Startup Weekend

Startup Weekend (18-20 April 2025)

Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU) launched its Startup Weekend 2025, from April 18 to 20, bringing together a group of 90 participants of aspiring student entrepreneurs, along with academic mentors and industry mentors for the bootcamp. Startup Weekend is a structured bootcamp program designed to assist participants who have recognised a need or issue and want to test the feasibility of ideas as a solution and business concepts at the end of the programme.

Participants were amused with the inspiring talk sessions touched on topics across the different spectrum of startup learning curve and journey. Mr. Hardesh Singh (Watchtower & Friends, Accelerator Lead) delivered a session exploring on Startup Ideas that Matter with emphasis on – Why startups get rejected by investors, where good ideas come from, and how to build the idea. He further concluded with a notion that investors tend to focus less on return on investment (ROI), but rather the potential returns in startup spaces with low competition and high degree of uncertainty, and hence aspiring student entrepreneurs should embrace the unknown. Mr. Peter Ho (VMO Holdings, Advisor) weighed in on the topic of Business Model Design, in which participants were introduced to the 6P Framework, a structured approach to refining business models for a successful startup. The framework recognized product, price, place, promotion, people and process as the 6P that play crucial roles in business model. The 6P framework could be a guidance to test and scale business systematically and dynamically. Mr. Sean Liew (Growth Charger, Venture Development Lead) one of the experts in the startup venture development shared his thoughts and approach in Pitching a Startup Idea. He provided guidance on crafting effective startup pitches, emphasizing on adaptability, clarity and audience awareness.

A total of 11 teams pitched their startup ideas to a panel of judges consisting of Ms. Yap Pin Foong (Head of Enterprise IT, CelcomDigi), Mr. Mahendran Balakrishnan (Head Innovation Coach, SEEd.Lab PETRONAS), and Professor Dr. Vinesh Thiruchelvam (Chief Innovation & Enterprise Officer, APU).

Team Resonant Krown was victorious with its smart wireless earbuds as bridging solution for premium audio and hearing assistance for users with mild hearing loss. Team EasyKaps emerged first runner-up with its customizable keyboard device that can increase workflow efficiency by reducing repetitive tasks and simplifying complex actions with single clicks of buttons. Team Onix was second runner-up with its interactive application to educate financial literacy through gamification to make learning more engaging.

Professor Dr. Vinesh Thiruchelvam, Chief Innovation and Enterprise Officer of APU in his closing remarks summarised: “Over the past weekend, we have witnessed a remarkable fusion of creativity and ambition from our participants. The Startup Weekend was not just about competition; it was a profound learning journey for all involved. The diverse range of ideas presented, from cybersecurity enhancements to inclusive tech solutions, reflects the dynamic spirit and potential of our entrepreneurial community. As we celebrate the success of our teams today, let us continue to nurture these innovative sparks into sustainable ventures.”

Winner: Resonant Krown

First runner-up: EasyKaps

Second runner-up: Onix

Startup Weekend August 2024 (9-11 August 2024)

Winner: ThreatPlay, APU
First runner-up: Newbies, APU
Second runner-up: FutureMinds, APU

Startup Weekend March 2024 (1-3 March 2024)

Winner: Carbonara, APU
First runner-up: PartnerCo, APU
Second runner-up: Greensync, APU

Startup Weekend August 2023 (14-16 July 2023)

Winner: Data Rangers, APU
First runner-up: Innovus, APU
Second runner-up: Team Allay,APU

Startup Weekend August 2022 (5-7 August 2022)

Winner: Lowkey, Universitas Indonesia
First runner-up: Team 3, Can Tho University, Vietnam
Second runner-up: The Lotus, Can Tho University, Vietnam

Startup Weekend March 2022 (18-20 March 2022)

Winner: Foodport
First runner-up: Styled
Second runner-up: 3R