[PRESS RELEASE]
(above: winner of NYEC 2024, 15-year-old Sim En Qi Mabel)
Singapore, 20 November 2024 – The NFTE Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (NYEC) 2024 reached an exhilarating conclusion on 14 November 2024, at the Shaw Foundation Alumni House, as 15-year-old Sim En Qi Mabel from Edgefield Secondary School emerged as the victorious winner. Her innovative business idea, Academicaid, a tuition app providing affordable and accessible home-based tuition services, earned her the top spot among 45 determined finalists.
Empowering Youth through Entrepreneurship
This year’s NYEC saw an impressive 539 students from 16 schools across Singapore participate in Halogen Singapore’s Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) programme. Over 9 months of preparation, these students, many from underserved backgrounds, honed their entrepreneurial skills and crafted business ideas designed to tackle real world challenges. Since 2014, Halogen has exclusively run the NFTE programme in Singapore, empowering youths through entrepreneurship skills for nearly a decade.
(above: NYEC grand finale’s panel of judges from Secretlab, Google, and Allianz)
Leading up to the grand finale, 45 finalists gathered at the Shaw Foundation Alumni House to collaborate, attend masterclasses, and build their prototypes. On the competition day, the top six finalists took to the stage to pitch their business ideas to an esteemed panel of judges from Google, Secretlab and Allianz. Their creative pitches and determination captivated a live audience of over a hundred attendees, including educators, volunteers, family, friends, and the Halogen community.
A Global Stage for Singapore’s Youth
Mabel’s victory at NYEC 2024 has secured her a fully sponsored trip to New York City, where she will represent Singapore and her school at the World Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (WYEC) in 2025. WYEC will give her the opportunity to compete against top young entrepreneurs worldwide, further showcasing the potential of Singapore’s youth on a global stage.
“NYEC 2024 was a testament to the resilience, creativity, and incredible potential of our youth here in Singapore. It was both heartening and inspiring to see these students, many overcoming personal challenges, rise to the occasion and prove that they can create meaningful change, not just for others but for themselves. They’ve had a mindset shift, and a realisation that there’s so much more they can achieve.” said Ivy Tse, Chief Executive Officer of Halogen Singapore.
Through initiatives like NYEC and NFTE, Halogen remains committed to empowering young people with the entrepreneurial mindset, skills, and opportunities they need to succeed.
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