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4Loop
4Loop intends to enter the additive manufacturing (AM) industry. AM is an umbrella term that refers to a group of technologies that can build physical models, prototypes, patterns, tooling components and even production parts directly from computer data. The product is a new powder based AM technique based on the principles of xerography. The objective is to make simple changes to 2D laser printer so that 3D objects can also be built.

Avetics
Avetics Pte Ltd focuses on building small scale UAVs that are suited for use in the urban environment. Our UAVs incorporate several safety features like smart algorithms and physical design which we believe will greatly lower the adoption barrier. Besides being safe, our UAVs also boast a long battery life and a modularized payload. This modularization makes future upgrades more economical and allows the UAVs to take on different configurations.

Bamboobee
The bamboobee bike project seeks to revolutionize the social enterprise mindset and promote eco-friendliness with an innovative twist to the everyday bicycle – refining its production process to make it environmentally sustainable and using processed natural bamboo as the main component of the bike. We choose bamboo because bamboo is a fast growing and naturally?occurring strong and versatile raw material and this process alone will reduce all the harmful by?products that come from the use of metals like aluminum and steel.

Creating Assistive Rehabilitation Enterprise (CARE)
We are the C.A.R.E team (Creating Assistive Rehabilitation Enterprise). Our award-winning assistive innovation – the `Intelligent Walking Frame’, has gained distinguished recognition in major competitions1, proving our innovation to be creatively unique and highly practical for the fast growing ageing population. Our unique business model takes advantage of our specialization – Search Engine Marketing (SEM), that seeks to market websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs), through the use of free traffic globally. We look forward to integrating this into our new business model and hope to collaborate with VWOs and hospitals for branding and as a catalyst into this niche.

EcoEnviro
EcoEnviro is a company that creates green energy using piezoelectric technology. Our first product, PowerTile is where electricity can be harvested by having people walking over these tiles. We are looking at places where there is high human traffic flow to install these tiles. Therefore, we are targeting at government and private organizations, such as SMRT and St. James. We hoped to have experienced techno-preneurs to guide us as mentors so that we can penetrate into the market efficiently with his good business association and his relevant experiences with these organizations. Thank you!”

Energeek
At Energeek, we specialize in electricity usage monitoring. We are currently embarking on a load signature analysis technology that enables instant identification of individual appliances from the main switch. This non-invasive advancement will allows electricity usage monitoring to be completely hassle-free. Energeek invites any opportunities to offer land developers and building owners a more effective and efficient electricity monitoring capability. At the same time, Energeek is also looking for collaboration with government agencies like HDB, BCA, EMA and NEA to work on the prospectus of environmental-friendly premises and promotion of green buildings initiative.

Farmer’s Tale
A strong society is one that is rich not only in material capital but also in social capital. For us at Farmer’s Tale, we hope to increase social capital through promoting volunteerism and donations. We strive to do this by creating a freemium game on Facebook that links virtual rewards with people’s physical and social activities. As a social entrepreneurship business, our goal is to do more good for the society and be sustainable simultaneously.

HippoCampus
HippoCampus is Singapore’s first online social networking site exclusively for undergraduates. It aims to be the leading online resource provider for university students to enable them to navigate through a hectic and stressful academic university life and more importantly to empower them to obtain outstanding academic results. One of our features is our highly innovative web conferencing function, which combines document collaboration with video capabilities, to allow people to have simple online meetings for their projects.

Itineasy
Itineasy is a web-based itinerary planner that makes it effortless for travellers to plan their holiday itineraries, from choosing their destinations and routes to knowing the price of a croissant. Accommodation, transport and even meals can be sorted out in minutes with Itineasy. Itineasy also promotes sharing of itineraries and reviews between users. No two travellers walk the same path, but Itineasy makes sure that they both spend time doing what they enjoy.

Little Voice Games
Little Voice Games, by creating a social travel-guide city-building game called Mongster Colony, delivers an innovative means of in-game advertisement and an effective way of marketing that would enhance social game play and users’ experience. The two-way benefit of the game is that players will be able to learn subconsciously real-life information of real places in cities around the world, and advertisers can reach their perfect target market in a novel way that is focused and impactful.

