The company won due to its ClearCell System, a cell-based invitro diagnostic device that isolates and retrieves intact and viable circulating tumor cells from blood.

It was the only Singaporean participant out of 18 total startup companies representing 12 countries. As the winner, it took home three million yen (S$47,000) and three years of free tenancy at the Tokatsu Techno Plaza in Chiba Prefecture.

Clearbridge BioMedics is a spin-off company from the Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore.

“Participating in this event was a great experience for us. We were able to network and present to an audience, including venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and potential partners. Japan is a very important market for us, winning this award will be a launch pad for us to bring the technology there,” says Dr Andrew Wu, project director, Clearbridge BioMedics.

The majority of the finalists came from business incubators or consisted of University spin-offs. The judging panel looked for innovativeness, the businesses’ economic and social impact, as well as the companies’ ability to implement their business strategies.

Moving forward, Clearbridge BioMedics plan to use the prize money to further accelerate the development of its next-generation microfluidics biochips. They also hope to explore a wider number of applications in the life sciences and medical diagnostic fields.

NUS sends Alvin a letter saying that a change of decision is “highly unlikely”. Message from Alvin on his site:

“Please note that as you have already been considered for all your previous choices, appealing for the same choices would be highly unlikely to change the university’s prior decision.” 

This was the exact words written on the letter that I received from National University of Singapore, which happened to be the same words that got me thinking. To me, the intent was simple, to do something now or not to do anything at all. Nevertheless, I apologize if the website have misled you in any way. :) 

A Big Thank You, to the people who have supported me. :) 

Just some further clarification, I was offered Computing (Information Systems Courses), and as the skills that the website portrays, and rightly so, there are no majors in Information System Courses that are relevant to me. When I said Computer Science, I meant Computing (Computer Science Courses), which gives me an option to become a Communications and Media Major. I will be then able to specialize in Content Creations and Mass Communications Group (which is User Interaction and Experience) as well as Games Technology Group. 

While many students would give up after finding out that they’ve been denied entry to the university course of their choice, Alvin Wang is different.

Not taking it lying down, this IT diploma graduate from Ngee Ann Polytechnic created an online resume at helpalvingetintoschool.com to show off his credentials. He hopes to pursue degree in Computer Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The website has caught fire on the interwebs, gaining fans and haters alike. So far, it has already garnered over 11,000 Facebook likes. It’s similar to a website started by Matthew Epstein, called Google please hire me.

On the site, he lists his skillset: Java, C#, Visual Basic, and Javascript. He also knows interface design in Photoshop, and website design with HTML, CSS and PHP, doing it since he was 13. He is currently learning iOS development with Objective-C.

Quite impressive.

“I know this is a long shot, or a shot in the foot, maybe. But I knew I had to do something, not because I think I am better than anyone. I am not, but it was never about being better than anyone, it is about being the best I can be,” he writes.

“I am starving for this opportunity.”

He also put up a video on his final year project, written in C# for Microsoft Surface:

Hungry Hippos – Final Year Project [Demo] from Alvin Wang on Vimeo.

While many have praised him for his initiative, at least one blogger has cast aspersions on Alvin’s integrity, calling his appeal a “deception.”

Adopting the pen name “Eli James”, the writer reminded readers that Alvin was in fact accepted into another course in NUS — Information Systems, a fact he reasons Alvin should have disclosed on the site.

Hence, instead of being a student taking to the web as a final recourse, Alvin was merely picky about his options.

“This campaign wasn’t about getting a talented kid into school. This campaign was about a kid who wasn’t happy with the course he was given, wanted another one, and then decided to run a campaign about it instead. And the worst bit of it was that he was dishonest about the nature of his complaint,” he writes.

Eli later on adds that what Alvin should have done is to accept the Information Systems program, and then apply for a switch after entering the school, arguing that he stands a higher chance of getting what he wants.

Other critics have also called him out for being “childish” and questioning his tactics to ”ride on the influence of social media”.

Alvin has never expected the website to generate so much attention, or criticism.

But whatever he is doing appears to be working. He has received ten interview requests from employers, TodayOnline has learnt.

He may not need to enter NUS after all.

