Innovators engaged on passive cooling and hydrogen storage applied sciences took the highest two accessible prizes on the 2025 version of The Liveability Problem, a local weather tech competitors offered by Singaporean nonprofit Temasek Basis and arranged by ESG-focused publication Eco-Enterprise.
Cleantech Group was an official associate of each the Problem and its guardian occasion Ecosperity Week, the annual sustainability summit convened by Singapore state investor Temasek. I mentored innovator groups within the run-up to their reside pitches on the grand finale, alongside my fellow e-coaches Carlo Chen-Delantar, Head of ESG and Round Economic system, Gobi Companions; Kim Demeyer, Science & Know-how Officer, Flanders Funding & Commerce; Khairu Rejal, Principal, Southeast Asia, Investible; and Augustine Anthuvan, Government Producer, Eco-Enterprise.
The Problem featured eight finalists competing throughout two tracks, every of which provided a S$1M prime prize:
- ‘Cool Earth’ – options to deal with local weather change-induced excessive warmth
_ - ‘Decarbonisation’ – scalable options to scale back industrial carbon emissions
Aerogels for Chilly Chain
Singapore’s Krosslinker gained within the ‘Cool Earth’ class. It has developed a super-insulating aerogel nanomaterial that may scale back ambient temperatures by as much as 5°C, and floor temperatures by as much as 10°C.
As an preliminary software for its expertise – which noticed it listed in Cleantech Group’s 2023 APAC Cleantech 2025 – Krosslinker is providing its aerogels as packaging for retaining organic merchandise at optimum temperatures with out standard refrigeration.
“We’re very glad and excited [to have won], however that is only the start. We’ve got a really large job to do to guarantee that we develop options that equitably attain all people and never simply the tech-savvy neighborhood,” mentioned Krosslinker co-founder and CEO Gayathri Natarajan.
Liquid Hydrogen Carriers
Canadian firm Ayrton Vitality took house the highest prize within the ‘Decarbonisation’ monitor. Ayrton Vitality – a Cleantech Group Cleantech 50 To Watch awardee in 2024 – has developed a reusable liquid hydrogen provider system that allows the storage and transportation of hydrogen utilizing current gas logistics infrastructure.
“We’re actually excited to have the ability to have this funding help and cement our place in Singapore and Southeast Asia,” mentioned co-founder and CTO Brandy Kinkead.
Ayrton Vitality moreover secured two S$100,000 investments from Liveability Problem strategic companions TRIREC and Valuence Ventures, whereas Krosslinker obtained S$100,000 from OCTAVE Nicely-being Economic system Fund to develop city cooling options utilizing its aerogel tech as a coating and in paints.
Hybrid CCUS
A 3rd finalist, Australia’s CO2Tech, obtained S$100,000 from Enterprise Singapore to additional develop its hybrid carbon seize and storage (CCUS) answer which mixes solvent absorption and membrane separation.
The 5 different finalists had been:
- CatAmmon (Israel) – developer of a ceramic catalyst that considerably reduces the required temperature for ammonia cracking
_ - Cetogenix (New Zealand) – utilizing a hydrothermal oxidation course of to remodel natural waste into biogas, biomaterials, and different beneficial merchandise
_ - D-CRBN (Belgium) – developer of expertise that converts industrial carbon dioxide emissions into carbon monoxide to be used as a feedstock
_ - Eztia (U.S.) – creator of body-cooling wearables that may scale back pores and skin temperature by as much as 10°C
_ - SXD (U.S.) – AI platform that optimizes materials utilization in textile manufacturing
“We imagine within the urgency of supporting daring and deep-tech revolutionary options that may drive actual progress in decarbonizing our planet and retaining the environment cool,” mentioned Heng Li Lang, Head of Local weather & Liveability at Temasek Basis. “Our catalytic funding displays this essential dedication.”
Heng added that past The Liveability Problem, Temasek Basis is rising its community of local weather tech competitions throughout the Asia-Pacific area into China, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
“By doing so, we intention to speed up innovators’ paths to commercialization and ship actual affect for each the individuals and the planet,” she added.
