Singtel Innov8 announced the second installment of its Innov8 Connect programme that brings start-ups and Singtel Group members together to create innovative solutions for real world business challenges.
On the programme’s importance for innovating with start-ups, Mr Tay Soo Meng, Group Chief Technology Officer at Singtel said, “Innov8 Connect started as a win-win platform to help start-ups develop viable business solutions while allowing the Singtel Group to stay at the cutting-edge of innovation through continuous experimentation. We hope to uncover more innovative answers for real emerging business challenges with start-ups in this latest installment of the programme.”
The second installment rides on the success and momentum of the initial Innov8 Connect programme launched in January 2016, which attracted over 120 submissions from start-ups across 22 countries. Singtel shortlisted 14 start-ups for detailed discussions for potential proof-of-concepts (POCs) – some of which include: Xjera Labs for smart and safe city and Moogsoft, Opmantek and Zinier for enterprise operations.
Mr Edgar Hardless, CEO of Singtel Innov8 said, “We have been very encouraged with the results of the first installment of Innov8 Connect, which has clearly demonstrated the value that start-ups can bring to Singtel. We hope to repeat the success again in this second installment.”In this new round of Innov8 Connect, 14 new business challenges have been identified by Singtel and its Australian arm, Optus, in areas such as the Internet of
Things (IoT), augmented reality solutions and artificial intelligence. Please see Annex A.Relating to this round’s challenges, Mr Hardless added, “We look forward to working together with more start-ups on the new set of business challenges from this second installment of Innov8 Connect. Through these real challenges that businesses face, we hope to spur greater innovation while identifying and supporting viable solutions that meet the Group’s needs.”
Selected start-ups will be provided with up to S$75,000 to test and validate the solutions with Singtel and Optus as proof-of-concepts. Successful solutions from promising start-ups may lead to further commercialisation with the Singtel Group, as they will gain access to an extensive customer base that includes both enterprises and over 600 million mobile subscribers across Asia, Australia and Africa. These start-ups will also have the opportunity to seek funding from Singtel Innov8 and tap on its network of co-investors and partners across the globe.
Interested start-ups can submit their proposals to Innov8 Connect from today onwards. The closing date for submission of proposals is 31 October 2016.
Innov8 Connect Application and Selection Process.
For more information on Innov8 Connect, please visit the Innov8 Connect portal www.innov8connect.com where briefs detailing the 14 new business challenges will be published. Start-ups with relevant solutions are invited to submit their applications through the portal from today. Selected start-ups will then be invited to pitch to a panel of management representatives from the Singtel Group.