Founded by three schoolmates who each had gone on an immersive entrepreneurial programme across the world, Unboxs Solutions focuses on improving the efficiency of logistics and clinic operations within the medical industry. MedF1 helps medical practitioners search for and purchase drugs, medical devices and consumables, while enjoying cost savings.

Evolving from smartphones and tablets to medicine

The computing and engineering backgrounds of Toh Hong Pang (CTO), Jamen Loh (Sales and Marketing) and Ryan Teo (Sales and Marketing) did not dictate a natural inclination towards the medical industry. How then did they end up doing MedF1? The three men had started out with plans to build point-of-sales applications for smartphones and tablets. After going down that line for a while and after hearing from their advisor who’s a medical specialist on problems faced by private practices, the team brainstormed and finally settled on attempting to solve logistical problems within the medical industry.

Aggregating demand and supply

MedF1 aggregates demand and supply in the medical industry by connecting suppliers of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumables with clinics, medical centres and hospitals. The platform helps the latter group manage their inventory needs while saving money on their drug and device orders through an online account. In their words, it is “akin to a group purchasing office within a large medical organization such as a hospital or a private chain”. Suppliers can also offer promotions and bundled savings.

Searching for products on MedF1

Making orders on MedF1

A sample clinic account login overview

Improving efficiency and predictive forecasting

The next step in their goal to help improving logistical efficiency, the team will be integrating their platform with the business operations and IT systems used by the suppliers. The Unboxs Solutions tells me that the aim is “to be Just-In-Time”: imagine a direct path from the ordering to the order being processed in the supplier’s system. Pharmaceutical companies and the like can save on manpower costs and clinics get their orders fulfilled faster.

The team also plans to do predictive forecasting of demand. This would be of great help to suppliers as they can better manage their inventory.

Unboxs Solutions has gotten seed funding from SPRING Singapore YES! grant scheme and from an individual. This individual is the lead investor in MedF1 and is a specialist based in Gleneagles Medical Centre with admitting privileges to Mt Elizabeth Hospital, Mt Alvernia Hospital and Parkway East Hospital. She received advanced training within her specialization in Singapore and USA.

In Singapore GCL has partnered with the National University of Singapore to form the NUS-GCL Initiative for Social Business. Its goals is to leverage the global resources and networks of GCL to promote and incubate innovation-based social businesses in Singapore that have the potential to generate scalable, sustainable social impacts in Emerging Markets, especially social groups at Bottom of the Pyramid.

Prof Wong Poh Kam, Director of the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre, says, “The big entrepreneurial growth opportunity over the next decade is innovating for emerging markets and applying the entrepreneurship aproach to solving problems at the bottom of the pyramid. We have been working with the Grameen Creative Lab over the last few months and are pleased to be able to bring GCL to Singapore and look forward to collaborating with them to help incubate new social businesses.”

Find out more about the GCL’s 7 Principles for Social Business.

“Every time I see a problem, I create a company to solve that problem.” ~ Prof Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Founder of the Grameen Creative Lab

For start-ups to be successful, it is important for innovation to be augmented with a deep understanding of technical and methodological foundations. Start-ups also need to think out of the box, experiment with new ideas, and formulate new strategies for achieving greatest impact with the least amount of resources.

Come join us for i.JAMMING session, where the research results of our universities and secrets of successful start-ups such as BuUuK, Fresbo & Aureliant will be shared in an open environment of collaboration, networking and sharing of best practices.

• Date: 2nd Sep 2009
• Time: 1800-2000hrs
• Venue: National University of S’pore Shaw Foundation Alumni House Auditorium, Storey 2/ IDM Institute @ 21 Heng Mui Keng Terrace

Program:
1730hrs Registration @ storey 2, Shaw Foundation Alumni House Auditorium, NUS
1800hrs Tapping on resources – Introduction to NUS Enterprise
1815hrs Startups which achieved more with less: BuUuk, Fresbo, Aureliant
1900hrs Looking for latest technology? Look at AudioBEAM- highly directional sound delivery and M-EDGE- Music-emotion driven game engine
1920hrs Tour of IDMI labs @ 21 Heng Mui Keng Terrace
Dinner @ Level 2, 21 Heng Mui Keng Terrace

As spaces are limited, please indicate your attendance with your name, contact no., company/organisation and email to mda_idmpo_officer1 (at) mda.gov.sg by Tuesday 1st Sep 09 1800hrs.

