SGInnovate

Hsien-Hui Tong

Deep Tech Builder

Hsien-Hui Tong is Executive Director of Investments at SGInnovate, where he brings a grounded, people-focused leadership style shaped by a non-traditional career. Having worked across industries and geographies, he values adaptability over rigid frameworks, believing effective leadership comes from understanding individual motivations while keeping teams aligned on what truly matters. His approach reflects a deep appreciation for both business growth and human potential.

Solving Real Problems with Practical Solutions

It is important that the startup is solving a large problem for which people are willing to pay. It is also important that their solution be the most convenient solution to the problem. While these may appear obvious, more than 90 percent of startups I meet fail on one or more of these three criteria. Most of the time when startups fail it’s because the founders have not done sufficient due diligence on their competitors or alternatives in the market. There is the tendency to always believe your baby is the best looking.

Humility and Learning Matter More Than Just Expertise

Assessing people is the most difficult part of the job. No one gets it right all the time. Other than strong technical knowledge, what I look for the most is a willingness to learn and a willingness to acknowledge that others may know more than they do. While technical expertise is needed in tech sectors like quantum, biotech and more, the winners are those that are best able to commercialize their products, distribute it, support it and then develop new products. I also like to assess the ambition of the founders to see if it is aligned with mine.

“Most of the time when startups fail it’s because the founders have not done sufficient due diligence on their competitors or alternatives in the market. There is the tendency to always believe your baby is the best looking.”

Assessing Adoption without Losing Sight of Ethics

This is actually one of the components of our due diligence. We are constantly assessing how the adoption of that technology will impact existing stakeholders. For practical reasons, this can mean the difference between an easily adopted solution and one that will take years. At the same time, if the solution means that certain jobs will be lost in the long term, then we would not hesitate to invest. The job market is inherently robust and will adjust based on new factors. From a mandate perspective, we would not invest in technologies to support industries like gambling, drinking, smoking, etc…. even if they may not be illegal.

Choose Partners Who Match Your Commitment

I think in the areas of technology that we invest in, there is universal acknowledgment of their value to the individual countries, regardless of geopolitics. For instance in semiconductors, biotech, quantum, nuclear fusion there are huge government subsidies from the US to China to the EU to develop more domestic capabilities. For a deep tech leader, it is important to select your design partners carefully. For those with great tech, many will approach you to collaborate on joint development or POCs, many will be wasting your time. It is important that commitment be reciprocated, even for a large MNC, so that you know that they are as involved in the project as you are.