Specialised talent, stipend support, no resume pile: A smarter way for deep-tech start-ups to hire

SGInnovate’s Helix Immersion Programme does the matching, provides financial support, and connects medtech and biotech start-ups with talent they would struggle to find on their own

Deep tech start-ups in Singapore can leverage SGInnovate’s Helix Immersion programme to find the right talent for their organisation.

Published Oct 28, 2026, 04:00 AM

Updated Oct 28, 2026, 04:00 AM

Before home-grown medical technology firm Vivo Surgical brought robotics engineer Zhao Yuxuan on board in 2025, it spent about a year searching for a suitable candidate via online human resource portals. The firm develops medical devices for surgery, including an endoscopic robot for minimally invasive procedures in the gastrointestinal tract.

“Hiring talent in medtech is challenging, especially for specialised engineering roles and start-ups at a later stage of development, like us,” says Vivo Surgical founder and chief executive Kevin Koh. “Many candidates have strong academic backgrounds but only limited industry experience in areas like regulated product development, system integration and clinical workflows.”

An opportunity arose when Koh learnt about SGInnovate’s Helix Immersion Programme (HIP) via networking events. HIP’s main goal is to help deep-tech companies access and develop specialised talent. It does this by matching biotech and medtech businesses with people looking to grow their careers in these industries.

The Vivo Surgical team, with founder and chief executive Kevin Koh (front row, far left), have benefited from SGInnovate’s Helix Immersion Programme. PHOTO: VIVO SURGICAL

The Vivo Surgical team, with founder and chief executive Kevin Koh (front row, far left), have benefited from SGInnovate’s Helix Immersion Programme.

PHOTO: VIVO SURGICAL

The programme sources talent through universities and research institutions, as well as SGInnovate’s vast network on its centralised deep-tech ecosystem platform known as Deep Tech Central . Matched applicants, also called HIP fellows, join the companies for a year of full-time, on-the-job training, after which they could be offered permanent positions. Businesses that take on HIP fellows also get a monthly stipend to reduce hiring costs during the year-long fellowship (see box story).

To ensure strong matches, HIP works closely with the firms to understand their requirements, growth stage and operations. Suitable candidates are then shortlisted based on relevant skills, experience and transferable capabilities, as well as their readiness to work in start-ups or firms aiming to scale rapidly.

“This goes beyond resume-matching, because we also take into account potential employees’ motivation, adaptability and cultural fit to the company,” says Alicia Ng, SGInnovate’s deputy director, People, Working Professionals.

Zhao, for example, had recently graduated with a master of science in engineering, with a focus on medical robots, but she had also interned at a medical technology company for four months, giving her practical experience well suited to Vivo Surgical’s needs. “She had a strong robotics engineering background and structured technical approach,” Koh recalls.

During her HIP year with the firm, Zhao joined the engineering team in improving its endoscopic surgical robot’s performance and user-friendliness. Beyond her technical skills, Koh says she was also a good fit for the company culturally.

“She adapted quickly to the pace of a start-up environment, took ownership of her role early, and worked proactively across teams. Her technical contributions were strong, but what truly made her fellowship successful was her combination of soft and hard skills, which allowed her to integrate naturally with our company,” Koh explains.

Zhao Yuxuan has gone on to secure a full-time position at Vivo Surgical, following her completion of the Helix Immersion Programme. PHOTO: SGINNOVATE

Zhao Yuxuan has gone on to secure a full-time position at Vivo Surgical, following her completion of the Helix Immersion Programme.

Says Zhao: “Vivo Surgical pushes me to grow every day – I’m constantly inspired by new challenges and motivated by a team that strives for excellence together.”

After Zhao completed her HIP fellowship in December last year, Vivo Surgical hired her full-time as a systems integration engineer.

Koh highlights: “This whole experience really showed us how HIP can help start-ups to bring on skilled personnel and develop talent.”

Exploring more support for businesses

While HIP initially focused on placing graduates with master’s degrees and PhDs into research-intensive roles, it is exploring opportunities to broaden its talent pool to meet the evolving needs of biomedical technology start-ups.

“Start-ups increasingly require talent for technical and operational functions such as quality assurance, regulatory affairs, manufacturing and product development. These roles may be suited to candidates with relevant bachelor’s degrees,” says Ng.

