Compete in the 12th Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition 2025 (Win Big in Singapore)
Compete in the 12th Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition 2025 (Win Big in Singapore).
Compete in the 12th Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition 2025 (Win Big in Singapore)
Submit your startup idea for the 12th Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition and compete for over S$2.5 million in prizes. Open to global university innovators. Early-bird deadline: March 5, 2025. Final deadline: April 30, 2025.
Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition 12th Edition
Step into the future at the 12th Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition, where top young innovators from international universities leverage deeptech to solve pressing global challenges.
The top 50 teams will receive sponsored airfare and accommodation to Singapore, connect with influential business leaders and investors, and compete for over S$2.5 million in prizes! Plus, gain an exclusive opportunity to join the soon-to-launch LKYGBPC accelerator.
Inspired by one of the world’s most visionary leaders, the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC) is one of the world’s largest deep-tech university startup challenges. Every two years, our pitch competition lights up a global stage for university startups to showcase their groundbreaking innovations and connect with the world, fueling their growth.
Powered by Singapore Management University’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SMU IIE), we have fostered a global youth innovation village and launched countless successful ventures solving real-world challenges since 2002.
The inaugural edition of the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC) was held in 2002.
Named in honour of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister – who can be said to have developed the country’s defining business plan in pitching Singapore into the global spotlight – it was the first ever international business plan competition to be organised at the university undergraduate level, targeting students from universities, colleges, and polytechnics world-wide.
In over two decades since, the competition, which is held every two years, has grown leaps and bounds: From just over 200 submissions from 74 tertiary institutions in 2002, to 1,000 submissions from 1,100 universities in 2023.
Today, the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC) is a recognised beacon of excellence in global youth innovation. As one of the world’s largest deep-tech university startup challenges, hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors in the global innovation ecosystem converge in Singapore for an exciting week of live pitches, networking, mentorship and learning.
Beyond the competition, the platform has become a launchpad for a rising tide of alumni who are continually innovating to make the world a better place.
This competition is open to all next gen startup founders. To be eligible, the team or startup must have at least one founder who is a current tertiary student or a recent tertiary graduate (within the last five years).
Category and Composition
Category 0 to 1: Pre-revenue teams/startups with novel technology or business model innovations
- Technology innovations that have emerged from academic research with commercialisation opportunities that may or may not be fully validated
- Innovative business models that may or may not be fully validated
- Team is in initial phases of ideation up to having a minimum viable product (MVP) that has yet to be launched in the market
- Each team / startup must have at least one founder, who is a current student or recent alumni of less than 5 years.
- “Current student” is defined as any person who is enrolled in a full-time polytechnic, undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD programme at a tertiary institute.
- “Alumni of less than 5 years” is defined as any person who has graduated at a tertiary institute from 31 March 2020 onwards.
- Persons who were previously enrolled full-time in a polytechnic, undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD program but dropped out between 31 March 2020 and 30 April 2025 are also eligible to apply.
- There is no restriction on the number of members in a team or company
Category 1 to Infinity: Revenue-generating early stage start-ups, up to Series A
- Startup is in phases of initial sales or looking to scale
- Typically, product or service has launched in the market, and is seeking their next customer(s) and/or to enter a new market
- Each team / startup must have at least one founder, who is a current student or recent alumni of less than 5 years.
- “Current student” is defined as any person who is enrolled in a full-time polytechnic, undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD programme at a tertiary institute.
- “Alumni of less than 5 years” is defined as any person who has graduated at a tertiary institute from 31 March 2020 onwards.
- Persons who were previously enrolled full-time in a polytechnic, undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD program but dropped out between 31 March 2020 and 30 April 2025 are also eligible to apply.
- There is no restriction on the number of members in a team or company
To apply, the following materials will be required for your application during the Preliminary Round. Failure to submit the materials online by the announced deadline will result in disqualification.
- Complete an application form on the official platform.
- Executive Summary
- Not more than 500 words, in pdf
- File should be named in this format: Summary_TeamName.pdf
- Pitch Deck Presentation
- Not more than 20 slides, in pdf
- File should be named in this format: Presentation_TeamName.pdf
- Video presentation (Optional)
- This is encouraged but not required.
- Video should be no longer than 5 minutes with preference for mp4.
- File should be named in this format: Video_TeamName.mp4
- All submitted materials must be the original work of the participating team.
Dates
- Open for submission: 6th January 2025, 23:59 SGT (GMT +8).
- Eary-bird deadline: 5th March 2025, 23:59 SGT (GMT+8).
- Final submission deadline: 30 April 2025, 23:59 SGT (GMT +8).
For more information visit: Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition 2025 (Win Big in Singapore)
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