Leaders at the Bell with Tim Ong, CEO at Victus Group Asia, Aug. 07, 2026

Tim Ong, founder and chief operating officer of Victus Asia Group, joins Leaders at the Bell to discuss Singapore's role as Asia's premier business gateway and the evolving institutional catering sector across the region. Ong positions Singapore as the Asian equivalent of New York, serving as the primary entry point for multinational corporations seeking access to Southeast Asia's 680 million consumers. The city-state's business-friendly environment, characterized by one-day company registration, political stability, and favorable tax policies, continues to attract global talent and capital. This influx creates ripple effects across service industries, with institutional catering emerging as a significant opportunity tied to the expansion of international schools and corporate events, including marquee attractions like Formula One.

The institutional catering market in Singapore and neighboring countries faces unique challenges that technology is helping to address. With a limited labor pool and constrained physical space in a nation of just five million people, Victus Group leverages digital platforms for everything from meal ordering to mobile wallet payments in school cafeterias. Ong notes that over one hundred thousand students attend international schools in Singapore alone, with the model expanding rapidly across Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, creating a substantial addressable market for specialized catering services.

The conversation also explores Singapore's venture capital landscape and startup ecosystem, with family offices and international funds actively deploying capital into regional ventures. Ong highlights the fragmented nature of Southeast Asian markets, where startups must navigate diverse languages, regulations, and cultural contexts across multiple countries, creating opportunities for localized solutions that can eventually scale to international exchanges including the NYSE.