ACE celebrates outstanding young entrepreneurs at 2020 National Youth Entrepreneurship Awards
ACE celebrates outstanding young entrepreneurs at 2020 National Youth Entrepreneurship Awards
- Eight winners were announced in total, 3 each for the Pre-University and Open categories, plus one for the Impact award and one for the *SCAPE special award.
- The theme for this year, “Our Future”, focuses on recognising the winners’ achievements and
contributions to the local startup ecosystem.
SINGAPORE, 2 April 2020 – Action Community for Entrepreneurship (“ACE”), the national private sectorled organisation aimed at driving entrepreneurship and innovation in Singapore, today announced the winners of its 2020 National Youth Entrepreneurship Awards (NYEA), organised in partnership with *SCAPE Co. Ltd.
Themed “Our Future”, the 2020 NYEA is a national award that recognises the achievements of outstanding individuals who have displayed entrepreneurial qualities and contributed to Singapore’s startup ecosystem.
This year, 4 categories were made available for participation, namely the Pre-University category, the Open category, the Impact Entrepreneur of the Year and the Special Award – *SCAPE Most Innovative Startup. Participants were evaluated based on their achievements in entrepreneurship, their contributions to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and their entrepreneurial spirit.
The panel of judges includes Edmas Neo, Chief Executive Officer of ACE, Shirley Tan, Director, Programmes & Marcom of *SCAPE, Carlos Camacho, Head of Investments Development, Fundnel and Ramya Ragupathi, Founder & Director, Oh! My Goodness.
The winners for each category are as follows:
Pre-University Category
- Gold: Josiah Fan Ern Wei, Reniu and Moaah
- Silver: Tan Jiang Hoe Xavier, Unik Apparel
- Bronze: Siddharth Mazumdar, Newton’s Meter
Open Category
- Gold: Lim Hui Jie, VisionTech Pte Ltd
- Silver: Felix Tan, Skilio
- Bronze: Dr Kush Agarwal, WaveScan Technologies Pte Ltd
Impact Entrepreneur of the Year
- Leon Qiu, Get, Myanmar
*SCAPE Most Innovative Startup
- Cindy Chng, Hide & Seek Pte Ltd
More details on the winners can be found at the link here.
With advancements in technology, entrepreneurs now have more tools at their disposal to effect change and secure a better future for all. On the whole, there was a strong demonstration of technology capabilities through the utilisation of technologies such as AI and blockchain in innovating new products. These include Skilio’s software to measure and track students’ soft skills development, VisionTech’s products which are geared towards the future-proofing of enterprises, WaveScan’s radar based see-through contactless scanning technology for non-destructive testing (NDT) applications, and Newton’s Meter’s plug & play personal safety SOS device.
There was also clever leveraging of existing networks to maximise the use of resources, with Get, Myanmar’s extension of micro-credit facilities to the provision shop network, Unik Apparel’s provision of a platform that connects young designers to customers through an artist community, and Reniu’s converting of animal waste into alternative fuel for public usage.
*SCAPE’s Most Innovative Startup was awarded to Hide & Seek Pte Ltd for their changemaker initiative to provide persons with disabilities sustainable access to employment opportunities that will equip them with valuable skills.
Mr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Trade and Industry and Patron of ACE, said: “Entrepreneurship provides youths with critical skills that cannot be taught in a classroom. Not every idea will turn into a successful startup, but the journey will teach our youths lifelong skills that will carry them well into the future. We are committed to building and growing a conducive startup ecosystem in Singapore to support aspiring entrepreneurs. ACE is a vital partner and plays an important role in complementing the Government’s efforts to foster a thriving startup landscape. I encourage our young entrepreneurs to make full use of the resources it has to offer.”
Mr Edmas Neo, Chief Executive Officer of ACE, commented: “Through our annual National Youth Entrepreneurship Awards, we seek to foster youth entrepreneurship and celebrate the achievements of these exceptional individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the ecosystem around them. It is deeply heartening to see the dynamic demonstration of creativity and resourcefulness amongst our youths, and we take pleasure in doing our part to cultivate a conducive environment for their ideas to take flight.”
Ms Shirley Tan, Director, Programmes & Marcom at *SCAPE, added: “As a youth-centric organisation, *SCAPE is proud to be an ecosystem partner of ACE’s 2020 National Youth Entrepreneurship Awards. The winners are testament to the tremendous creative potential of our youths to drive progress and do good, and *SCAPE will always champion the empowerment of our youth. As we build a caring, cohesive and inclusive society, we are heartened to support the journeys of these young entrepreneurs, channeling their talents and passions into positive change for the betterment of society.”
The 2020 NYEA winners walked away with prizes worth up to $1,500, which include cash prizes, one year complimentary hotdesking at *SCAPE’s co-working space, HubQuarters, corporate secretary services by Osome and membership to ACE Startups.
-ENDS-
Media Contacts
Action Community for Entrepreneurship
Clara Low
clara@ace.org.sg
Omnicom Public Relations Group Singapore
Swyn Teo / Zuhaili Marican
swyn.teo@omnicomprgroup.com / zuhaili.marican@omnicomprgroup.com
About ACE
The Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE), a national private sector-led organisation, plays a key role in building a dynamic and sustainable startup ecosystem in Singapore. Established in 2003 by the Ministry of Trade & Industry and restructured as a private entity in 2014, ACE is supported by the government, under the patronage of Senior Minister of State for Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Trade & Industry, Dr Koh Poh Koon.
ACE’s mission is to lead the ground-up community strategic support to promote entrepreneurship, scale startups and build champion enterprises. ACE supports startups across all stages through three strategic core functions:
- driving co-innovation between startups and enterprises;
- helping startups to scale and internationalise;
- building an access hub of connected ecosystems across countries.
In 2017, ACE launched the ACE International Centre (ACEIC) to enhance global connections for local entrepreneurs and provide a platform for startups to expand into regional markets. Supported by Enterprise Singapore and JTC, ACEIC facilitates opportunities for both local startups seeking regional growth and international startups setting up base in Singapore. Its services include global networking and community building, business and funding networks, co-working spaces as well as a market access programme. Today, ACEIC has grown its international network to twenty markets/gateway cities with ACE International Centres in Nanjing and Bangkok.
For more information on ACE, please visit www.ace.org.sg
About *SCAPE
*SCAPE Co. Ltd is a non-profit organisation with its mission and vision rooted in support of youth, talent and leadership development. The organisation aims to facilitate youth-oriented programmes and support within various communities of youth interest in Singapore. The youth of today will be inspired and empowered to DREAM IT AND LIVE IT at *SCAPE.
*SCAPE exists to serve and support the youths to live their dreams and realise their full potentials. As an integrated talent and resource hub for young people in Singapore, *SCAPE offers a holistic network of programmes, communities, partners and facilities for youths to explore, create and strive. Through guidance and facilitation, *SCAPE aims to see our youths’ dreams turn into ideas, and ideas into reality. Living their dreams should no longer be a dream at *SCAPE.
For more information on *SCAPE, please visit www.scape.sg