Singtel Innov8, the wholly-owned corporate venture capital arm of the Singtel Group, has announced the launch of a new US$250 million AI Growth Fund to invest in high-growth AI startups globally and accelerate applied AI adoption across the group.
The fund deepens Singtel's role as an adopter, enabler and provider of AI, driving long-term growth across connectivity, digital services and digital infrastructure.
The AI Growth Fund will focus on growth-stage AI companies in areas critical to the Singtel Group’s future, including customer engagement, network operations, cybersecurity, IT automation, horizontal enterprise AI platforms and vertical-specific AI solutions. Beyond capital, Innov8 facilitates active collaboration between portfolio companies and the Group’s operating units to test, integrate and scale solutions in real-world environments.
Edgar Hardless, CEO of Singtel Innov8 said: “Our AI Growth Fund gives Singtel Group strategic access to transformative AI technologies at a pivotal stage of growth. It also enables us to test, integrate and scale AI innovations across our networks, platforms and digital infrastructure. By investing with clear deployment pathways, we accelerate applied AI adoption for enterprises, governments and consumers across the region.”
Innov8’s AI Growth Fund is designed to create a pipeline of deployable AI innovation across Singtel Group’s operating companies:
- Adopters: Singtel Singapore and Optus provide live operating environments to trial and scale AI across customer experience, network management and workflow automation.
- Enabler: Digital InfraCo, including Nxera data centres and the RE:AI cloud platform, provides the secure, high-performance infrastructure backbone for AI workloads.
- Provider: NCS helps design, integrate and operationalise AI solutions for enterprises and governments at scale.
Innov8 also supports public sector innovation through AI-enabled communications, secure networks and advanced analytics to enhance operational resilience and public safety.
The fund complements Digital InfraCo’s recently announced Centre of Excellence for Applied AI with NVIDIA. While the centre provides enterprise-grade AI infrastructure and frameworks, Innov8 identifies and invests in promising AI startups across the stack – from infrastructure to applications – enabling enterprises and government agencies to achieve rapid and cost-effective AI deployment.
Singtel is building AI grid infrastructure anchored in 5G-Advanced, edge and cloud capabilities that bring together AI compute, storage and ultra-low latency connectivity. Orchestrated through Singtel’s Paragon platform, this programmable infrastructure enables enterprises to deploy AI-driven applications seamlessly across network and cloud environments, with quality-assured connectivity tailored to AI workloads.
Innov8’s AI Growth Fund will support these activities, helping to identify and invest in companies that leverage this unique capability to create differentiated solutions and drive real-world value for the Singtel Group and its customers.
“Unlocking AI’s full potential requires more than capital. It needs a vibrant, collaborative ecosystem where innovation can truly thrive. This initiative underscores the group’s mission of empowering enterprises, governments and consumers with world-class digital and AI capabilities, reinforcing Singapore’s and the region’s position as a global hub for responsible and cutting-edge AI innovation,” added Hardless.
Established in 2010, Innov8 is one of Southeast Asia’s earliest and most active corporate venture capital firms, with over 120 investments globally. It connects startups with cutting-edge technologies from global innovation hubs with Singtel Group to drive long-term strategic value. Some of Innov8’s successful investments include Arista Networks, Carro, Endowus, Jasper, Ruckus Wireless, Shape Security and Shopback.
The new fund adds to Innov8’s existing US$250 million evergreen fund. This brings the organisation's total managed capital to US$500 million and reinforces Singtel’s sustained commitment to venture investment as a strategic growth lever. Since Singtel’s strategic reset in 2021, Innov8’s investments have generated an internal rate of return of 26%.
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