How Enterprise Singapore is connecting U.S. climate tech with ASEAN’s $3.6 trillion economy
By Greennex Global | January 2026
Singapore is smaller than New York City, but its influence in global climate infrastructure extends far beyond its geography, as the city-state has positioned itself as a strategic gateway for climate technologies entering the ASEAN region through coordinated government support and deployment partnerships that accelerate commercialization for international companies.
Darren Lee Cheng Loong, Regional Director for East US & Canada at Enterprise Singapore, opened the Greennex Pulse Singapore Climate Gateway with a presentation on how Singapore is creating pathways for U.S. climate technologies to enter the broader ASEAN market, but his route to this role started with a realization during an undergraduate internship in Chengdu, China, where he witnessed first-hand how international trade mechanisms could transform business opportunities for companies willing to step outside their comfort zones.
After joining Enterprise Singapore full-time in 2013, Darren rose through roles as Manager and Deputy Director in the Southeast Asia Group before serving as Centre Director of the Overseas Centre in Manila, where he linked Singapore-based companies with local partners to facilitate business expansion in the Philippines. His time leading industry development for the e-commerce and fulfillment sector taught him that internationalization requires understanding local context and building mechanisms that help companies succeed when they step outside their comfort zones. Now as Regional Director for East US & Canada, Darren focuses on identifying high-potential U.S. climate tech companies and facilitating their entry into ASEAN through structured partnerships and government-backed support mechanisms.
Singapore’s Strategic Position and Climate Leadership
Darren opened his remarks by positioning Singapore within the broader ASEAN context, noting that while the city-state is geographically small, it sits in a dynamic region with a population of more than 710 million and serves as a gateway to markets like Japan, Korea, Australia, and India. Singapore remains committed to climate leadership with a net-zero emission goal by 2050, a carbon tax aimed at SDG 50-80 per tCO2e by 2030, and supportive policies including sustainable aviation fuel mandates. Beyond policy commitments, Singapore offers a combination of supportive government policies, global connectivity through over 400 international commodities traders, and industrial capacity including the know-how to scale manufacturing and pilot technologies in real-world settings.
Niche Sectors with Global Influence
While Singapore is small, Darren noted that in particularly niche areas, the city-state has significant global influence that creates high-impact deployment opportunities for climate technologies. In the maritime and port industry, Singapore accounts for one-third of global bunkering market share, creating opportunities for marine decarbonization solutions to scale globally. In aviation, Singapore’s airport achieved 70 million air traffic volume with significant investment into sustainable aviation fuel, and in the chemical sector, Singapore has a major petrochemical cluster transforming itself to stay relevant to the green economy. Innovation and collaborations are already taking place, with examples including Amperresand piloting transformer technology with PSA for electrifying prime movers and Aether Fuels partnering with Aster to co-develop a commercial-scale SAF production facility.
Enterprise Singapore’s Support Infrastructure
Enterprise Singapore strengthens Singapore as a global node for innovation through Stage One, which provides foreign startups with setup, advisory, capability development, and market access, and the idea is using Singapore as a launchpad to regional markets rather than just a local destination. The organization also runs open innovation challenges, collaborates with Breakthrough Energy to commercialize deep technologies, and hosts SWITCH, an annual conference where startups connect across sectors and compete in the Slingshot startup competition.
Q&A
Greennex Global: For U.S. climate tech companies considering international expansion, what does the journey from initial contact with Enterprise Singapore to regional deployment typically look like?
Darren Lee: The whole idea about Singapore is not just about our market, it’s about how you can connect to dynamic regions as well to introduce new solutions to sectors which can be very hard to access at a global scale. We are also a global trading hub with more than 400 international commodities traders, so if you have a new way of decarbonizing marine shipping, for example, we’ll be a good market to start because we have significant impact or influence in this sector. Our KPI is to help drive startups’ growth in our region, and the idea with Stage One is using Singapore as a launchpad to go into regional markets.
Greennex Global: What makes Singapore an effective pilot market for climate technologies targeting hard-to-abate sectors?
Darren Lee: We are an interesting crossroads because we have supportive government policies, end users in niche areas that Singapore is strong in which are connected to the global market very strongly, and we have industrial capacity—the know-how to scale manufacturing and pilot and fine-tune commercialized technology. Innovation and collaborations are already taking place with companies like Amperresand piloting with PSA, a global port operator, and these examples show that Singapore serves as a strategic testing ground where technologies can be validated in real-world industrial settings with globally connected partners.
Ending Notes
Darren’s presentation demonstrated how Enterprise Singapore bridges U.S. climate innovation with ASEAN deployment infrastructure through targeted support programs, pilot opportunities in globally influential sectors, and a launchpad model that prioritizes regional scaling over local market penetration.
