Corridor guide
Entering Singapore as a US startup: the first 90 days
How US companies test Southeast Asia from Singapore before they build an entity, what the first hire really costs, and where a fractional GM fits.
Most US software companies do not decide to "enter Asia". Asia decides for them: inbound leads from Singapore, a partner in Jakarta, a customer that wants a local contact. The question is how to answer that demand without betting a full-time hire and a new company on it.
Why Singapore first
- English is a working language and contracts follow common law, so US agreements translate cleanly.
- It is the regional base for many companies that buy across Southeast Asia, so one market gives you a view of six.
- Singapore is 15 hours ahead of San Francisco in US summer. The US evening meets the Singapore morning.
What a full-time first hire costs
An experienced general manager in Singapore costs about US$217,000 a year once you add the customary 13th month and employer CPF contributions of 17 percent, before recruiter fees. To employ that person you need a Singapore entity or an employer-of-record, and a foreign hire needs an Employment Pass. The minimum monthly salary for a new Employment Pass is S$5,600, rising to S$6,000 in January 2027, and it climbs with age.
None of that is a reason not to hire. It is a reason to prove the market first.
The fractional route
A Singapore-based fractional GM Asia works as a contractor, one to three days a week. On the Corridor Rate Benchmark two days a week costs about US$10,000 to 12,500 a month. You get someone who has opened the region before, and you keep the option to stop.
A 90-day plan
- Days 1 to 30: prove demand. A target account list, the first 20 meetings, and a view on which country follows Singapore.
- Days 31 to 60: win design partners. Two or three paying pilots, pricing tested in local terms, and a partner or reseller short list.
- Days 61 to 90: decide the build. An options paper on entity, first hire, tax and hiring route, so the board decides on evidence.
When to set up the entity
When you have paying customers, a first local employee to hire, or a customer contract that needs a local counterparty. Until then, a contractor arrangement keeps the test cheap and reversible.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Check entity, tax and immigration questions with a Singapore adviser before you act.
Testing Asia this year?
Describe the market and the outcome you need. We send Singapore-based operators who have opened the region before.