SMU Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship

We are deeply honoured to be recognised as the Global Winner for Best Accelerator/Incubator Programme at the Global Startup Awards (Edition 11)!

Thank you to everyone who voted for us - and more importantly, to everyone who has helped build the SMU Business Innovations Generator (BIG) over the years, in both visible and unseen ways.

Awards like this are never won by a programme alone. They are built by people — our founders, mentors, advisors, partners, students, alumni, and the wider BIG community who continue to believe in building boldly together.

This recognition belongs to all of you.

“𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭.”

This was a quote from the first-place winner at the Tencent Cloud International Developer AI Coding Challenge Singapore held over the weekend.

Organised by GatherGrowth and Z.ai, with support SMU Artificial Intelligence Club student community, the event brought together students, builders, and industry leaders for an afternoon of AI-for-Good innovation, featuring finalist pitches, industry judging, and cross-sector exchange.

As part of SMU’s broader innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, SMU IIE is always glad to support student-led initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for learning, experimentation, and real-world problem-solving.
Our very own Dr SZE Tiam-Lin, served on the judging panel, alongside Feida Zhu, Yukun Hao , Lê Hồng Phương, Michael Xu, Jay Teo and Terence AISG.

The SMU AI student volunteers were also instrumental in helping to ensure the event ran smoothly.

Congratulations to all the winning teams. We look forward to continuing to support student-led innovation and growing interest in real-world AI applications. 🤖 💫

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Emeritus Professor Arcot Desai Narasimhalu, who left us on 4 May 2026.

Prof Desai was the Founding Director of SMU’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship(IIE). He convinced then SMU President Howard Hunter to establish IIE and led it from 2008-2016.

He was the key architect of SMU’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, and central to positioning innovation as a Peak of Excellence within the university.

His work was never confined to campus. He believed that waiting until university to cultivate an innovative mindset was already too late, a conviction that led directly to the Youth Innovation Challenge, designed to reach students at secondary school and junior college level. He championed the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition, led the Entrepreneurship Immersion Programme (now the Global Innovation Immersion Programme), and initiated the SMU Doctor of Innovation. Each a reflection of how expansively he thought about what IIE could do, and who it could serve.

Beyond programmes, he was a builder in the fullest sense. He helped create more than 20 companies, raised over USD 20 million in funding, licensed innovations to multinationals, and spent decades as an active advisor to startups. He authored the Innovative Entrepreneurs’ Workbook, a step-by-step guide from idea to business blueprint, written for the founders he spent his career believing in.

At IIE’s 5th anniversary, he described the institute as a start-up in its own right. One that had to deploy its own entrepreneurial instincts to grow. That was how he led. With the same grit, humility, and care he asked of every founder who walked through our doors.

Every founder we have nurtured, every competition we have run, every student who left IIE with the courage to build something, that traces back to him.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship ecosystem doesn’t wait for graduation. Some people get in early. 👆

20–24 weeks inside IIE, you go where Singapore’s builders, founders, and innovators actually move. No LOA. Credits counted. Work that opens doors that LinkedIn cannot.

Is this for you? Well, you’re eligible as long as this is not your first year or your last semester. 😉

Limited spots. 🔗 Link in bio for info sesh details.

Featured on Singapore Management University Blog:

SMU graduates Kirby Teo and Nicholas Chen turned personal and financial setbacks into start-up success, supported by SMU’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. From mentorship and programmes to funding opportunities, their journeys show how resilience, combined with the right support, can transform adversity into innovation and meaningful impact — earning them The GEAR by Kajima Book Prize in Innovation 2025.

Congrats guys! 🔥 💪

🔗 in bio.

What does it mean to build for a longer life—and a better one?

At the World Ageing Festival, SMU Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship hosted a panel on “Building the Next Generation of Longevity Ventures: From Campus to Startup”.

This discussion is part of the ongoing collaboration between the The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Singapore Management University through the Long Life Venture Builder Programme—bringing together founders, students, and ecosystem partners across geographies to build in the longevity space.

A few reflections that stayed with us:
🧬 Longevity is not just about health, it’s also about independence. Extending lifespan must go hand in hand with enabling people to live meaningfully and autonomously.
🔄 Reframing ageing matters. Not something to fear, but something to look forward to. That mindset shift is where innovation begins.
🌏 Global perspectives accelerate learning. When founders see how peers across the world are building, it broadens thinking and unlocks opportunities that wouldn’t surface otherwise.
🪞Preparation starts with you. Building for longevity means thinking about it differently — for others, and for yourself.

Grateful to moderator Weiyang Cheong and panelists Danesh S., Jesslyn Yim and Yudara Kularathne MD, FAMS(EM) for the thoughtful discussion, and to everyone who joined us.

Excited to continue building in this space together.

🏛️ At Singapore Management University, students don't just study business, they build it.

Come hear from our next-gen innovators who started their entrepreneurship journey right here on campus, before graduation. 🚀

Drop by our booth at Discovery Day this Saturday and meet Marcus, Chi Hao & Jamison, founders who started right here at SMU IIE. Ask them anything, grab some goodies, and see what's possible when you say yes to that first step. 💡

📅 Sat, 4 Apr | 5–6pm
📍 SMU SOSS Event Space

See you there! 👀

P.S. We're also in the running for Best Accelerator/Incubator Programme at the Global Startup Awards! Cast your vote at the link in bio 🗳️ (Deadline: 6 May 2026)