enterprise@nus.edu.sg | enterprise.nus.edu.sg | NUSEnterprise

A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF NUS ENTERPRISESPARKS

JAN - MAR 2019

ISSUE 021

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10 START-UP FOUNDERS’

VIEWS ON BUDGET 2019

12 LEAVING A LEGACY

“I AM RE-TYRE-ING”.

03NOC EXPANDS INTO SHENZHEN

N e w B e g i n n i n g s

ENTERPRISE SPARKS NUS Enterprise 21 Heng Mui Keng Terrace, Level 5 Singapore 119613enterprise@nus.edu.sgwww.enterprise.nus.edu.sgCompany Registration No: 200604346E

Editorial Team: Bhawani Balakrishnan (Lead), Ng Su Fen Contributors: Amarpreet Kaur, Krystal Jemima Joseph.

We are happy for you to share or reproduce the content of this publication but do let us know before you do as it is proprietary to NUS Enterprise. Thank you!

FEATURESSPARKS interest with the latest in the start-up and entrepreneur scene within our community

SPARKS action with fireside chats andtips from experienced entrepreneurs

SPARKS partnerships with industryand market leaders

SPARKS passion with excitingentrepreneurial internships

SPARKS interest in past eventsand activities

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NOC EXPANDS INTO SHENZHEN

IGNITING HEARTS, CATALYSING CHANGE

NUS OPEN DAY 2019

PURR-FECT WAY TO USHER IN THE LUNAR NEW YEAR!

COOKLAB@ALCHEMY OPENS AT SINGAPORE SCIENCE PARK

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START-UP FOUNDERS’ VIEWS ON BUDGET 2019

LEAVING A LEGACY “I AM RE-TYRE-ING”.

DRONES TAKE FLIGHT IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR

BUILDING THE FOODTECH ECOSYSTEM

SUPER SOLUTIONS FOR CHILDREN IN NEED

SMART E-LEARNING FOR E-ASY LEARNING

NEWSFEED

FLASHBACK

Editor’s note

In this instalment of Enterprise SPARKS, we emphasise ‘new beginnings’, as our organisation bids adieu to one leader who’s getting ready to ‘re-tyre’ and we get ready to welcome a new frontrunner . Over the past 13 years, our community has opened doors for many new collaborations and opportunities under Lily’s leadership, and wish her all the best in her new endeavours and adventures.

Over the first quarter, we’ve welcomed new initiatives for our start-ups in relatively newer industries, such as foodtech, and encouraged the growth of unorthodox solutions for existing, pressing issues, such as delivering medical supplies to rural areas of the world via drone technology.

We see innovation and entrepreneurship taking the mantel in addressing social issues, and we are honoured to be providing platforms such as The Social Oven, a social entrepreneurship workshop, as well as enabling dedicated students to use their acquired knowledge, for good, such as the winners of the NUS Makerthon.

With new initiatives and measures being introduced in the Budget 2019, we have captured the voices of some of the start-ups in our ecosystem, to hear their views on the changes pertinent to funding and investment opportunities.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Enterprise SPARKS, as we continue to work towards cultivating a vibrant and thriving ecosystem for all.

SPARKS food-for-thought

20 SEIZING GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES IN BANGLADESH

SPARKS ideas with different thoughts and perspectives

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NOC EXPANDS INTO SHENZHENNUS Civil Engineering student Fatim Mohrini Ahmad Mohri, who is headed for NOC Shenzhen, said “it is the place to be for would-be entrepreneurs.” The third-year undergraduate will be interning at Ankeao, a company which provides visual marketing services to international clients. Her role will be multi-faceted, from the coordination and production of the marketing materials to client management.

Since 2002, more than 2,800 NUS students have benefitted from an entrepreneurial education through NUS Overseas Colleges.

Prof Wong Poh Kam, Senior Director of the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre, notes that alumni of NUS Overseas Colleges have created more than 370 companies. Prof Wong hopes that those who are sent to the various nodes of the world will return with deep technological capabilities and new ideas to translate them into commercial solutions.

nce a sleepy fishing village, Shenzhen has come a long way since; it is now shaping up to be China’s Silicon Valley for the world’s hardware start-ups. The

Chinese city has become a world-class hotspot for innovation, home to some of the world’s biggest names in tech - such as Huawei and Tencent. Fondly known as the “maker’s dream city,” Shenzhen has almost everything that one could possibly need for hardware innovation readily available, allowing for quick prototyping and rapid iteration.

According to the Shenzhen Innovation and Development Institute, some estimates put Shenzhen at approximately nine months ahead of anywhere else in the world or any other hardware company in terms of developing innovative new products. Consequently, the number of new businesses that are between three and 42 months old in Shenzhen have jumped by 284% compared with 2009.

It’s no wonder why we decided to have Shenzhen as our next NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) location. 20 NUS students will head to Shenzhen each year, to experience working and studying in this world-class location for innovation.

