SingaporeRajesh H. Acharya
Founder and Group CEO, HQ Connections
Three decades across manufacturing and IT, including Batam’s factories from 1996 to 2000. He leads group strategy and the Singapore side of every engagement.
rajesh@ipasventures.comOne partner. Three jurisdictions.
We hire, license and run your Indonesian operation in Batam, 45 minutes from Singapore, while our Singapore parent, HQ Connections, holds the relationship on your side of the strait.
Batam
PT IPAS Ventures Indonesia
Your team, your licence, payroll and the workplace, inside the Batam Free Trade Zone.
- Johor
The third jurisdiction
Part of the Golden Triangle with Singapore and Batam. We do not run a Johor office; our two desks are Singapore and Batam.
- Singapore
HQ Connections Pte Ltd
Our parent group at Vertex, Ubi. Regional strategy, client origination, and the Singapore-side legal and finance desk.
- Batam
PT IPAS Ventures Indonesia
Your team, your licence, payroll and the workplace, inside the Batam Free Trade Zone.
- Bintan
The next connection
A bridge of about 10–12 km between Batam and Bintan is planned for the next three to five years.
Schematic, not to scale. Choose a place on the map.
Test. Build. Own.
You do not have to open an Indonesian company to find out whether Indonesia works for you. Most clients move through three stages and stop at whichever one fits.
Test the market
For six months or more, TEMPINDO puts your product in Bahasa Indonesia, in front of local analysts and customers, with no entity of your own.
About TEMPINDOBuild the team
When the test works, we hire engineers, support or finance staff in Batam and carry them on the IPAS payroll as Employer of Record.
Talent servicesOwn the entity
When you’re sure, we set up a PT PMA with its Free Trade Zone licence, KITAS permits and compliance, and run it with the same people.
Setup and advisory
Find where you fit
Multinationals building a captive team
Engineering, finance, HR or support at Batam cost, with someone accountable on both shores.
Singapore firms crossing into Indonesia
Same-day access back to headquarters. You do not need a second head office to find out if the work belongs here.
Tech companies testing the market
Six months to learn product-market fit in Bahasa Indonesia, before you incorporate a subsidiary.
Partners building the ecosystem
A founding partner of Startup Sumatra and RISING Batam, the public-private platform for the Riau Islands.
Everything the operation needs
Four practices, one counterpart. Most clients start with a team or a licence.
A team that works as part of yours
Without you becoming an Indonesian employer on day one.
- Captive teams Software, data, QA and DevOps engineers.
- Shared services Finance, HR, procurement and customer support.
- Recruitment Executive search, technical hiring, contract staff.
- Employer of Record Payroll administration for foreign employers.
- Workplace Managed space, IT infrastructure, a secure floor.
One counterpart for entering Indonesia
And for staying in good standing once you are there.
- PT PMA and FTZ Foreign-owned company and Batam Free Trade Zone licence.
- Compliance Corporate secretarial, tax registration, ongoing filings.
- Cross-border legal Contracts and structure with your Singapore HQ.
- Immigration KITAS work permits, dependent visas, relocation.
- Finance Banking, accounting, audit and statutory reporting.
Partnerships that outlast one brief
Building capacity in the Riau Islands, not only inside your team.
- Startup Sumatra Founder programmes, mentors and investor introductions.
- RISING Batam Public-private innovation platform for the Riau Islands.
- Universities Curriculum design and industry-linked talent pipelines.
- Corporate innovation Sprints, hackathons and venture building.
Applied technology for the corridor
For factories, logistics and services, plus the engineers to build it.
- AI and ML Solution design, prototypes and deployment.
- IoT and digital twin Smart factory and industrial automation.
- 3D printing Services and training for local engineers.
- Cloud and security Migration, assessments, data platforms.
- Transformation Roadmaps for manufacturing, logistics, finance.
- Software delivery Outsourced development and IT support.
Why the work sits in Batam
Batam is the Indonesian island facing Singapore and Johor. For twenty-five years it has taken on manufacturing work Singapore companies did not need to keep on their own island.
The same geography now fits software, finance operations, customer support and Industry 4.0, and puts you inside Indonesia: one national language, a broad middle class, and growing depth in IT and data-centre skills.
Cost
A fraction of Singapore
Only worth it if compliance and quality stay level. That is the part we hold.
45 min
By ferry to the CBD
A principal can be in the Batam room the same day.
FTZ
A free trade zone
Licensing, permits and payroll can sit with us until your own entity takes over.
TEMPINDO
Test Market Platform for Indonesia
Indonesia is the second-largest emerging market in Asia after India, and a hard place to open a subsidiary just to see if anyone will buy. TEMPINDO lets a startup or mid-sized firm spend time in the market with minimal overhead.
If the answer is yes, we set up and manage your branch or subsidiary. If it is no, you have not built a company to learn that.
6 months minimum commitment- Product-market fit Analysts and local experts who tell you if the offer belongs here.
- Bahasa Indonesia Your software or solution translated for a nominal fee.
- Developers on our payroll Hire for localisation or cost, yourself or through us.
- Local support desk Tech, business process or customer support for Indonesian customers.
- Testing capacity Testing resources inside the same engagement.
News and events
Where we will be next, and what has changed on both sides of the strait.
Latest news
Batam hackathon teams present to BP Batam IT Center
On 30 October, five teams from the Batam Singapore Hackathon 2026 (15–16 August) presented their projects to the IT Center of BP Batam. It was the first meeting of its kind. BP Batam discussed further support for the teams. The main open point is access to public data for tests and pilots: guardrails come first, and some tests may use historic data. A day later, Batam Innovation Center ran its second hackathon, Hacktoberfest Hack Day.
Read more about Batam hackathon teams present to BP Batam IT Center (opens in a new tab)
Singapore strategy. Batam delivery.
Two principals, one on each side of the strait.
Singapore
BatamJunan Gunawan Panjaitan
Director and General Manager, PT IPAS Ventures Indonesia
A lawyer by training and an HR operator for 27 years, most of them in Batam with Japanese and Dutch companies.
gunawan@ipasventures.comWhere we are attached
- HQ Connections Pte Ltd Singapore parent: regional strategy, client origination, Singapore legal and finance. hqconnections.com
- Startup Sumatra Founders, investors and university partners across Sumatra and the Riau Islands.
- RISING Batam Public-private platform for digital services, advanced manufacturing and green industry. risingbatam.org
Tell us what you’re planning
Write to either desk, or use the form.
Batam
PT IPAS Ventures Indonesia
Bukit Golf Residence II, Sektor 9 No. 240, Sukajadi, Batam Kota, Kepulauan Riau 29444