The Young Technopreneur Challenge 2023
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Dear Principals / Head of Departments / Teachers,
Junior Achievement Singapore cordially invites your students to our JA Young Technopreneur Challenge 2023. The Young Technopreneur Challenge, sponsored by HP Inc. and supported by South West Community Development Council (CDC), aims to support students to take ownership of the world they live in and actively develop solutions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Singapore Green Plan 2030 and Sustainable South West Masterplan. |
We aim to interest, excite and provide students a unique platform to stretch their imagination and push their boundaries to learn to think global, innovate, create and pitch an idea or concept by making use of STEM and technology. We will also provide an opportunity for students to display their innovative ideas and passion through STEM workshops and to be guided by business mentors which will complement their learning journeys leading up to the competition presentation day.
The challenge consists of 3 bootcamps where students will develop their ideas, go through a rigorous design thinking process, research and prototype, as well as learn about the steps to becoming a technopreneur.
The challenge culminates in an expo event where students will showcase and present their ideas to a range of industry judges – winners possibly taking home funding to support the development of their idea.
Student participation criteria:
Phases of the Competition:
1. Sustainability Plans – Select a problem related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals or Singapore Green Plan 2030 or Sustainable South West Masterplan.
2. Innovative Idea – In teams of 4 students, think of an idea to solve the problem. The solution will utilize STEM to make the world a better place.
3. Registration – Register your team of 4 students via CLICK HERE. For your registration, you must indicate your choice of the problem related to the Sustainability Plans that your team has chosen to address. (You don’t need to identify the specific issue yet.)
4. Online Courses – To increase the students’ communication skills and basic finance knowledge, 2 mandatory online self-paced courses (Business Communications and Basics of Finance) are required to be taken by the students.
4. Bootcamps - To enhance the learning experience for the Young Technopreneur Challenge, 2 bootcamps (design thinking, and pitching & presentation) will be required for all participants. STEM related (App writing) will be an optional bootcamp. The bootcamps will be conducted physically in person except for the App writing which will be online.
5. Innovation Expo & Presentation – All the teams will showcase their innovative ideas at the Innovation Expo & Presentation. Top 8 teams will be selected to advance to the final round of the competition to be held in the afternoon.
The challenge consists of 3 bootcamps where students will develop their ideas, go through a rigorous design thinking process, research and prototype, as well as learn about the steps to becoming a technopreneur.
The challenge culminates in an expo event where students will showcase and present their ideas to a range of industry judges – winners possibly taking home funding to support the development of their idea.
Student participation criteria:
- Secondary 2 & 3
- Except for the STEM bootcamp, all bootcamps and the Innovation Expo & Presentation will be held physically in person.
- Permission from parents is required to participate. Students & Parents need to sign a permission & media release form. This includes WhatsApp chat groups to be formed by the teams with their mentors, teacher and JA staffs for communication purposes.
- Bootcamp attendance, online self-paced courses, bootcamp feedback, Skilio self-reflection, mid-project submissions and introduction videos are all mandatory. These are all part of the final scoring criteria for the competition.
- Students who had participated in previous Young Technopreneur Challenge are not qualified to participate again.
Phases of the Competition:
1. Sustainability Plans – Select a problem related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals or Singapore Green Plan 2030 or Sustainable South West Masterplan.
2. Innovative Idea – In teams of 4 students, think of an idea to solve the problem. The solution will utilize STEM to make the world a better place.
3. Registration – Register your team of 4 students via CLICK HERE. For your registration, you must indicate your choice of the problem related to the Sustainability Plans that your team has chosen to address. (You don’t need to identify the specific issue yet.)
4. Online Courses – To increase the students’ communication skills and basic finance knowledge, 2 mandatory online self-paced courses (Business Communications and Basics of Finance) are required to be taken by the students.
4. Bootcamps - To enhance the learning experience for the Young Technopreneur Challenge, 2 bootcamps (design thinking, and pitching & presentation) will be required for all participants. STEM related (App writing) will be an optional bootcamp. The bootcamps will be conducted physically in person except for the App writing which will be online.
5. Innovation Expo & Presentation – All the teams will showcase their innovative ideas at the Innovation Expo & Presentation. Top 8 teams will be selected to advance to the final round of the competition to be held in the afternoon.
Bootcamps:
The 3 bootcamps will cover:
The 3 bootcamps will cover:
Bootcamp 1 - Design Thinking (Mandatory) |
Bootcamp 2 - STEM (Optional) |
Bootcamp 3 - Pitching & Presentation (Mandatory) |
2 Mornings:
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Morning:
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Morning:
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Awards:
1. Prizes: Teams will be competing for the following awards:
1st place: Trophy + Digital device / accessories
2nd place: Trophy + Digital device / accessories
3rd place: Trophy + Digital device / accessories
Best Presentation: Trophy
Best Prototype: Trophy
Most Innovative Idea: Trophy
2. Company Visit: Top 3 teams will participate in a one day company visit to HP Inc. Find out why they are one of the most innovative companies in the world and share your ideas with their team.
3. Funding. SGD 3,000 is available for the winning team for reaching approved implementation goals and milestones following the challenge to further develop the idea.