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IGNITING HEARTS, CATALYSING

Participants had meaningful conversations with a myriad of speakers, who championed social causes ranging from migrant workers, to persons with mental illnesses and low-income families. The speakers, consisting of Cheryl Tan (The Breathe Movement), Isabel Phua (Migrant x Me), Eleanor Yap (Ageless Online), Tricia Tan (Catalyst Connection), Jofel Dosano (HOME), Don Chen (Centre for Domestic Employees), Lynn Koi (Migrant Workers Centre), as well as Andrew Low and Saw Hui Qi (Neighbourhood Noms), took turns to share their experiences.

The intimate session served to draw out the nuances of conversations and interactions that could not have otherwise been expressed in larger group settings. With the founders opening up and sharing their personal experiences and why they are invested in their causes, genuine connections were formed while creating a lasting impression on the participants of the programme.

To round off the programme, a pitching competition was held to help tie in the learning points and encourage teams to conceptualise potential social ventures to solve social issues. With less than 48 hours on their hands, participants banded together to brainstorm feasible solutions to their given problem statement: “How might we better integrate marginalised groups into our society?”

he Social Oven 2019, organised by NUS Entrepreneurship Society (NES) and supported by NUS Enterprise, took

place over the weekend of 26 and 27 January. It garnered over 50 sign-ups with individuals from faculties such as Engineering, Arts and even Computing! With their theme this year being ‘Igniting Hearts, Catalysing Change’, the enriching two-day event had activities revolving around social entrepreneurship – aiming to inspire potential change-makers to pursue social causes they were passionate about.

In order for the students to orientate themselves with the social enterprise landscape, a ‘Human Library’ segment was conducted. The cozy, kopi-chat style session, accompanied by freshly brewed coffee from Foreword Coffee – a socially responsible business that integrates differently-abled individuals into the workforce by equipping them with skills and service training was a crowd favourite.

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The Social Oven 2019 took place over two days at NUS Enterprise@Singapore Science Park.Participants visited Social Collider, a co-working space for social enterprises at Blk 69 Ayer Rajah Crescent.

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As a newcomer to the field of social entrepreneurship, I was honestly pretty amazed to see the sheer number of budding and successful social enterprises in Singapore. Even more than that, I was thoroughly impressed by the passion that the founders were exuding, despite having the odds stacked against them. Their passion was infectious, and I can see why it has led to some phenomenal results.”Tishya Khanna, Year 1 Computer Science student

CHANGE

The judging panel, consisting of Russ Neu, Founder & CEO, Social Collider, Eleanor Yap, Director/Editor, Ageless Online, Tan Ye Sheng, Assistant Manager (Startup Development), NUS Enterprise and Nicole Pauh, Social Finance Senior Manager, RAISE SG, contributed valuable feedback to help teams refine their ideas and further tailor them to be a better fit in the market. Teams were evaluated based on their idea innovation, impact, sustainable business model, and pitch presentation. The team that won both the categories developed a platform of resources for donors to sponsor grocery necessities for low income families.

Russ Neu, Founder and CEO of Social Collider, demonstrating products developed by a social enterprise housed in Social Collider.

Teams gathered to ideate social solutions.

Participants engaging migrant workers from Migrant x Me.

Each team made a 3-minute pitch to the judges.

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More than 2000 visitors dropped by our booth to understand the NOC programme. One of the game booths, ‘Take Your Best Shot’ had visitors aiming for at least 3 of the 12 NOC locations with a Nerf gun.

NUS OPEN DAY 2019

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To learn more about NUS Overseas Colleges and be the first to get the latest news, photos and videos, follow @NUSOverseasColleges on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

hand at the games we had in store for them! By answering some NOC-related questions, visitors stood a chance to walk away with attractive prizes, with games like Spin the Wheel, Give Your Best Shot (where you aim for at least three NOC locations with a nerf gun) and Grab that Opportunity (a claw machine!), nabbing sure-win prizes from laptop stickers to wireless speakers! The venue for our talks was packed with students and parents waiting to hear from our alumni about their NOC experiences.

Plus, wonderful news for polytechnic students! NUS has launched a new initiative: a special admissions scheme targeted at polytechnic students who demonstrate entrepreneurial abilities. From this year, each polytechnic can nominate up to 40 students who have displayed strong entrepreneurial inclinations during their course of study. Upon admission into NUS, they will experience the multitude of entrepreneurship education and support programmes on offer, including NOC, the NUS Enterprise Summer Programme and NUS Start-up Runway.

US welcomed over 31,000 visitors to our campus for the annual Open Day on 9 March! Incoming freshmen

and their families made their way over to the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) booth to learn more about the transformative, invaluable entrepreneurial education that NOC offers across the globe.

