New SUSS initiative to boost student start-ups and social ventures tackling social challenges
The GOOD Incubator has a focus on innovation for the needs of the elderly.
The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) has introduced a new initiative called the GOOD Incubator to support student-led start-ups and social ventures focused on addressing social and environmental challenges. This initiative was presented at SUSS’s fourth Geronpreneurship Innovation Festival, held on August 26 at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The GOOD Incubator provides structured support to help these ventures develop, test, and scale their innovations, with a particular focus on innovative solutions for the needs of the elderly population, given Singapore’s growing aged community.
Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, Ong Ye Kung, emphasized during the festival's keynote address that ideas and prototypes must be practical and relevant to real-life challenges. He highlighted two such innovations showcased at the festival: an AI-powered WhatsApp Companion designed for the elderly and Sentinan, an AI-enabled tool aimed at early detection of heart risks, particularly among seniors.
The WhatsApp Companion, developed by digital health start-up Marymount Labs in collaboration with the charity Tzu-Chi Foundation, engages less active seniors by providing personalized health check-ins, activity recommendations, and gentle reminders, resulting in a 50% increase in participation rates for community activities.
Sentinan, on the other hand, is a digital stethoscope that utilizes AI to assist in the early detection of heart risks, particularly among seniors aged 65 and above. The technology is being developed collaboratively with healthcare professionals and tested in partnership with community organizations. These initiatives align with Singapore’s broader Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 (RIE2030) Plan, which aims to bolster the nation’s research and innovation ecosystem, especially in the context of an aging population.
The GOOD Incubator, supported by the Ministry of Education through its Innovation & Enterprise Office Decentralised Funding, marks a significant step towards fostering an ecosystem that bridges technology, enterprise, philanthropy, and community organizations to translate innovative ideas into tangible impacts.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
