More than 300 startups from over 50 countries are converging in Singapore this week for North Star Asia, the startup showcase of GITEX AI ASIA 2026, as the global startup economy pivots from consumer-first applications toward enterprise, industrial, and government-grade AI solutions.

Asia-Pacific emerges as the centre of enterprise startup momentum

The event, taking place on 9 to 10 April at Marina Bay Sands, brings together startups meeting investors managing US$350 billion in assets, alongside enterprise and government leaders from across the region. Organisers say the shift is structural: entrepreneurs are increasingly focused on deployable, revenue-ready AI backed by investors prioritising clearer paths to profitability and production-scale innovation.

Asia-Pacific is home to over 475 unicorns and one of the fastest-growing lineups of tech startups building solutions for enterprise, industrial, and government applications at scale. North Star Asia is positioned as a high-velocity connector linking these startups to global markets, capital, and commercial partnerships.

Startups tackle manufacturing, healthcare, and industrial AI

The second edition of North Star Asia features more than 65 award-winning innovations spanning manufacturing, healthcare, sustainability, and beyond.

Blaize, a publicly listed AI computing platform company, is showcasing its collaboration with Nokia on hybrid AI infrastructure for large-scale deployments across smart cities, defence, and industrial systems — demonstrating how production-grade inference can be deployed at scale across edge and data centre environments.

Italian startup AI4IV, named Best Italian AI Startup at the World AI Cannes Festival, is presenting bio-inspired vision technology that mimics how the human eye and brain process information, enabling machines to interpret complex real-world environments for use cases including autonomous vehicles and industrial robotics. In healthcare, Japan’s Physiologas Technologies is developing compact home dialysis systems designed to enable frequent treatment without hospital visits for patients managing chronic kidney conditions.

Singapore 100 spotlights local deep-tech ventures

The Singapore 100 programme, curated in partnership with the Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE.SG), showcases high-growth local startups at the forefront of enterprise innovation. Singapore was ranked fourth globally and first in Asia in the 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Index by StartupBlink.

Among the featured companies, Ailytics is converting standard CCTV infrastructure into intelligent workplace safety monitoring systems for construction and industrial sites. Hydroleap, winner of Singapore’s 2025 Emerging Enterprise Sustainability Award, is addressing wastewater treatment through chemical-free, automated technologies for sectors facing increasing environmental compliance pressure.

“Singapore’s startup ecosystem has matured into a global proving ground for entrepreneurs building deep-tech solutions with tangible commercial value. Platforms like GITEX AI ASIA provide the essential access to global capital and market opportunities,” said Patrick Lim, Chief Executive Officer, ACE.SG.

US$35 billion unicorn assembly joins early-stage startups

North Star Asia will also feature more than 20 unicorns with a combined valuation exceeding US$35 billion. Participants include Odoo, Belgium’s largest unicorn and one of Europe’s most successful open-source enterprise software companies, and Tanium, a US$9 billion endpoint security firm ranked first in Autonomous Endpoint Management in 2025. Representing Southeast Asia are Carro, the region’s largest pre-owned car marketplace processing more than 150,000 transactions annually, and Bolttech, an insurtech unicorn valued at US$2 billion operating across more than 30 markets.

SG$60,000 Supernova Challenge open to global competitors

The Supernova Challenge offers a total prize pool of SG$60,000, with SG$30,000 for the champion and SG$20,000 and SG$10,000 for two runners-up. Beyond prize money, winning startups receive sponsored participation at Expand North Star in Dubai in December and GITEX AI Vietnam in Hanoi in October. HP has also committed US$5,000 worth of Z Mobile Workstations for one winning startup.

GITEX AI ASIA 2026 runs from 9 to 10 April 2026 at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Halls A, B and C, from 10am to 6pm daily.