2026 edition
The tenth edition of SLINGSHOT, Asia's premier deep tech startup competition.
SLINGSHOT marks its 10th Anniversary
Be a part of this milestone moment with our biggest edition to date. A decade of innovation excellence has transformed SLINGSHOT into the cornerstone of Singapore’s startup ecosystem. Since its inception in 2017, this flagship competition has connected visionary entrepreneurs with investors, ecosystem partners and networks needed for them to scale their solutions globally.
What began with 1000 applications from 80 markets has grown exponentially to over 6,800 applications from over 150 markets in 2025, demonstrating the competition’s magnetic pull for breakthrough technologies and exceptional talent worldwide.
Join SLINGSHOT 2026 to compete for over S$2M in grant prizes, and stand a chance to be among the Top 50 Global Startups selected for a sponsored trip to Singapore from 27–29 October 2026.
Connect with key decision-makers across the global startup ecosystem and pitch LIVE at the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH)!
Make your mark with us today, sign up here (opens in new tab)!
Competition Domains
Top 50 Global Startups
Meet our Top 50 Global Startups across four challenge domains. Explore their websites and quick elevator pitches below.
Advanced Computing and Intelligence
Table of finalists from Advanced Computing and Intelligence domain.
Startup | Summary of Startup |
|---|---|
Pedestrian Autonomous Driving AI (PAD AI) that replicates the mobility assistance of guide dogs in a wearable headset for people with visual impairments. | |
AI security platform combining autonomous red teaming with real-time guardrails to identify vulnerabilities and manage risks across AI models, agents and physical AI. | |
AI “brain” for next-generation robots that enables them to see, understand, reason and act with human-like adaptability, making intelligent robots easier to deploy. | |
AI platform that transforms satellite, aerial, drone and other imagery into actionable intelligence to understand, analyse and simulate changes in the physical world at planetary scale. | |
AI-native platform connecting AI, robotics and physical experimentation in a closed-loop system to accelerate scientific discovery, process optimisation and innovation across materials and manufacturing. | |
AI architecture that unifies training and inference to remove learning bottlenecks, enabling faster, more cost-efficient and scalable AI. | |
Platform-agnostic cryo-CMOS control chips for quantum computers, enabling qubit developers to scale quantum systems without building their own control hardware. | |
Physical AI infrastructure platform that connects, orchestrates and governs autonomous robots and building systems, enabling scalable automation across offices, hospitals, hotels and other environments. | |
Orbital AI platform that uses satellite data to predict climate risks and asset failures, verify ESG performance and optimise energy use and infrastructure operations. | |
Large-scale, error-corrected quantum computing based on a proprietary ytterbium neutral-atom architecture, designed to advance towards fault-tolerant quantum computing. |
Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Systems
Table of finalists from Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Systems domain
Startup | Summary of Startup |
|---|---|
Cryogenic electron microscopy holders that cool samples below 6K in under a minute and maintain millikelvin stability for days, enabling advanced quantum materials research. | |
AI-native manufacturing platform connecting hardware companies to a vetted supplier network, with instant AI quoting, automated supplier matching and design-for-manufacturing checks. | |
PVD-based ultra-high-purity metal anodes, including zinc, lithium and anode-free solutions, designed to increase energy density and extend the lifespan of next-generation batteries. | |
Remote-control and automation technology for existing excavators, enabling contractors to improve the safety and productivity of heavy-equipment operations. | |
In-house PCB manufacturing platform that prints complex circuit boards on-site within hours, enabling faster hardware iteration, greater design flexibility and reduced supply-chain and IP risks. | |
Biomanufacturing platform that scales R&D-stage innovations into industrial-scale ingredients and biomaterials for beauty, wellness, food and materials applications. | |
Lithography tools designed for low- to mid-volume semiconductor production, enabling more flexible chip manufacturing beyond conventional high-volume fabrication. | |
Neuromorphic transistor that fires like a neuron and behaves like a synapse, creating a single-transistor building block designed to replicate key functions of biological intelligence. | |
On-site bioconversion system that replaces biopharma kill tanks and converts mandatory biomanufacturing waste into high-value biomaterials without changing existing workflows. | |
Woven shape-memory alloy artificial muscles that power lightweight soft exosuits, providing wearable assistance for the waist, shoulders and elbows. |
Environment, Energy and Sustainability
Table of finalists from Environment, Energy, and Sustainability domain.
