NUS alumna's invention bagged top prize at Start-Up@Singapore 2009

02 June 2009

At the awards ceremony of Start-Up@Singapore (S@S) 2009, a world-class business plan competition, NUS Engineering graduate Ms Pranoti Nagarkar Israni emerged winner in the Open Category for her invention of the roti-maker Rotimatic. While traditional methods of preparing a simple meal of chapati or roti usually takes 30 minutes, with Rotimatic, only the push of a button is enough to mix, make and bake the rotis. Pranoti went home with a cash prize of S$40,000 and won one year of free incubator space at the NUS Enterprise Incubator (NEI).

S@S 2009 was held on 30 May 2009 and graced by Guest-of-Honour, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development Youth & Sports. NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan was also among the distinguished guests at the event.

The competition was first launched in 1999 and organised by the NUS Entrepreneurship Society and supported by the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre (NEC) and NUS Business School Alumni Association. This year, a total of 12 teams competed in the Open and Youth categories and the competition drew a total of 281 submissions.

"Despite the current economic downturn, we are seeing a growing interest in the competition, not just from the institutions of higher learning, but also junior college students, researchers at public research institutes and working professionals," said Director of the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre Prof Wong Poh Kam.

He added, "I'm also grateful to the many industry experts, investors and experienced entrepreneurs who are continuing to volunteer their valuable time to guide and mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs. Their strong support augurs well for the future of entrepreneurship in Singapore."

Over the years, S@S has served as a launch pad for aspiring entrepreneurs to develop their business, offering start-ups the necessary resources which include mentorship opportunities and networking sessions to translate their ideas to reality. Since S@S' inception, some 2000 teams hailing from countries such as Russia and Canada participated in the competition. Some 60 start-ups which include companies tenCube have successfully been launched.