Students Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Singapore Green Plan 2030, and Sustainable South West Masterplan
2. Be able to identify societal challenges in their environment
3. Work with mentors from HP and South West CDC Environment Functional Committee
4. Learn more about STEM and applying technology & STEM to their solutions
5. Develop an entrepreneurial mind-set and skills
6. Learn how to take an idea from concept to realization
7. Have fun and contribute to a better society
8. Develop and improve the following skills:
1. Prizes: Teams will be competing for the following awards:
1st place: Trophy + Digital device / accessories
2nd place: Trophy + Digital device / accessories
3rd place: Trophy + Digital device / accessories
Best Presentation: Trophy
Best Prototype: Trophy
Most Innovative Idea: Trophy
2. Company Visit: Top 3 teams will participate in a one day company visit to HP Inc. Find out why they are one of the most innovative companies in the world and share your ideas with their team.
3. Funding. SGD 3,000 is available for the winning team for reaching approved implementation goals and milestones following the challenge to further develop the idea.
Students Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Singapore Green Plan 2030, and Sustainable South West Masterplan
2. Be able to identify societal challenges in their environment
3. Work with mentors from HP and South West CDC Environment Functional Committee
4. Learn more about STEM and applying technology & STEM to their solutions
5. Develop an entrepreneurial mind-set and skills
6. Learn how to take an idea from concept to realization
7. Have fun and contribute to a better society
8. Develop and improve the following skills:
- Team work
- Communication
- Presentation Skills
- Gain self confidence
- Creative thinking
Timeline
Dates (2023) |
Activity |
Mon 15th May |
Team registration deadline |
By Thurs 1st June |
Complete online course Business Communications (Mandatory) |
Thurs 1st June, 9am – 4pm |
Bootcamp 1 – Design Thinking (Mandatory in Person) |
Mon 5th June (9am – 12pm) |
Bootcamp 2 – STEM Skill – App Writing (Optional via Zoom) |
By Wed 14th June |
Complete online course Basics of Finance (Mandatory) |
Fri 23rd June (9am – 12pm) |
Bootcamp 3 – Pitching & Presentation Workshop, Mid submission and Feedback from Mentors (Mandatory in Person) |
Sat 8th July (9am – 6pm) |
Innovative Idea Expo and Presentation (Preliminary & Grand Finals) (Mandatory in Person) |
We hope you find the JA Young Technopreneur Challenge a worthwhile competition and encourage your students to participate.
We will limit 3 teams per school on a first come first served basis to provide opportunity to more schools to participate.
We will limit 3 teams per school on a first come first served basis to provide opportunity to more schools to participate.
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement (JA) is one of the largest global non-profit organizations dedicated to addressing fundamental social and economic challenges of young people by educating and empowering them to transform their future and own their economic success.
Through the delivery of cutting-edge, experiential learning in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship, Junior Achievement effectively broadens the canvas of possibility for young people and enriches their ability to both engage in their own economic development as well as contribute to the strength of their families, communities and economies.
The 123 country JA Worldwide network is powered by over 500,000 volunteers and mentors from all sectors of society, reaching more than 10 million students around the world annually. In partnership with businesses and educators, Junior Achievement brings the real world to students, opening their minds to their potential. More information about JA is available at www.JAWorldwide.org and www.ja.org.sg.
About HP Inc.
HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, graphics, and 3D printing solutions, HP engineers experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. in Singapore is available at https://www8.hp.com/sg/en/home.html
About Southwest Community Development Council
The South West Community Development Council (CDC) was formed on 24 November 2001, with the mission to Assist the Needy, Bond the People and Connect the Community.
Through local help programmes, the South West CDC provides assistance to help the less fortunate in our community. The South West CDC also organises projects and programmes to promote community bonding and social cohesion. The South West CDC adopts the “Many Helping Hands” approach to encourage community ownership among residents, community partners and corporations to realise its vision of “Owning Your Community”. You may view our corporate video here to find out more about the CDC.
Junior Achievement (JA) is one of the largest global non-profit organizations dedicated to addressing fundamental social and economic challenges of young people by educating and empowering them to transform their future and own their economic success.
Through the delivery of cutting-edge, experiential learning in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship, Junior Achievement effectively broadens the canvas of possibility for young people and enriches their ability to both engage in their own economic development as well as contribute to the strength of their families, communities and economies.
The 123 country JA Worldwide network is powered by over 500,000 volunteers and mentors from all sectors of society, reaching more than 10 million students around the world annually. In partnership with businesses and educators, Junior Achievement brings the real world to students, opening their minds to their potential. More information about JA is available at www.JAWorldwide.org and www.ja.org.sg.
About HP Inc.
HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, graphics, and 3D printing solutions, HP engineers experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. in Singapore is available at https://www8.hp.com/sg/en/home.html
About Southwest Community Development Council
The South West Community Development Council (CDC) was formed on 24 November 2001, with the mission to Assist the Needy, Bond the People and Connect the Community.
Through local help programmes, the South West CDC provides assistance to help the less fortunate in our community. The South West CDC also organises projects and programmes to promote community bonding and social cohesion. The South West CDC adopts the “Many Helping Hands” approach to encourage community ownership among residents, community partners and corporations to realise its vision of “Owning Your Community”. You may view our corporate video here to find out more about the CDC.