Startup | Summary of Startup |
|---|---|
AI-powered crop development platform that uses predictive breeding to accelerate the development of desired traits and bring new crop varieties to market faster. | |
Ultra-lightweight, fireproof composite materials and battery safety solutions for electric vehicles, aerospace, energy storage and industrial applications. | |
Modular seawater-mineral reactors that capture and store CO₂ directly from industrial flue gas while producing critical metals, eliminating the need for CO₂ purification, transport and injection. | |
Clean energy technology that converts liquid methanol into decarbonised baseload electricity at a net efficiency of approximately 60%. | |
NTU-MIT antimicrobial platform for treating bovine mastitis, addressing antibiotic residues, antimicrobial resistance, milk wastage and disease relapse. | |
Hydrogen fuel cell generators providing safe, reliable power for everyday and off-grid applications, supporting greater energy resilience and the transition to a hydrogen economy. | |
Autonomous technology that produces protective packaging from agricultural waste and mycelium on-site, enabling industrial-scale, chemical-free production at price parity with plastic. | |
Modular off-grid power solutions for transport and construction infrastructure, designed for rapid installation while reducing reliance on conventional energy sources and associated emissions. | |
Carbon removal system that converts CO₂ into dissolved bicarbonate for permanent ocean storage, with integrated sensing to verify carbon storage across varying CO₂ purity levels. | |
Fully electrified carbon capture technology for gas power, enabling CO₂ capture at concentrations below 6% with flexible grid operation and non-toxic technology. |
Digital Technologies and Security
Table of finalists from Digital Technologies and Security
Startup | Summary of Startup |
|---|---|
Composite Graph AI that reconstructs fragmented financial crime, fraud and forensic intelligence networks across organisations to uncover previously hidden or misconstrued insights, including across 12+ Asian scripts. | |
Self-sovereign identity platform using zero-knowledge proofs to let users verify once and selectively prove only the personal information required across services. | |
AI-powered authenticity platform that detects AI-generated deception across voice, video, images and documents, helping verify digital content before decisions are made. | |
Data-control platform that gives organisations direct control over how data from connected devices is accessed and used, enabling digital sovereignty, cyber resilience and trusted AI. | |
Fibre-based barcoding technology providing durable authentication, traceability and end-of-use data management across the textile lifecycle while minimising disruption to recycling. | |
AI-powered multi-angle video platform that enables viewers to navigate between live event angles using AI prompts, enhancing audience engagement and ROI for streaming platforms and brands. | |
Advanced cryptography solutions for digital asset infrastructure, algorithms and cryptographic protocols, with capabilities in post-quantum readiness and programmable privacy. | |
Web-based platform for sharing complex 3D and XR applications through a link, enabling instant browser access without accounts, installations or high-performance computing hardware. | |
Turn-by-turn navigation technology that works indoors, outdoors and underground without GPS or additional hardware, supporting blind, mobility-impaired and everyday users. | |
Passive quantum key distribution (QKD) technology built on silicon photonics, designed for mass manufacturing and integration with existing communications networks. |
Health and Biomedical
Table of finalists from Health and Biomedical
Startup | Summary of Startup |
|---|---|
Non-invasive cardiac monitoring technology that turns a bedside recording of under five minutes into heart-failure pressure insights to support clinical decision-making and patient management. | |
Microalgae-based ingredient targeting brain inflammation associated with sleep problems and morning fatigue as a natural alternative to melatonin. | |
AI-enabled, non-contact device that automates measurement of key ocular signs in thyroid eye disease, providing objective, quantitative data to support standardised assessment and treatment monitoring. | |
Non-invasive biopsy platform that transforms menstrual blood into high-resolution human uterine data using molecular profiling and computational modelling to support disease research and drug development. | |
Polymer-free magnetic beads for more sustainable, automation-ready diagnostics, compatible with existing workflows across molecular testing, liquid biopsy and exosome applications. | |
Clean-label peptide technology that replaces nitrites in processed foods, providing a lower-dosage alternative for extending shelf life while maintaining food safety. | |
Nanofibrous biomaterials made from clinically accepted biopolymers using a manufacturing process designed to reduce the complexity and cost of conventional nanofibre fabrication. | |
Ultra-portable, autonomous ophthalmic device for screening and monitoring eye conditions, designed to expand clinician capacity across the patient care journey. | |
Handheld robotic surgical applicator that enables ear tube surgery to be performed in-clinic using local anaesthetic ear drops and a headlight, reducing the need for conventional surgical equipment and operating theatre set-up. | |
Non-surgical continence device for ostomy patients, offering an alternative to conventional ostomy bags for managing stoma output. |