- 60 finalists for SG60 milestone edition selected by an international panel of judges and visionary partners
- Focus on empowering Urban Solutions and Sustainability to solve the world’s most essential, urgent challenges
- Pioneered a new AI screening platform to enhance the discovery of disruptive startups
- Record global participation with S$2.5 million+ prize pool
SINGAPORE, Aug. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Singapore Management University (SMU) announces the 60 finalists of the 12th Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC), celebrating a major milestone as Singapore commemorates its 60th year of independence. Organised by SMU’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE), this year’s competition sets a benchmark for university-led deep-tech startup competitions, with new records for global participation.
Held every two years, the LKYGBPC is one of the largest university-led startup competitions in Asia. This year, finalists will gather at SMU’s city campus between 29 September and 2 October 2025 to pitch their innovations to a judging panel during the LKYGBPC Grand Finals Week.
Startups will compete for a prize pool of over S$2.5 million in the 12th edition of the biennial competition this year. The global competition shines a spotlight on startups with Urban Solutions and Sustainability innovations that address today’s universal grand challenges. From airless wheels based on NASA technology and transistors that cut data centre energy use by 30 per cent, to bioplastics tough enough to rival petroleum-based plastics, on-demand hydrogen production at sea, and self-healing concrete, these breakthroughs are amongst the shortlisted entries that challenge decades-old limits in energy, mobility, and infrastructure.
“The 12th LKYGBPC saw record-breaking 1,500+ applications from more than 1,200 universities across 91 countries, a 57 per cent increase compared to the previous edition’s submissions. Entries from Asia increased by 70 per cent, and we also saw a significant increase in submissions from North America, the Middle East and North Africa,” said Ms Shirley Wong（王秀萍）, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at SMU IIE, Managing Partner of TNF Ventures, and Chairperson of the 12th LKYGBPC Advisory Committee.
“These numbers reflect the growing confidence from startups globally in leveraging Singapore as a business and technology gateway to the rest of Asia. Hosting LKYGBPC alongside SG60 – a nation-wide movement celebrating Singapore’s next chapter of her nation-building journey – and the Singapore Grand Prix adds a higher level of energy and global attention, making it a powerful platform for entrepreneurs to connect, learn, and co-create with trailblazers worldwide,” she added.
Startup founders are drawn to the 12th LKYGBPC as Singapore offers a regional springboard for scaling across Asia, with its status as a global multilingual hub of innovation and talent. Said Evangelos Moschos, a finalist of the LKYGBPC and post-doctoral researcher at France’s Ecole Polytechnique, is also the Co-Founder and CTO of OceanTech startup Amphitrite. He shared, “Singapore is the world’s busiest transhipment hub where we can access leading shipping lines, investors, government agencies, and tap into a world-class R&D ecosystem. We anticipate engaging with local academic partners through the competition to explore joint research projects. We’re also keen to hire Singaporean talent, including SMU students, to work in Paris or Singapore.”
This year, startups will compete across 12 focus areas, namely Carbon Tech, Climate Tech, Emerging Tech, Energy Transition, Food and Land Use, Green Buildings and Construction, Homeland Security, Public Health, Sustainable Materials and Circularity, Transport and Logistics, Urban Mobility and Water Solutions.
AI Screening to Boost Objectivity in Startup Evaluation
As a new feature this year, LKYGBPC also introduces the DueAI™ Challenge, a novel initiative that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the efficiency and comprehensiveness of startup screening. This approach reflects emerging trends in the global venture capital (VC) and startup landscape, where AI-enabled capabilities are increasingly adopted to streamline data collection, accelerate deal flow, and support data-driven investment decisions.
Dr Sze Tiam Lin (徐添仁), the Senior Licensing Advisor at SMU IIE who created this new initiative, said, “The DueAITM Challenge demonstrates how AI can transform entrepreneurial evaluation for investors and deliver greater scalability and objectivity while empowering human decision-making.”
What’s On during Grand Finals Week
Throughout the Grand Finals Week, held from 29 September to 2 October 2025 at SMU, the 60 global finalists will participate in a series of events designed to connect them with key stakeholders. These include closed-door roundtable sessions with influential regional business families. The startup founders will gain invaluable insights and mentorship, while the business families can engage with cutting-edge technologies relevant to their investment portfolios and industries.
This year’s competition will also serve as a vital pipeline for internship and career opportunities for Singapore-based students. Via an inaugural Talent Exchange segment, students will have the chance to pitch their expertise directly to the finalist startups for the opportunity to join startup teams from universities such as the University of Tokyo, ETH Zurich, Tsinghua University and Harvard University,
The week will culminate in the highly anticipated Blaze Mixer Night, an open invitation for Singapore’s youth to engage with the young founders from the 60 finalist startups, be inspired by their new technologies, and grow their network.