The day kicked off early at 9am, with NUS President Prof Tan Eng Chye and Senior Deputy President and Provost Prof Ho Teck Hua posing for a picture at our green screen photobooth station, where visitors could pick any NOC location as the backdrop and have their pictures printed on the spot! They also conversed with NOC alumni start-up founders from Bantu.life, StaffAny, Haulio and Keyframe, as well as NOC alumni ‘corporate hustlers’ from Google, DBS, LinkedIn and more.

As the day went on, we had a multitude of prospective students and parents come by to talk to NOC student ambassadors, and try their

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(5th from left) NUS Senior Deputy President and Provost Prof Ho Teck Hua and NUS President Prof Tan Eng Chye (6th from left) dropped by NUS Overseas College booth and chatted with our alumni and start-up founders.

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o welcome the Lunar New Year, BLOCK71 Singapore had one of the biggest Lo Hei parties – with a giant nine square metre fortune cat! Some of our staff lent a hand to create the giant cat from ingredients like crushed peanuts, shredded ginger, carrots

and cucumbers and radish – with the whole process taking approximately four hours! BLOCK71 Singapore extended the invitation to members of the ecosystem, with start-ups like Glints and StaffAny coming down to join in the tossing. With many Lo Heis happening all around Singapore, it’s easy to dismiss the amount of food waste that adds up – especially from this giant fortune cat. We made the conscious decision not to be negligent, by taking our food waste to the composting bins available at United World College.

May this year bring more joy and prosperity for all of your entrepreneurial endeavours! To get the latest updates on the buzz at BLOCK71 and be a part of the community, visit www.block71.co/singapore or follow @BLOCK71Singapore on Facebook and Instagram.

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PURR-FECT WAY TO USHER IN THE LUNAR NEW YEAR!

Oh the joy! The finished product was a hit, with many passer-byes stopping to take pictures with the giant fortune cat.

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He further explained that Alchemy Foodtech’s technology does not change the “sensory aspect” of familiar food, thereby helping people switch to a healthier diet. “With the opening of our new laboratory, we are well positioned to partner with food manufacturers in the region to create healthier products with the same great taste,” Alan added.

The company is partnering four food manufacturers to develop lower GI versions of their food products, including bakery manufacturer Gardenia and bun manufacturer Lim Kee. It is also in discussions with a rice producer. A pilot project has already been started with restaurant chain Han’s F&B Group in January to develop a lower GI version of its fried rice.

Meanwhile, the government will “continue to support food-related innovation and review regulations where needed,” said Mr. Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of Education, who graced the lab’s launch event.

“The Singapore brand name is well regarded and trusted around the world, and food is one area we can bring together our strengths and research in food manufacturing and healthcare,” said Mr. Chee.

“Many of our rules are there for a good reason because we want to protect safety of consumers and ensure there’s fair competition. But at the same time, as things evolve, we need to review our rules on a regular basis and ensure ... the system as a whole stays nimble in supporting new start-ups and business ideas.”

Alchemy Foodtech was recently awarded the “Most Innovative International Startup Pre Series A” at the Agfunder Agri-Food Tech Innovation Awards 2019. Having won the SGD200,000 top prize at the Slingshot@SWITCH competition in 2018, and closing a SGD2.5 million pre-series A funding, things are looking rosy for the food-tech company.

Alchemy Foodtech is incubated by NUS Enterprise and was one of the first companies to move into our new space at The Curie, NUS Enterprise@Singapore Science Park, which is dedicated to deep tech start-ups, including those in the food-tech sector.

COOKLAB@ALCHEMY OPENS ATSINGAPORE SCIENCE PARK

lchemy Foodtech, an NUS Enterprise supported start-up, opened a food-tech laboratory ‘CookLab@Alchemy’ on Jan 21, with aims to develop its

ingredient blends. Comprising natural plant fibres and extracts, they to help lower the glycemic index (GI) of rice, bread and other high-carbohydrate foods without changing their taste and texture. Guests of the event were treated to a guided tour of the lab, as well as food samples containing Alchemy Foodtech’s very own products – 5ibrePlus and 5ibreGrain.

This strategic move could help with Singapore’s war on diabetes, as one in nine Singaporeans now have the disease, typically developed due to an unhealthy diet and lifestyle. High GI food, such as refined white rice, bread and noodles, spike blood glucose levels quickly. “Many people know what the healthier foods they should be eating and that diabetes is a function of poor diet,” said Mr. Alan Phua, CEO of Alchemy Foodtech. “But it’s actually doing it every single day, every single meal that makes it difficult. Giving up your favourite food like white rice for brown rice, or having chicken rice with brown rice – these are things people find very hard to accept.”

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(3rd from left) Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Education graced the opening of Cooklab@Alchemy on 21 Jan 2019.

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AutoWealth:The Scale-up SG programme is of particular interest for AutoWealth as we continue to scale-up and expand into regional markets like Malaysia. We feel encouraged and look forward to the details of the programme, to be released in due course.

