
MAKING THE FIRST CUT
The Big Spark
Having a great idea and a heart full of good intent is no guarantee that a start-up will win over potential investors and achieve success — this was one of the biggest takeaways from the first three episodes of MediaCorp’s new reality show The Big Spark.
The televised contest for part of S$1 million in seed funding kicked off with The Quick Pitch, during which each of the 24 participating teams had to sell their business ideas to resident judges Lim Wai Mun, Founder & CEO of Doctor Anywhere; Roshni Mahtani Cheung, Founder & Group CEO of The Parentinc; and three guest judges.
Teams that received at least one “yes” from the judges were shortlisted for consideration for the next stage of the competition. The first to get the boot was Nutriient, a Singapore start-up that has developed a proprietary powder which has been used as a healthier substitute for sugar. Nutriient’s CEO Sean Lee started his pitch by talking about the rising prevalence of diabetes and how some 1 million Singaporeans are expected to suffer from this chronic disease by 2050.

But as compelling as his argument was, none of the three judges were convinced that Nutriient has what it takes to lure investment from venture capitalists. Although Roshni lauded Nutriient’s marketing efforts, she also felt that the product did not stand out from the competition enough. The episode’s guest judge Amit Gupta, President SG & Global Trustee, TiE and Founder, Ecosystm Group, also voiced concerns that Nutriient’s proprietary powder does not have a patent.
The second team to get the axe was Talk Your Heart Out, another start-up with a product geared towards improving health and wellbeing. The biggest red flag the judges found with this start-up — which offers access to affordable therapy sessions by accredited mental health professionals — was its small customer base and low revenue. However, Tenang AI, an Indonesian start-up that is also in the mental health space, scraped through the pitch round after receiving the solitary nod from Roshni, who said she was moved by the founders’ passion and sincerity.

WHEN THE PRESSURE’S ON
With each team given just two minutes to pitch their business, a few contestants seemingly let their nerves get the better of them. Dr Tan Poh Leng, co-founder of PharLyfe+, stumbled through her lines during the pitch, but the ingenuity of the start-up’s medicated oral films eventually won votes from all three judges.
Jeffrey Pan, the founder of Belli, a company that helps airlines manage their air cargo operations, stuttered at several junctures as well. His use of cue cards during the presentation also earned Roshni’s censure. The American, who has an impressive resume that includes designing the logistics platform for the Space X launch facility, was ultimately eliminated from the competition due to various concerns, including Belli’s long sales cycle.
But there was no shortage of confidence and panache from Dutch entrepreneur Robert Hoving, who hailed his start-up Goro — which offers fractional investing in properties — as “Indonesia’s next unicorn”. Filipino Sandy Tiu, the founder of I am Sustainable Studio, also delivered a confident presentation about how her start-up tackles the problem of waste in the hospitality and tourism industry. Unfortunately, none of the three judges believed it could win over venture capitalists.

It was a different story for Marina Tran-Vu, the founder of Equo, a start-up that produces compostable straws and utensils made from materials like grass, rice and coconut. Although Roshni voiced concerns that the scale of Equo’s business hasn’t grown as quickly as she thought it should, the Vietnam-based start-up nonetheless received the blessings of the judges as they believed its marketing and branding efforts have allowed it to stand out from companies with similar sustainable offerings.
Nine teams were axed from the competition at the end of three episodes. Episode 4 of The Big Spark will feature the remaining 15 teams undergoing masterclasses designed to help them hone their presentation skills and refine their business plans in preparation for the next round: the In-depth Pitch.
REMAINING TEAMS

ELIMINATED
