National GRIP All-Uni Co-Founder Mixer 1 @ SMU
We are building deep tech teams to tackle real-world challenges and we need aspiring co-founders with diverse skills and perspectives to make it happen. This National GRIP All-Uni Co-Founder Mixer is your chance to meet deep tech innovators and be part of a future venture. If you’re ready to offer your 'superpower', don’t miss out on this golden opportunity to discover, network, and take the leap with us!
Save the dates and join us over one or both National GRIP Co-Founder Mixers:
21 Nov @ SMU: Teams from Energy & Climate Tech, ICT, Smart City & Infra, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing & IR 4.0 (See below for teams’ info)
28 Nov @ NTU: Teams from Electronics and Communications, Food & AgTech, ICT, Medtech & Digital Health (See https://lu.ma/6exh5vht for teams’ info)
About National GRIP
National Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP) is a 12-month structured deep tech venture creation programme to be launched in January 2025, as announced by DPM Heng at the RIE Deep Tech Day 2024. The programme is designed to nurture and equip aspiring deep tech co-founders with “founder-ready skillsets” to bridge the gap between scientific research and market needs.
Energy & Climate Tech
AIQUA: Based on our research at NUS, we developed a hydrogel material that efficiently extracts water from air, using just 1% of the energy required by traditional methods like condensers and compressors. It also collects water 20 times faster, making water harvesting highly efficient. We plan to launch three product lines - personal, household, and community, to meet various needs, with the capability to function even in ultra-low humidity environments, such as deserts.
Queue to Speak with AIQUA (use only during event)
Battery Shield: Battery Shield developed a composite 4-in-1 solution for battery thermal management and thermal runaway prevention by managing extreme temperatures, absorbing explosion heat, and suppressing fire—low-cost, lightweight, and energy-free.
Queue to Speak with Battery Shield (use only during event)
Catalysts for PEM Electrolyzer: The team aims to develop long-lived and affordable catalysts for the efficient production of green hydrogen using proton membrane water electrolysers (PEMWE). The current catalysts for green hydrogen production often rely on precious materials, making the overall production process costly and limiting widespread adoption. Our innovative catalysts eliminate the use of platinum and iridium, significantly reducing costs. Additionally, our simple manufacturing process allows for scalable production, making these catalysts accessible and affordable. Lab results have already shown record-breaking performance with much less catalyst loading. Our commitment to developing affordable and effective catalysts for hydrogen production aligns with global sustainability goals.
Queue to Speak with Catalysts for PEM Electrolyzer (use only during event)
LITESUP: Our innovative technology offers a sustainable solution for upcycling non-biodegradable and non-recyclable polystyrene into valuable chemical feedstocks using visible light. This process leverages a low-energy, environmentally friendly approach that eliminates the need for high-energy input or precious metal catalysts, making it both cost-effective and scalable. By transforming waste polystyrene into useful materials, our technology addresses key challenges in plastic waste management while contributing to the circular economy and reducing reliance on traditional, resource-intensive chemical processes. Besides polystyrene, the disruptive photocatalytic technology is able to upcycle 80% of most common plastics energy-efficiently.
Queue to Speak with LITESUP (use only during event)
Neusla: We present a greener and scalable process for recovering and repurposing silicon from photovoltaic (PV) wafers into silicon-graphite anodes for batteries. This process utilizes a facile crush-and-sieve technique to effectively separate polymeric fractions from the PV wafers, followed by efficient metal leaching and a scalable ball milling process. This method allows for the recovery of high-purity silicon, which can be used to create lithium-ion batteries that outperform current state-of-the-art graphite-based anodes. The recovered silicon demonstrates performance comparable to as-purchased pristine silicon, paving the way for a sustainable and alternative source of high-purity silicon.
Queue to Speak with Neusla (use only during event)
SUAS: We use heat exchanger to capture wasted heat that would otherwise be dumped into outside air in air-conditioning system and reuse it to heat up water, offsetting the hot water heater electricity usage. Next we use the aircon compressor as a heat pump by using a 8 way valve similar to tesla's octa valve to make the aircon function as a heat pump hot water heater 3 times more efficient than resistive how water heaters. There will be free hot water when using the aircon, and free indoor room cooling when using hot water, reducing electricity usage and carbon emissions.
Queue to Speak with SUAS (use only during event)
ICT
MoovMyWay: Learning dance or sports can be challenging — classes are expensive, intimidating for beginners, and often lack personalization. MoovMyWay is a precision movement learning platform that bridges this gap. Using specialized motion capture technology, MoovMyWay converts single-camera videos into 3D avatars. Upload any dance or sports video to our platform and watch in 3D, at any angle, zoom, and speed. Upload your own practice video from your phone and watch in 3D. Finally, get targeted feedback from our AI coach to refine your movements. MoovMyWay digitalizes the learning of movement - learn anytime, anywhere, on your terms.