“At the same time, there is a growing pool of graduates in life sciences, biomedical sciences and engineering seeking structured pathways into industry. Exploring opportunities to include these degree holders could help HIP better address workforce needs while creating more pathways for scientific talent to contribute to the sector.”

Ng adds that, as the number of companies in Singapore’s biotech and medtech sectors grow over the next decade, hiring will become more difficult at all levels, especially for start-ups and smaller firms that have to compete with well-established, multinational corporations. This makes HIP’s support even more critical.

Says Koh: “I would definitely recommend HIP to other companies, because it provides access to motivated, technical talent within a structured framework that benefits both companies and individuals.”

He notes: “It worked for us and helped us to identify, develop and retain talent sustainably. In this way, beyond hiring, it is also helping to strengthen Singapore’s deep-tech talent pipeline in a practical and sustainable way.”

What companies can expect from the Helix Immersion Programme (HIP)

HIP reduces the mismatch between what biomedtech companies need and what academic training typically produces. In doing so, it helps start-ups build a sustainable pool of talent capable of contributing across scientific, operational and commercial functions, all critical to commercialising deep tech innovation. Companies that participate in HIP can expect:

Tailored role matching SGInnovate works closely with the start-up to understand their hiring needs, growth stage and project requirements.​

Curated candidate shortlist Gain access to candidates with relevant technical expertise and transferable skills who are ready to contribute in fast-moving start-ups and scaling firms.​

Hiring cost support Receive co-funding for the HIP Fellow’s monthly stipend during the year-long fellowship.​

Structured programme support Regular check-ins ensure fellows integrate smoothly, stay on track with project milestones and deliver meaningful outcomes.​

Hands-on facilitation when needed SGInnovate helps align expectations, refine project scopes and resolve challenges quickly to keep collaborations productive.​

Learn more about the Helix Immersion Programme here.

Biomedical/Biotechnology

SGInnovate的Helix沉浸式项目负责匹配、提供资金支持，并将医疗科技和生物科技初创企业与他们自身难以找到的人才联系起来。

新加坡的深度科技初创企业可以利用 SGInnovate 的 Helix Immersion 计划，为他们的组织找到合适的人才。

发布于 2026 年 10 月 28 日 上午 4:00

更新于2026年10月28日凌晨4点

本土医疗科技公司维沃外科（Vivo Surgical）在2025年聘请机器人工程师赵宇轩之前，曾通过在线人力资源平台花费约一年时间寻找合适的候选人。该公司致力于研发外科手术用医疗器械，包括用于胃肠道微创手术的内窥镜机器人。

“在医疗技术领域招聘人才是一项挑战，尤其是对于专业工程岗位和像我们这样处于发展后期阶段的初创公司而言，”Vivo Surgical创始人兼首席执行官Kevin Koh表示。“许多候选人拥有优秀的学术背景，但在受监管产品开发、系统集成和临床工作流程等领域的行业经验有限。”

Koh在参加社交活动时了解到SGInnovate的Helix沉浸式项目（HIP），这为他提供了一个绝佳的机会。HIP的主要目标是帮助深度科技公司获取和培养专业人才。该项目通过将生物科技和医疗科技企业与希望在这些行业发展职业生涯的人才进行匹配来实现这一目标。

Vivo Surgical团队，包括创始人兼首席执行官Kevin Koh（前排最左），都受益于SGInnovate的Helix沉浸式培训项目。图片：VIVO SURGICAL

Vivo Surgical 团队，包括创始人兼首席执行官 Kevin Koh（前排最左），都受益于 SGInnovate 的 Helix 沉浸式培训计划。

图片：VIVO SURGICAL

该项目通过大学和研究机构以及SGInnovate在其名为“Deep Tech Central”的集中式深度科技生态系统平台上的庞大网络来招募人才。匹配成功的申请者（也称为HIP学员）将加入相关公司进行为期一年的全职在职培训，之后有机会获得正式职位。接收HIP学员的企业还将获得每月津贴，以降低其在为期一年的培训期间的招聘成本（详见方框内容）。

为确保精准匹配，HIP与各公司紧密合作，深入了解其需求、发展阶段和运营模式。随后，HIP会根据候选人的相关技能、经验和可迁移能力，以及他们是否愿意在初创公司或旨在快速扩张的公司工作，筛选出合适的候选人。

