The global startup economy is rapidly recalibrating, as entrepreneurs worldwide move beyond consumer-first disruptions into enterprise and industrial applications. The emphasis is on building deployable, revenue-ready AI, backed by investors prioritising clearer paths to profitability, business resilience, and production-scale innovations.

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Nowhere is this evolution more visible than in Asia-Pacific, home to over 475 unicorns and one of the fastest-growing lineups of tech startups building enterprise, industrial, and government applications at scale.

This momentum converges in Singapore at North Star Asia, the startup showcase of GITEX AI ASIA, where over 300 startups from 50+ countries meet investors managing US$350 billion in assets, alongside influential enterprise and government leaders from 9-10 April at Marina Bay Sands.

Presented by GITEX, the world’s largest tech and AI events network, North Star Asia serves as a high-velocity connector linking startups to global markets, capital, and commercial partnerships – fast emerging as the growth corridor of choice for ambitious entrepreneurs.

From Industry 5.0 to bio-inspired vision: global startups present AI for complex environments

The second edition of North Star Asia spotlights startups redefining real-world deployments across critical industries, including more than 65 award-winning innovations spanning manufacturing, healthcare, sustainability and beyond.

At the forefront of production-scale AI deployment is Blaize, a publicly listed AI computing platform company enabling real-world inference across edge and data centre environments. In collaboration with Nokia, Blaize is demonstrating how hybrid AI infrastructure can power large-scale deployments across smart cities, defense, and industrial systems.

Blaize represents the transition from startup innovation to scaled AI infrastructure - enabling enterprises, governments, and service providers to deploy scalable, energy-efficient AI systems that deliver real-time intelligence and operational outcomes.

Joseph Sulistyo, Senior Vice President of Blaize, shared: “GITEX AI ASIA reflects a turning point — from AI experimentation to real-world deployment. Our collaboration with Nokia demonstrates how AI infrastructure is now being built for scale, enabling production-grade inference across industries and environments.”

Elsewhere, ‘Best Italian AI Startup’ winner at the World AI Cannes Festival, AI4IV is taking inspiration from biology itself. Instead of relying on conventional sensors, its game-changing technology mimics how the human eye and brain work together, giving machines enhanced visual perception to interpret complex, real-world environments – be it in autonomous vehicles or industrial robots.

In healthcare, startups are pushing life expectancy. Japan’s Physiologas Technologies is developing compact home dialysis systems that could fundamentally change how patients with chronic kidney conditions manage treatment – enabling frequent dialysis without the need for hospital visits.

Singapore 100: best of the best from Asia’s #1 startup hub

Singapore continues to strengthen its position as one of the world’s top-rated startup ecosystems, defined by bankable intellectual property and enterprise innovations. The city was ranked 4th globally and first in Asia in the 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Index1 by StartupBlink.

North Star Asia’s Singapore 100 programme, curated in partnership with the Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE.SG), brings together high-growth companies that exemplify Singapore’s innovation credentials. These startups are at the forefront of integrating advanced engineering into complex industries, reflecting promising deep-tech capabilities within the Singapore’s startup ecosystem.

Among them, Ailytics is transforming workplace safety by converting standard CCTV into intelligent monitoring systems across construction and industrial sites; enhancing oversight without additional hardware investment. Meanwhile, Hydroleap, winner of Singapore’s 2025 Emerging Enterprise Sustainability Award, addresses wastewater treatment through chemical-free, automated technologies, offering a cost-efficient alternative for sectors under increasing environmental pressure.

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

A US$35 billion unicorn assembly signals scale and market maturity

Alongside early-stage ventures, North Star Asia brings together one of the most substantial convergences of late-stage companies, with over 20 unicorns representing a combined valuation exceeding US$35 billion. Among them is Odoo, Belgium’s largest unicorn and one of Europe’s most successful open-source enterprise software companies, and the US-based Tanium, a US$ 9 billion endpoint security firm ranked #1 in Autonomous Endpoint Management in 2025, joining North Star Asia to showcase how it manages millions of devices in real-time for some of the world’s largest organisations.

Representing Southeast Asia’s unicorn stable are Carro, the region’s largest pre-owned car marketplace, processing more than 150,000 transactions annually, and Bolttech, one of the world’s fastest growing Insurtech unicorns valued at US$ 2 billion, operating in over 30 markets worldwide.

World’s boldest ideas go head-to-head in SG$60K Supernova Challenge

At the centre of GITEX AI ASIA’s startup showcase is Supernova Challenge, the global pitch arena where the world’s most ambitious startups compete for recognition and rewards.

The competition offers a total prize pool of SG$60,000, with the Supernova Champion awarded SG$30,000, alongside two runners-up receiving SG$20,000 and SG$10,000 respectively. Beyond the financial incentive, founders get exposure to global investors, strategic partners and industry leaders – transforming early traction into real growth.

In addition, select startups also win sponsored participation at the world’s largest startup and digital investment event, Expand North Star in Dubai (8-10 Dec), as well as GITEX AI Vietnam in Hanoi (1-2 Oct), while global technology leader, HP, has announced US$ 5,000 worth of ultra high-performance Z Mobile Workstations for one winning startup, equipping them with the tools to accelerate their next phase of development.

For more information, visit gitexasia.com