Singapore Polytechnic (SP) has awarded SGD28,000 (US$22,000) seed funding to 16 student-led startups following its annual SP Batey Challenge and SP Entrepreneurship Hackathon.
The 16 winning teams secured the funding alongside crucial mentorship and incubation support.
The funding injection follows an event in which more than 300 students across eight SP schools formed trans-disciplinary teams to develop commercially viable solutions to real-world issues, including senior care, social connection, and sustainability.
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Industry leaders serving as judges, including Cindy Ngiam (Director, Enterprise Singapore), Terence Wong (CEO, Azure Capital), and Thaddeus Koh (Co-founder, e27), praised the quality and potential of the student innovations.
“I’m impressed by the quality and innovation demonstrated by the students from SP. Many of their solutions show strong potential for commercial viability,” said Terence Wong, CEO of Azure Capital.
Grand prize winners focus on ageing and sustainability
The competition saw two startups clinch the grand prize for their innovative approaches:
- Rehabify: A gamified physiotherapy platform that brings fun, AI-powered, camera-tracked motion games to seniors, making rehabilitation engaging, accessible, and equipment-free. Rehabify was co-founded by Lim Jian Ping, Macam Rafael, Reyes Ng Chong Guan, Kuek Guan Jie Gabriel, and Dominic Chan Shoon Ee.
- SnapRent: A C2C rental marketplace co-founded by Leng Zong Shun and Ebenezer Tay. The platform allows users to rent or lend items–ranging from party gear to power tools–encouraging affordability, convenience, and sustainability.
Diverse solutions across health, gaming, and foodtech
Beyond the grand prize winners, other awardees developed solutions ranging from AI tools for veterinary science to specialised board games for mental well-being.
Gold awardees:
- Broby: An AI tool created by Kuramochi Hyuga and Caleb Yap Keane Yang, designed to help vets cut down on administrative work.
- Just Fun Kreations: An indie studio founded by Lucas Aw Kuang Jie, Lucius Aw Kuang Hao, Dexter Yeo Jing Chen, and Shawn Leong Wai Hung, currently developing a cosy fantasy guild-management game.
Silver awardees:
- Bucha Scoops: Kombucha sorbet developed by Crystal Chew Xin Yu, Jade Jasman, and Tee En Xin, targeting the health-conscious consumer.
- Harmonics: Board games devised by Sir Ludvig Kong Yeow Onn, Castillo Jennelle Monica Taboy, Phaedra Nah, Stephen Fiona Roshni, and Tan Javen, specifically designed to spark conversations and connections.
- Memoity: A board game for seniors in the pre-dementia stage, founded by Krish Kamal, Kuganeshwaran S/O Thiagarajen, and Ryan Chow Hiu Fung.
Bronze awardees:
- EatAway: An AI-powered food discovery and ordering app that aims to make healthy eating easy, founded by Jotham Lim Jia An, Cayden Kow Kai Jun, Pablo Letchemee Sanz, Jerrel Tan Yong Meng, and Chan Zhi Xuan Justin.
SP startups achieve global recognition
The success of the current cohort follows a strong track record of SP startups gaining international acclaim and significant investment.
Recent achievements highlight the global reach of SP’s entrepreneurial ecosystem:
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Eight SP teams, including Rehabify and Harmonics, previously raised over SGD190,000 (US$147,000) through the Youth Action Challenge (Season 6).
EatAway clinched the NUS HumanITy Prize 2025, and Memoity won RHBHacks 2025.
Past SP Batey Challenge winners continue to make headlines on the global stage, securing significant US dollar funding and recognition.
Stick’Em (Grand prize 2022): This startup, founded by Chong Ing Kai, Tew Jing An, Aida Sevilla, Chong Kai Jie, and Huh Dam Adam, uses 3D-printed geometric connectors, disposable wooden chopsticks, and a simple plug & play electronics kit to make STEAM education affordable and accessible to disadvantaged children in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Stick’Em won the 2025 Hult Prize in London, known as the “Nobel Prize for student startups,” which provides US$1 million in seed funding. The team was also named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 list.
Digi-Up! (Gold 2024): Founded by Al Hong, Charlotte Wong, Mulupuri Sruti, and Li Yiteng Elton, Digi-Up! uses gamified solutions to bridge the gap between seniors and our fast-paced digital nation, focusing on digital inclusion. Digi-Up! was crowned Global Champion at the 2025 Youth Innovation Expo in Osaka.
Neural Drive (Grand Prize 2024): This team, comprising Mohammed Khambhati, Raymond Loong Ng, Thirumaran Kaushik Manian, and Nyan Lin Htun, develops a non-invasive brain-computer interface that translates thoughts into readable signals, making independence affordable for people with disabilities. Neural Drive was selected for the Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco, one of the world’s most competitive arenas for early-stage startups, where they will vie for the US$100,000 prize.
Winning teams from the current cohort will showcase their creative solutions at the Singapore Polytechnic Pavilion during SWITCH (Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology) from 29 to 31 October 2025.
The post Backing bold ideas: Singapore Polytechnic funds 16 student ventures appeared first on e27.