Singapore cybersecurity company finds success in Maryland

4/7/2026

Amanda Winters

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A global cyber business is growing its U.S. presence with help from Maryland’s innovative soft landing program.

Based in Singapore, Flexxon is a hardware engineering company that specializes in industrial NAND flash storage and secure solutions. Turning its expertise towards rising cyber threats, the company developed X-PHY, a cybersecurity business that provides hardware-based solutions for deepfake detection, server security, and endpoint protection.

As part of its U.S. expansion strategy last year, the company joined Maryland’s Global Gateway Soft Landing Program, which gives international companies the opportunity to test out the U.S. market while mitigating some of the risk.

the Maryland Commerce team, with Lt. Governor Aruna Miller, meet X-PHY at their booth at the RSA Conference — *The Maryland Commerce team and Lt. Governor Aruna Miller meet X-PHY at San Francisco’s RSA Conference*

X-PHY chose Maryland for its engineering talent, proximity to research institutions, and resourceful industry partners, and locating in UMBC’s research and technology park created a strong base for the company’s cybersecurity operations.

“We selected bwtech@UMBC because it gives us immediate access to a vibrant innovation ecosystem,” said May Chng, co-founder and chief operating officer of X-PHY. “Our type of innovation benefits from the right environment – including industry partners who are used to building and testing new ideas. We chose a base where we could plug-in quickly, learn faster, and build the right relationships.”

What makes X-PHY stand out in the industry is its approach to cybersecurity: the company builds protection into hardware and firmware. May tells us that built-in aspect puts protection closer to where data lives, so security can be proactive and happen in real-time, instead of purely software or perimeter-dependent.

According to the company, Maryland’s Global Gateway Program made the X-PHY’s entrance into the U.S. seamless, while bwtech helped the company tap into the local network, from technical collaborations to business development opportunities. The accessible ecosystem and meaningful introductions, May said, is the kind of environment that helps businesses move faster and make smart financial decisions.

“We are building for long-term growth in the U.S.,” said May. “Maryland is an important part of that plan—not only as a base, but as a community we want to contribute to.”