Catalysing Innovation with a Growing Community of Partnerships
The 12th edition of LKYGBPC also welcomes the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) as its first official Scientific Knowledge Partner, bringing their world-class scientific expertise and network to the competition.
In addition, the LKYGBPC is honoured to be supported by a growing ecosystem of visionary partners, who have provided continuous support to the finalists over the years and enabled the competition to deliver enduring impact across Asia.
The Zhang Fan Global AI Initiative Award, which will be presented for the second consecutive edition of LKYGBPC, aims to empower startups which are pushing boundaries in AI. Mr Zhang Fan（张帆）, formerly Co-founder of Sequoia Capital China and a four-time Forbes ‘Midas List’ honoree VC, said, “I’ve had the privilege of backing innovators fresh out of university who dare to reimagine the future. LKYGBPC convenes a truly world-class cohort of founders poised to engage with Southeast Asia, where catalytic funding and mentorship remain essential. As we stand on the cusp of a new AI era, I look forward to leveraging my experience and resources to help these teams transform breakthroughs into meaningful impact.”
Among the other new collaborators is Indorama Ventures, which is behind the Future of Sustainable Materials Award, tapping its end-to-end R&D and manufacturing expertise to spotlight breakthrough materials innovations.
“Our mission at Indorama Ventures is to create indispensable chemistry, transforming lab-born innovations into global solutions that touch billions of lives every day. Through LKYGBPC’s global pipeline, we can engage closely with early-stage deep-tech ventures from Asia and beyond, helping us accelerate innovation and build a more sustainable world for decades to come,” said Mr Yash Lohia, Executive President of Petchem and Chairman of the ESG Council, Indorama Ventures.
Greater support for entrepreneurs aiming to drive a resilient and more sustainable future will also come in the form of awards backed by leading Venture Capital firms such as Antler, TRIREC and Wavemaker Partners. Mr Paul Santos, Managing Partner of Wavemaker Partners, is a steadfast supporter of LKYGBPC through the LKYGBPC Investment Prize that supports innovative Enterprise, Deep Tech, and Sustainability-focused startups.
He said, “Over the years, the competition has attracted bold, young founders from all over the world, reinforcing Singapore’s role as a rising global hub for entrepreneurship. This aligns closely with our mission of investing in founders building companies that are solving meaningful problems and creating real, lasting impact.”
Enclosure: Annex 1: List of 60 finalist startups in the 12th edition of the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition.
About SMU (新加坡管理大学):
Established in 2000, Singapore Management University (SMU) is recognised for its disciplinary and multi-disciplinary research that addresses issues of global relevance, impacting business, government, and society. Its distinctive education, incorporating innovative experiential learning, aims to nurture global citizens, entrepreneurs and change agents. With more than 13,000 students, SMU offers a wide range of bachelors, masters and PhD degree programmes in the disciplinary areas associated with six of its eight schools – Accountancy, Business, Computing, Economics, Law and Social Sciences. Its seventh school, the SMU College of Integrative Studies, offers degree programmes in deep, integrative interdisciplinary education. The College of Graduate Research Studies, SMU’s eighth school, enhances integration and interdisciplinarity across the various SMU postgraduate research programmes that will enable students to gain a holistic learning experience and well-grounded approach to their research. SMU also offers a growing number of executive development and continuing education programmes. Through its city campus, SMU focuses on making meaningful impact on Singapore and beyond through its partnerships with industry, policymakers and academic institutions. https://www.smu.edu.sg/
About SMU IIE (新加坡管理大学创新与创业研究院):
The Singapore Management University’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) empowers aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators to create positive change. It offers tailored training programmes, an equity-free incubator, and a vibrant community that connects innovators through events and networking opportunities, including the renowned Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC). For more information: https://iie.smu.edu.sg
About Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC) (李光耀全球商业计划大赛):
Organised by Singapore Management University’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC) is a biennial university-led start-up challenge. One of the most exciting of such competitions in Asia, it derives its name from Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who developed the country’s defining business plan that propelled Singapore onto the global stage. It is this spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation and ambition that the competition enshrines. LKYGBPC invites the brightest minds from the world’s most entrepreneurial universities to come together to address the challenges of the 21st century and reimagine the future. For more information: smu.sg/lkygbpc
About the DueAI™ Challenge
The 12th LKYGBPC introduced the DueAI™ Challenge—a parallel competition where 14 independent AI models operated within a secured environment to screen startup applications submitted to LKYGBPC. These AI-driven evaluations ran in parallel with assessments by over 220 human judges from 46 countries, with results compared before the LKYGBPC finalists were selected. By embedding the DueAI™ Challenge into its official selection process, LKYGBPC became one of the first university competitions to explore at scale how AI enhances the discovery of promising startups.