ViSenze:As an AI start-up that has been addressing international markets for the past six years, having unfettered access to top AI talents (scientists and software engineers) is critical existentially to our competitive edge. We welcome Minister Heng’s resolve to making Singapore a Global Asia node of technology, innovation and enterprise. So in terms of

n the recent 2019 Budget, Singapore is expected to spend SGD4.6 billion over

the next three years for economic transformation. SGD3.6 billion is allocated towards enabling workers to thrive amid industry and technological changes, while the remaining SGD1 billion is set aside to help firms build deep enterprise capabilities. There are seven announcements in the Budget that we believe would be of relevance to start-ups and SMEs. How will these announcements impact start-ups, and does it adequately address their areas of concern?

We reached out to three NUS Enterprise supported companies — AutoWealth, ViSenze and Alchemy Foodtech — to gain insights into how these new schemes will affect start-ups across various industries.

I Scale-up SG, we certainly look forward to see how these initiatives can benefit AI start-ups at different stages of growth and innovation.

Otherwise, AI start-ups will quickly feel left out and will seek other ecosystems that offer them incentives to move over.

Alchemy Foodtech:We are excited to have more details on Scale-up SG as internationalisation is at the core of our thoughts, as start-ups may lack the networks and local knowledge abroad. Dealing with deep tech enabled physical products, and getting scale early on helps tremendously with managing unit economics.

For deep tech start-ups like ourselves, finding funding, especially at the proof-of-concept stage, can be a challenge where many things are less clear cut and there are no guarantees. Co-investment by the government sends out an assuring message on risk sharing and gives more start-ups opportunities to get funding and further their research, product development and scaling.

START-UP FOUNDERS’ VIEWS ON BUDGET 2019

How do you think your business will be affected by the 2019 Budget?

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AutoWealth:A national platform for fund-raising that provides start-ups with good ideas and/or growth with critical financial resources while having a transparent database that promotes constructive competition.

Cashflow is very important to any budding start-up. We hope to see further streamlining in the disbursement of grants and processing of claims. We hope that more grants will be disbursed upfront as opposed to reimbursement upon approval. Also, we hope that the paperwork involved will be reduced and the process will be hastened. This will go a long way in helping start-ups maintain a healthy cashflow.

ViSenze:AI start-ups based in Singapore generally lack organised access to other sophisticated AI ecosystems like Silicon Valley, Shenzhen and Beijing. Most collaborations, if any, are organic and left to the initiative of AI start-ups. So, we also look forward to how Innovation Agent initiatives and co-investments can help promising AI start-ups.

Alchemy Foodtech:Automation is almost a base requirement for any firm manufacturing physical products. It is great to see such support in Singapore too. However, many times, due to sourcing and location of customers, as well as the struggle for factories to attract locals to take up factory jobs, it makes a lot more sense for locally owned factories to be based overseas for unit economics.

The hope is that the Automation Support Package will be opened up to Singapore firms that base manufacturing abroad but guarantees to keep high value jobs such as research, legal, finance, operations planning etc. in Singapore for Singaporeans. This will help Singapore firms be competitive on a global scale while still providing jobs that Singaporeans want to do.

What do you think can be implemented in the future, that will serve to support budding start-ups?

7 announcements from Budget 2019 for start-ups and SMEs:

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Scale-up SGA new programme that will work with aspiring, high-growth local firms to identify and build new capabilities to innovate, grow and internationalise.

Enterprise Financing SchemeStreamlined financing support for businesses at every stage of growth, covering main areas of working capital, fixed assets, venture debt, trade, projects, and mergers and acquisitions. Younger companies and SMEs will receive stronger support to aid their growth.

Innovation AgentsFirms will be able to tap on a pool of experts to advise them on opportunities to innovate and commercialise technology.

+SGD100M Co-investmentsAdditional money to be pumped into a SME Co-investment Fund III to catalyse investment in local-based SMEs ready to scale. This is expected to bring in SGD200M of additional funding.

Automation Support PackageSupports firms to deploy impactful, largescale automation, such as robotics, Internet of Things solutions, and other Industry 4.0 technologies, now with an extended shelf life of two years.

RIE2020 (In Progress)As part of a five-year Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 plan, the government has set aside SGD19 million for universities and research institutes to tap on.

Home Team Science and Technology AgencyAn agency set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs to develop science and technology capabilities and support the ministry’s operational needs, in order to guard the country against potential cyber threats.

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Building dreams: From Bungalows to BLOCK71

nterprise SPARKS spoke to Dr. Lily Chan, CEO of NUS Enterprise, who helmed the organisation from 2006 to 2019. She shared the trials and tribulations

of setting-up a buzzing entrepreneurial eco-system in the university and beyond.

An ambitious, zealous hustler, Dr. Lily Chan has been instrumental in bringing NUS Enterprise to greater heights, streamlining the organisation to become what it is today. Under her leadership, NUS Enterprise transformed into one of the most admired entrepreneurial ecosystems at the university level. With the introduction and expansion of flagship programmes, such as NUS Overseas Colleges and start-up hub BLOCK71, Dr. Chan has tirelessly worked to pursue her goal of putting Singapore on the map, with its top university at the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship.

