When Regulators Win: What Singapore's Robotaxi Rollout Reveals About the Future of Deep Tech

While Silicon Valley's AV companies fought regulators and burned billions, Singapore just orchestrated the future of transportation. WeRide partnered with Grab. Pony.ai partnered with ComfortDelGro. Both launching in 2025.

This isn't just about self-driving cars. It's about how deep tech scales when you work WITH regulators instead of against them.

Meanwhile, Series A funding collapsed 23% year-over-year. Fundraising timelines stretched to 3.5 years for many companies. The easy money era is over.

This episode connects autonomous vehicles, strategic partnerships, and the brutal fundraising reality of 2025. If you're building deep tech or raising in Southeast Asia, this is required listening.

WHAT WE COVER

🚗 The Singapore AV Strategy

Why WeRide + Grab partnership changes everything

What Pony.ai brings to ComfortDelGro

How Singapore's Land Transport Authority orchestrates (not just approves) innovation

💸 The Series A Apocalypse

Funding down 23%, deal volume down 18%

Median time Seed→Series A: 20 months (but 3.5 years for many)

Hot sectors vs cold sectors: Where money is actually flowing

🎯 Strategic Partnerships vs Solo Execution

The question every deep tech founder must ask

Why being a vendor means you have no leverage

How to become a strategic partner instead

🔥 The AI Hype Reality Check

What investors actually ask about AI startups

How to tell if you're AI-washing your pitch

When to force the AI angle (hint: never)

📊 What's Actually Working in 2025

The death of triple-triple-double-double-double

5 things Southeast Asia founders must internalize

Why government backing is your fastest path to scale

In This Episode:

[00:00] Intro: Continuing from climate tech and policy dynamics [02:01] WeRide + Grab and Pony.ai + ComfortDelGro partnerships in Singapore

[05:22] US vs Singapore AV playbook: Chaos vs orchestration [10:13] Why Punggol is the perfect testbed for autonomous vehicles [15:16] Building trust through strategic partnerships and familiar brands

[18:24] The fundraising apocalypse: Series A down 23%

[22:06] Hot vs cold sectors: What's actually getting funded in 2025 [25:12] The death of triple-triple-double-double growth expectations [27:24] Why Southeast Asia needed this correction

[31:52] Practical advice: Extended runway planning for founders

💡 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

✅ Strategic partnerships > solo execution in deep tech

✅ Series A funding is down 23% YoY—plan for 2x longer fundraising timelines

✅ If you're a vendor, you have no leverage. Be a strategic partner.

✅ Singapore's government-orchestrated approach scales faster than Silicon Valley's chaos

✅ Extended runway (24-30 months) isn't optional—it's survival

📊 FEATURED DATA POINTS & SOURCES :

📉 Series A dollars deployed: Down 23% YoY

📉 Series A deal volume: Down 18% YoY

⏱️ Median Seed→Series A time: 20 months (up to 3.5 years for many) 🚗 WeRide autonomous driving: 50M+ kilometres

🚗 Waymo 2024 rides: 4M+ rides, 96M projected miles by mid-2025

🇸🇬 Pony.ai-ComfortDelGro MoU: July 2024

🇸🇬 Grab Ai.R launch: September 2025

SOURCES:

Grab Singapore press release (Sept 2025)

Pony.ai investor relations announcements (Sept 2025)

Land Transport Authority AV trial data

Carta Series A market report

Waymo operational metrics

FOR FOUNDERS LISTENING

If you're fundraising right now:

Plan for timelines 2x longer than you think

Raise 24-30 months runway, not 18

Have burn reduction plan BEFORE you need it

If you're building deep tech:

Identify established players who need you

Position as strategic partner, not vendor

Work WITH regulators, not around them

If you're in Southeast Asia:

Stop copying Silicon Valley playbooks

Government isn't your enemy—it's your accelerant

Build for the market you're actually in

🎙️ ABOUT SEA OF STARTUPS:

Sea of Startups is your weekly reality check for building in Southeast Asia. Hosted by Kimberly Yeoh and Kevin Brockland, we cover what's actually happening in the ecosystem—no fluff, no hype, just the truth about fundraising, regulation, and what it takes to build here.

🔗 CONNECT WITH US:

💼 LinkedIn: Kimberly Yeohhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/weiisyuenyeohacmacgma/ |

Kevin Brockland:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbrockland/

📧 Newsletter: https://seaofstartups.substack.com

📌 MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

WeRide (autonomous vehicle technology)

Grab (Southeast Asia ride-hailing)

Pony.ai (Chinese AV company)

ComfortDelGro (Singapore transportation)

Waymo (Google's AV division)

Cruise (GM's AV company - shut down SF operations)

Land Transport Authority Singapore

Carta (startup cap table platform)

🏷️ TAGS:

#AutonomousVehicles #Singapore #StartupFunding #SeriesA #SoutheastAsia #VentureCapital #Waymo #Grab #WeRide #PonyAI #DeepTech #AIStartups #FundraisingTips #StartupStrategy #TechInvestment #SmartCities #Robotaxi #ComfortDelGro #LandTransportAuthority #SEAStartups

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

What are you seeing in your market? Are strategic partnerships the new playbook, or are you still going solo? Drop a comment below.

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⚠️ DISCLAIMER:

All views expressed are personal opinions and do not represent any organizations mentioned. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seaofstartups.substack.com