From 2021, we are digitising our Innovation Programmes!
Build your startup and your sustainability portfolio, entirely online.
Innovation Programme Overview (Before 2021)
Applications for our Fully Funded Incubation Programme are closed. Head over to interseed.co to access the sustainability ecosystem online!
25 Innovators
10 Countries
3 Verticals
1 Mission
Your journey towards creating a real, measurable impact starts with us.
Dive into 1 of 3 focus areas, each with its unique opportunities and challenges to drive impact and build a start-up with immense market potential.
What & How?
Apply for our Innovation Programme and we will provide you with the frameworks, mentorship and resources to start a company which enables you to bring your ideas in any of the above 3 focus areas into reality.
Our fully funded Innovation Programme focuses on shaping you into an innovator, and enables you to work in strong teams or individually to create lasting solutions to Southeast Asia’s pressing Energy, Food & Circular Economy problems.
We support people who have the potential and the willingness to create tangible social impact. So if you’re applying in search of a founding team, fantastic! We specialize in forging strong regional teams and supporting them during their initial phases of running an impact company.
If you prefer to work on your idea alone, not to worry! Our own curriculum and knowledge bank is designed to help you create a startup from scratch with or without a team.
Who Are We Looking For?
18 - 35 years old Southeast Asian residents
Current or aspiring entrepreneurs looking to create an impact start-up who are looking for a founding team, or are confident in being a solo founder
Committed individuals with a passion for one of the 3 focus areas and a drive to see through the implementation of a solution and execution of their business plan
People who have one (or more) of the following:
Demonstrated a track record of action to address issues related to a focus area
Has technical expertise to create software or hardware solutions
Has started or played a key role in a start-up in an area unrelated to sustainability
Programme Timeline
Application Process
There are 3 rounds in the application process, each with specific purposes. Anyone eligible is welcome to apply for Round 1. Those who qualify for subsequent rounds will be informed via email.
Round 1 (15th Dec 2019 - 18th Jan 2020): Programme comprehension and motivation assessment
Round 2 (1st Feb 2020 - 8th Feb 2020): Value alignment and skills assessment
Round 3 (13th Feb 2020 - 25th Feb 2020): Final interviews
Online Programme
1st March 2020 - 4th July 2020
Innovation Process
The initial stage of the innovation process would be to get a feel of whether you would like to work solo or form a team and who you would like to work with within the batch. You will be exposed to the different cultures, values and working styles of the most driven youth in Southeast Asia and find your fit.
Following which, you will be guided through the innovation process with weekly check-ins with a YSI SEA impact partner, and a monthly outcome report.
The outcome of the phase is to have a tested prototype, a developed product or a validated service prior to coming to Singapore.
Sustainability Curriculum
You will also go through a sustainability curriculum that is relevant to the focus area of your choice.
The sustainability curriculum covers:
History of Major Developments and their Climate Implications
Relevant Policies and Industrial Players
Societal and Economic Challenges Preventing Sustainable Transitions
Frontiers of Tech and Community Solutions (in and beyond SEA)
Topical Masterclasses
In our 2020 edition, we are placing a heavy emphasis on driving revenue and creating impact as early as possible. Participants will have access to a range of lectures where fundamentals of executing on a wide range of business mechanisms will be broken down. This will allow participants to push themselves from simply coming up with concepts to acquiring customers and running a business.
Additionally, we will be hosting regular masterclasses on a wide range of other relevant topics in partnership with the best organizations that the impact and entrepreneurship space in Southeast Asia has to offer.
Singapore Programme & Beyond
Singapore Programme
5th July - 13th July 2020
Our programme includes a fully-funded trip to Singapore for 9 days. Here, teams meet each other physically for the first time, and continue to refine their business models in preparation for the business pitches.
Demo Day
23rd July 2020
Your Demo Day - Pitch to YSI SEA’s select group of investors, incubators, and businesses.
Sell your idea and build partnerships (or find potential clients) to launch your startup.
Post-Programme Follow Up
24th July 2020 onwards
Upon completion of the 4.5 months, you will transition into the YSI SEA fellowship (contingent on meeting strict criteria at the end of the programme) where the goal is to create long-term traction for your company. YSI SEA is here to help for the long haul.
What You Get
Fully Funded 5 Month Innovation Programme
A Driven Team
You do not need to worry about finding people who are as passionate as you to tackle an issue - leave it to us. We will provide you with a batch of the most driven youth across Southeast Asia, take some time to get to know them, and then choose to form a team or work solo.
Knowledge
We have developed our own sustainability curriculum in the 3 verticals and knowledge bank to help you create a startup from scratch. We keep a look out for the latest development in the space so that you get access to the best that we have to offer.
Fully Funded Trip to Singapore
We will fly you to Singapore at the end of the online programme where you will meet your teammates and/or work on your ideas. These 9 days will be optimised to communicate and launch your startup, and provide you with practical learning opportunities related to legal, marketing and sales learning opportunities to start on your best foot.
Further Funding & Support
Up to $5000 funding is available to promising startups to ensure continuity and success after the programme. We will also continue to support you after the 5 months programme given that you are serious about pursuing your startup.
Network and Community
We have established a wide network of businesses and social enterprises you can learn from. Together with our Earthpreneurs community, we ensure that you are able to get all the help that you need to create a successful start-up.
What You Give
Creating a start-up is hard work, and we require you to play your part as one of our participants
Accountability and Teamwork
You have the autonomy as to who you will work with throughout the programme. Regardless of whether you end up working in a group or your own, you are expected to take ownership of your (or your team’s) progress, and find ways to meet the standards set by the programme and the rest of the batch.
Time
We require you to dedicate around 15-25 hours a week to the programme between March 2020 to July 2020, on top of your current commitments, You will also need to continue working on the start-up after the programme has ended.
Willingness to Learn
We don't expect you to know and be able to do everything. However, a core tenet of being a founder is being able to discover and internalize new information quickly and often. We do need you to bring your best into the programme and pick up skills and knowledge along the way.
Passion and Drive
We need you to be passionate about the prospect of creating a better future. You should also have (or be able to develop) a strong belief that there is a fundamental need to tackle issues related to one of the 3 verticals through an impact start-up.
Working Online
As majority of our programme is online, we require you to work online with a team from all over SEA. A stable internet connection would be great. If this is an issue, do reach out to us in the application and we will figure out how to work around this.
Patience and Commitment
We want people who are bold enough to actually stick around long enough to drive impact. The YSI SEA Innovation Programme is merely the start of the journey, and we can only support you if you decide to stay around to be supported.
