Celebrating Student Innovation at the Batey Challenge

I had the privilege of serving as a judge for the Batey Challenge, organised by Singapore Polytechnic. This start-up competition is supported by Ian Batey, the branding visionary behind Singapore Airlines and creator of its iconic tagline, “A Great Way to Fly”.

The students were truly impressive, presenting innovative and commercially viable solutions to real-world challenges in senior care, social connection, and sustainability. Several teams demonstrated strong potential to grow well beyond the competition.

Some of the past winners of the Batey Challenge have gone on to achieve remarkable success. Stick’em, Batey’s Grand Winner in 2022, went on to win the Hult Prize in London — dubbed the “Nobel Prize for student startups” — which offers US$1 million in seed funding. The team was also featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 list.