The Singapore general elections 2025 are underway. On Nomination Day, Wednesday 23 April, a total of 211 candidates stepped forward to contest in the election, setting a record in post-independence Singapore. Of these, 89 or 42.2% are new faces. 32 are from the People’s Action Party (PAP), 14 from the Workers’ Party (WP), 41 are from one of the 9 other political parties and 2 are independent candidates.
Of these 89 are contesting an election for the first time, a number of them are entrepreneurs who have founded companies. We want to shine the spotlight on several of these individuals. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list and is sorted alphabetically by surname.
Read Also: GE2025: Key Election Timelines To Note Before Polling Day On 3 May
#1 Surayah Akbar
| Party | Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) |
| Contested Constituency | Sembawang |
| Company Founded | Kraton Music Publishing & Arts |
The SDP’s Treasurer and Head of Fundraising, 42-year-old Surayah Akbar founded Kraton Music Publishing & Arts (formerly known as RebelFM) back in 2010 with husband Jufri Salim. The music publishing company also handles music production and artiste management.
#2 Cai Yinzhou
| Party | People’s Action Party (PAP) |
| Contested Constituency | Bishan-Toa Payoh |
| Company Founded | Citizen Adventures |
Social entrepreneur Cai Yinzhou founded Citizen Adventures Pte Ltd in 2019. The company conducts unique walking tours through Singapore that educate and raise awareness, as an extension of the Geylang Adventures and Dakota Adventures walking tours that he had conducted since 2014 and 2015 respectively. The 35-year-old recently became the Executive Director for the Chinatown Heritage Centre.
#3 Chia Yun Kai
| Party | Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) |
| Contested Constituency | Pasir Ris-Changi |
| Company Founded | Unknown |
Prior to Nomination Day, 32-year-old Chia Yun Kai had made news for his claim to found a new political party – the Most Valuable Party (MVP), of which he was the only member. But by Nomination Day, he was revealed to have joined the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) and will be contesting in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC. He has been referred to as an “entrepreneur” and a “restaurant owner” in various media but has not revealed which company he founded.
#4 Marcus Neo
| Party | Red Dot United (RDU) |
| Contested Constituency | Jurong East-Bukit Batok |
| Company Founded | Three Little Pigs |
After 7 years of building a career as digital marketer, 33-year-old Marcus Neo founded Three Little Pigs in 2024, a boutique marketing agency that specialises in the legal industry. Neo also founded his own dating consultancy MarcusNeo.com in 2017, which he sold in 2021.
#5 Jufri Salim
| Party | Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) |
| Contested Constituency | Marsiling-Yew Tee |
| Company Founded | Kraton Music Publishing & Arts |
The SDP’s organising secretary, 41-year-old Jufri Salim has been a member of the party since 2006 along with his wife Surayah Akbar. They are the founders of Kraton Music Publishing & Arts, which strives to support and showcase local musicians.
#6 Peter Soh
| Party | People’s Power Party (PPP) |
| Contested Constituency | Tampines |
| Company Founded | HydroBall Technics |
Peter Soh is the Founder and COO of HydroBall Technics, the manufacturer of an automatic tube cleaning system used in commercial and industrial buildings. Under the 65-year-old’s leadership, the company has won multiple sustainability and environmental achievement awards for its ability to optimise energy consumption, improve compressor lifespan and prevent condenser tube corrosion.
#7 Jeremy Tan
| Party | Independent Candidate |
| Contested Constituency | Mountbatten |
| Company Founded | Tissue SG |
He indicated “retired” for occupation on his nomination papers. According to his very extensive LinkedIn profile, however self-proclaimed “Encik Bitcoin” Jeremy Tan is currently the founder of Tissue for Good, a social enterprise that claims to support the needy and disabled in Singapore via selling high-quality, eco-friendly tissues. The 34-year-old serial entrepreneur began as the local distributor for Paula’s Choice, a skincare brand, which was acquired by Unilever in 2021.
Read Also: GE2025 Nomination Day: Key Highlights, Surprises & What Is Going On In Tampines?
#8 Michael Thng
| Party | Workers’ Party (WP) |
| Contested Constituency | Tampines |
| Company Founded | Showdrop |
Following a stint at Boston Consulting Group, Michael Thng co-founded Showdrop in Chicago in 2022. The startup’s smart sampling kiosks allow shoppers to get free product samples while brands use their proprietor digital platform to obtain key data insights that facilitate remarketing, track performance and increase sales. The 36-year-old has indicated that he is prepared to leave his startup should he be elected in.
#9 Kenneth Tiong
| Party | Workers’ Party (WP) |
| Contested Constituency | Aljunied |
| Company Founded | Sensemake.ai |
The growth of AI has supercharged the work of media monitoring with new possibilities. The AI-enhanced ability to scour through hundreds or thousands of Reddit and forum posts to be on the pulse of several online communities feels like a distant possibility, but that is what Kenneth Tiong’s tech startup Sensemake.ai has set out to achieve. The 36-year-old started Sensemake.ai in 2023 after a career spanning McKinsey & Co., Millennium Hedge Fund and Brahman Capital.
Read Also: [GE2025 Edition] How Much Can Each Candidate Spend On The Singapore General Election?
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