1. What is the YSI SEA Innovation Programme?

Information about the programme can be found here.

2. I am not a citizen of any country in Southeast Asia but I am currently residing/studying in the region. Can I apply?

As long as your usual place of residence is in any of the Southeast Asian countries and you can provide us with a local residential address upon request, you are eligible to apply. You do NOT have to be a citizen of or be born in any of the Southeast Asian countries.

3. When will the applications open?

Applications for the 2020 Innovation Programme opens on 15th December 2019 and will end on 18th January 2020. There will be three rounds of selection process (with the first round beginning with the application form you submit).

4. Do I need to have a startup idea before applying?

Not necessarily. We are looking for passionate people are serious on solving pressing sustainability issues and willing to continue the venture after the programme. Our Innovation Programme is designed to build strong teams and strong startup ideas from these teams.

If you do have an existing idea in the 3 verticals (Energy Transitions, Future of Food & Agriculture, Circular Economy) which you would like to work on, you are welcome to apply. Should you be accepted, you will have the opportunity to sharpen your concept, test your underlying assumptions, and move from an idea to an impact start-up.

5. What if I have an idea or a strong interest in issues outside of the 3 focus areas (e.g. I want to work on healthcare or wildlife conservation)?

Unfortunately, YSI SEA’s programme has been designed specifically for the 3 focus areas so as to ensure that we are able to direct our efforts to curating knowledge and assembling a team of mentors effectively. This also means that you will be batched with driven youth with an understanding (or who are building an understanding) of the focus areas, which allows for more effective alignment.

It was not an easy decision to take a more focused direction, and we recognise the importance of addressing other areas that we are not focusing on within the programme.

6. Do I need a team to apply? Let me go find my friends!

We only accept individual applications for the programme. We can either help you find a team of co-founders within the batch, or support you as a solo-founder. We do not accept team applications, but we would invite you to get your friends to apply to be part of the batch.

7. How old do I have to be?

We are looking for people between 18-35 years. We have actually extended the age range to be higher because there are a lot of young professionals who are looking to build their own venture in the sustainability field. If you do know such individuals, please do refer them to this programme.

If you can`t join because of age, we encourage you to keep following us for online E-cases and other cool things in the near future. Also - anyone residing in Southeast Asia can apply!

8. So do I need to commit to the whole programme?

Yes. You will have to commit to the whole programme. From March to July, you will work online in groups and do some researching alone to find opportunities inside your chosen goal and gather insights. You will use between 15-25 hours each week, and it's because this is what, we believe, it takes to get through the programme and emerge with great, working solutions. Your team will chat, do online workshops, talk with people in our network (mentors, businesses and so on) and keep track and explore your chosen goal together.

You are also required to be in Singapore from 5th - 13th July. This would be the best chance for you to interact with the YSI SEA team, the rest of the batch, and relevant stakeholders that can help you push forward your impact start-up.

9. What is the cost?

YSI programmes are 100% free for all participants because we believe that cost should not be a limiting factor for the most driven youth in Southeast Asia to accelerate their impact journey. The programme includes a fully funded trip to Singapore (including flight, accommodation and food), where you will live in Singapore from  5th - 13th July.

This represents a significant time and resource investment from the YSI SEA team, and we would like to invest this into a small group of people who are willing to put in the required time and effort (between 15 and 25 hours each week from March - July 2020) to start and continue their impact start-up journey with us.

10. Will there be any follow-up after July?

Yes. Upon completion of the programme, you will transition into the YSI SEA fellowship (contingent on meeting strict criteria at the end of the programme) where the goal is to create long-term traction for your company. There will be opportunities to be admitted to accelerator programmes and funding contingent on your progress. YSI SEA is here to help for the long haul.

11. Who will help us in the innovation process?

YSI SEA has assembled a team of Impact Partners, who are early stage professionals who are aligned on our mission to solve sustainability challenges. Each Impact Partner will be attached to each startup, and you will be able to interact with them on a weekly basis to gain constant feedback and resources to help support your progress.

You will also have access to our network of mentors and businesses, ranging from green businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, domain practitioners and government representatives. Additionally, if you put in the work to identify who you would like to get in touch with, we will make the connection happen.

12. What do I stand to gain from this?

Our goal is to make you realize your passion into impactful solutions that create a positive change in the region. Our Innovation Programme is designed to ensure this happens. After the Innovation Programme, we will get you in contact with businesses and set you in contact with investors. We will help you with marketing tools, build the concept further, team management skills and much more. We`re in this together!

13. I’m not based in Southeast Asia. Are there any other opportunities in YSI?

In addition to YSI SEA, YSI’s presence spans a number of other places across the world. YSI Global (located in Norway), YSI Bangladesh & YSI China are 3 such avenues.

You can join our community Earthpreneurs on Facebook to come in touch with other like minded people passionate to realise our vision of a more sustainable world.

14. How did it go with the participants of YSI SEA 2019?

You can check out our alumni start-ups here.

15. Who can I contact if I have further questions?

You can drop us an email at admin@ysisea.com!