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A*STAR START-UPS SCOOP AWARDS AT INAUGURAL DEMO ASIA
Singapore, 2 March 2012 – One of the most important launchpads for emerging technology, DEMO Asia 2012, recently took place at Matrix @ Biopolis. For the first time in Asia, the three-day conference saw more than 75 start-ups from around the world launch their products to an audience of media, investors, innovators and industry professionals. The event showcased products ranging from cloud and enterprise technologies to social media, mobile and web innovations.
A*STAR start-ups, Pixtelz and Sofshell both took home prestigious DEMOguru Awards after presenting pitches that clearly communicated their product’s function, were creative and displayed the ability to overcome problems.
Philip Lim Feng, CEO of Exploit Technologies, also shared his views on Singapore’s enterprise ecosystem and the role of Exploit Technologies during an on-stage interview with Matt Marshall, Executive Producer of DEMO. Highlights of the conference included networking opportunities and insightful interviews with distinguished innovators.
DEMOguru Award winners, Pixtelz, at their booth
Philip Lim Feng (right), CEO of Exploit Technologies with Matt Marshall
ASXBAN TECHNOLOGIES LICENSES ARSENIC REMOVAL TECHNOLOGY FOR WATER PURIFICATION
Singapore, 20 February 2012 – Asxban Technologies Pte Ltd has signed a licensing agreement with Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd (ETPL) for the know-how to fabricate the high absorption arsenic removing material. This technology was developed by Prof Paul Chen of NUS and funded by A*STAR and ETPL with the intent to accelerate the development of the technology and proliferate it through commercialisation.
Asxban Technologies, established in August 2011, works in the areas of waste water treatment and oilfield chemicals. Its key partner – Tami Systemtenik, provides a one-stop system solution to drinking water contamination problems; with its point-of-use water purifiers with a built-in UV sterilization process. With this technology licensed from ETPL, Asxban will manufacture and supply arsenic removing materials to Tami Systemtenik for their point-of-use water purifiers.
The worldwide need for contamination-free drinking water supply remains a teething and costly problem where it will continue to require both research efforts and industry expertise and resources to bring viable solutions to homes. Asxban is currently working with NGOs from Bangladesh and Vietnam, where arsenic contamination in ground water is a common problem in these countries, to supply family-sized water treatment system to the households there.
EXPLOIT TECHNOLOGIES PRESENTS DISTINGUISHED TECHNOPRENEUR SPEAKER (DTS) FORUM
Singapore, 26 January 2012 - Exploit Technologies will award its 2012 Distinguished Technopreneur Speaker (DTS) Award to Dr Shuji Nakamura, prominent LED light scholar and pioneer of the blue spectrum breakthrough technology. Launched in 2008, the award provides recognition of the speaker’s solid track record in exploiting technology to value-add and create wealth for their community. The award, which will be conferred at the DTS Forum held on 8 February 2012, from 3 to 5 pm, aims to inspire innovation and entrepreneurship in emerging technologies for economic benefit to Singapore.
The DTS Forum, organised by Exploit Technologies with support from the Singapore Workforce Agency (WDA), serves as an opportunity for entrepreneurs, industry leaders, researchers, scholars and students to converge, share ideas and network with various industry players to seed the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship amongst the local scientific community.
The inaugural DTS Award Winner in 2008 was awarded to Professor Stephen G Davies, Chairman of Chemistry and Waynflete Professor of Chemistry, a highly successful serial entrepreneur and an accomplished Oxford professor in research. Dr. Michael Hayden, a world-renowned geneticist, who made outstanding contributions in the areas of genetics and neurodegenerative diseases, was the second DTS Award Winner. The most recent winner was Sir Gregory Winter, a well-known authority in Molecular Biology and a serial inventor and entrepreneur.
At a time when many scientists considered creating a Gallium Nitride LED too difficult to produce, Dr Nakamura invented the first high brightness Gallium Nitride LED whose brilliant blue light is the key to white LED lighting. Despite facing a dwindling research budget and depleting support, he went on to develop the methodology which facilitated the mass production of the blue LED device. Today, Dr Nakamura’s blue laser diodes not only created more vibrant video billboards and traffic signal lights but also helped lead to the development of blue lasers, which revolutionised the DVD industry.
