commitment of an additional $300 million to Startup Equity, with the aim to catalyse more investments into Singapore-based deep-tech startups in key emerging sectors, including Advanced Manufacturing, Pharmbio/Medtech, and Agri-food tech. The schemes will also be enhanced to (a) increase the investment cap for deep-tech startups from the current $4 million to $8 million; and (b) invest in selected VC firms that will in turn invest in deep-tech startups through the fund-of-fund approach. Startup SG Equity
Major tech companies (Facebook, Twitter, Google, RedHat, NVIDIA, Microsoft, LinkedIn) are already here, an indicator of the importance of having a presence in Singapore. On top that, the VC firms that exist in Silicon Valley are also quietly developing presence here. To name a few: 500 Startups, Sequoia, and Rakuten Ventures are scooping up human capital and early stage startups to add to their portfolios.
Here’s an extensive list of venture capital firms in Singapore from Tech in Asia.
In the midst of COVID-19, I’ve been watching how Singapore manages crisis. Their effectiveness in transparency and procedure is eye-opening.
Sharing of information is rapid here. The government here is firm and calming in the way its been handling COVID-19.
If you go on CNA Youtube, you can see live streams of news conference from the Singapore government, which are updated quite frequently. Stores, restaurants, and business buildings were quick to aid in the fight against coronavirus; notices were put on the wall to practice safety procedures, temperature checks happened at all major business of place, and everyone seemed to be rallying together to fight against the coronavirus and adhering to rules that were rolled out as quickly in 24 hours. We had gone to a Chanel store in Takashimaya, and they only allowed 10 people in at a time and paused store hours in the middle of the day to disinfect all surfaces.
The government has also rolled out an app TraceTogether to aid in the efforts of contact tracing; it’ll detect other phones nearby with the app installed, including time stamp and proximity of the users. They will also be making this technology free to developers.
Singapore has draconian drug laws to adhere to, regardless if you’re an expat or national. They aren’t playin’.
Such rules imposed by government are pounded in iron, leading to execution by hanging or jail time for crimes we’d consider petty in the US. As someone who has grown up in liberal California, drugs were plentiful and easily distributed through your network — you could always find a connection who held a stock of your choice to aid you in fun at concerts, raves, or parties. If caught with possession of drugs, you’d get a misdemeanor, and could be put in jail for up to a year or fined (depending on if you’re holding or selling, what type of drug it is, and how good your lawyer is). The seriousness of these charges wane in comparison to Singapore’s law.
My Singaporean friend said her ex had gone overseas to Europe, smoked some recreational weed, and came back to Singapore a few days later. At the Changi airport, he was stopped, tested for drug use, and was sent to prison for a year. This is enforced for Singaporeans and PRs. Cannabis is considered as an illegal substance, and if caught, you are subject to one year in jail for illicit drug consumption. If caught drug trafficking, you’re subject to max 10 years of jail time with caning or even death penalty depending on how much you’ve brought in.
Alcohol is legal, but incredibly expensive.
Buying Barefoot wine would be as expensive as $20 USD. In the states, it’s $7 USD and considered mediocre. In a Quora question thoughtfully answered by a Singaporean local, “the Singaporean government employs sin taxes, intended to dissuade the population to reduce their consumption of what the government deems as vices, of which alcohol is one, as well as to gain more tax revenue in the process.”
It is very common for people to purchase wine, beer, or hard alcohol at the Changi airport when flying in. I used to complain about the drink prices we’d pay for in San Francisco, forking out $10–14 USD for a well-made drink at an upscale bar in the financial district. In Singapore, they can range from $12–20 USD, which has largely deterred me from partying and drinking. My hangovers are basically nonexistent because every time I take a sip of my drink, I remember how expensive it is and sober up.
It is incredibly safe here, a phenomenon I still cannot shake off.
This is the utmost thing I need to applaud the Singapore government for.
I have watched people leave their items at a coffee shop to use the restroom, and no one has snatched their belongings. Anywhere else, I’m sure it’d be gone in 3 seconds. My Singaporean friends even say I am the most paranoid walker at night since I tend to look over my shoulder every 10 seconds and assure that we are safe roaming the streets at 2 am. It is said that you can go out after a night drinking, fall asleep in a taxi, and get to your destination safely — not recommended though.
There are cameras everywhere; they have an incredibly advanced surveillance system, but it has kept Singaporeans and expats safe. I am content knowing that if a crime was committed towards me, the offender would either be caned or put to justice. Singapore’s strict punishments cannot be paid off with bribes and does not bend to political pleas; once you’ve committed a crime in Singapore, you’re under its law. See German teens who got caned for vandalizing.
Imagine criminals in the US getting spanked. I’m dead.
Whether security trumps privacy, that is a long winded debate to have, but I’m sure it has largely deterred crime and terrorism across the city-state.
I’ve had the privilege to meet a global network here in Singapore, and find a community that welcomes me with open arms. I look forward to continue learning from Singapore.
Emily is an US expat currently living in Singapore to learn about the tech hubs growing in Asia. She has worked 4+ years in developer relations, community management, and event marketing within the startup tech space and travel industry. Her time at OmniSci, Google and Booking.com gave her cross-functional expertise. In her free time, she runs the volunteer community initiatives for TEDxSanFrancisco, as well as promote and blog on the importance of financial literacy and education.