For directions to the locations, you may refer to this map.

NUS Entrepreneurship Week – Friday Big Mixing 23 January 2009

Need a final push to start on your journey as an entrepreneur? ‘Friday Big Mixing’, the final day of the inaugural Entrepreneurship Week, promises to end off the event with a big bang! If you find the topics on the first few days too niche, then look out for Friday, where the wide ranging topics means there is something for everyone.

Talk to the IT maestros from Microsoft to gain a deeper understanding of starting an online business. At the same time, let the speakers from Garag3 share their business experiences with you for inspirations. Or if you feel that studies is your first priority, how about considering a one year trip to an NUS Overseas College? Find out more about the program through the NOC sharing session in the evening.

Hesitate no more and grab your last chance to a new outlook in life! At least for 2009 :)

Highlights of the Day

Enabling Entrepreneurship on Web | 12pm – 2pm | SOC1 SR4 (Level 6 Room 12)

e27 is proud to bring you “Enabling Entrepreneurship on the Web”–an event focused on how you can make use of tools and services online to start their own company or bring your current business to new heights. Featuring Chris Ismael and David Lim from Microsoft who will share their personal entrepreneurial experiences and the resources available to help entrepreneurs create new age web companies.

An Entrepreneur’s Path | 3pm -5pm | YIH Function Room 1

An event by Garag3 where speakers are specially invited to share their experiences on how to start, sustain and grow their business. Don’t miss this event if you are looking for inspiration to start your own business!

Sharing Session by NOC Alumni | 6pm – 8pm | Engineering Auditorium

The NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) program sends students to entrepreneurial hubs across the globe, namely, Silicon Valley, Bio Valley (Philadelphia, USA), Shanghai, Stockholm and Bangalore to be inmmersed in the entrepreneurial spirit and culture in each of these locations. As part of the NUS Entrepreneurship Week, come listen to speakers invited by the NOC Alumni – explore how the entrepreneurship environment differs across the globe, plus uncover the unique experience at each college!

Log on to www.eweek.nes.org.sg for more information.

Regards
The Start-Up@Singapore 2009 Team,
On behalf of NUS Entrepreneurship Society

Asia’s energy consumption represents one third of the world’s, yet this demand has not been met. This has been a problem as energy consumption has generally been on the rise in Asia over the last 40 years. But with the increasing urbanization of Asia, and especially that of China and India, this consumption is expected to rise further. This is no new news.

There is a need to meet this increasing energy demand and we have always looked to oil in fulfilling this demand. But oil consumption is unsustainable. There has been no new major oilfield discovery in the last couple of years. Even though there have been small finds in Brazil fairly recently, these finds would not solve the world’s energy consumption problem. However, there might be ways to produce more oil, but these methods would lead to oil costing $200-$300 a barrel. This price tag for energy just does not represent financially viable solutions as of now. Thus, there is obviously a great urgent need to find better ways of trying to meet the huge energy demand of Asia.

Asia’s increasing urbanization also means increasing urban transportation. As transportation is a significant source of CO2, transport-related CO2 is expected to increase steadily because of China and India. The negative impact on the environment is ever-increasing.

Oil is cheap now. (Click picture to enlarge.)

But change is happening. More and more electric vehicles are on the roads. However, this change is not as fast as one might have hoped for. For example, it takes up to 12 hours to charge a car before you can take it out on the roads; whereas the time needed to charge scooters can take only an hour. This inconvenience does not make it viable for many people to switch to electric cars even if they are interested to do so. This means a greater challenge for clean energy entrepreneurs as it is often not the case that the technology is not ready and commercially viable, but that they are not consumer-friendly yet.

Investment opportunity. (Click picture to enlarge.)

