QBO Innovation Hub is calling for applicants to the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC). As the local partner of Singapore Management University’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, QBO is looking for Filipino startups willing to compete for up to one million Singaporean dollars in prizes.
Entitled “Reimagine smart, sustainable and resilient cities”, the focus areas for the 2019-2020 edition include:
- Public Health, Wellness & Safety
- Infrastructure & Industry; Air, Water, Food & Waste
- Energy & Grid
- Built Environment & Real Estate
- Transportation & Mobility
- Government Tech & Civil Solutions
- Cybersecurity
- Others
Technologies powering solutions in these focus areas may include blockchain, virtual & augmented reality, data analytics & artificial intelligence, internet of things (IoT), 5G, robotics and more.
All full-time university and polytechnic students and recent university alumni (those who graduated up to five years ago) may apply in either of the two categories:
- 0 to 1: Pre-revenue teams with disruptive technology or business model innovations; and
- 1 to infinity: Revenue-generating early stage start-ups, up to Series A.
An international panel of judges will select the top 50 teams to compete at the competition’s finals, awarding them an all-expense paid trip (for two persons) to Singapore to participate in the Young Global Innovators Summit, a week-long immersion program.
The 2017 edition of the LKYGBPC attracted close to 2,000 global participants from 310 participating universities across 68 countries. Among the finalists were startups focused on smart cancer therapy through artificial intelligence, ultrasensitive chemical detection to prevent water and food contamination, and urban management via CCTV powered transportation data.
Iconic figures in the innovation space who participated as judges included David Su, founding managing partner of Matrix China, and Michael Seibel, CEO of Y-Combinator.
Interested applicants for the competition may apply through smu.edu.sg/lky on or before November 17, 2019.
