FAQs

Start-up Incubation, Mentorship and Support

All aspiring entrepreneurs are welcome to apply for NTUitive’s incubation support.

NTUitive incubates any start-up that has potential to succeed – product-wise and/or leadership-wise.

NTUitive currently does not incubate foreign start-ups. 

However, if you looking to operate a business in Singapore that is venture-backed or owns innovative technologies, NTUitive is an appointed Startup SG Talent EntrePass Partner. Find out if you are eligible to apply for EntrePass here.

NTUitive offers mentorship, incubation space, grant and fundraising support, and opportunities to participate in our competitions and networking events.

There is no definite period NTUitive incubates start-ups but the minimum period is 5 years.

NTUitive will look to invest in companies that shows great potential to succeed.

NTU students / alumni who have started a business but are not incubated with NTUitive are welcomed to participate in our competitions and networking events. However, they are encouraged to join NTUitive incubation programme to tap into our expertise and connections which are essential to push business further.

NTUitive provides basic mentorship for foreign exchange students with a business idea, however they are not eligible for any grant or investment support as well as incubation space.

NTUitive will try to help and match, with no guarantee, potential founders with same aspiring start-up dream. Founders are also encouraged to attend our networking events to find potential co-founders, employees and investors.

Please send a brief description of your idea to [email protected] to start your entrepreneurship journey with us.

Start-up Grants / Funding Schemes

NTUitive currently have the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) Project fund which is open to all NTU faculty, staff, students and alumni. It is a funding programme that provides up to S$10,000 for entrepreneurial teams and start-ups to develop its first prototype for market testing and validation. Through this programme, NTUitive hopes to transform these projects into promising companies. To apply for MDT Funding, For MDT funding, eligible teams will have to attend the NTU Entrepreneurship Start-Up Training (N.E.S.T) Programme, to concretized your business idea. Interested applicants to reach out to NTUitive to find out more.

NTUitive is also the appointed Accredited Mentor Partner for Start-up SG Founder grant of $50,000, a funding programme by Enterprise Singapore that supports businesses with strong differentiation, feasible business models, good market potential and a strong management team.

The Start-up SG Founder grant is open to all Singaporeans / Permanent Residents who meet the following conditions at the time of application:

  • The team has at least 3 SC/PRs, who are the main applicants of the grant;
  • At least 2 of the 3 main applicants are first-time entrepreneurs;
  • The main applicants who are first-time entrepreneurs must hold a minimum of 30% equity in the company collectively;
  • The company must have a minimum 51% SC/PR shareholdings;
  • The company must not be more than 6 months of incorporation at the point of application to the AMP;
  • The 3 main applicants must contribute meaningfully to the company, and not be employed by another employer;
  • At least 2 of the 3 main applicants should be committed full time to the company, and must be key decision makers to the company;
  • The main applicant(s) must not have received any funding for the proposed business idea from another government organization;
  • The proposed business idea must not be in the following list: cafes, restaurants, night clubs, lounges, bars, foot reflexology, massage parlours, gambling, prostitution, social escort services, employment agencies (including recruiting foreign work permit holders and workers/support staff, relocation services, and manpower services), and geomancy.

The applicant(s) must also commit full-time to the company and not be in any other employment from the time they accept the terms and conditions of the Letter of Offer.

Link to ESG’s Website: https://www.startupsg.gov.sg/programmes/4894/startup-sg-founder/eligibility

Start-up SG (SSG) Founder applications can only be recommended to Enterprise Singapore (ESG) through an Accredited Mentor Partner. Applicant(s) need to complete the SSG Founder application form and submit it directly to NTUitive for consideration and further recommendation.

NTUitive will select application(s) with potential to pitch to an evaluation panel and if the panel assessed that the applicant met the eligibility and evaluation criteria, NTUitive will recommend the application to ESG. ESG will inform the applicant and NTUitive on the application status for the grant within five (5) working days.

NTUitive reserves the right to approve or reject submitted proposals at our discretion.

Facilities

To be eligible for a hot-desking / office space at NTU Innovation Centre, applicant(s) need to be incubated with NTUitive, or have signed a commercialisation agreement with NTUitive.

Yes, it is. Find out more here .

Partnerships

Yes, NTUitive actively works with schools/organizations to run interesting and insightful entrepreneurship programmes.

Yes, NTUitive actively organises hackathons and innovation challenges throughout the year with corporations. Find out more here.