Annex
Startups in the 12th Edition of the
Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition
Singapore Management University
29 September to 2 October 2025
|
No |
Team |
Executive Summary |
Category |
Name of University |
Geographies |
|
1 |
Arculus |
Arculus repurposes natural gas transmission pipelines for bulk transportation of either CO2 or hydrogen, thanks to a patented barrier coating applied on the internal surface of the pipe. |
Beta |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
United States of America |
|
2 |
Castomize |
Castomize is making healthcare more accessible, effective, and less invasive through the creation of impactful medical devices using advanced manufacturing technologies. |
Infinity |
Singapore Management University |
Singapore |
|
3 |
ChemT Biotechnology |
ChemT Biotechnology seeks to revolutionise bio-manufacturing with AI-designed small molecules that enable precise and tunable modulation of cell behaviour. |
Beta |
National University of Singapore |
Singapore |
|
4 |
Cold Battery |
Cold Battery is a cutting-edge solution for storing and delivering cold energy efficiently, boosting profits and slashing emissions across industrial cooling applications. |
Beta |
Nanyang Technological University |
Singapore |
|
5 |
Inviscid AI |
Inviscid AI delivers physics-informed AI that creates digital twins and simulations up to 1000 times faster than traditional methods for design optimisation. |
Beta |
University of Oxford |
United Kingdom |
|
6 |
MabLab |
MabLab has built the world’s first multi-agent rapid test capable of detecting laced drugs and spiked drinks. |
Infinity |
Harvard University |
United States of America |
|
7 |
OmniPath H2 |
Novel industrial decarbonisation technologies lowering costs for the hydrogen economies of today AND tomorrow |
Beta |
Harvard University |
United States of America |
|
8 |
Sesame Sustainability |
Sesame Sustainability’s industrial-grade modelling platform transforms how energy companies plan multi-billion-dollar decarbonisation investments, compressing analysis from years to weeks. |
Infinity |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
United States of America |
|
9 |
8inks |
8inks revolutionises battery manufacturing with multilayer curtain coating—enabling higher performance, lower cost, and scalable production of next-generation lithium-ion and solid-state batteries. |
Infinity |
ETH Zürich |
Switzerland |
|
10 |
AMPHITRITE |
Harnessing Satellites & Artificial Intelligence to produce reliable ocean data and make the best decisions at sea |
Infinity |
École Polytechnique |
France |
|
11 |
CyanoCapture |
Synthesising insulin and $40 billion worth of drug precursor molecules by harnessing a photosynthetic cell discovered in 2020. |
Infinity |
University of Oxford |
United Kingdom |
|
12 |
Dunia Innovations |
Dunia Innovations is revolutionising the field of material discovery by leveraging cutting-edge AI and autonomous experimentation to bring breakthrough materials to the world. |
Infinity |
University of Glasgow |
United Kingdom |
|
13 |
Enantios |
ENANTIOS enables the fast, simple, and robust characterisation of complex and chiral molecules and biologics for the pharmaceutical and chemical industry. |
Infinity |
ETH Zürich |
Switzerland |
|
14 |
exnaton |
exnaton enables utilities to quickly launch innovative, data-driven electricity products with its AI-powered billing platform — accelerating the energy transition. |
Infinity |
ETH Zürich |
Switzerland |
|
15 |
HyveGeo |
HyveGeo looks to remove CO2 from the air while boosting food security in arid regions. |
Beta |
University of Cambridge |
United Kingdom |
|
16 |
Luxtelligence |
We develop energy-efficient photonic circuits for Quantum and AI, leveraging advanced thin-film materials to enable next-generation, high-performance connectivity solutions. |
Beta |
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne |
Switzerland |
|
17 |
Micromelt Ltd |
Microwave-powered catalytic reactor that depolymerises mixed plastic waste into high-purity monomers and hydrogen gas in one step. |
Beta |
University of Oxford |
United Kingdom |
|
18 |
Mimicrete Ltd |
Powering the smart infrastructure of tomorrow |
Beta |
University of Cambridge |
United Kingdom |
|
19 |
PRONOE |
Restoring our oceans’ natural capacity to permanently remove CO2. Worldwide. |
Beta |
INSEAD |
France |
|
20 |
Vivid Dx |
Vivid Dx is developing a next-generation platform to deliver broad pathogen ID in 30 minutes and phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) in 3 hours – directly from blood, with no blood culture required. |
Beta |
University of Oxford |
United Kingdom |
|
21 |
Aerologix |
Aerologix is a drone technology platform connecting clients with 40,000+ pilots, delivering on-demand aerial data, mapping, and AI insights for infrastructure, environment, and industry. |