Milaap Social Ventures
As a social enterprise, Milaap enables individuals to make microloans that help the rural poor in India gain access to basic services, such as education, healthcare, electricity, clean water and sanitation. Crowdsourcing allows Milaap to increase the number of people supported and reduce the cost of the loan. Upon completion of the loan period, individuals are returned their loan, which they can keep or give to another borrower. Currently, Milaap has facilitated microloans totaling $40000, across 3 states in India.

Safe N Sounds
Safe N Sounds develops safety and security systems for 2 wheeled machines (e.g. bicycles). The team consist of 5 members. Nicholas (Director), Jeremy (Finances) , Tajuddin(operations), Jia Hao (Marketing) and Charles (Human Resource). One of our products, which can be customised for virtually any kind of bicycle, Is “Rider 360”. It features Daytime Running Lights (DRLs), Tail lights, Direction Indicators, Hazard Warning Lights, plus a wirelessly controlled alarm system to deter bicycle thieves.

SafeMarine
SafeMarine’s mission is to revolutionize the commercial diving ship repair and maintenance industry through the use of safer, highly reliable and more efficient automated robots that can be used for all kinds of underwater ship maintenance services, thereby eliminating the dangers of diver mishaps and provides a more comprehensive hull cleaning and maintenance services. Our main focus is on the East Asian ship repair and maintenance market especially with regards to Singapore, Korea and China.

The Gamer Arsenal
The Gamer Arsenal will be designing and manufacturing high-end, gaming-oriented personal computers (PCs) that will use a mineral oil cooling system. TGA will be aiming for hardcore gamers and parents with high disposable income, offering the complete package of a high-powered CPU (that uses an aesthetically well-designed, two-stage case), monitor and all associated peripherals such a gamer might need. We have plans to sell to the global market immediately, and will patent the design of the sealed, internal oil container.

theGreenTee
theGreenTee want to start a movement of leading an eco-lifestyle, by providing an online platform for crowdsourcing through rewarding designs and participation while using recycled PET bottles as our materials. The 1st movement will be created by user-designed t-shirts and by engaging prominent artists. Contests and events will be held with arts schools and eco clubs to create the community. Our aim is, to start with t-shirts first then venture into overseas market with dresses/shirts by the 2nd year and 3rd year.

All the best!

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Image credit: Tecfan

About The Author

An aspiring branding and product strategist, Ridza Salim is a fourth year Communications & New Media and Technology Entrepreneurship student at the National University of Singapore. Ridza dives deep to understand the relationship between global and local trends in the media, web and technology scenes. Ridza can be found on LinkedIn.

An existing business is only eligible if it has received less than US$80,000 in funding and has less than US$100,000 in gross revenue as at 31st January 2011. All submitted materials must be the original work of the participating team.

All submissions can be entered here .

Multiple Entries are welcomed.

Winners of similar competitions are invited to participate if they meet the requirements above.

For more detailed information, please visit here.

Teams that make it through the first round will be awarded up to $15,000 to build prototypes and explore the commercial feasibility of their product or service ideas. Furthermore, they will also have the benefit of being mentored by a select group of Singapore-based entrepreneurs, NTU professors and alumni, and industry partners. Finalist teams will be eligible for additional funding of up to $50,000 under SPRING’s Young Entrepreneurs Scheme for Startups (YES! Startups).

ideas.inc. is part of the strategy undertaken by SPRING Singapore to promote and nurture youth entrepreneurship in Singapore. It complements the Young Entrepreneurs Scheme for Schools (YES! Schools) and YES! Startups launched in October and November 2008, respectively, to enhance the commercialisation of innovative ideas into youth enterprises.

The ideas.inc. Business Challenge was launched by Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Minister of State for Trade & Industry and Manpower, and Minister in charge of Entrepreneurship at NTU earlier today. The competition, which runs from August 2009 to July 2010, is jointly organised by NTU’s Nanyang Technopreneurship Centre (NTC) and SPRING. This is the first time that the University is putting together such a competition on a national scale.

