From a phone plan for cat parents to a keyless life: Two Singaporean founders share tips from their US start-up journeys

Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times gets its US Bureau Chief to analyse the hottest political and trending talking points.

In this episode, US bureau chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Jasmin Young and Anthony Chow about how they established successful businesses in the US.

Jasmin Young has launched and led several Silicon Valley-based startups including Gather, which aims to build the world's first AI-based telco. She also steered Netreo, an enterprise software business, which was recognised by Inc 5000 as a fastest growing private company for eight consecutive years until 2024. She teaches at University of California, Berkeley and the National University of Singapore.

Anthony Chow, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Igloo, has unlocked a key part of the sharing economy. His firm creates smart locks, devices and enterprise software for homes, commercial properties and infrastructure worldwide. It has logged one billion unlocks annually and was named ‘International Startup of the Year’ at the Austin A List Awards 2025. A Stanford graduate, he also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at the National University of Singapore.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:26 What’s Meow Mobile?

2:38 What’s Igloo?

9:14 Using AI to help connect people & products at scale

12:37 How can start-ups stand out in a crowd?

16:28 Why Anthony sent his smart locks into space

20:21 It’s a marathon, not a sprint

23:19 Jasmin’s biggest breakthrough during Covid

26:37 Does the Singapore brand help?

Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo

Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E

Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz

Host: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

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As local farms keep closing, will stockpiling, import diversification and global partnerships be enough to safeguard Singapore’s food security?

Synopsis: Every first and third Tuesday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change.

The past few years have not been fertile ground for the growth of Singapore’s local farms. Many agri-food businesses have closed or scaled down their operations amid a high operating cost environment. Last November, the Singapore Food Agency finally announced that it will be dropping its original “30 by 30” target, under which Singapore aimed to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030.

There are other efforts in place to safeguard the food import-dependent country’s food security, such as import diversification, stockpiling and global partnerships. But with climate change wrecking havoc on crop yields and recent geopolitical events disrupting long-standing bilateral relationships, can Singapore afford not to have a strategic plan for local production? Green Pulse hosts Audrey Tan and David Fogarty discuss the challenges in this episode.

Have a listen and let us know what you think!

Highlights of conversation (click/tap above):

3:38 Why do farms in Singapore keep closing?

10:49 What are the four pillars in Singapore’s approach to safeguarding food security?

12:48 With climate change affecting crop yields, how effective will import diversification and intergovernmental pacts be in ensuring food security?

16:05 Other than securing supplies of food, what are other areas to look at to boost food security?

Read more on The Straits Times: https://str.sg/sLPM

Follow Audrey Tan on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/848W

Read her articles: https://str.sg/JLM2

Follow David Fogarty on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/jcvy

Read his articles: https://str.sg/JLMu

Hosts: Audrey Tan (audreyt@sph.com.sg) & David Fogarty (dfogarty@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong

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The conversation over the key announcement from Budget 2026 continues.

On Feb 12, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong unveiled a record $154.7 billion Budget, how the Government is doubling down on its AI push. For Singaporeans worried about the cost of living, there was household relief in the form of payouts and CDC vouchers.

In this episode of the podcast, Second Minister for Finance Indranee Rajah discusses the reason for the big AI push and how the Government planning to deal with the downsides of AI like job losses and its environmental impact?

Also joining the conversation are Singapore Management University’s Assistant Professor of Political Science Nathan Peng and the SGTech co-chair of AI, Cloud, and Data Chapter Mr Gunasekharan Chellappan.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:22 Will CDC vouchers be a permanent fixture of the Budget?

5:34 Could Budget 2026 have helped lower income families more?

10:05 “Some people don’t feel like their lives have gotten 2.5 times better.”

12:58 Why do people perceive they aren’t doing well?

18:27 Don’t look at AI as new technology: Guna

21:25 ‘E-nannying’ should stop: Nathan

25:00 Anxiety over being made redundant by AI

30:20 Healthy concern vs unwarranted anxiety?

35:25 Losing the human connection over AI

40:17 Will there be more regulation with stronger AI push?

42:24 Mitigating the negative environmental effects of AI

45:42 How to pick which AI course to take

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh and Chen Junyi

Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis

Editorial producers: Elizabeth Law & Lynda Hong

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

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India's new trade pacts with the EU and US, and the big question: Will Delhi revisit its decision to abandon RCEP?

Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.

A flurry of trade agreements announced by India – first, a “mother of all trade deals” FTA with the European Union, and days later, a framework deal with the US that saw Washington slashing its punitive tariffs on Indian exports to levels just below that of Vietnam and Malaysia, involves wider strategic calculations on every side.

In this wide-ranging conversation, host Ravi Velloor speaks with Ambassador Jawed Ashraf, Chairman of India Trade Promotion Organisation and former foreign policy aide to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also served as envoy to Singapore and France, on the thinking behind the deals, India’s newfound confidence to sign on to market-opening agreements, and the chances of India revisiting its decision to abandon the Asean-backed RCEP, or Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

They both discuss India’s trade imperatives, the tighter embrace by India of the European Union which is itself adjusting to a multipolar world, and how quality trade agreements help set the stage for foreign direct investment flows and stronger strategic ties. They also chat about the calibrated opening that India is making with China, even as it is not yet ready to revisit entering RCEP.

