The pitching competition features the top startups from over 1000 applications from over 80 countries

Technology is developing at an unprecedented pace. Thanks to innovation and technological advancement, the barrier to entry for startups is lower than ever.

But, that also means it is more competitive, and companies need to work hard, build great products and find exposure to stand out from the crowd.

SLINGSHOT@SWITCH, a pitching competition, is one way to get your business in front of relevant stakeholders and potential partners.

This year, we turn our focus on the technologies that make living and working better. Deep tech takes the spotlight in SLINGSHOT@SWITCH powered by Startup SG (SLINGSHOT), organised by Enterprise Singapore, as over 70 startups take to the stage to show the world their life-changing technologies.

Jonathan Lim, Director of Startup and Global Innovation Alliance at Enterprise Singapore explained what conference-goers can expect from SLINGSHOT@SWITCH.

To give you, e27 reader, an idea, here are 4 examples of the kinds of startups that will be pitching:

AEvice Health [Singapore] – A startup that developed an innovative respiratory monitoring wearable for children with asthma

One of the worst experiences parents have is having a sick child. Young children do not yet know how to communicate how they feel. Parents are often left guessing which adds anxiety about how to ease their child’s worry.

This is the problem that Adrian Ang, Co-Founder and CEO of AEvice, is all too familiar with.

“I was once an asthmatic child. At the age of 5, it was cognitively challenging for me to convey my asthma symptoms to my doctor effectively,” said Ang.

Seeing the anxiety that this caused his mother, and experiencing the difficulty of not being able to better communicate his condition as a child, Ang and his team launched AEvice Health in 2016.

AEvice Health is a medical and wellness wearable startup that aims to give parents peace of mind. Their first device is made specifically for young asthma sufferers; the Airesone Junior is a tracker that monitors a child’s respiratory rate, heart rate, and sleeping quality to provide parents with a better estimate of their child’s respiratory wellness.

The device is set to launch later this month, but has already seen over 1,450 sign ups by parents from the United States and the UK.

ExtantFuture Modoo Fetal Monitoring Device [China] – A startup that develops smart devices for pregnant women.

There is no device that is safe enough to continuously monitor a pregnancy.

For ExtantFuture Founder Ma Jilian, her social circle helped her realise that there was a problem that needed to be fixed.

“A lot of my classmates and friends got married and pregnant,” said Ma. “I didn’t expect that they had to be confronted with various everyday problems like wanting to know their baby’s condition or being worried about baby’s movements.”

Also Read: When deep tech helps doctors see clearer

In 2015, they launched Modoo Fetal Monitoring Device, a compact wearable to connect to an app and helps monitor fetal heart rate and count fetal movement.

While there is no shortage of fetal monitoring device in the market, Modoo stands out for two reasons.

First, it is the first device that simultaneously monitors the baby’s heart rate and movements and its proprietary technology for monitoring is the first in the market that is non-invasive.

This allows for a comprehensive and uninterrupted delivery of health data for both the mother and the baby. It also serves as an electronic medical record.

Second, because most fetal monitors are classified prescription devices that emit ultrasonic signals, uninterrupted use creates risks for the baby. Modoo’s technology allows users to receive signals passively rather than transmitting them, which lets them safely monitor the baby.

The value of this is significant, especially since the frequency of prenatal checks is not enough for doctors to catch and solve problems in time.

Modoo won the Business Venture award in the recently concluded Shanghai Creator Awards.

SightEcho [Hong Kong] – An AR company who has built the world’s first smart scuba diving mask with AR and safety features

Diving is a risky sport, but it can be more dangerous because people do not have access to crucial information.

In the case of SightEcho Co-Founder Davon Hui, the pinpoint is the terrifying scenario of running out of oxygen while diving due to the lack of a user-friendly way to obtain information while underwater.

SightEcho is an augmented reality company founded in 2017. Their product, Mirage, is a smart scuba mask that is integrated with a transparent near-eye display and basic communication functions.

All life-saving information such as depth, time remaining, and no decompression limit is displayed in the diver’s sightline. The mask also gives warnings and safety instructions to improve the safety of the diving experience.

This technology is helpful, especially in cases of underwater rescues in dark and murky waters.

WeCashUp [France] – The largest Pan-African payment gateway

A significant proportion of the world’s population is still unbanked.

This means they have limited access to financial services and it can be difficult to move money quickly.

For some, this can make the difference between life and death, as it was for Infinity Space CEO and Co-Founder Cedric Atangana.

“My dad suffered a stroke”, said Atangana. “Not having enough money when we arrived at the hospital, my sisters and I called our friends and family members to request an immediate financial support. However, having no way to transfer money to the hospital fast, they had to walk from where they were to come with money in cash at the hospital.”

Also Read: Sustainable growth through corporate innovation

This experience, one that happened when Atangana was a 16-year-old boy in Cameroon, gave him the motivation to launch a service that would enable people in Africa to move money fast.

WeCashUp is a universal payment platform that lets unbanked people make cross-network payments, cross-border mobile money transfer, and online payments using the mobile phones without credit cards or bank accounts.

WeCashUp provides a platform that enables organisations to accept different forms of payment – cash, bank mobile wallets, credit and debit cards, cryptocurrencies, and all the 155 mobile money wallets available in Africa – all through a single API.

This is just a taste. Excited to see more amazing startups like these four representatives?

Well, come say hi at SLINGSHOT@SWITCH! Here are the details:

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