400+ entries for social entrepreneurship competition, 12 shortlisted

By Digital News Asia March 6, 2014

Submissions from nearly 20 countries, total of 1,186 participants, 38% women
12 semi-finalists will participate in 3-day bootcamp from March 19-21 in Singapore

400+ entries for social entrepreneurship competition, 12 shortlisted

A TOTAL of 418 teams entered the inaugural DBS-NUS Social Venture Challenge Asia, a regional startup competition that aims to raise awareness and build a culture of social entrepreneurship in Asia, and 12 teams have been shortlisted.

The competition, launched last September, is being organised by NUS Enterprise in partnership with DBS Bank. NUS Enterprise is the National University of Singapore’s initiative that aims to provide an enterprise dimension to its teaching and research.

Submissions included ideas for Improved education, better healthcare and Sanitation. and eco-friendly technologies to tackle climate change, NUS Enterprise and DBS Bank said in a joint statement.

“We received 418 submissions from nearly 20 countries, with a total of 1,186 participants signing up for this challenge, the first of its kind in Asia,” said Professor Wong Poh Kam, director of the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre, part of NUS Enterprise.

“This overwhelming response for the competition demonstrates the growing interest in starting social enterprises, to solve some of the problems facing society today.

“At NUS Enterprise, we have established a social venture incubation programme to help nurture such ideas so they can hopefully transform into scalable, sustainable social enterprises that can make positive global impact,” Wong added.

Approximately 54% of the entries were new ideas and 42% were from existing social enterprises, with the remaining 4% being a combination of both, the organisers said.

The top three industries of submitted business ideas were web/ mobile (29%), education (27%) and healthcare/ sanitation (19%). The top three countries of impact were India (39%), Indonesia (16%) and Singapore (11%).

In terms of participants, 38% were female; 40% were students, 26% were employees and 21% were self-employed. They were predominantly young, with 42% aged 19-24 years, 30% aged 25-30 years, 18% aged 31-40 years and 8% over 40 years.

“The interest from around the region in the inaugural DBS-NUS Social Venture Challenge Asia far exceeded expectations and we are extremely encouraged,” said Karen Ngui, group head of Strategic Marketing & Communications at DBS Bank.

“It is indeed heartening to know that there are many new and aspiring social entrepreneurs who have their minds set on addressing social challenges of today,” she added.

The top 12 semi-finalists who have made it to the next round of the competition are:

Bodhi Health Education (India) aims to improve healthcare in India and developing countries by boosting knowledge of healthcare workers. The team has developed quality medical training solutions for health workers, using affordable android tablets.

Brün – Every Pregnancy Monitored (India) is developing a tool for electronic foetal monitoring. This is able to monitor critical parameters during pregnancy, including the foetal heart rate, uterine contractions, maternal blood pressure and maternal heart rate.

Damascus Fortune Technologies (India) is a nanotech startup that has a patented technology that transforms harmful carbon emissions into usable carbon nanomaterials, which have widespread applications. This eco-friendly technology is making carbon sequestering profitable, while also reducing carbon emissions.

Interclo Designs Survival Plus Clothing (Singapore) created a clothing-aid product for survivors of natural disasters, called the ‘Survival Plus’ jacket. This is a single, multi-functional item that serves as a jacket, blanket, shawl, mat and sleeping bag. It can be air dropped to any location within 24-48 hours.

Kitabisa (Indonesia) is an online crowd-funding collaboration platform for social causes. It aims to bring together people with ideas and people who have resources.

Let’s be Well-Red (pic, right) (India) aims to combat iron-deficiency anaemia in India by raising awareness about this prevalent nutritional disorder and manufacturing/ selling its GudNeSs nutritional bar. GudNeSs is an easy-to- eat, palatable and affordable nutritional supplement that provides sufficient iron for a person's daily requirement.

Local Alike (main picture above) (Thailand) is a community-based tourism booking platform that connects hosts from Thai communities to global travellers. This social venture aims to preserve local cultures, while also providing economic opportunities for local people, by supporting local homestays, local tour guides and unique local activities.

Maya Universe Academy (Nepal) is a non-profit, community-run organisation that provides rural communities of Nepal with a viable and holistic approach to education and economic development, through its schools and farms.

Science of Life Studies 24/7 (Cambodia/ Japan/ Singapore) provides holistic education programmes for disadvantaged and at-risk youths from poor communities across Cambodia, Timor Leste, Malaysia and Laos. Education is provided in areas of English, Computer skills, ICT, accountancy and character/ leadership skills.

Tinker Tank (India) is a social enterprise that designs and disseminates need-based, appropriate, low-cost tools and machines, to achieve menial tasks easily, efficiently and more productively. This aims to reduce the drudgery of intense manual-labour, which is often faced by poor women workers engaged in cottage-based industries in India and to increase their livelihood opportunities.

Water for All (India) is providing affordable clay-based water filters that are both electricity and maintenance free.

Zaya Learning Labs (India) offers a network of low-cost schools empowered by a blended learning model that delivers a high-quality learning experience to underprivileged children across the developing world.

To help these 12 teams refine and validate their business ideas, they will participate in a three-day boot-camp from March 19-21 in Singapore. They will be paired with experienced mentors, who will guide them through the validation and refinement of their business models.

Teams will then submit a detailed business plan by mid-April 2014. After one more round of judging, selected finalists will be gunning for the top prize of S$30,000 and a trophy, followed by S$15,000 and S$10,000 as first and second runner up respectively. There will be an awards ceremony in June 2014.

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