Associate Professor Raymond Abelin, the interim Director of NTC says, “ideas.inc. is the biggest-ever effort on our part to reach out to as many young people as possible, to get them involved and excited about their new business ideas. By giving these potential entrepreneurs, who may not have any business training, early-stage capital and professional advice, ideas.inc. speeds up the transformation of new products and services from idea to market. Our ultimate goal is to foster a pool of talented market-savvy youths and innovative new businesses in Singapore with strong competitive advantage and long-term sustainability.”

As part of the ideas.inc. competition, NTC is also organising a series of workshops that will feature subject matter experts and business leaders who will coach participants on a wide variety of relevant topics for developing ideas into businesses. The budding entrepreneurs competing for the cash prizes to fund their businesses are encouraged to attend these workshops, to ensure that their plans include everything which potential
investors require.

As part of the ideas.inc. competition, NTC is also organising a series of workshops that will feature subject matter experts and business leaders who will coach participants on a wide variety of relevant topics for developing ideas into businesses. The budding entrepreneurs competing for the cash prizes to fund their businesses are encouraged to attend these workshops, to ensure that their plans include everything which potential investors require.

“Developing an entrepreneurial mindset and cultivating a spirit of enterprise among the youth is a key focus of SPRING’s entrepreneurship development strategy. ideas.inc. will provide a platform for our youth to turn their innovative ideas into viable business ventures by giving them the opportunity to prototype, test and market their products/services. We hope that many youth will come forward and participate in ideas.inc.; making use of the seed money available through YES! Startups and mentorship opportunities to start their businesses,” said Ms Chew Mok Lee, Group Director, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, SPRING Singapore.

Young entrepreneurs who have tapped on YES! Startups to start their business had this to say about ideas.inc. “I think that this is an excellent competition. This would actually entice more youths to be interested in entrepreneurship and encourage them to give it a shot.

Also, this gives them an additional opportunity to pitch their business ideas to professionals for further deliberation,” said Ms Elfaine Tan, Director, Fr3b Pte Ltd.

Added Ms Fan Shufen and Ms You Jun, Co-founders of E-Thermnity, “The ideas.inc. Business Challenge sounds like a really good way to incubate new startups, as it provides almost everything we’ve been looking for in the past months! It encourages those with brilliant innovations to step out and take this challenge, while at the same time not worrying about the lack of business knowledge as mentors will be there to guide them.”

The ideas.inc. Business Challenge was launched in conjunction with NTU’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Festival, which runs through Friday, 28 August 2009. The festival aims to educate and inspire students about entrepreneurship. Various platforms and sessions are being held at the NTU campus over four days, to inspire students to build business ventures that are not just profitable, but are also fulfilling on a personal level. For example, tracks on social entrepreneurship have been introduced this year to highlight how new enterprises can potentially change lives for the better.

You can learn more about the competition by going directly to their website.

Media contact:
Feisal Abdul Rahman, Senior Assistant Director, Corporate Communications Office
Tel: 6790 6687; Email: feisalar (at) ntu.edu.sg

Marion Abraham, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, SPRING Singapore
Tel: 6279 3617; Email: marion_abraham (at) spring.gov.sg

The Lien i3 Challenge will award up to $1 million to spur ideas and make possible new social models.

This is a three-stage process starting with a submission of your 2-page idea proposal by 31 March 2009.

Article photo courtesy of art_es_anna

This initiative called “Asia Forum for Clean Energy Financing” seeks to nurture individuals/teams/startup companies with environmentally beneficial business proposals with the eventual hope of transforming them into reality.

Eligibility
Any persons or company resident or actively operating and/or registered in any ASEAN country may participate in the Asia Forum for Clean Energy Financing. While there is no restriction on the size of the company / sponsor the award is designed to reflect excellence in new ventures.

Focus of Business that will be considered
The business must promote clean energy technologies, products or services that would in general include:
- Biomass
- Biogas
- Solar
- Wind
- Geothermal
- Hydropower
- Tidal / Ocean
- Energy efficiency
- Distributed generation
- Waste-to-energy
- Emission reduction

Competition Categories
Only business opportunities that require total (initial) capital in excess of US$1 million will be considered.

