For Immediate Release 
 

The 11th Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition Seeks Student Innovators from Around the World to Reimagine a Deep-Tech Enabled Future 

• One of the world’s largest global university start-up competitions, the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition has now opened its call for applications. 

• The brightest student founders will be challenged to reimagine the future with deep-tech solutions across various industries, including Human Health & Potential, Manufacturing, Trade & Connectivity, Media & Entertainment, Smart Nation & Digital Economy, and Urban Solutions and Sustainability. 

• 50 finalist teams will be flown to Singapore from 11 to 15 September 2023 for BLAZE, the final week of the competition which will see founders vie for prizes worth up to S$2 million. 
  
   

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  Fireside Chat with Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Heng Swee Keat moderated by SMU President Professor Lily Kong, at the 10th edition of the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition 

Singapore, 20 October 2022 - Singapore Management University’s (SMU) Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) today announced the opening of applications for its flagship event, the 11th edition of the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC).  

The outbreak of the pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges, creating the impetus to reimagine the way of living and thereby unleashing the possibilities in exploring uncharted paths. Themed Innovations Without Boundaries - Reimagining a Smart, Sustainable & Resilient Future, the 11th LKYGBPC aims to bring together the brightest talents and entrepreneurial minds from universities around the world, where they challenge themselves to come up with ideas and solutions that will address modern day challenges to achieve a smart, sustainable, and resilient future.  

The largest of its kind in the region, LKYGBPC focuses on deep-tech solutions created by student founders and early-stage start-ups from across a diverse range of industries, including Human Health & Potential, Manufacturing, Trade & Connectivity, Media & Entertainment, Smart Nation & Digital Economy, as well as Urban Solutions and Sustainability, among others.  

Participants can choose to participate in two categories - 0 to 1, which focuses on pre-revenue teams with disruptive technology or innovations, or 1 to Infinity, which focuses on revenue-generating early-stage start-ups, up to Series A funding stages. Participants may choose to compete individually or as a team. 

An international judging panel comprising global industry experts and entrepreneurs will be tasked with evaluating submissions based on its innovativeness, impact of idea, differentiation from existing solutions, and feasibility to execute.  

In June 2023, 50 revolutionary finalists (RVLT50) teams will be selected and two members from each team will be eligible for a sponsored trip (airfare and accommodation) to Singapore to attend BLAZE, LKYGBPC Finals Week from September 11-15, 2023, where they will have the opportunity to participate in activities centred on innovation, knowledge, mentoring and networking over the course of a week. 

BLAZE will also see the selection of Grand Finalists teams who will deliver a live pitch to a panel of judges for the Top Prize of the Beta Category and Infinity Category. The winning teams will be announced on 15 September 2023. 

BLAZE Highlights At-A-Glance 

• Fireside Chat and Changemakers Conversations: Panel discussions with Ministers and Thought Leaders
• VC Office Hours: A marquee industry event with senior partners at leading venture capital firms, who manage assets totalling US$19 billion collectively, providing one-to-one consultations with start-ups
• Category Finals: Selection of top Grand Finalists teams for Beta Category and Infinity Category prizes
• Grand Finals: Live pitch by Grand Finalists for Beta Category and Infinity Category Top Prize 
• Mixer Night: An evening of intergenerational conversation between LKYGBPC finalists, senior management of corporates, government agencies, and youths of Singapore 
• Awards Dinner: Honour the winners and celebrate the journey each team has come at the LKYGBPC Awards Dinner 
   

Winners can look forward to S$2 million worth of prizes supported by some of the partners below: 

• Wilmar International (Founding Partner)
• APRW
• Lee & Lee
• Maybank
• McKinsey & Company
• National Supercomputing Centre Singapore
• OUE
• Sage Partners 
• Sino Group
• Wavemaker Partners 

​Commenting on this edition of LKYGBPC, Hau Koh Foo, Director of SMU IIE said, “The progression of society inevitably brings forth new challenges for each generation to overcome. The Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition aspires to provide a platform for Singapore to collaborate with the next generational technopreneurs to tackle these challenges and facilitate the adoption of these solutions so that Singapore and Asia can become a beacon of inspiration for digital, sustainable, and urban living.” 

The 10th edition of LKYGBPC in 2021 attracted over 850 entries from 650 universities across 60 countries and regions. The RVLT50 included teams from various leading universities in Asia, Europe, and the United States of America.  

To submit an application for the 11th LKYGBPC, please log on to: https://lkygbpc.smu.edu.sg/

To enquire about partnering with LKYGBPC, please email: iie@smu.edu.sg    

For more information about LKYGBPC, please visit: https://lkygbpc.smu.edu.sg/

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About the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC): 

Organised by Singapore Management University’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC) derives its name from Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, who developed the country’s defining business plan that propelled Singapore onto the global stage. It is this spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation and ambition that the competition enshrines. LKYGBPC invites the brightest minds from the world’s most entrepreneurial universities to come together to address the challenges of the 21st century and reimagine the future. For more information: https://lkygbpc.smu.edu.sg/

About SMU IIE:   

The Singapore Management University’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) is a practice-oriented institute that nurtures changemakers and founders who aspire to make the world a better place. To achieve this mission, IIE focuses on its three areas of competencies which include customised training programmes, an equity-free incubation programme, and fostering a cohesive innovation and entrepreneurship community through activities such as its marquee event – the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC). For more information: https://iie.smu.edu.sg/  

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