Mr Lee Kuan Yew
First Prime Minister of Singapore
The Global Stage for University Startups
Inspired by one of the world’s most visionary leaders, the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC) is one of Asia's most globally representative and exciting deep-tech startup challenges. Every two years, our pitch competition lights up a global stage for next-gen founders to showcase their groundbreaking innovations and connect with the world, fueling their growth.
Powered by Singapore Management University’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SMU IIE), we have fostered a global youth innovation village and launched countless successful ventures solving real-world challenges since 2002.
Focus Areas
Carbon Tech
Solutions to capture, utilize, reduce, or store carbon dioxide, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and leverage data to optimize carbon management, ESG reporting and financing strategies.
Climate Tech
Climate tech utilises climate-resilient infrastructure to reduce emissions and support sustainable development.
Energy Transitions
Advancements in energy generation, storage, transmission, and distribution to facilitate the shift toward renewable sources to enhance grid resilience, optimize energy use, and ensure access to clean energy.
Food & Land Use
Innovative solutions promoting sustainable farming and alternative protein sources that enhance food security and minimise environmental impact.
Green Buildings & Constructions
Energy-efficient materials, smart technologies, and sustainable designs that reduce resource consumption and emissions.
Homeland Security
Advanced surveillance, AI, and cybersecurity solutions that strengthen national resilience and enhance rapid-response capabilities by safeguarding critical infrastructure and public spaces.
Public Health
Digital health, AI and other tech solutions that boost patient outcomes and enhance healthcare access, preventive care and overall community wellness.
Sustainable Materials & Circularity
Innovative materials and recycling technologies that promote renewable resources, extend product life cycles, and reduce waste, enabling closed-loop systems.
Transport & Logistics
Smarter transport networks based on EV infrastructure and mobility optimisation that optimise efficiency, reduce emissions and streamline logistics operations.
Urban Mobility Solutions
Urban mobility technologies such as autonomous vehicles and AI serve to optimise traffic, reduce congestion, and lower carbon emissions.
Water Solutions
Innovations in purification, harness real-time monitoring and AI-driven analytics to ensure access to clean water, optimise water usage, detect leaks, and minimise waste.
Emerging Tech
Advances in science and technologies addressing urban solutions and sustainability that ultimately have a positive impact on people, health, environment and the planet.
Prizes
Lee Kuan Yew Beta Prize
S$100,000
Cash Prize
Lee Kuan Yew Infinity Prize
S$100,000
Cash Prize
Wavemaker Sustainability Investment Prize
Up to S$300,000
Investment Prize
Climate Innovation Investment Prize presented by TRIREC
Up to S$300,000
Investment Prize
APRW Public Relations Resource Prize
S$100,000
Professional Service Prize
Lee & Lee Legal Resource Prize
S$76,500
Professional Service Prize
Best Professor-Student Team Prize
S$20,000
Cash Prize
People's Choice Award (Beta Category)
S$10,000
Cash Prize
People's Choice Award (Infinity Category)
S$10,000
Cash Prize
12th LKYGBPC International Judging Panel
Daniel Tay
VP, Emerging Technologies
Temasek, Singapore
Prof. Shlomo Magdassi
Professor of Chemistry
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Prof. Paul Davidson
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, US
Genevieve Soh
Chief Product & Strategy Officer
Climate Impact X, Singapore
Mario Fernandez
Head of Catalyst
Breakthrough Energy, US
Frank Levinson
Co-Founder and General Partner
Convergent Ventures, US
Joyce Ng
General Partner
iGlobe Partners, Singapore
James Tang
Partner
KPCB, China
12th LKYGBPC Mentors
Sugandhi Matta
Chief Impact Officer
abc IMPACT
Jeremy Goon
Chief Sustainability Officer
Wilmar International
Gary Kunis
Former Chief Science Officer
CISCO Systems
Hugh Lim
Executive Director
Centre for Liveable Cities
Ivan Ng
Chief Technology Officer
City Developments Limited
Kheng Nam Lee
Deputy Chairman
Vertex Holdings
Pauline Tay
Director
National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC)
Liu Xiao Wei
Asia Director & Senior Advisor to Secretary General
World Energy Council
12th LKYGBPC Faculty Communication Advisors
Mark Chong
Professor of Communication Management
SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business
Tracy Loh
Senior Lecturer of Communication Management
SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business
Alumni Spotlight
Shaping Tomorrow's Cities: LKYGBPC Launches Global Hunt for Sustainable Urban Innovations
Published onPress release: Launch of the 12th edition of the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition.
Coming Full Circle After 23 Years
Published onFrom student volunteer in the inaugural LKYGBPC in 2002 to judge to potential AI partner, David Isaac Mathews has a long-lasting affiliation with the competition. He reflects on its evolution.
11th LKYGBPC Statistics
As Featured On
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