One of her greatest challenges when she first joined NUS Enterprise in 2006, was sourcing partners who were like-minded in their approach towards the budding entrepreneurship scene in Singapore. She believed in a community and a team that had the same passion - to build an ecosystem and home for emerging entrepreneurs to thrive in. She believes her secret sauce to success consists of five main ingredients: a supportive NUS management, the team at Enterprise, forward-thinking government agencies and partners, a pipeline of eager student entrepreneurs, and timing. Her family support was important too.

ENUS Enterprise has come a long way since its inception. Starting off, the university was housing entrepreneurial students and alumni in six two-storey bungalows at Prince George’s Park (PGP). Named Garag3, the incubator cramped passionate students and alumni into bedroom-sized rooms, where they worked on building prototypes and business ideas. Some even considered the space their second home – staying through the night to work on their budding entrepreneurial plans.

Noticing the pent-up need for an entrepreneurial hub near campus, and a space for the community to grow, the search commenced for a suitable space to cultivate an enterprising spirit, and a common location for start-ups to call home. The industrial buildings at Ayer Rajah Crescent, with their 3-year lease period, served as a perfect experimental ground for this project. After countless discussions late into the nights with stakeholders on the concept of the space, the team settled for naming it ‘BLOCK71’ for its ‘Uniquely Singapore’ charm, reflecting a community where entrepreneurship was at the heart of all activities, and where investors, incubators, and start-ups can co-exist and work in harmony. The endeavor received worldwide attention, with The Economist labeling BLOCK71 “the world’s most tightly packed entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

“Everything is holistic. It’s not just about getting student and alumni pipelines and getting them started, we had to make sure we had the infrastructure and the space to excite them.”

The space, in the span of two years, rapidly transformed from an old, deserted industrial estate into a thriving start-up hub - marking the eruption of the Singapore start-up ecosystem and expansion of BLOCK71 brand, with seven BLOCK71 locations opening in six cities worldwide since 2011. The tremendous growth, from being on- campus, to off campus and finally expanding overseas has been in tandem with how the start-ups were growing, and what they needed to move ahead. In fact, current and former incubatee companies currently operate in over 30 countries, and there have been over 40 acquisitions of NUS Enterprise-affiliated start-ups and spin-offs since 2006.

NUS Enterprise continues to stay current to the times, by introducing more industry-specific support into the ecosystem, and through partnerships with strong corporate partners.

We hit it at the right time. We saw the right timing; we generated the momentum. It is like a start-up company. A start-up company is not 100% the leadership, it’s also opportunity and time.”

LEAVING A LEGACY

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For any endeavor to take flight, it is necessary to assemble and depend on a team that is passionate, dedicated and well-gelled. Dr. Chan credits the team at Enterprise and the NUS senior management that supported her in her mission to build up NUS Enterprise from scratch.

In order to cultivate a comfortable and open culture for employees to contribute optimally, she believes that the leadership style should serve to empower, and that leaders should be grounded and approachable.

“If we all share the same vision, I know people can do it. There’s something good in everybody.”

“Everyone has ideas, but some ideas may not be translatable. Some may fall apart. If passion and drive is there, they will find ways to pivot their idea, and we’ve seen it happen over and over again at NUS.”

According to Dr. Chan, entrepreneurs should have the following traits to survive the trying journey of a start-up company:

Passion, drive and tenacity Flexibility to pivot when needed Have a dedicated, diverse and driven team

that is working towards a common goal Execution is Key

“The key thing to all these things is execution - people mustn’t forget that. Even as a start-up, execution is key. Execution means you must have the right people to do it with you - you cannot do it yourself.”

Hopes for the future

Fondest memories at NUS Enterprise

Advice to Budding Entrepreneurs

The Right Team

Over the past 13 years, Dr. Chan has accumulated a whole lot of memories to take away as she begins to “re-tyre.” However, she believes some of the memories she holds close to her heart are the tough waters she had to navigate to achieve these goals.

She recalls the stressful and fun times with her colleagues, and is ready to move on from her third and longest stint at NUS. Prior to this, she was a Research Scientist in the Department of Medicine from 1981 to 1983, and was the Deputy Director of the Bioprocessing Technology Centre from 1995 to 1998.

Dr. Chan will hold the memories made at Enterprise close to her, with the people she’s grown with during her career. She appreciates how the team was very willing to stay ahead of the curve with her, and is thankful for all that has fallen into place after the agonising wait. “It’s time to leave the nest - like a start-up you go to a certain phase then you need somebody else to take it to the next phase.”

As a doer and a go-getter, Dr. Chan has been essential in setting the foundation for the start-up ecosystem in the NUS community. She has nurtured and encouraged hundreds of entrepreneurs and start-ups, paving the way for a greater national agenda – being an international start-up hub.

