NUS Enterprise partners Playground Global and Matter Venture Partners to propel deep tech start-ups into Silicon Valley

• First NUS Enterprise Silicon Valley outpost provides market intelligence to help start-ups sharpen product-market fit and accelerate international growth.

SINGAPORE, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial heart of the National University of Singapore (NUS), today announced that US-based venture capital (VC) firms Playground Global and Matter Venture Partners have joined the €101 million (US$117 million) NUS VC Programme. The partnerships will provide NUS deep tech start-ups with enhanced support to build and scale their businesses globally.

The United States is home to the world's largest and most mature deep tech ecosystem, with Silicon Valley continuing to serve as a global hub for innovation and venture activity. In 2024, Bay Area start-ups attracted €77 billion (US$90 billion) in funding, accounting for 57 per cent of US start-up investments^[1]. By connecting to this ecosystem, NUS start-ups will gain access to leading deep tech investors, industry experts, and proven pathways for bringing complex technologies to global markets.

Based in Silicon Valley, Playground Global is an early-stage VC firm that backs the most technically ambitious founders working at the frontier of engineering and science. The firm is recognised for helping transform breakthrough technologies into globally competitive businesses. With approximately one in five portfolio companies achieving unicorn status and €1.5 billion (US$1.7 billion) in assets under management, Playground invests in early-stage companies shaping the future of next-generation computing, automation, energy and engineered biology.

"We are excited to partner with NUS Enterprise to support the next generation of deep tech founders emerging from Singapore," said Bruce Leak, General Partner, Playground Global. "Building globally competitive technology companies requires access to long-term support, deep technical expertise, and access to international networks. We look forward to helping more global founders navigate that journey."

Matter Venture Partners complements this with a deeply technical and globally connected platform spanning Silicon Valley and key industrial ecosystems across Asia and beyond, including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the United Arab Emirates. The firm focuses on partnering with "HardTech" founders developing advanced semiconductor, electronics and Physical AI innovations. The Matter team provides hands-on support and access to a strategic network of partners to help founders navigate supply chains, scale manufacturing and bring complex technologies to market, with particular strength in areas such as robotics, advanced materials and next-generation manufacturing.

"The next generation of globally significant HardTech companies will be built across ecosystems, not within a single geography. Singapore is a critical node in that network, with talent, capital, technology and ambition concentrated in one place. Through this partnership with NUS Enterprise, Matter Venture Partners is excited to support Singaporean HardTech founders who are thinking globally from day one, by connecting them with the right partners, manufacturing networks, and market access needed to succeed at scale," said Dr Wen Hsieh, Founding Managing Partner, Matter Venture Partners.

NUS Enterprise launches first Silicon Valley outpost

NUS Enterprise also announced the launch of its first global outpost at The Studio, Playground Global's 70,000-square-foot incubation facility in Silicon Valley. Equipped with specialised infrastructure, including wet and dry laboratories, advanced prototyping workshops and precision engineering tools, the facility will provide NUS deep tech start-ups with a foothold in one of the world's leading innovation ecosystems, enabling them to accelerate product development, validate technologies, and scale more effectively into global markets.

The outpost is part of NUS Enterprise's broader strategy to connect Singapore's innovation ecosystem with key global markets. Market insights and operational knowledge gained overseas will strengthen education, research and commercialisation pathways at home, creating a virtuous cycle that benefits start-ups in Singapore and beyond.

"These partnerships with Playground Global and Matter Venture Partners open a stronger pathway into the US for NUS start-ups," said Dr Tan Sian Wee, NUS Senior Vice President (Innovation and Enterprise). "Research-based founders need investors who understand how deep tech companies are actually built and scaled. With these partners and our Silicon Valley outpost, our ventures can see opportunities early, test against real customer demand, sharpen product-market fit, and grow into category leaders."

About National University of Singapore (NUS)

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore's flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 15 colleges, faculties and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established more than 20 NUS Overseas Colleges entrepreneurial hubs around the world.

Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, research centres of excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity.

For more information on NUS, please visit nus.edu.sg.

About NUS Enterprise

At NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial heart of the National University of Singapore (NUS), we advance the University as a global magnet for talent and an engine for impactful innovation. We seed ideas, spark innovation, and scale ventures through our distinctive 360° framework, integrating education, ecosystem support, and world-class venture building and investment. 

This creates a self-reinforcing cycle powering both educational and entrepreneurial outcomes across industries and communities. Since 2001, NUS Enterprise has nurtured 10 unicorns, over 3,000 start-ups, and 5,500 students. Our ambition: to improve the lives of 1 billion people by 2035. 

For more information on NUS Enterprise, please visit enterprise.nus.edu.sg.

Annexe: NUS VC Programme

The €101 million (US$117 million) NUS VC Programme aims to enhance support for early-stage tech innovation by focusing on high-potential ventures within the NUS ecosystem, including start-ups from the National Graduate Research Innovation Programme (National GRIP). National GRIP empowers innovators to transform lab-based research discoveries into globally competitive, market-ready ventures.

The programme comprises two key components.

First, NUS has committed to invest €33 million (US$39 million) over the next three years in selected VC firms with strong track records in early-stage deep tech investments. These firms will provide structured, hands-on support to start-ups, including time, expertise, and access to their networks to help them scale effectively.

The programme currently has four VC partners:

• Granite Asia: A leading multi-asset investment platform with a 25-year track record of backing breakthrough technology ventures globally.
• 4BIO Capital: A specialist life sciences investor focused on advanced therapeutics and breakthrough healthcare technologies.
• Playground Global: A Silicon Valley-based investment firm backing research-driven companies developing advanced technologies across engineered biology, energy transition, robotics, and next-generation computing.
• Matter Venture Partners: A Silicon Valley-headquartered VC firm supporting founders developing "HardTech" solutions that combine sophisticated hardware and software to address real-world challenges.

Second, NUS has set aside €68 million (US$78 million) for co-investments alongside these VC partners. These co-investments will be targeted at NUS-affiliated start-ups.

^[1] https://startupgenome.com/ecosystems/silicon-valley

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