As part of an on-going effort to connect Singapore’s startup ecosystem with the global entrepreneurship scene, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) recently led a delegation of eight Singapore startups to MobileBeat 2013. The event, which was held in San Francisco in July, is VentureBeat’s flagship conference focusing on the future of mobile services and technologies.

“MobileBeat was our first trade mission based on an industry vertical,” said Mr Steven Tong, Centre Director for IDA’s San Francisco office. “The objective for this mission was to enable more 1:1 networking opportunities with companies in the mobile ecosystem. The fact that our infocomm local enterprises managed to network with investors, multinational corporations and telcos during this mission shows that a thematic approach provides value for companies seeking to expand in North America.”

At the sidelines of MobileBeat, IDA and early stage Singapore investment and incubation firm Get2Volume also hosted a Demo Day in the Telegraph Hill Room at The Palace Hotel where six startups presented to an audience of venture capitalists and local media. The startups included Sprooki, ConnectedHealth, gridComm, Eco, V-key and Digify.

Enterprise software company Digify , for example, benefitted from the networking opportunities and exposure through its participation in MobileBeat and Demo Day. Digify’s software helps companies manage their physical and digital documents securely and cost-effectively. The Digify MobileView is a secure document access and distribution platform for tablets, phones and laptops.

“We had some preliminary interest from companies such as Adobe, Samsung, NTT Docomo, Fidelity Investments. There were also good opportunities to connect with investors,” said its Managing Director Mr Augustine Lim.

Other companies showcasing their solutions at the “Singapore Corner” at MobileBeat included:

• ConnectedHealth whose wireless e-health platform provides medical device connectivity from patients to care providers via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. ConnectedHealth automatically transmits medical data from patients across multiple devices using standard wireless protocols and hardware, and sends alerts if something is amiss.
• Eco , a SaaS company which offers an innovative way to collect customer feedback and engage directly with customers. Customers can scan a QR code on their smartphones or dial into a number to provide feedback on the product or service by texting their feedback or by speaking it. Data is pulled from rating sites and social media channels, creating a single, consolidated view for customer sentiment.
• V-key which helps companies secure their mobile applications. The company focuses on cutting-edge mobile phone security research and development, studying the latest advanced attacks against mobile phones and inventing solutions to defend against them.
• Gloobe, an innovative mobile application that crowd-sources real-time information such as location details, comments and wait times.  Gloobe’s mobile app solves the overcrowding problem in urban cities such as London, New York and Tokyo.
• Hoiio , a cloud communication company that provides software developers with simple web application programming interfaces (APIs) to programmatically access telecommunication infrastructure. Building on the Hoiio API, Hoiio also provides unified communication apps such as main line, fax, international calls and more.
• W-Locate , whose SIM-based cell positioning system “XimLoc” can accurately track any cellular devices in both indoor/outdoor locations regardless of operating system. XimLoc gathers information from cellular network via a java applet residing on the SIM card.
• YOOSE , the worldwide largest hyper-local mobile ad platform. YOOSE helps leading brands and agencies to effectively target and engage mobile consumers on a hyper-local level.

IDA also teamed up with early stage Singapore investment and incubation firm Get2Volume to host Demo Day, where six Singapore startups presented to an audience of venture capitalists and media. The startups included Sprooki, ConnectedHealth, gridComm, Eco, V-key and Digify.

“Singapore technology companies must have a global focus from day one,” said Mr Mike Holt, Chief Executive Officer of Get2Volume, which is focused on growing technology companies “We’re working together to maximise impact to our portfolio companies and strengthen partnerships in the US market.”