Visual Studio Singapore Builds Regional Agency Across Four Countries
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Raymond He has expanded Visual Studio Singapore from a three-person shop into a marketing agency spanning four countries, building the business after working part-time jobs as a teenager.
Published on Nov 8, 2026, the company now employs about 50 staff across Singapore, Indonesia, China, and the Philippines, handling experiential campaigns, spatial design, and brand installations for corporate clients.
He founded the agency alongside partners after completing national service in Singapore, starting operations as a three-person outfit before turning it into his primary wealth-generating venture.
Expanding From Three People to Regional Footprint
He founded the agency alongside partners after completing national service in Singapore, starting operations as a three-person shop. The business developed from local event support into an integrated contractor handling exhibition stand fabrication, physical retail pop-ups, and commercial project management.
Revenue produced by the business remains He’s primary asset, financing operational reinvestment alongside personal holdings in US-listed equities, index funds, payment networks, and technology firms. The company’s expansion beyond Singapore targeted high-density corporate event and retail activation hubs, where multinational brand spend increasingly demands on-the-ground project oversight.
Operating Pressures in Asia’s Brand Display Market
Regional agencies operating across Southeast Asia face sharp margin compression from escalating material costs, cross-border logistics tariffs, and fragmented supplier chains. Competing marketing and physical production outfits across ASEAN have consolidated workshops to counter rising labour rates in primary hubs like Singapore.
By stationing dedicated project management teams in China and Indonesia, Visual Studio avoids reliance on third-party fabrication middlemen for overseas pop-up rollouts. The trade-off sits in overhead management: maintaining payroll across four regulatory jurisdictions leaves mid-sized agencies vulnerable whenever brand marketing budgets pull back during macroeconomic lulls.
From Freelance Painting to Cross-Border Contracts
He started working at age 10 by translating for his father’s freelance residential painting jobs in Singapore, later taking jobs in car polishing, dishwashing, and shopping mall security before earning a diploma in civil and structural engineering from Singapore Polytechnic.
“My most valuable asset is my business, as it generates cash flow that supports my other investments and growth.”
The company enters the coming fiscal year managing multi-market corporate buildouts across Southeast Asia, with client retentions in Indonesia and the Philippines serving as the operational barometer for further headcount growth.