Infinity |
UNSW Sydney |
Australia |
|
22 |
Jmem Tek |
Jmem Tek provides ready-to-deploy JPUF-based quantum resilient security solutions for vulnerable industries to address encryption obsolescence concerns as quantum computing advances. |
Infinity |
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University |
Taiwan |
|
23 |
Koralo |
Koralo creates functional food and feed enriching health and beauty with patented co-fermentation of microalgae and mushroom roots – delicious, functional and affordable. |
Infinity |
Windesheim University of Applied Sciences |
Netherlands |
|
24 |
MUI-Robotics |
MUI-Robotics specialises in sensory-AI which imitates human smell sense with high accuracy for real-time quality control, safety, and environmental monitoring globally. |
Infinity |
Mahidol University |
Thailand |
|
25 |
Oculab |
Oculab strengthens Tuberculosis (TB) monitoring by bringing AI-powered analysis to microscopes through the smartphone, reducing examination time to 10 minutes while achieving 87% accuracy rates. |
Beta |
University of Indonesia |
Indonesia |
|
26 |
Oriongo |
Oriongo specialises in the development and integration of positioning algorithms, with strong R&D in inertial navigation, geomagnetic positioning, Wi-Fi, 5G, GNSS, BLE and AI positioning fusion technology |
Infinity |
National Taiwan University of Science and Technology |
Taiwan |
|
27 |
Puralink |
Puralink is the autonomous robotics platform for pipe inspection, mapping, and repair |
Beta |
University of Technology Sydney |
Australia |
|
28 |
Qarbotech |
Qarbotech develops patented photosynthesis-enhancing solutions that boost crop yields sustainably, helping farmers grow more food with fewer resources while combating climate change. |
Infinity |
University of Cambridge |
United Kingdom |
|
29 |
ReZinc |
ReZinc – a sustainable innovation to transform carbon-based battery waste into high-quality carbon paint for metal surfaces. |
Beta |
VinUniversity |
Vietnam |
|
30 |
Saint Novel |
Saint Novel enables drug discovery with innovative GenAI and full-stack drug development success experience (from in silico design to phase II trial which was sold to Sanofi at 1.5 billion USD). |
Beta |
University of Hong Kong |
Hong Kong SAR |
|
31 |
Untapped Energies |
Untapped Energies seeks to unlock 100% renewable wind & hydro energy from unutilised, ‘untapped’ real estate. |
Beta |
Queensland University of Technology |
Australia |
|
32 |
Klimatech |
Vortex is Klimatech’s vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) that combines aesthetics and function for sustainable energy in urban, remote, and commercial spaces. |
Infinity |
Asian Institute of Management |
Philippines |
|
33 |
EarthFlow AI |
EarthFlow AI is making subsurface climate and energy solutions scalable with ultra-fast AI simulation. |
Beta |
Imperial College London |
United Kingdom |
|
34 |
Heliotrope Photonics |
At Heliotrope Photonics, we are developing an innovative coating that transforms the sunlight to enhance solar panel performance. |
Beta |
New York University |
United States of America |
|
35 |
Helix Carbon |
Helix Carbon provides electrolysers to the steel industry that upcycle CO2 directly out of waste gas, no carbon capture required. |
Beta |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
United States of America |
|
36 |
Loop CO2 |
Tunable, debondable, and circular-ready CO₂-based polymer platform made from 100% sustainable feedstocks, enabling next-generation debonding-on-demand adhesives for electronics, EV batteries, and packaging. |
Beta |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
United States of America |
|
37 |
MacroCycle Technologies |
MacroCycle is aventure creating circular plastics and textiles at cost parity and with zero carbon emissions. |
Infinity |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
United States of America |
|
38 |
Map Collective |
MapCollective.com is a multi-tier supply chain traceability data mining and dashboard platform, helping procurement and sustainability organisations gather supplier data. |
Infinity |
Georgetown University |
United States of America |
|
39 |
Nephrogen |
Nephrogen is developing curative gene therapies for kidney and pancreatic diseases, which affect more than 15% of the global population but have zero effective treatments. |
Beta |
Stanford University |
United States of America |
|
40 |
Quon Energy |
Quon Energy deals with the development and installation of next-generation geothermal power tailored to the geological conditions in the volcanic region. |
Beta |
The University of Tokyo |
Japan |
|
41 |
SinuStim |