Highlights (click/tap above)

1:08 India withdrawal from RCEP and focus on bilateral relations

5:15 A greater alignment of trade with geopolitics

8:46 Roots of India’s “self-confidence” to sign trade deals

11:07 What the trade deals mean for ordinary Indians

14:11 EU looks to India, Taiwan in the AI age

18:14 EU-India, and a message to the US

20:53 Did Trump negotiate with a “gun to India’s head”?

24:18 Why stress on defence in US-India trade deal

27:01 RCEP: A calibrated opening is ongoing with China

Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP

Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor

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Host: Ravi Velloor (velloor@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

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The strong push towards artificial intelligence and support for vulnerable groups such as lower-income families were two big themes that emerged at Budget 2026.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is also the Finance Minister, just delivered his first Budget since the new government was elected last year.

How will businesses be affected by these measures, and how will the Singapore workforce adapt? In our push for new avenues of growth, are there worries about Singaporeans being left behind?

In this episode of The Usual Place, I speak with National University of Singapore political science lecturer Rebecca Grace Tan and Singapore Business Federation chief policy and operating officer Musa Fazal about what they made of this year’s Budget.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:12 First reactions to Budget 2026

3:57 What did this year’s Budget miss?

6:12 Using CDC vouchers for strawberries

9:15 Are we dependent on handouts?

14:25 How can AI benefits be spread across society

19:45 The reality of businesses using AI now

24:30 High global talent wages will raise business costs

28:38 Are we ensuring no one’s left behind as S’pore purses growth?

34:51 Growth in the economy, but fewer jobs?

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh and Chen Junyi

Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis

Editorial producers: Elizabeth Law & Lynda Hong

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

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Government support measures such as CDC vouchers were meant to cushion soaring inflation. But are they fiscally sustainable?

Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

Temporary government handouts like the CDC vouchers were meant to cushion the impact of Covid-19 and soaring inflation due to supply shocks that were caused by global events like the war in Ukraine.

But with inflation cooling to trend levels, can Singaporeans wean off the ‘free money’ reliance from CDC vouchers that were meant to be temporary?

In this episode - which comes out a day ahead of Budget 2026 - ST assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong speaks to independent economist Song Seng Wun; and sociologist Clara Lee, research fellow at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s Institute of Policy Studies.

Apart from how the CDC voucher scheme has since become a staple of the government’s support package, they delve into different forms of welfare Singaporeans now receive, and the impact on small businesses should the scheme be withdrawn.

Highlights (click/tap above):

4:11 Impact on heartland merchants should CDC vouchers be withdrawn

9:42 Why are we using 'emergency' vouchers in a recovering economy?

15:49 Exiting from the policy of handing out CDC vouchers

20:43 Digital infrastructure to distribute CDC vouchers are now well-established: Clara

22:45 Redefining welfare state?

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong

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Resting too much can weaken muscles, worsening joint pain in the long run, says an expert.

Synopsis: Every month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

Problems affecting bones, joints, muscles, and tendons are the leading contributor of disability among all ages worldwide.

These problems arising from musculoskeletal disorders comprise diverse conditions affecting bones, joints, muscles, and connective tissues, which may result in pain and loss of function.

The disorders, which include conditions such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, low back pain, and other degenerative conditions, are especially common in older adults.

However, they are not an inevitable part of aging.

In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo talks to surgeon-scientist, Assistant Professor Bryan Tan to find out more about what one can do to prevent musculoskeletal disorders.

They touched on strength training, what one can do about exercise after a flare of knee osteoarthritis, and not waiting till there is no pain to resume exercising.

Prof Tan is an orthopaedic surgeon at Woodlands Hospital, and the co-chair of the musculoskeletal integrated care work group at NHG Health.

Highlights (click/tap above):

3:48 What are musculoskeletal conditions?

6:55 It’s never too late to build your muscles and bones

8:45 The more you don’t use your muscles, the weaker they will become

18:21 Hyrox or not, everyone should be engaging in physical activity

20:27 How to get back to your exercise routine after a flare of your knee osteoarthritis?

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN

Host: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Amirul Karim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong

Follow Health Check Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

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Hong Kong prides itself on being a first world city. So how did such a thing like the Tai Po fire happen?

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they're based in.

On Nov 26, 2025, a fire swept through Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong's Tai Po district, killing 168 people.

What also perished in that inferno was a certain trust in the system to keep everyone safe.

The Straits Times’ Hong Kong Correspondent Magdalene Fung, a long-time resident of the city, talks to host and foreign editor Li Xueying about her experience covering the disaster.

She also wrestles with the question of how Hong Kong’s tolerance for cutting corners cuts both ways. There is ingenuity. But the acceptance of quick, convenient fixes has also resulted in a society that collectively allowed the fire to happen.

Highlights (click/tap above):

01:04 On the ground, covering the fire

03:52 A system that failed

09:54 But a society that also helped

11:03 Low standards and quick, convenient fixes

16:12 The fire doors are still not closed

Read Magdalene Fung’s article here: https://str.sg/JyX2y

Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR

Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x

Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz

Host: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg)

Edited by: Fa’izah Sani

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7

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