In 2006, Dr Nakamura won the Millennium Technology Prize of Finland, better known as the Nobel Prize in the technology field. He also received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in 2004, previously conferred upon Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein. In addition, he won The Economist’s Innovation Award, given to just six scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the innovation of technology.
Mr Philip Lim, Chief Executive Officer of Exploit Technologies said, "We are honoured to award and host an inspiring figure like Dr Shuji Nakamura. He embodies sheer ingenuity in scientific research and a tremendous perseverance towards commercializing his discovery for applications that have benefitted communities beyond his own. By sharing his insights, perspectives and experiences, we hope this inspires the local research community towards their own success stories. It is our aim that the DTS forum will continue to be a platform for young technopreneurs to meet, network, exchange ideas and hopefully, spark off new technological innovations in Singapore.”
For more information on the forum and registration (free!) details, please click here.
LOCAL FIRM SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH A*STAR TO MARKET NEW TECHNOLOGY
Singapore, 25 January 2012 - If you wanted to view a movie on multiple platforms such as the iPhone, computer and High Definition TV, you would normally have to create multiple files of the movie for the range of bandwidths and device resolations.
Now with a new technology, all you would need to do is download a single file. With just a one-time encoding process, the source file can be loaded and read anytime, anywhere and on any device.
This Scalable Multimedia Platform (SMP) technology, created by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's (A*STAR) Institute for Infocomm Research, is to be developed and marketed by local e-solutions provider Reachfield IT Solutions, said A*STAR's commercialisation arm Exploit Technologies today.
Exploit Technologies also noted that this is an example of how companies in Singapore are benefitting from technologies created by research institutes under A*STAR.
This SMP technology simplifies the current media transcoding process and benefits video hosting service providers. It creates a single 'layered' source file that can adapt automatically to the device and bandwidth of end users, providing substantial savings storage space and minimises the man-hours needed for file transcoding.
Mr Winson Wee, Reachfield's vice president of Client Engagement and Projects said: "With the licensing of SMP, we are now able to expand our core business with scalable video product and service offerings, and be empowered as a differentiated local SME company to stay ahead of our competitors by delivering innovative digital media solutions and cost savings for our customers."
"Reachfield is a good example of how an SME can effectively make use of promising homegrown technology to grow their business. Local companies need specialised measures to ramp them up, and we have just that- a suite of services tailored just for SMEs to enhance their growth strategies. We encourage more of Singapore's 154,000 SMEs to come forward and work with A*STAR," said Mr Philip Lim, chief executive of Exploit Technologies.
A*STAR said the Institute for Infocomm Research will progressively expand the capabilities of SMP from video-on-demand into other applications such as live event-casting, live broadcasting and video surveillance.
- Report from TODAY online, January 25, 2011
S'PORE INVENTION, iTWIN WINS "BEST OF WHAT'S NEW AWARD"
Singapore, 13 December 2011 - A Singapore-invented plug-and-play file sharing device, iTwin, has been winning awards for its innovative properties and unique design since its launch less than two years ago.
It recently won the "Best of What's New Award" by Popular Science Magazine in the computing category last month after being reviewed from among 100 new tech products selected from thousands of products and technologies globally.
iTwin was developed in the laboratories of the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
Officially launched in the market in October last year, the plug-and-play device consists of two parts and can transfer data safely between any two online computers.
Users can upload, download or edit any file on any computer effortlessly by simply plugging in the device into one computer, detaching its second part and plugging it into the second computer.
The iTwin does not store data and users do not have to worry about compromising their data if a device is misplaced as it can be remotely disabled.
The idea for iTwin originated when co-founder and CEO of iTwin, Lux Anantharaman, wanted to check personal investments and finances that were stored on his computer at home.
He realised that he required a simple and secure remote file access solution.
This led to the invention of iTwin by Lux while he was a scientist in I2R.
Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd, the commercialisation arm of A*STAR, funded the development of a marketable prototype.
Mr Lux Anantharaman said: "We see a huge potential in iTwin as this device may ultimately replace the portable storage market which currently comprises flash drives, portable hard disks and memory cards. Our customers are from all over the world, from the United States, Europe and of course, Singapore."
- Report from Channel NewsAsia.com, December 13, 2011
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