SinuStim is developing an oral appliance that instantly alleviates nasal congestion and facial pain for patients with chronic sinus disease by using gentle electrical pulses that regulate overactive nasal nerves. |
Beta |
Johns Hopkins University |
United States of America |
|
42 |
SMART Tire |
SMART Tire makes the world’s first high-performance airless tires, based on NASA technology. |
Beta |
University of Southern California |
United States of America |
|
43 |
UpcycleX |
UpcycleX, out of MIT, is transforming the chemical industry with a scalable, zero-emissions electrocatalytic platform that turns plastic waste into high-value products, unlocking an $80 billion market opportunity. |
Beta |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
United States of America |
|
44 |
Vertical Horizons |
Vertical Horizons is developing the next-generation power infrastructure using scalable vertical GaN technology to dramatically improve energy efficiency and power density for AI, in data centres. |
Beta |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
United States of America |
|
45 |
ChipEvo Ltd |
Towards One-Click Chip Generation: ChipEvo leverages Large Language Models to revolutionize silicon design and verification with 10 times faster development and significant cost savings |
Beta |
Texas Tech University |
United States of America |
|
46 |
CLEAN CO2 |
CLEANCO2 is China’s CCUS mineralization technology pioneer and industrialisation leader |
Infinity |
Tsinghua University |
China |
|
47 |
深度原理 (Deep Principle) |
A world-leading technology innovation company specialising in AI for Chemistry/Materials. |
Infinity |
Queen’s University Belfast |
United Kingdom |
|
48 |
Genia |
Genia builds Generative Design CoPilots for engineers in construction helping them design permit-ready drawings 10 times faster with 20% material savings. |
Infinity |
University of Pennsylvania |
United States of America |
|
49 |
Kerong Catalyst |
Kerong seeks to lead the Application of Precious Metal Catalyst Technology in the Environmental Protection Industry. |
Infinity |
Brunel University London |
United Kingdom |
|
50 |
光子芯力 (PhotonCore) |
PhotonCore Technologies focuses on the cutting-edge development of Electronic-Photonic hybrid computing architecture chips. |
Beta |
Tsinghua University |
China |
|
51 |
SynMetabio |
SynMetabio seeks to be the world’s first company to mass-produce bio-based synthetic leather for high-performance uses like automotive and footwear. |
Infinity |
ShanghaiTech University |
China |
|
52 |
Tidetron Bioworks |
Tidetron Bioworks is a pioneering platform that integrates synthetic biology and AI to drive low-carbon innovation. |
Infinity |
Sun Yat-sen University |
China |
|
53 |
UniversalLab |
Reshaping the $60 billion materials R&D testing industry with AI agents |
Infinity |
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne |
Switzerland |
|
54 |
Xatoms |
Xatoms discovers new materials using AI and quantum chemistry for water purification. |
Infinity |
University of Toronto |
Canada |
|
55 |
浙江极码电子科技有限公司 (Jima Technologies) |
With deep R&D experience in the field of smart microgrids, Jima Technologies’ research focuses on smart grids, offering multi-point real-time voltage regulation and load balancing in renewable-heavy power grids |
Infinity |
Tianjin University |
China |
|
56 |
SpaceFields |
SpaceFields is building the “Northrop Grumman of the 21st century” from India. SpaceFields aspires to be the dedicated merchant developer and integrator for next-gen bespoke solid propulsion for burgeoning aerospace & defence markets. |
Infinity |
Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, UCE Burla (Odisha, India) |
India |
|
57 |
Expedock |
Expedock’s flexible tech solutions automate workflows and improve visibility, empowering teams to focus on what matters most. |
Infinity |
Stanford University |
United States of America |
|
58 |
Puffer AI |
Puffer AI unifies under-utilised startup data, expert know-how and AI-driven workflows to accelerate research, scouting and evaluation—turning scattered information into smarter, faster investment decisions. |
Due AI Challenge |
N/A |
Singapore |
|
59 |
Evalyze |
Evalyze streamlines startup fundraising and VC deal screening by automating due diligence, investor matching, and personalised outreach. Founders receive an investor readiness score and a tailored fundraising roadmap, while VCs use Evalyze to evaluate pitch decks, benchmark startups, and prioritize deals. Trained on 8,000+ successful raises, Evalyze cuts months of manual work into days. empowering better, faster funding decisions on both sides. |
Due AI Challenge |
N/A |
Canada |
|
60 |
Shensu AI |
Shensu AI creates AI-driven automation tools that optimise financial operations, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs for individuals and enterprises alike. |
Due AI challenge |
N/A |
India |