Queue to Speak with MoovMyWay (use only during event)
Smart City & Infra
SoLEC: Our electrochromic shading technology allows for dynamic control of sunlight exposure, creating ideal conditions for urban farming environments. By adjusting light transmission in response to sunlight levels, this technology maintains optimal lighting for plant growth, enhancing photosynthesis efficiency and boosting crop yields. Unlike static shading solutions, electrochromic shading can reduce energy consumption by regulating indoor temperatures, leading to lower cooling costs and supporting sustainable practices in urban agriculture. Perfect for greenhouses, vertical farms, and rooftop gardens, this adaptable shading system enables precise climate control, promoting healthier crops, conserving energy, and advancing urban farming sustainability.
Queue to Speak with SoLEC (use only during event)
Advanced Manufacturing & IR 4.0
QABP: Our AI bunker procurement planning (AI-BPP) framework optimizes bunker procurement in shipping by addressing fuel price forecasting, uncertainties, and capacity constraints through advanced AI optimization techniques. We integrate a machine learning forecaster for multi-port price predictions with a stochastic optimization model, providing accurate and robust planning solutions. Real-world tests demonstrate average cost savings of over $257,541 for a six-vessel fleet on a 42-day Asia-North America route, with $351,247 saved during the Russia-Ukraine war. AI-BPP delivers significant operating expense reductions and strategic insights for maritime operations.
Queue to Speak with QABP (use only during event)
Möbius Additive: Our novel Multi-Material Laser Powder Bed Fusion (MMLPBF) methodology introduces a groundbreaking approach to additive manufacturing. This technique enables the precise and seamless integration of multiple materials in a single print, expanding design possibilities for complex, high-performance parts. By allowing distinct materials to coexist in one component without post-processing, this technology enhances part functionality, reduces production time, and minimizes material waste. This is particularly beneficial for industries such as aerospace, automotive, and medical devices, where material efficiency, customization, and performance are crucial, offering manufacturers a powerful tool for advanced, cost-effective production.
FlowU: This project aims to develop an innovative chemical manufacturing platform using advanced flow chemistry techniques. The platform is designed to handle complex reactions, particularly those involving solid reagents and slow reactions that are not suitable in existing flow technologies. This improvement significantly broadens the scope of reactions and reagents that can be applied to flow, enabling automated production of important chemicals for pharmaceuticals and other industries. This project aims to create an universal flow platform that can directly adopt the literature protocol of batch synthesis to large-scale flow synthesis of pharmaceuticals chemicals and their intermediates.
Queue to Speak with FlowU (use only during event)
Advanced Materials
Crafca: My project is our fabric technology called Rouyou Leather™, which turns cardboard into a leather-like material inspired by two traditional crafts and chemical treatments. We could collect cardboard and use Japanese Momigami to fabricate and soften the cardboard. Then, with the Chinese oil-paper technique (an ancient craft to waterproof paper) to waterproof the material was used. With further light chemical treatment, the cardboard becomes durable, waterproof, highly flexible (rollable) and leather-like. We are the first in the world to turn cardboard into functional leather, with inspiration from thousands of years of traditional techniques.
Queue to Speak with Crafca (use only during event)
GBTI: The project "Graphene-Based Thermal Paste for Thermal Interfaces" focuses on developing a technology for incorporating graphene materials into composite formulations using high-intensity ultrasonic processing. Traditional thermal interfaces contain spherical ceramic particles in silicone oil, but their limited contact area with uneven heatsink surfaces reduces thermal transfer efficiency. Our solution introduces graphene particles, which, due to their nanoscale size, fill microscopic irregularities and cracks on the surfaces of heatsinks and processors. This significantly enhances contact thermal conductivity, improving heat dissipation and cooling efficiency, making our technology promising for high-performance systems.
Queue to Speak with GBTI (use only during event)
Greener Makers: The demand for eco-friendly composites is on the rise, the team develops an innovative one-pot synthesis process that revolutionizes the production of lignin-based composites. Traditional methods of producing lignin-based composites involve multiple steps that are often costly, energy-intensive, and can generate hazardous waste. Our unique technology enables cost-effective production by combining all necessary processes in a single reactor. This not only streamlines production but also maintains a nontoxic profile throughout the process. Our target customers include manufacturers in the construction, automotive, and packaging industries looking for sustainable and cost-efficient materials.
Queue to Speak with Greener Makers (use only during event)