“这不仅仅是简历匹配，因为我们还会考虑潜在员工的动机、适应能力以及与公司文化的契合度，”SGInnovate 人力资源和职场专业人士副总监 Alicia Ng 表示。

例如，赵女士近期获得了工程学硕士学位，主攻方向是医疗机器人，但她也曾在一家医疗技术公司实习了四个月，积累了非常符合Vivo Surgical需求的实践经验。“她拥有扎实的机器人工程背景和严谨的技术方法，”Koh回忆道。

在赵女士加入公司担任高级培训生期间，她加入了工程团队，致力于提升内窥镜手术机器人的性能和易用性。除了技术能力之外，Koh 表示，赵女士在文化上也与公司非常契合。

Koh解释说：“她很快适应了创业公司的快节奏环境，很早就承担起自己的责任，并积极主动地与各个团队合作。她的技术贡献很强，但真正让她在实习期间取得成功的是她软技能和硬技能的结合，这使她能够自然地融入我们公司。”

赵宇璇在完成Helix沉浸式培训项目后，已成功入职Vivo Surgical公司，获得全职职位。图片来源：SGINNOVATE

赵宇璇在完成 Helix 沉浸式培训项目后，已在 Vivo Surgical 获得全职职位。

赵表示：“Vivo Surgical 每天都在激励我成长——我不断受到新挑战的启发，并被一个共同追求卓越的团队所激励。”

赵女士于去年 12 月完成 HIP 研究员项目后，Vivo Surgical 公司聘请她担任系统集成工程师。

Koh强调：“这次经历让我们真正了解了HIP如何帮助初创企业引进技能人才并培养人才。”

探索为企业提供更多支持。

虽然 HIP 最初专注于将硕士和博士毕业生安置到研究密集型岗位，但它正在探索扩大人才库的机会，以满足生物医学技术初创企业不断变化的需求。

“初创企业越来越需要技术和运营方面的人才，例如质量保证、法规事务、生产制造和产品开发。这些职位可能适合拥有相关学士学位的候选人，”吴先生说。

“与此同时，生命科学、生物医学和工程专业的毕业生群体日益壮大，他们正在寻求进入行业的系统化途径。探索将这些学位持有者纳入其中的机会，可以帮助HIP更好地满足劳动力需求，同时为科学人才创造更多为该行业做出贡献的途径。”

吴先生补充道，未来十年，随着新加坡生物科技和医疗科技行业公司数量的增长，各层级的招聘都将变得更加困难，尤其是对于必须与成熟的跨国公司竞争的初创企业和小公司而言。这使得HIP的支持显得尤为重要。

Koh 表示：“我一定会向其他公司推荐 HIP，因为它在一个结构化的框架内提供了积极进取、技术精湛的人才，这对公司和个人都有好处。”

他指出：“这种方法对我们很有效，帮助我们可持续地识别、培养和留住人才。这样一来，除了招聘之外，它还以切实可行的可持续方式帮助加强新加坡的深科技人才储备。”

企业可以从Helix沉浸式项目（HIP）中获得什么

HIP项目旨在缩小生物医药技术公司所需人才与学术培训成果之间的差距。通过这种方式，它帮助初创企业建立可持续的人才储备，这些人才能够在科学、运营和商业等各个职能领域做出贡献，而这些职能对于将前沿技术创新商业化至关重要。参与HIP项目的公司可以期待：

SGInnovate提供量身定制的职位匹配服务，与初创公司紧密合作，了解其招聘需求、发展阶段和项目要求。

精心筛选的候选人名单 接触到拥有相关技术专长和可迁移技能，并能为快速发展的初创公司和成长型公司做出贡献的候选人。

招聘费用支持：在为期一年的研究期间，HIP研究员的每月津贴将获得联合资助。

结构化的项目支持：定期跟进确保学员顺利融入项目，按时完成项目里程碑，并取得有意义的成果。

SGInnovate会在需要时提供实际操作指导，帮助各方协调预期、完善项目范围并快速解决挑战，从而保持高效的合作。

点击这里了解更多关于Helix沉浸式课程的信息。

生物医学/生物技术