Kipin Edutech (Winner), Stick’Em (1st runner-up) and Dive Analytics (2nd runner-up) have emerged as winners of the inaugural “Temasek Foundation Education Challenge: Empowering Teachers through EdTech”, held at EduTech Asia and jointly organised by EdTech accelerator EduSpaze and Temasek Foundation.
Kipin Edutech was recognised as the overall winner for its groundbreaking digital transformation tool that enables schools to establish an online presence in mere minutes, even in the absence of internet access. This advancement significantly enhances educational opportunities in remote regions. The runner-up, Stick’Em, provides cost-effective, hands-on STEAM education through its innovative hardware kits and an online platform, allowing schools to implement STEAM programs independently and at a significantly reduced cost. Lastly, Dive Analytics, the second runner-up, offers a comprehensive productivity software suite designed to optimise administrative processes for K-12 institutions, while providing data-driven insights into student well-being, a feat that has garnered recognition from Singapore's Ministry of Education.
The winners were awarded a total of S$90,000 in grants and market access trips to catalyse their pilot solutions in the Southeast Asian (SEA) region. In addition to the grants, Kipin Edutech will also receive a trip to London, United Kingdom, to participate in the Global EdTech Startup Awards (GESAwards) 2024 boot camp and Bett London in January 2025.
The challenge attracted more than 250 applications across over 60 countries. Following a rigorous selection process, the top ten finalists were invited to pitch their innovative solutions live at EduTech Asia to a judging panel comprising expert review panellists and education experts. These finalists also received access of up to S$500,000 in cloud credits provided by Tech for Good partner, Amazon Web Services.
According to UNESCO’s 2024 Global Report on Teachers, SEA faces a projected 4.5 million gap in shortage of teachers. The Temasek Foundation Education Challenge seeks to address underlying factors and challenges faced by educators by discovering and supporting innovative solutions that enhance the effectiveness of teaching, evolve the roles of educators, and introduce new models to reach underserved communities.
"At Temasek Foundation, we recognise that education is a key enabler to uplift communities. The solutions presented by the finalists in this Challenge embody our goal of improving teaching quality, recognising that teachers play an outsized role in shaping and inspiring future generations. Our catalytic funding supporting the winning solutions seeks to help these innovators test out their innovations in addressing teaching challenges in relevant SEA markets, to unlock further opportunities to scale in SEA. Congratulations to KIPIN, Stick’Em and Dive Analytics. We look forward to seeing these solutions in action as they pave the way for teachers and future learners." said Mr Ng Boon Heong, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Foundation.
“Congratulations to the winners, KIPIN, Stick’Em, and Dive Analytics, of the Temasek Foundation Education Challenge. We are excited to be part of the journey and to be able to recognise your effort, innovation and impact in contributing to the education ecosystem. To the rest of the top 10 finalists and other startups who have participated, I thank you for your contributions and unwavering efforts in evolving the education scene within the SEA region. Since EduSpaze’s inception in 2019, it has been heartwarming and fulfilling to witness how the EdTech scene has matured. The Challenge served as a testament to the steadfast efforts that EduSpaze, our ecosystem partners and EdTech players have made to contribute to the education transformation across Southeast Asia,” congratulated Alex Ng, Managing Director of EduSpaze.
Ashley Tan, International Head of Social Impact & Sustainability at Amazon Web Services (AWS), said, “We look forward to the powerful education solutions presented by our winners KIPIN, Stick’Em and Dive Analytics and the other finalists, towards addressing teaching challenges in the SEA region. Together with Temasek Foundation and EduSpaze, Amazon Web Services (AWS) will continue to support equitable learning opportunities which drive education and opportunity for underserved learners. We stand ready to provide Edtech innovators with the power of cloud and the latest GenAI to power their mission-driven solutions and increase access to quality education.”
Please refer to the attached Appendix for the list of the top 10 finalists.