NES Startathon

Purpose gives direction. Discipline builds the path. Start with purpose, stay with discipline. That's how ideas turn into impact and potential turns into progress 🚀

Purpose gives direction. Discipline builds path. That's how ideas turn into impact and potential turns into progress.
At NES, we believe true growth comes from aligning both- every step intentional, every effort consistent. 🚀

Purpose gives direction. Discipline builds the path. At NES, we believe true growth comes from aligning both- every step intentional, every effort consistent.
That's how ideas turn into impact and potential turns into progress 🚀

For our final pitch, we were incredibly honoured to welcome an amazing panel of judges:

🌟 Aaron Chuang – Representative, Sustainable Impact Capital
🌟 Daryl Goh – Chapter Lead, MEET Ventures
🌟 Shaun Khoo – CEO, H3 Zoom Pte Ltd

Thank you to our judges for taking your time to share your insights, encouragement and give invaluable feedback to our students.
And to our students, we couldn't be prouder of you! Continue building on your ideas and chasing your dreams! 🚀

It’s easy to get caught up in planning, thinking, and doubting. But progress doesn’t come from perfect ideas. It comes from doing. Even the smallest step forward today can change everything tomorrow 🌱

This week, we conducted our mentor round table with our experienced mentors!

🗣️Abhi Patwardhan – Founder and CEO of Alt Lyf
🗣️ Adrian Thoo – Senior Advisor/Partner of Beltap Capital

Huge thank you to our mentors for making the time to come down to assist our students! 🙏

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” — Amelia Earhart

Sometimes we wait for the perfect plan, the perfect timing, or the perfect confidence. But real progress begins the moment we take action. Small steps today can lead to big breakthroughs tomorrow 🚀

Let this be your reminder to start, try, and keep going — because doing is always better than overthinking 💫

This week, we had the opportunity to visit k-ID, a global SaaS company dedicated to enhancing online safety for children!

During the company visit, we learned more about how k-ID combines legal expertise with technology to design safer digital experiences for young users. It was also insightful to hear about the founders’ journeys, and how their backgrounds in leading tech companies shaped k-ID’s global vision.

A key highlight was hearing from Jeff Wu, who shared about their startup journey, scaling internationally, and their recent USD 45M+ seed funding!

We also got a behind-the-scenes look at how k-ID started, including their original pitch deck 👀, which made the experience even more meaningful and inspiring.

A big thank you to the k-ID team, and especially Jeff, for hosting us, patiently answering our questions, and taking the time to give feedback on our students’ startup ideas. Your journey and impact, working with global clients, are truly inspiring, and we hope it motivates our students to pursue and grow their own ideas in the future 🚀✨

Most people wait for proof before they take the first step.

But the truth? The ones who get ahead are the ones who move before the outcome is certain.

Belief isn’t the result of success — it’s the starting point of it.
Every idea, every venture, every breakthrough begins with a decision to trust something that doesn’t exist yet.

So if you’re hesitating, waiting for the “right time” or a clear sign — this is it.
Start before you’re ready.
Trust before you see results.
Build before others understand.
Because the future doesn’t reveal itself to observers -
it rewards those who act on belief.

💥Take the first step today.

Lesson 6 turned up the heat as our student founders finally took the stage! 🔥

After weeks of preparation and refining their 90-second pitches, it was time to put their hard work to the test. This week, our teams had the incredible opportunity to step up and pitch their startup concepts directly to a panel of experienced industry mentors.

It was inspiring to see the passion and innovation in the room. The mentors provided invaluable, rapid-fire feedback—challenging assumptions, validating strategies, and offering fresh perspectives to help these early-stage businesses truly stand out in a competitive landscape.

A huge thank you to our amazing mentor panel, Abhi Patwardhan, Adrian Teo, Joyce Tay, and Nur Iskandar, for generously sharing your time, asking the tough questions, and offering real-world insights to our student founders.

The journey continues with the NES Start programme as our founders move one step closer to turning their ideas into reality 🚀

Game-changing ideas don’t launch themselves; they are built through deliberate effort. Whether you are developing a new platform or finding a smarter way to connect people, the future belongs to those who stop watching the market and start shaping it. Every problem you solve today lays the groundwork for the reality you want tomorrow. 🚀

Be bold. Be decisive. Build. ✨💡