Another interesting question posed from the floor was whether the airline industry is following suit with the move towards clean energy. Airliners are more complicated than scooters and cars because they need much more energy to move a lot more mass through the sky. Fuel needed thus needs to strike a balance between the ability to provide this energy as well as weight. Oil, being a very dense fuel and being relatively light, is a good choice for airlines. However, because of the airline industry’s special fuel needs, it is harder for airlines to adopt clean tech right away. The example of the first commercial test flight by Virgin Atlantic Airways using jet fuel made with coconut oil and and Brazilian babassu nuts was a successful one. Perhaps in time to come, we’ll be able to fly without leaving a carbon footprint!

Speaker is Ron Mahabir from Asia Cleantech Capital.

NUS Entrepreneurship Week – Unconventional Thursday, 22 January 2009

Often find yourself different from the rest? Always know that you have something special inside? Then ‘Unconventional Thursday’, the day where everything goes against the norm, is the right day for you! Unleash your inner creativity at the National Library Board workshop and spot potential leads for your business plan. Or if you believe in girl power, join the female entrepreneur discussion and be the next Nanz Chong, Elim Chew or Olivia Lum. Or perhaps you are thinking you have no flair for entrepreneurship, then try your hand at Intrapreneurship! Never heard of it, better still, go find out at the Intrapreneurship seminar in the evening!
Celebrate your Uniqueness on Thursday!
Highlights of the Day

Creativity in Action Workshop | 3.00pm – 6.00pm | CRA*-BIZ1 04-25 (DINING AREA TO CONFERENCE ROOM A), NUS Business School

What’s Creativity? How it works? Ever wonder about this question in your mind? If the answer is yes, then you would not want to miss this 3 hours hands-on workshop featuring Mr. Prabhjit Singh, an experienced trainer from the National Library Board, who will inspire and trigger your inner creativity in coming out with innovative business ideas. So do expect a lot of fun and interaction while unleashing your creativity in this workshop!

A Female Entrepreneur’s Journey | 4.00pm – 6.00pm | LT3, NUS Faculty of Engineering

This discussion brings successful female entrepreneurs in Singapore together to share their entrepreneurship journey and opportunities for budding female entrepreneurs in Singapore. This event is great for females and for all who believe that women can carve a great future for themselves too. Featuring Ms Nanz Chong, founder of former One.99 Retail Stores and Ms Diana Sabrain, CEO of Sexyfemale Marketing

A New Difference-Intrapreneurship | 6.00pm – 9.00pm | Hon Sui Sen Auditorium, NUS Business School

Applying entrepreneurial skills within an established organization – intrapreneurship is a unique form of entrepreneurship that is becoming a common approach to strive for innovation in firms and corporations both locally and internationally. Through an interactive panel discussion with distinguished speakers, you will be given an introduction on this field and discover how intrapreneurship works within the internal management of organizations. Featuring Mr Michael Yap, Deputy CEO, MDA,  and Mr Richard Eu, Group CEO,  Eu Yan Sang International Ltd

Log on to www.eweek.nes.org.sg for more information.

Regards
The Start-Up@Singapore 2009 Team,
On behalf of NUS Entrepreneurship Society

The Virtual Worlds panel brought together speakers who build virtual worlds (Jeremy Snyder, Twinity), financial service provider for virtual worlds (Aileen Sim, First Meta), provider of a virtual mobile technology aimed at enterprises (James Ong, Origami Frontiers), new media and virtual site destination producer (Aroon Tan, Magma Studios), where game characters and films collide (Ho Chee Yue, Association of MACHINIMA Arts and Sciences) and our champion for the marriage of museums and new media (Walter Lim, National Heritage Board).

The whole session covered topics from business opportunities to virtual world governance to the virtual economy and the trading of virtual currency. Aroon started the talk with a brief overview of how response happens immediately in these interactive virtual worlds, where whatever a character does, the interactive environment receives your feedback immediately. This is in line with the drastic change in paradigm and what this means for entrepreneurs is that, we need to think of how to sustain business opportunities, how to expand the more traditional elements like advertising and subscription elements inside these virtual worlds.