Dr. Chan leaves behind a flourishing ecosystem, and has high hopes for the sustainability of the start-up space. She highly subscribes to the fact that sustainability comes from the people who have been involved in the community, coming back to either pay it forward by being mentors or donating resources such as capital. Most importantly, she believes that the key thing is to be willing to learn at every step of the way.

“I never expected this can happen. I went back to take a look at the goals I did up for Enterprise, when I first came - hasn’t changed you know. We want to be the most entrepreneurial university in this part of the world.”

“I AM RE-TYRE-ING”.

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Ultimately, we hope to implement a sustainable public health system that will reduce the number of outbreaks from immunisable diseases like measles.”

n Papua New Guinea’s Kompiam Rural Hospital, doctors scramble to treat their patients to the best of their ability with the limited resources they have.

Located deep in the remote north of the Enga province – one of the most disadvantaged areas in the country – residents there are completely at the mercy of nature’s wrath. Volcanoes, earthquakes and tidal waves often impact the province, rendering its citizens helpless in the face of medical emergencies as medical attention will only be able to reach in two days at the earliest. Yonah saw first-hand how the lack of infrastructure, tough terrain, as well as unsuitable temperatures to store necessary medication, have contributed to the difficulties in delivering measles vaccines from the warehouse to healthcare facilities. Observing the poor conditions of the hospital during a mission trip, Ong Tian Chang (Co-founder and NUS Overseas Colleges alumnus) sought out to turn his budding passions into a reality, together with Sim Zhi Min (Co-founder and NUS Mechanical Engineering Masters student) and Sriram Sami (Software Lead and NUS Computer Science undergrad).

Yonah is focused on building healthcare cargo drone infrastructure to deliver medical supplies promptly to remote and rural communities, paving the way for efficient, reliable and uninterrupted delivery of essential medical supplies through their state-of-the-art drone technology. Incubated at The Hangar by NUS Enterprise, the company leverages on the hardware community within the NUS campus, as well as access to mentors and industry professionals.

For their remarkable progress in their line of work, the company has received funding, training and product sponsorship from entities like DSO National Laboratories and Bosch – who has recently signed on to be their official technology partner, offering financial support as well as consulting and training. In addition, Yonah recently won the inaugural Ericsson One Asia Challenge, walking away with a cash prize of USD30,000!

Yonah is currently developing a cargo drone delivery service system in Papua New Guinea with their partner, Kompiam Rural Hospital. The solution will see about two dozen remote sites serviced with time-sensitive medical supplies flown directly from the system’s base of operations on the hospital grounds.

DRONES TAKE FLIGHT IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR

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BUILDING THE FOODTECH ECOSYSTEM

n 13 March, NUS Enterprise and SIFOOD hosted “Building the Foodtech Ecosystem –

Trends, Innovation, and Sustainability” at NUS Enterprise@Singapore Science Park. Bringing together decision makers, innovators and key players in the Foodtech space, the dialogue and networking session provided insight into the industry and its innovation trends.

Rapidly growing

The intersection between food and technology has caught the attention of investors, governments and businesses alike, with SGD16.9 billion invested globally in 2018. Albeit young, this ecosystem has grown by over 40% year on year since 2012. However, most investments have gone towards restaurants, marketplaces, e-grocers and in-store retail – with less funding toward deep tech innovations. With the health and social issues surrounding this sector though, expect this to change in the future.

Synergies between countries

Dr Ronit Koren, Managing Partner of SIFOOD, gave her insights on the Foodtech space in Israel and Singapore. She emphasised the need for government support and ample funding opportunities, as well as how water and land scarcity have driven innovation in both countries. For Israel, foodtech investments hit a record-high of SGD512 million in 2018; in ASEAN, Singapore was the clear leader with SGD84 million

O invested in 2018. SIFOOD seeks to be the bridge between Israel and Singapore, through developing and localising their product in Singapore as a launchpad to Asia.

Eating better

Singapore, like many developed countries, is overeating. The obesity rate is now at about 10% and about 40% of Singaporeans are actually overweight, with increased risk for associated diseases like coronary heart disease and diabetes.

Mr. James Lim, Senior Manager of the Health Promotion Board (HPB) Healthy Foods and Dining division, spoke about HPB’s efforts to promote healthier ingredients and diets, working with the media to bring attention to the risks of poor eating, and partnering with F&B companies to create and highlight healthier dining options.

Strong advocates of the plant-based revolution for a healthier and more sustainable future are F&B entrepreneurs such as Mr. Justin Chou, co-founder of casual vegetarian restaurant chain Greendot, and Mr. Alon Cahn, CEO of Monday Swiss, which is developing tasty, natural, meat-free products.

More companies are starting to heed the call for change, with 40 F&B suppliers and manufacturers already on board HPB’s Healthier Ingredients Development Scheme. Scheme participants can receive up to SGD500,000 per year to aid with R&D, marketing, manufacturing and certification costs for the production of healthier ingredients.

