A pic from one of LKYGBPC’s previous editions
Singapore Management University’s (SMU) Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) has unveiled the 55 finalists selected for the Finals Week (known as BLAZE) of the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC).
The 55 finalists will showcase their innovations before a panel of judges at the university campus from September 11-15, 2023. The grand finalists stand to win prizes worth S$2.5 (US$1.9) million.
LKYGBPC is one of Asia’s largest university-led bi-annual startup competitions, focussing on deep-tech innovators solving urgent global challenges of the 21st century.
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The 11th edition of LKYGBPC received 1,000 submissions from 1,100 universities — including ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Harvard University (US), Imperial College London (UK), and MIT (US) — across 77 countries.
Of the total submissions, 26 per cent came from America, 22 per cent from Southeast Asia, 24 per cent from the rest of Asia, 22 per cent from Europe, and 6 per cent from Oceania.
LKYGBPC focuses on five key areas: Urban Solutions & Sustainability, Manufacturing, Trade & Connectivity, Human Health and Potential, Smart Nation and Digital Economy, and Media & Entertainment. Overall, the Urban Solutions & Sustainability category received the highest submissions (35 per cent), followed by Smart Nation & Digital Economy (28 per cent) and Human Health & Potential (22 per cent). The Urban Solutions & Sustainability category has the largest representation (25 out of 55) among the finalists.
Some of these innovators are leveraging cutting-edge technology to drive environmental change, from converting plastic waste into construction materials through circularity solutions to developing next-generation smart windows for energy reduction and creating resource-efficient materials using bio-based approaches.
Two members of each finalist team will travel to Singapore for BLAZE, a week-long event bringing inter-generational networking, panel discussions, site visits, and mentorship sessions that form an environment which fosters learning, collaboration, and growth. The event will also open doors to business opportunities in Singapore, where the headquarters of numerous multinational corporations are located.
Singapore-based startups can leverage VC Office Hours (VCOH), a gathering of senior VCs, to accelerate professional development and grow their ventures. More than 50 senior VCs who collectively manage more than S$2.5 billion of assets will be in attendance.
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The 55 startups are:
Active Surfaces (US), BioWerkz (Switzerland), Bloom Alert (Chile), CBE Eco-Solutions (Singapore), Colipi (Germany), ElectricFish (US), Greencoat (Australia), JJ Innovative Materials (US), Ki Hydrogen (UK), LEAFYPOLYMER (China), LiQidium (US), Magorium (Singapore), NEU Battery Materials (Singapore), Node Bio (UK), Nona Technologies (US), Ozonebio (Canada), PEELSPHERE (Geramany), Plastalyst (UK), PlasticFri (Garmany), RELEAFPAPER (Ukraine), Super Nova (China), SusMaX (US), Sylvarum (Argentina), Team Algrow (UK), Tianjin Hermos Technology Co. (UK), Adravision (Singapore), Castomize (Singapore), Cauchy Analytics (Canada), EmerStat (Singapore), InGel Therapeutic (US), IsiTwin (France), Karla Bionics (Indonesia), Medea Biopharma (Geramany), MessengerBio (Australia), MirZyme Therapeutics (UK), NeuroWeav (France), Pangaea Data (UK), Pic-A-Talk (Philippines), Savyn (Singapore), Shanghai Nian Tong Intelligence Inc. (China), Vibrosurgery (China), Virtetic (Australia), YaBEZ (Thailand), Zhi Yin (China), Aliena (Singapore), Fishyu (Thailand), Huaxia Semiconductor (Hong Kong), MassPrint Technology (Singapore), VOMMA (China), Voyawave Optics (Germany), Finful (Vietnam), FLock.io (UK), PLEXUS (South Korea), Adaptop (Norway), and MitoWorld (Malaysia).
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