By SGN | 4 Sep 2024
Less than a year after her first visit to Singapore , Malina jumped at the opportunity to relocate and set up a regional headquarters for UiPath, a Romanian startup worth over $8 billion today.
She had attended a conference in the city to showcase UiPath’s robotic process automation (RPA) software that accelerates business processes such as customer engagement or claims processing.
“What really impressed me about the Singapore tech ecosystem was how vibrant and energetic it felt,” she recalls. “The level of interest in new technology was high, even though the RPA market was still very nascent. So I thought there was great potential for UiPath to set up a regional office.”
With Singapore as UIPath’s base in Southeast Asia, Malina launched five more outposts, hiring and training teams from scratch, developing a network of around 50 channel partners and 400 customers, establishing UiPath as the region’s market leader in RPA.
She has since started her own company, which aims to be a bridge between European startups keen to access Singapore and the region, and Singapore startups looking to expand globally.
The move to Singapore
After a couple of years of growing UIPath’s business in Southeast Asia, Malina transitioned to first an APAC role, and then to a global position in charge of key global accounts, including Fortune 500 customers. Though she had an opportunity to move to the US – UiPath’s headquarters had moved to New York in 2017 – she chose to stay in Singapore.
She liked how multicultural and cosmopolitan the city is, and that English is widely spoken. Hailing from the cooler climes and sub-zero winters of Romania, she also loved the year-round sun and summer temperatures. But it takes more to build a network from scratch.
“In order to expand my professional network, in my first years of living in Singapore, I attended different tech events, conferences, meet-up groups focused on automation & AI. These avenues are excellent ways to meet like-minded people who are passionate about similar tech areas.”
Joining interest groups related to her passions have also been instrumental in building her personal network.
She shares, “I have always been extremely passionate about having a healthy, active life, having practised kickboxing and tae-boo for almost 20 years. So the first thing which I did when I moved to Singapore, was to find same gym and groups of people with whom I can practice!” As a bonus, sports helps with maintaining a healthy mental and emotional balance, and even boosts her confidence in her professional life.
“Since COVID, I started to practice yoga and meditation, and joined many groups through which I have created a lot of friendships beyond the work environment.”
Singapore’s five-year work visa ONE Pass made her move easy. Launched in January 2023, the work visa provides top global talent greater flexibility, career certainty and hassle-free relocation.
“As the ONE Pass has a five-year validity with subsequent five-year renewability, it was ideal for my long-term plans to live and work in Singapore.”
“This opportunity allowed me to become deeply involved in the tech startup ecosystem, connecting with players from VCs, angel investors, accelerators, incubators, startup founders, universities, as well as Government institutions and contribute to global and regional startup growth initiatives and programmes,” says Malina.
Interested to find out more about ONE Pass? Click here to learn more and apply.
“The application process for the ONE Pass was also smooth. I gathered all the necessary documents within a few days, applied online via the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) website, and received a response in about three weeks. The website was easy to follow, and I could submit everything required without an external agency’s help.”
Deepening her impact in Singapore
In February 2022, Malina left UiPath and felt compelled to contribute to the tech startup ecosystem in Singapore. In this way, she joined the Singapore chapter of Girls in Tech, a nonprofit network with a presence in more than 30 countries – first as a board member, later becoming co-managing director. Drawing from her experiences, she sought to nurture the next generation of tech startups and talent.
When Girls in Tech closed its doors in July 2024, Malina and her colleagues saw an opportunity to continue promoting equality in the tech space, launching a local non-profit organisation called “Sponsors in Tech – Empowering Her Tech Journey”. The organisation aims to be a leading platform for girls and women in tech careers through providing networking opportunities with mentorship initiatives, and upskilling pathways with programmes that focus on emerging technologies such as AI and cybersecurity.
She believes Singapore has the right environment to cultivate a tech ecosystem where women in the sector are empowered to take on responsibilities early in their careers.
“There is an emphasis on meritocracy here, and a lot of support from the government, enterprise and educational sectors for gender equality,” she says.
Malina also started her own company, Global Digital Ventures, in , to advise European startups looking to enter Asia and Singaporean startups seeking to expand globally.
For startups to be successful in Southeast Asia, Malina says, it is critical to build local teams that know well the local market, have deep connections with the channel partners, and can speak the local language.
“I always advise European startups to study the local ecosystem and be open to feedback on how they should adapt their offering,” she says. “They might come with their technical expertise, their product experience. But in Southeast Asia, every country has its own culture and business dynamics.”
Malina has helped European startups such as Binalyze and DRUID AI expand into Southeast Asia.
The startups Malina works with are largely AI-related. These include DRUID AI, a Romanian conversational business application platform, and Binalyze, an Estonian cybersecurity firm. In Singapore, she invested in and advises Botsync, a manufacturer of robots for logistics, Ailytics, which enhances workplace safety through video analytics, and Smplrspace, a creator of digital twins for coordinated business intelligence.
“Depending on their needs, their industry, and the countries they want to enter, I connect these startups with customers, partners, or VCs and angel investors to support them in their fundraising and business expansion process,” she says.
An unofficial ambassador for Singapore
Malina is in touch with many Europeans who are curious about the tech scene and the way of life in Singapore. Some of them, like UiPath co-founder and her good friend Marius Tîrcă, end up relocating to the city as well.
“I consider myself to be a little of an ambassador for people considering of moving to Singapore,” she laughs. “I’m always happy to share from my own professional and personal experience.”
Tech professionals are often interested in Singapore as a place to found a startup, join an investment community, or oversee business expansion across APAC. “For people bringing their family and children here, Singapore also offers a very stable, family-oriented environment,” she adds.
Being based in Singapore has continued to fuel Malina’s curiosity and passion for tech. “I see each startup that I work with as an opportunity to learn something new”, she says.
What drives her equally is the desire to create a better world. “It may sound lofty, but I believe that everything companies create through tech should benefit people,” she says, “be it in healthcare, education or manufacturing. Innovation should ultimately make our lives easier, better and more convenient.”
Having moved to Singapore with few connections, Malina hoped to widen her network of personal and professional contacts.
“Groups like Singapore Global Network bring great value especially to those who have just moved here,” she says. “The people are very friendly, and in the beginning, it helped me learn about the tech ecosystem. It’s nice to see their initiatives growing and diversifying over the years. I’ve become more involved in panels and events, which have allowed me to connect with more leaders in tech.”
Malina meets former UiPath colleagues for monthly walks and hikes, exploring nature spots such as MacRitchie Reservoir and Changi Boardwalk.
Interested in working in Singapore or starting a business here?
Find out more about the new Overseas Networks & Expertise (ONE) Pass as well as other work passes that may suit you.
Meet Malina
Malina is the founder of Global Digital Ventures, through which she advises and invests in Singaporean and European tech startups. She previously worked at Romanian startup UiPath, where she rose to the position of Global Head of Key Accounts Program. Based in Singapore since 2017, she is also a co-managing director of Sponsors in Tech Singapore.
Connect with her here.