Innovate smart

What exactly differentiates good innovation from great innovation? Trade-offs. Good innovators trade off, but great innovators shamelessly trade off.

With 15 years’ experience in P&G and six years in Kellogg’s, Mr. Shivendu Nadkarni shared his perspective on multi-dimensional innovation with the audience, advising that “…if you are going after great innovation, ask yourself tough questions. Consciously, unapologetically and shamelessly. The world opens up when you are mindful not to have that positive bias.”

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Gestice League Smile to Speech

“Smile to Speech” team members showing their product prototype.

The Gestice League Team! From left to right: Amos Heng (Year 4 Mechanical Engineering), Luah Xiao Wen (Year 4 Pharmacy), Claire Teo (Year 4 Real Estate), Chong Ze Xuan (Year 4 Computer Engineering)

How was the idea for ‘Smile to Speech’ conceptualised?The idea was conceptualised after we met Vincent, a child with cerebral palsy. He has problems in verbal communication and general muscle movement. Initially, we wanted to create a de-vice similar to what Steven Hawking used, but specially catered for children. However, the immense love Vincent’s parents had for him, and the plethora of other possibilities motivated us to study existing solutions and their drawbacks. In the end, Smile to Speech was designed specifically for him based on his reac-tion to proposed solutions.

How does your solution work?Smile to Speech comprises 3 stages, aiming to create a smooth transition and learning curve for CP children who are still learn-ing to read, speak and write.

The first stage is the most intuitive whereby the interface introduces the child to their environment. A cursor on the app will move constantly from one object to another, encouraging the child to select an object to interact with. In Vincent’s case, smiling at the camera is one action he has control over, making that his selection method. Once the app detects his selection, it will verbally acknowledge it. For instance, if Vincent smiles as the cursor reaches an apple, the app will say out loud “I want an apple”. In similar fashion, the second and third stages work gradually towards building up the child’s ability to formulate a sentence and communicate through a keyboard.

What’s next for the team?The project is currently ongoing. There will be continuous development and test cycles conducted with Vincent to ensure the product is a good fit for target consumers.

wearable device enabling cerebral palsy patients to perform tasks using gestures as triggers.

How was the idea for ‘Gestice League’ conceptualised?Two of us were working on a wearable tool that assesses the risk of fall in elderly patients. For the Makerthon, we decided to try tweaking the technology to fit one of the many problem statements faced by the kids and their caregivers. We thus conducted a series of interviews, but soon realised the technology had to be changed quite a fair bit. As such, modifications were made and we went through multiple iterations before coming up with the final product.

How does your solution work?The product is a wearable device that aims to help cerebral palsy kids with limited mobility to perform tasks. There will be a training period where the kids will train the wearable to recognise their individual gestures. Once done, those gestures can be tagged to trigger specific tasks like switching on lights or playing music.

What’s next for the team?Two of us are currently working on the wearable and will be running it for the NUS Medical Grand Challenge. We will then make a decision whether to pursue commercialisation.

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The NUS Makerthon 2019, themed “Give superpowers to children in need”, held its finale on 7th January 2019. Two teams of NOC alumni placed out of 14 competing teams - Gestice League and Smile to Speech. We speak to them to find out more!

n app that allows cerebral palsy patients to form sentences by smilingA

SUPER SOLUTIONS FOR CHILDREN IN NEED

Team members: (L to R) Kushagra Goyal (Agolo); Terence Lim (Boxed); Junel Seet (Kisi) and Shredheya Thakre (Boxed);

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SMART E-LEARNING FOR E-ASY LEARNING

ave you ever fumbled with a million tabs for an assignment, with deadlines

just around the corner, and you just cannot find the resource you need? These students have a solution. Four NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) New York students participated in the #HackNYU 2019 event at the Tandon School of Engineering, from 15-17 February 2019. They built Learnwise – a smart e-learning platform that fetches definitions, references and news articles related to whatever is being read, in real time. They won the first place award from IBM for the ‘Best Use of IBM Watson.’ We spoke to Kushagra Goyal, one of the students who participated in this hackathon!

So, what is Learnwise? As students, we usually study using lecture slides, e-books and digital resources in the form of PDF files every day. This means opening your PDF files in one tab, and simultaneously searching keywords and topics that you don’t understand – in five other different tabs, to get a deeper understanding. Moreover, we often study notes and books compiled years ago with no idea about latest developments and any related news. We wanted to enhance the e-learning experience with Learnwise. Learnwise is a smart e-learning tool which enables a smooth learning experience. When reading a PDF with Learnwise, it instantly fetches relevant definitions and news articles related to the concepts in the PDF, helping you to gain a deeper understanding of your study.

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What were your roles for the hackathon? Terence and I worked on the backend development of the app, setting up the server using Flask and handling IBM Watson tasks. Shradheya worked on the frontend of the app, using React. Junel designed the UI and logo of the app, also handling the presentation deck and the devpost submission.

