
Lee Kuan Yew Beta Prize

The Lee Kuan Yew Beta Prize is dedicated to supporting nascent-stage startups with bold ideas that have the potential to create transformative impact. As part of the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC), this prize recognizes and empowers early-stage entrepreneurs who are tackling pressing global challenges through deep-tech and innovation.

Lee Kuan Yew
Beta Prize
S$100,000 Cash Prize
Who Is It For?
This prize is designed for:
- Early-stage startups and university spin-offs that are in the ideation, prototype, or pre-commercialization phase.
- Innovators working on disruptive solutions in deep technology, sustainability, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, healthcare, and emerging fields.
- Visionaries looking for critical support to turn their groundbreaking ideas into viable businesses
Why It Matters
Many early-stage startups struggle with funding gaps, market entry barriers, and lack of mentorship. The Lee Kuan Yew Beta Prize bridges this gap by offering a launchpad for breakthrough ideas, ensuring they receive the support needed to achieve real-world impact.
Past Winners
(9th, 10th and 11th Editions)
The Lee Kuan Yew Beta Prize is not just an award—it’s a catalyst for game-changing innovation. Apply now and take your startup to the next level.
A/Professor Cher Heng Tan graduated with MBBS (Singapore) and FRCR (UK). He completed his Abdominal Imaging Fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and thereafter, Executive MBA from Insead. He is presently Senior Consultant with the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he also serves as Assistant Chairman Medical Board (Clinical Research and Innovation).
Jixun Foo is a senior managing partner at Granite Asia. He leads the firm’s overall investment strategy and portfolio management.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew
First Prime Minister of Singapore
The Global Stage for Next-Gen Innovators
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.
The 12th LKYGBPC is bringing together next-gen innovators addressing the most pressing global challenges in Urban Solutions & Sustainability.
Why Founders Join LKYGBPC
- Leverage Singapore’s edge in innovation, startup-friendly policies and top talent
- Connect with leaders shaping Southeast Asia’s market of 700M consumers
- Pitch to investors in Singapore’s thriving hub of 200+ VC funds and family offices
- Join a deeptech peer learning network of founders from world's top 100 universities
- Receive 1:1 mentorship from C-suite executives
- S$2.5M+ in prizes and counting
- Exclusive opportunity to join the Urban Sustainnovator accelerator programme
Guests-of-Honour

Opening Ceremony
Minister Chee Hong Tat
Mr Chee Hong Tat is currently the Minister for National Development. He also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore Board of Directors, Chairman of the Chinese Community Liaison Group and an Adviser to the Board of Directors of Business China. Before joining politics, he spent 17 years in the Public Service, and had served as the Principal Private Secretary to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Chief Executive of the Energy Market Authority and Second Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Closing Ceremony
Heng Swee Keat
Mr. Heng plays a key role in steering Singapore’s research, innovation, and enterprise strategies, overseeing the closer integration of our RIE and industry transformation efforts. As former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, he shaped future-focused policies that continue to drive the nation’s innovation and talent landscape.


Event Programmes














12th LKYGBPC Advisory Committee
Shirley Wong
Chief Judge & Chair, 12th LKYGBPC, Advisory Committee; Entrepreneur-in-Residence, SMUIIE; Managing Partner, TNF Ventures Pte Ltd
Jixun Foo
Senior Managing Partner
Granite Asia
David Golding
Head of Global Innovation Partnerships
Innovate UK
Lim Eng Hwee
Chief Executive Officer
Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)
Lim Teck Kiat
Deputy Secretary (Resilience)
Ministry for Sustainability and the Environment
Prof Shlomo Magdassi
Professor of Chemistry
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jacqueline Poh
Chief Executive Officer
JTC Corporation
Cher Heng Tan
Group Chief Research and Innovation Officer
National Healthcare Group
12th LKYGBPC Mentors
12th LKYGBPC Category Judges
Dr Josephine KWA
Independent Non Executive Director
Sembcorp Industries Ltd
Dr LEE Shiang Long
Group Chief Technology & Digital Officer Chief Technology Officer, Defence & Public Security
ST Engineering
Sugandhi MATTA
Chief Impact Officer
abc IMPACT
NG Huck Hui
Assistant Chief Executive, Research and Talent Development
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Prof. YEOH Lean Weng
Chief Sustainability Officer
Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR)
Frank T. ROTHAERMEL
Regents’ Professor, McDonough Chair, & Sloan Industry Studies Fellow
Georgia Institute of Technology
Prof LOH Xian Jun
Executive Director
A*STAR Institute of Materials Research & Engineering ( A*STAR IMRE )
Dr Yufeng WAN
Partner and Head of Energy Transition
Templewater
Jonathan CHENG
Chief Technology Officer
Building and Construction Authority (BCA)
Benjamin SWAN
Founder / CEO
BECO Ventures
Prof Reginald TAN
Executive Director, Science and Engineering Research Council
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Dickson THIAN
Vice President, Investments
Xora
Cyril EBERSWEILER
General Partner at SOSV and the Founder/MD of HAX
Dr. Claus RETTIG
President Asia Pacific, Associate Member of the Executive Board
Evonik Industries AG
TAN Cher Heng
Group Chief, Research and Innovation
NHG Health
Immanuel WOO
Director, Sustainable Solutions
Temasek
Dr Daniel TAY
Vice President, Emerging Technology
Temasek
Catia CESARI
Managing Partner
Volta Circle
Mark HOLST
Business Opportunity Manager for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), Asia-Pacific
Shell
Prof Rachid YAZAMI
President
KVI Holdings (Singapore)
Karen NG
Chief of Staff
ENGIE Southeast Asia
Rajan K KALIDINDI
Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer for ASEAN, Korea and ANZ
GE HealthCare
Dr Gurdev SINGH
Chief Engineering and Technology Officer
PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency
Rowena YEO
Global Chief Technology Officer and SVP, Technology Services
Johnson & Johnson
Dr Rosemary TAN
CEO
Leyden Labs Asia
Chen Ee LEE
Partner
Polaris Partners
Prof. Ralph EICHLER
Professor Emeritus
ETH Zurich, Switzerland
David GOLDING
Head of Global Innovation Partnerships
Innovate UK
Chueh Loo POH
Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering NUS Synthetic, Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI)
National University of Singapore
Yiran LU
Vice President of Investment
Granite Asia
FONG Saik Hay
Retired CTO ST Engineering Ltd and formerly Corporate advisor, TEMASEK and Xora Innovation
Mike LIM
Partner
TRIREC
James Tang
Founding Managing Partner
Kreo Ventures
Dr Chris Tan
Founder of Angsana Molecular & Diagnostics and Archerfish Precision Diagnostics
Dr Charlie FOO
Vice President & General Manager – Enterprise/Ecosystem Business, Asia Pacific
NVIDIA Corporation
Melvyn YEO
Founder and Managing Partner
TRIREC
11th LKYGBPC Statistics
Universities
Countries
Pitch Submissions
local and international participants
worth of prizes
As Featured On
Mr Wong Wai Meng is currently the Chief Executive Officer (Data Centres) of Data Centres & Networks Division in Keppel. He has more than 30 years of experience in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry and spearheads the company's thrust towards being one of the leading data centre developers and solution provider in Europe and Asia Pacific.







































