Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition 2025 (Up to $1 Million in Prizes)

Applications are open for the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition 2025. Named in honour of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister – who can be said to have developed the country’s defining business plan in pitching Singapore into the global spotlight – it was one of the first international business plan competition platforms for the world’s best and brightest next-gen innovators to solve global challenges.

In over two decades since, the competition, which is held every two years, has grown leaps and bounds: From just over 200 submissions from 74 tertiary institutions in 2002, to 1,000 submissions from 1,100 institutions in 2023.

Today, LKYGBPC is a recognised beacon of excellence in global youth innovation. As one of Asia’s most globally representative and exciting deep-tech startup challenges, hundreds of next-gen entrepreneurs and leaders in the global innovation ecosystem converge in Singapore for an exciting week of live pitches, networking, mentorship and learning.

Beyond the competition, the platform has become a launchpad for a rising tide of alumni who are continually innovating to make the world a better place.

Prizes of Lee Kuan Yew

• Up to $1 Million in Prizes: Includes cash awards, startup resources, mentorships, and scholarships.
• Global Visibility: Pitch to an international panel of investors, VCs, and industry experts.
• All-Expenses-Paid Trip to Singapore: Selected teams will be flown in to compete in the Grand Finals from September 29 – October 2, 2025.
• Mentorship & Access: Engage with over 200+ VC funds, family offices, and ecosystem partners.
• Networking Opportunities: Join an elite circle of the world’s most ambitious startups and student innovators.
• Mention Startups Without Borders in your application for community recognition.

Check : CanExport SMEs Program 2025 (up to $50,000)

Eligibility for Lee Kuan Yew

• Open to all next gen startup founders.
• To be eligible, the team or startup must have at least one founder who is a current tertiary student or a recent tertiary graduate (within the last five years).

Category 0 to 1: Pre-revenue teams/startups with novel technology or business model innovations

• Technology innovations that have emerged from academic research with commercialisation opportunities that may or may not be fully validated.
• Innovative business models that may or may not be fully validated.
• Team is in initial phases of ideation up to having a minimum viable product (MVP) that has yet to be launched in the market.
• Each team / startup must have at least one founder, who is a current student or recent alumni of less than 5 years.
• “Current student” is defined as any person who is enrolled in a full-time polytechnic, undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD programme at a tertiary institute.
• “Alumni of less than 5 years” is defined as any person who has graduated at a tertiary institute from 31 March 2020 onwards.
• Persons who were previously enrolled full-time in a polytechnic, undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD program but dropped out between March 31, 2020 and April 30, 2025 are also eligible to apply.
• There is no restriction on the number of members in a team or company.

Category 1 to Infinity: Revenue-generating early stage start-ups, up to Series A

• Startup is in phases of initial sales or looking to scale.
• Typically, product or service has launched in the market, and is seeking their next customer(s) and/or to enter a new market.
• Each team / startup must have at least one founder, who is a current student or recent alumni of less than 5 years.
• “Current student” is defined as any person who is enrolled in a full-time polytechnic, undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD programme at a tertiary institute.
• “Alumni of less than 5 years” is defined as any person who has graduated at a tertiary institute from 31 March 2020 onwards.
• Persons who were previously enrolled full-time in a polytechnic, undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD program but dropped out between March 31, 2020 and April 30, 2025 are also eligible to apply.
• There is no restriction on the number of members in a team or company.

Also Check : THRIVE Global Impact Challenge 2025 (up to $1M in Investment)

Application

To apply, the following materials will be required for your application during the Preliminary Round. Failure to submit the materials online by the announced deadline will result in disqualification.

• Complete an application form on the official platform.
• Executive Summary
  • Not more than 500 words, in pdf
  • File should be named in this format: Summary_TeamName.pdf
• Pitch Deck Presentation
  • Not more than 20 slides, in pdf
  • File should be named in this format: Presentation_TeamName.pdf
• Video presentation (Optional)
  • This is encouraged but not required.
  • Video should be no longer than 5 minutes with preference for mp4.
  • File should be named in this format: Video_TeamName.mp4
• All submitted materials must be the original work of the participating team.

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