What is one cool thing you took away from participating in #HackNYU?Many young hackers were alongside us, (we met a few high schoolers from New Jersey) and it was a huge inspiration to see them build such useful products even before they enter university.

How has the NOC experience equipped you in your entrepreneurial pursuit? Working in successful start-ups during our NOC stint, our ideation process has matured. We can now identify not-so-good ideas relatively easily and at the same time, come up with better ideas for projects or hackathons. Moreover, being exposed to so many different industries, we are able to explore the areas we might want to pursue our future careers in, as well as industries we are passionate about.

What word of advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? Learn from those around you. Talk to experienced people and gauge what works and what doesn’t. You don’t have to fail to succeed.

NEWSFEED

NUS supported start-up Haulio launches first-of-its-kind mobile app for the haulage industry - 20 February

Opening of BLOCK71 Suzhou 贰 (Two) at Ascendas iHub Suzhou - 1 February

(2nd from left) Minister for Education Mr Ong Ye Kung visits BLOCK71 Jakarta - 21 January

NUS spin-off ViSenze closes SGD27 million Series C funding round - 22 February

Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu visits BLOCK71 Singapore - 28 February

NUS Enterprise hosts senior ASEAN university leaders for the TFI-NUS PLUM Southeast Asia Leaders’ Summit - 15 February

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FLASH BACK

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NUS ENTERPRISE EVENTS & ACTIVITIES: JAN - MAR 2019Stay updated on our upcoming events at: enterprise.nus.edu.sg/events

Lean LaunchPad Educators’ Workshop

NOC Talk – Spotlight on Asia

Opening of CookLab @ Alchemy

BLOCK71 Entrepreneurial Link: Bangladesh X Singapore

IAP Industry Roundtable: Augmented Innovation – Tapping the wider innovation ecosystem

The Social Oven

NOC Talk – Ask Tom Kosnik

Wicked Series at N-House! Innovation Trends 2019

The Blockchain Revolution

Kopi Chat Deep Dive: Sailing into Digital Waters

Wicked Series at N-House! Intro to Coding

Starting Your Start-up Masterclass

UNICON 2019

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Autonomous Vessels: Future of the Seven Seas?

Wicked Series at N-House! Inventing the Future

DSTA@71 Launch Party

NUS Open Day

Building the FoodTech Ecosystem: Trends, Innovation, Sustainability

Ocean of Opportunities Challenge Roadshow: Funding Success in Startups

“Win Them Over” Masterclass

BLOCK71 Cup

Philip Yeo Initiative 5th Anniversary Dinner

Healthy Hearts, Healthy Aging: Embracing Innovation in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Asia Pacific

Social Enterprise Fair

LG-Infineon make hackathon Roadshow

Wicked Series at N-House! Digital Marketing Done Right

JAN FEB MAR11

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A ‘YOUNG’ COUNTRYWhere 60% of the population is below the age of 30, and with a burgeoning middle class market making up a third of the entire population, it is no surprise that Bangladesh is growing to be an up-and-coming country in the digital era. A high mobile penetration rate of about 130 million mobile subscribers (75%) throughout the region, paired with citizens hungry for content and digital services, enables mobile-centric companies to access the market effortlessly.

RAPIDLY GROWING ECONOMYThe Bangladeshi economy is booming, coming in second among the world’s fastest growing economies. As innovation continues to bloom in the country, budding enterprises are luring in more than 7% growth in GDP annually.

RICH IN TALENTOver 80 million people in Bangladesh are under the age of 25 and half a million graduate from university each year, making them a huge asset for Singapore start-ups looking to recruit tech talents. Singapore start-ups can tap on this pool of talent to develop solutions remotely and cost-effectively, enabling their operations to grow without having to move them overseas.

he country Bangladesh rarely pops up in conversation where budding start-up hubs are concerned. However, this unsuspecting economy is quietly

climbing the ranks, proving to be the underdog of the start-up scene worldwide.

BLOCK71 Singapore, together with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), ventured into Bangladesh’s start-up ecosystem in the latest installment of the Entrepreneurial Link series – Entrepreneurial Link: Singapore x Bangladesh – on 22 January 2019.

Bangladesh is on a journey to becoming a knowledge-based economy with a focus on creating an enabling ecosystem for the growth of SMEs and start-ups. Over the last decade, the government has been working on introducing dedicated initiatives on skilling, tech infrastructure, and enabling policies. Its significant cost advantage and pool of talent provides a compelling proposition to companies and economies across the globe from a value delivery perspective.

NUS’s eGovernment Leadership Centre has been working with the Bangladeshi government for the past six years to equip leaders with the design and development of Digital Transformation strategies. With a panel consisting of Andrew Tan, CEO of PayPlus and Fumiko Inada, CEO of TransferBee, moderated by Tausif Istiaque, Project Leader of BCG, the audience was apprised of a few reasons why Bangladesh abounds with opportunities for Singapore start-ups.

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SEIZING GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES IN BANGLADESH