Directed at budding virtual world creators, Jeremy of Twinity talked about the need for compelling reasons to participate in your virtual world. Why yours? For Twinity, the question for them while creating the virtual world is: How can we put something out there that is interesting for people, and doesn’t take them away completely from their life? Because they believe that even if you play World of Warcraft for 40 hours a week, you still need to live in the real world. It is not possible to have a total divide. As such, he claims that Twinity is the only virtual world that is based on the real world. (I don’t really understand how having more realistic 3D virtual worlds translates to not taking you completely away from your real life? Unless ‘real’ just means physical surroundings.)

One of the biggest topics discussed was about monetization in virtual worlds. According to Chee Yue, be it in the real world or virtual world, to make real money out of marketing you need to be very sharp. The question to ask is: Will you be able to create something that people will be able to pay? Aileen reminded us that:

“When people buy virtual goods, they are not paying for the item per se, but actually paying for the way a certain item makes them feel.”

This is something I believe all retailers in the real and virtual worlds will attest to.

For Walter, he suggested two ways of looking at monetization: horizontal – like First Meta, building an across-the-board platform, or vertical – drilling down into specific industries like education or automotives. Another warning from Jeremy is that if a company is thinking of advertising in virtual worlds, flat ads are out of the question. Why do flat ads when you can do interactive ads that take advantage of the interactivity of virtual worlds?

I believe this goes the same for many other paradigm shifts for example from print to web for magazines/newspapers and even comics. Check this TED video out for a good look at new forms of comic strips that opens up when we move from print to web (eg. infinite comic loops are comic strips where the end of the comic is also the start of the same comic strip). Or try out Comic Chat (create your own comic strip as you chat).

Lastly, on the topic of currency trading, there were points regarding the trading of virtual currency and currency exchange between virtual currency and real world currency. As questions were being asked from the floor regarding making a living in virtual worlds, the panel touched upon the legalities of making money in virtual worlds, and thereafter converting the virtual currency into real world currency you can use to buy food for sustenance. They noted that while it is probably required that one register a business or recognize income from your virtual world activities, a large number of people do not do so. As a result, the illegitimate virtual economy would most likely be much larger than the legit one. Meaning, the black market definitely exists and is thriving! Just that like with the real world’s black market, it is not always visible to most of us.

Picture from left: Chee Yue (Machinima), James (Origami), Jeremy (Twinity), Walter (National Heritage Board), Aileen (First Meta), Aroon (Magma Studios).

NUS Entrepreneurship Week – Tech Wednesday 21 January 2009

Love to poke your friends on Facebook and buy the season’s hottest fashion at wholesale prices over the Internet? Then keep yourself occupied with all the events held on ‘Tech Wednesday’, the day dedicated to technology – the fastest changing trend in the world. Find out all about online businesses and e-commerce through the various seminars held throughout the day. You can very well be on your way to setting up the next E-bay, Facebook or Youtube!

And who says the art of online business only applies to technology enthusiasts? If you are into science, energy or environment, this is your chance to find out how you can combine your joy for the natural sciences with the latest technology to set up a business of your very own!

Ride on the technological wave to greater heights right now!

Highlights of the Day

Think Green – Environmental Entrepreneur | 2.00pm – 4.00pm | LT3, Faculty of Engineering

Energy conservation, recycling, environmental friendly actions are the big issue nowadays. Environmentally driven entrepreneurs are invited to share their insights on the “Green Field”. This will allow students to have a better grasp on the opportunities in the field while raising their awareness about the “Conservation and Going Green” related work through innovation.

Host: Energy Carta

Online Business 101 | 2.00pm – 4.00pm | EA 06-6 Faculty of Engineering

Entrepreneurs in the e-commerce industry sharing their experience in starting up online business and how they proceeded by expanding it. Come and join us to learn how to start an online business and listen to useful tips and advices on starting and growing your business idea into possibly the next E-bay!

Biotech Pitching & Commercialisation forum | 4.00pm – 6.00pm | E3-06-9, Faculty of Engineering

Interested to find out more about the process of transforming a research idea into a viable start-up? Or having a business idea related to the biotechnology field and is in need of comments and feedback from industry experts? Come and join us in the Biotech Pitching and Tech Commercialization forum to learn about the opportunities and process about starting a biotech business!

Log on to www.eweek.nes.org.sg for more information.

Regards
The Start-Up@Singapore 2009 Team,
On behalf of NUS Entrepreneurship Society