LEARNING OUTCOMES
What’s New in 2025
Added in-person mentorship activity
Discuss your idea and gather feedback from over 10 mentors on Kick-start Day
TimelineMore teams can make in-person pitching
The top 40 teams can all present to industry experts face-to-face during the Semi-final Pitch
Competition mechanism4 Social Categories
Each category has a dedicated Social Partner to provide more insights
4 Social CategoriesTimeline
Shortlisted Team Announcement
Kick-start Day
Semi-final Pitch
Apr 11, 2025 (Fri)
Online Mentorship & Resource Hub
Quarter-final Pitch
Final Pitch
COMPETITION MECHANISM
How to Apply
01
Form a group of 5 with 4 students & 1 teacher advisor from the same school and register your team via the “APPLY NOW” button starting from Nov 1.
02
Choose 1 from 4 Social Categories, identify a social challenge in your selected category, and set a clear problem statement together with an innovative solution to solve the problem.
03
Consolidate all the points and submit a 4 to 5-minute video OR 10 to 15-slide PowerPoint presentation to the link you will receive after registering your team to complete the whole application process.
Judging Criteria
Shortlisting
Social Impact
Creativity and Innovation
Feasibility
Clearly Present Your Idea
Pitching
(Quarter-final Pitch, Semi-final Pitch & Final Pitch)
Social Impact
Creativity and Innovation
Business Feasibility
and Sustainability
Pitch Performance
Prizes
1st Runner-up
Here goes your text …
Champion
Here goes your text …
2nd Runner-up
Here goes your text …
Top 4 Teams
Trophy and Certificates
Excellence in Innovation Award
Excellence in Presentation Award
Certificate of Achievement
Top 10, 40, 80
Certificate of Participation
Prizes
1st Runner-up
Here goes your text …
Champion
Here goes your text …
2nd Runner-up
Here goes your text …
Top 4 Teams
Trophy and Certificates
Excellence in Innovation Award
Excellence in Presentation Award
Certificate of Achievement
Top 10, 40, 80
Certificate of Participation
FAQ
1. What is a Problem Statement?
It is a statement of a present issue or problem that you would like to timely tackle with a solution.
2. What kind of business ideas will qualify?
If your idea is related to one of our social categories (“Disability Inclusion”, “Education”, “Elderly Care”, “Waste Reduction”), and your plan is commercially viable and sustainable, your business idea will be qualified.
3. I’d like to learn more about the 4 social categories, what should I do?
If you are interested in learning more about the 4 social categories, we recommend watching the social workshop video, where our 4 Social Partners provide introductions to and valuable insights about their respective social sectors.
4. What languages are allowed when participating in the competition?
Students are encouraged to use their native or their most confident language throughout the IdeaPOP! journey. They can use Cantonese, Mandarin, English or a mix of these, for verbal pitching, and Chinese or English in their visual aids, including but not limited to presentation deck or video.
5. Is it necessary to include 4 students from the same school in a team?
Yes, each team must include 4 students from the same school.
6. Is the competition limited to students studying specific subjects only?
As entrepreneurial projects require interdisciplinary collaboration, we welcome students studying any subject to participate. Subjects include, but are not limited to: Business, Accounting and Financial Studies (BAFS), Economics (Econ), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Design and Applied Technology (D&T), and Technology and Living.
7. Can one teacher be the advisor of multiple teams?
Yes
8. How do I apply?
First, click the “Apply Now” button (application will start on Nov 1,2024) and fill in your team details on the form. Then, you will receive an email stating the requirements of your submission (format, maximum file size etc.) and a link for you to submit your video or presentation deck. After submitting the materials through the link, you will receive a confirmation email that indicates the completion of your application process.
9. Do I need to submit both the 4 to 5-minute video & 10 to 15-slide presentation deck at the application stage?
No, you just need to submit either one of them to participate in the competition.
10. Can I revise my submitted materials?
You cannot revise the submitted video/presentation deck directly on the system. However, you can click the submission link and submit a revised version before the submission deadline. We will take the latest version of the submission from each entering team.
11. How does the online mentoring mechanism work?
All participating teams will be randomly assigned into 1 of 4 divisions, each division will be supervised by a corresponding group of mentors. You can make a total of 4 mentoring bookings in 10 weeks, with the same or different mentors within the pool of mentors in your division.
12. Is there any more details about the Kick-start Day?
The Kick-start Day is a physical event for the Top 80 shortlisted teams to meet with mentors and representatives from our 4 social partners to have an exchange on the topics of the social categories, problem-solution fit, pitching skills etc so that teams would have the chance to directly learn from the subject matter experts. Details of the event will be provided via email to the Top 80 shortlisted teams.
13. What is the Quarter-final Pitch and its relation to the Semi-Final Pitch?
Based on feedback from past participants, IdeaPOP! 2025 has adjusted the competition procedures by having a Quarter-final Pitch before the Semi-final Pitch. The top 40 teams from the Quarter-final Pitch will advance to the Semi-final Pitch, where they will present in person to industry experts. The top 10 teams from the Semi-final Pitch will move on to the Final Pitch to compete for the championship title.
14. Who will be the judges for Quarter-final Pitch, Semi-final Pitch and Final Pitch?
All mentors will serve as judges for the Quarter-final Pitch.
For the Semi-final Pitch and Final Pitch, the teams will be evaluated by a judging panel comprising industry experts, investors, and startup experts, from local and global startup and enterprise communities.
15. What kinds of certificates will I receive from joining this competition, and what are the judging criteria for the Excellence in Innovation Award and Excellence in Presentation Award?
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- Apart from the Top 4, participating teams will be given a certificate according to their highest ranking in the competition.
Teams’ accomplishments in different stages are recognized. Please refer to below for the minimum requirement for each tier of “Certificate of Achievement”.- Top 10: Teams that enter the Final Pitch
- Top 40: Teams that enter the Semi-final Pitch
- Top 80: Teams that are shortlisted and have participated in the Quarter-final Pitch
- Apart from the Top 4, participating teams will be given a certificate according to their highest ranking in the competition.
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- All other teams will receive a “Certificate of Participation” to acknowledge their effort in preparing and submitting qualifying materials (a 4- to 5-minute video or 10- to 15-slide presentation deck) for evaluation.
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- The special awards will be presented to teams who excel in the respective judging criteria at the Quarter-final Pitch:
Excellence in Innovation Award: “Creativity and Innovation”
Excellence in Presentation Award: “Presentation Performance”
- The special awards will be presented to teams who excel in the respective judging criteria at the Quarter-final Pitch:
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- These certificates and awards aim to celebrate teams’ participation, innovation, and presentation skills demonstrated throughout the competition. If there are any arguments regarding the certificate/ranking, SEED Foundation reserves the right to make the final decision.
4 Social Categories
In the Social Workshop, our 4 partners will share the social challenges they encounter in their respective sectors and the schemes or solutions they are implementing. Register now to gain real-world insights from the industry!