Spearheaded by the Future Law Innovation Programme, GLIDE will drive innovation in Singapore’s legal sector.

Singapore, 03 June 2019 — From this week, the Singapore Academy of Law (“SAL”)’s Future Law Innovation Programme (“FLIP”) welcomes applications for GLIDE (Global Legal Innovation and Digital Entrepreneurship), Asia’s first accelerator targeting legal tech start-ups. Both local and international[1] founders of early stage start-ups in this field are invited to apply to the programme at flip.org.sg/glide.

The three-month programme is open to start-ups in the legal, compliance and regulation tech fields. It is especially suited for firms that dabble in technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, advanced analytics, and automated data collection and analysis. Applying start-ups should have at least a working prototype and be at either a pre-revenue or post-first revenue stage. Successful applicants will be notified in July.

“GLIDE is SAL’s latest effort to drive legal tech in Singapore and strengthen innovation in the legal sector,” explained Ms Serene Wee, Chief Executive of SAL. “SAL wants to serve as a bridge between the tech and legal industries, to ensure that products and services are developed with the legal industry’s needs in mind, helping the sector ready for the future.”

AN ACCELERATOR DONE DIFFERENTLY

Unlike traditional accelerators, SAL will not automatically take equity in participating start-ups. “Participants will take part in paid learning and mentorship opportunities from SAL. Armed with these, they will be able to better pitch and position their products and services to a variety of investors that may include SAL,” explained Mr Paul Neo, SAL’s Chief Operating Officer and the Executive Director of SAL Ventures, which runs FLIP.

Other unique features of GLIDE include:

• VIRTUAL ACCELERATION: Tapping on technology to create a hassle-free experience, GLIDE offers maximum value with minimal disruption to the start-ups. In this vein, it will be a virtual accelerator that uses social learning and a hybrid approach combining face-to-face and remote interactions to guide participants on their start-up journey.

•   LEARNING THE ROPES: Participants will also be plugged into FLIP’s programmes that boost productivity and efficiency. “Start-ups can tap on our resources for incorporation, legal, accounting and regional expansion through dedicated workshops,” added Mr Neo. “Regular networking sessions will also expose them to the who’s who of the legal industry and provide access to various stakeholders in Singapore’s legal, regulatory and tech ecosystems.”
  

• ALWAYS ON: GLIDE will also adopt an always-on approach, which means that it will host start-ups all year-round. This aligns with FLIP’s vision that innovation does not have an end-date and that the best ideas could spring up at any time. Similarly, start-ups will be groomed to meet their own targets, whatever those may be. “We will not dictate what their starting points or end goals should be, but we would like to help promising firms get to their desired goal,” said Mr Neo.

ENDS

[1] If your start-up is not based in Singapore, you or your co-founder must travel to Singapore at least two times throughout the programme.

About the Future Law Innovation Programme
FLIP is a two-year pilot programme by the Singapore Academy of Law to encourage the adoption of technology and drive innovation to create a vibrant ecosystem for legal technology. It is part of the Legal Technology Vision, a five-year road map by SAL for the digital transformation of Singapore’s legal sector. This vision — put together by representatives from the Judiciary, the Ministry of Law, Attorney-General’s Chambers and private sector lawyers — is a call to action for lawyers to become part of the digital disruption that faces the legal industry today. FLIP regularly runs legal tech-related events in the Legal Innovation Lab located at the Collision 8 co-working space across the road from the Supreme Court.

More information on FLIP can be found at www.flip.org.sg.

About the Singapore Academy of Law

SAL is a promotion and development agency for Singapore’s legal industry. Our vision is to make Singapore the legal hub of Asia. SAL works with our stakeholders to set new precedents of excellence in Singapore law through developing thought leadership, world class infrastructure and legal solutions. Our mandates are to build up the intellectual capital of the legal profession by enhancing legal knowledge, raise the international profile of Singapore law, promote Singapore as a centre for dispute resolution, and improve the standards and efficiency of legal practice through continuing professional development and the use of technology. As a body established by statute, SAL also undertakes statutory functions such as stakeholding services and appointment of Senior Counsel, Commissioners for Oaths and Notaries Public.

More information can be found at www.sal.org.sg.