“Why be the disrupted when you can be the disruptor,” asks Ong Tze Boon. “I often say, I don’t know what tomorrow’s answers will be, but I do know that change is before us. So either we be agile and initiate the change, or we be a recipient of the change.”
These are salient words coming from architecture firm Ong&Ong’s group executive chairman, more so given the current geopolitical landscape. The 57-year-old is fresh off the launch of BeyondX, a start-up incubator that is a joint venture between Ong&Ong and events management company Hustle & Bustle, with support from Enterprise Singapore.
Housed in a three-storey, 50,000 sq ft space at 21 Keppel Road, the venture is envisioned as a hub of tech innovation. Ong says that a “seven-, almost eight-digit” amount was invested, a figure that includes refurbishing and retrofitting the circa-1940s building, which was once the headquarters of the Singapore Customs.
Part of Ong’s 600-strong team have decamped from their base at SLF Building to roost in BeyondX, becoming the main tenant. With its outsized “X” logo and LED strips electrifying the building facade, the start-up hub is fast becoming a prominent landmark for drivers on the Keppel Viaduct.
See also: Kheng Lian Ho is helping a new generation to deliver impact through entrepreneurship. Here's how
The idea for BeyondX was seeded as early as 2019. Ong foresaw that the future would lie at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds — the phygital realm, as he calls it. “BeyondX is squarely investing in this one sandbox space, the phygital.”
In practice, technologies like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are already being used in the architecture, building and construction industries.
For example, architects use AR to overlay digital models onto real-world sites, while construction teams use AR headsets to view plumbing and wiring layouts on-site without flipping through blueprints.
See also: A failure to improve innovation could put Asia at risk
Using VR, architects build 3D models of buildings, allowing clients to “walk” through the spaces even before a single brick is laid. MR lets architects and contractors collaborate better by interacting with 3D models in real environments; the teams can “touch” and “move” design elements during planning meetings, and catch issues early. Meanwhile, AI tools can generate hundreds of design variations based on specific goals, such as optimising natural light or minimising material costs. On construction sites, AI can analyse drone footage to track the progress of a project, flagging possible delays.
Three heads are better than one
As with any venture, this one isn’t without its risks. Having leased the site from the government, Ong says that there are KPIs to be met, failing which the lease will not be granted an extension — and their investment would have counted for nothing.
One of these KPIs is to drive innovation for start-ups to collaborate and create new products together. Another is for members to form a joint venture to develop a new, innovative product.
Teaming up with Michael Lee, founder of Hustle & Bustle, was a strategic move to combine their respective strengths. “I can gather investors … and put money down to say that this is the right direction to head in,” says Ong. “But somebody needs to be able to mobilise people and pull things together to create content, as it were. That’s what Michael does best with his event management skills.”
For more lifestyle, arts and fashion trends, click here for Options Section
To complete the puzzle, Ong and Lee roped in Vincent Lau, founder of resource allocation start-up Allocate Space. Lau is now both a member of BeyondX as well as the hub’s principal programme director, responsible for curating and onboarding new members.
The trio plans to create events, generate interest, and use those events as a conversion platform to attract new start-ups to BeyondX.
A members’ club like no other
Singapore’s start-up ecosystem is home to more than 4,500 tech start-ups, 400 venture capital firms and 240 incubators and accelerators. The ecosystem generated $189 billion between July 2021 and December 2023, making it the top start-up ecosystem in Asia and seventh globally, according to the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
How, and where, does BeyondX fit into this picture?
“What we’re trying to do is slightly different from the other [incubators and accelerators], which is to provide affordable rent and to build a great community,” says Ong. “We’re going to create opportunities for these start-ups — either monthly or quarterly — although the format is still being decided.”
Using the analogy of a budding DJ in search of gig opportunities, Ong posits: “What if every month there’s a big ZoukOut night, and you’re asked to come and DJ there as part of your self-incubation and self-acceleration? What if someone can create that environment for you? Because on your own, knocking on every door asking if you can DJ is very different. [Here] there’s a group reaching out, creating a platform for people to come to ZoukOut every month.”
Ong compares BeyondX to a members’ club, where tenants aren’t charged a fixed fee for renting a space. Rather, they “subscribe” to a tiered membership programme, which starts at $2,400 per year (aimed at solopreneurs) and tops out at $28,000 per year (targeting organisations with more than 10 individuals). The higher the tier, the more benefits, such as increased meeting room credits.
He doesn’t consider this structure to be a business model. “Because I’m not trying to run a business. I think a better term would be a sustainable investment model.” To call it a business would be to imply that there’s a vendor, a product and a customer, he adds.
“I’m not buying the product, and I’m not trying to sell [the start-ups] anything either. I’m not in business with them; I’m investing in them, I’m trying to create an investable environment, so I’m investing in the environment. Hopefully, that environment can benefit them as a downstream investment.”
As for what criteria are being used to select new members, Ong says that it’s an open invitation; they could just as easily be a new start-up or an established firm. Or it could be a situation where it’s an established firm partaking in a joint venture (much like Ong&Ong itself), thereby forming a start-up.
Plugging into the ecosystem
In Singapore, there’s no shortage of initiatives like Startup SG and Smart Nation that contribute to the country’s positioning as an innovation hub. Such initiatives, Ong notes, are good, large-scale, and necessary. But are there gaps still yet to be filled?
“I think it’s not just for BeyondX to plug a gap,” comes the reply. “We’re all part of this ecosystem: the investors, creators, innovators, Startup SG, Smart Nation, ESG, EDB. Not many countries have this kind of gamut of tools and help.”
After the passing of his father, former president Ong Teng Cheong, the younger Ong took the reins at Ong&Ong, moving it from a patriarch-led family business to a professionally managed, future-ready organisation. He pioneered a holistic concept that integrated architecture, interior design, engineering, landscaping and branding, effectively turning Ong&Ong into a one-stop shop for clients.
In 2003, Ong became part of the Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE), a public-private sector collaboration that aims to create a more entrepreneurial Singapore. He also championed digital transformation well before it became industry standard, leading initiatives like Digital Beyond to overhaul workplace, workflow and workforce strategies.
“Almost 22 years later, ACE is still around, but the entrepreneurial landscape of 22 years ago [versus] today is very different.” Back then, he says, younger workers were after steady employment. Today, he feels that they are more entrepreneurial, and they now have even more tools in their belt to realise their ambitions.
While there are no plans to establish BeyondX outside of Singapore, Ong intends to spread the word in Korea and Japan. “What we’re doing is going over to them to say, ‘If you’re looking for investors and you have a project you’d like to incubate, we’d love for you to incubate it in Singapore, and we’ll help you build it up. We will go to universities and do roadshows to attract them here.”
Ultimately, the return on Ong’s investment may not be a financial one, but one based on reputation.
“There can be solutions that don’t necessarily generate revenue but become the de facto, go-to solutions of the future,” he says. “For example, if one of our members came up with the next Wikipedia or Google Maps. Everybody knows Wikipedia, and everybody knows and uses Google Maps. There’s no money in Wikipedia, but it leaves Singapore start-ups on the map of the digital world.”