Acceptable Business Plans
Plans eligible for the Forum, may include, but are not limited to:

- New venture/new business
- Merger or acquisitions, including leveraged buyouts, which will lead to a turnaround, roll-up, or some other significant change that adds value to the current business
- Joint venture, alliance or network-based business (e.g., create new entity from current enterprises)

View more guidelines.

Submit your application and executive summary by 22 December 2008. See www.cleanenergy-financing.com for further instructions.

Short-listed candidates will be offered one-on-one coaching to create financially, socially, and environmentally viable business proposals.
Finalists will be invited to the Forum on 4 March 2009 in

Singapore in order to make presentations on their business proposals in front of potential investors and financiers.

Awards will be presented to proposals with high business potential, as chosen by a panel of judges at the conclusion of the Forum.

The Forum is organized by the Climate Technology Initiative (CTI), CTI’s Private Financing Advisory Network (CTI’s PFAN), the International Center for Environmental Technology Transfer (ICETT), ReEx Capital Asia, the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS), and the USAID ECO-Asia Clean Development & Climate Program (ECO-Asia).

Calling all enterprising students, aspiring entrepreneurs, curious onlookers and simply anyone who wishes to turn his/her ideas into the next big thing! Join us at the Awards Ceremony of Start-Up@Singapore 2008 – the national business plan competition – to catch a glimpse of the most innovative and promising business plans that we received this year. Some highlights of this event include pitches by the winning teams and a showcase of all the Finalists.

The Awards Ceremony will be graced by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Finance. Judges, Mentors and Sponsors of Start-Up@Singapore 2008 will also be present at the Ceremony. Take this opportunity to mingle and interact with our esteemed guests and get an idea of what it takes to make a winning business plan. Click here to register today!

• Date: 31 May 2008 (Saturday)
• Time: 4.30pm to 7.00pm (Registration starts at 3.30pm)
• Venue: Matrix Biopolis Auditorium, 30 Biopolis Street, Singapore 138671 [Map]
• Attire: Business Formals

After a couple of months of transition, team building and planning, Start-Up@Singapore (S@S) kicks off this year with our Official Launch on 15 October 2007 at the SingTel hello! Comcentre near Somerset MRT. Scheduled to run from 4.00pm to 6.00pm, our Guest-of-Honour is Mr Michael Yap who is the Deputy CEO of the Media Development Authority (MDA) and Executive Director of the Interactive Digital Media (IDM) R&D Programme Office.

Calling all students, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, mentors and basically anyone interested in making ideas happen. Launched in 1999 and now in our ninth year, S@S has grown and evolved to become much more than just a contest. Over and above the capital that we award to start-ups with winning business plans, S@S now provides aspiring and current entrepreneurs with a staggering repertoire of resources to help them make the transition from paper to product.

Our Official Launch will feature a number of exciting segments such as:
a) Face-Off – a live and interactive pitching session involving entrepreneurs and venture capitalists
b) Make Ideas Happen – the official launch sequence of Start-Up@Singapore 2008
c) The After Party – an exclusive opportunity to wine and dine with our guests, mentors, judges, sponsors and our past, present and future participants

Given that there are limited seats available, be sure to register early at launch@startup.org.sg.

For more information, please visit www.startup.org.sg.

• Date: 15th October 2007 (Monday)
• Time: 4.00pm to 6.00pm (Registration starts at 3.00pm)
• Venue: hello! ComCentre, Singtel Theatrette
• Admission: FREE
• RSVP: launch@startup.org.sg

Program at a glance:

• 3.00pm: Start of Registration
• 3.45pm: Arrival of Guests, VIPs and VVIPs
• 4.00pm: Arrival of Guest-of-Honour
• 4.05pm: “A New Year, A New Experience” – A Presentation by the Leads
• 4.20pm: Address by Chairperson
• 4.30pm: Address by Guest-of-Honour
• 4.45pm: “Face-Off” – Entrepreneurs Pitch, VCs Probe
• 5.30pm: “Make Ideas Happen” – The Official Launch
• 5.40pm: Presentation of Tokens of Appreciation
• 5.50pm: “The After Party” – Fine Food with Fine People