Themed "Driving Innovation, Nurturing Talents: Creating Impact for Asia", InnovFest x Elevating Founders 2024 returns as Asia’s largest university start-up showcase, continuing its tradition of uniting the diverse ecosystem from across the region and worldwide while showcasing new technologies and groundbreaking ideas. The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour, Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information.

As the official start-up event of Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG), InnovFest is organised by NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS), in partnership with Informa Tech. With a focus on nurturing start-ups, the event brings together the region's innovation and enterprise ecosystem, consisting of start-ups, investors, corporates, Institutes of Higher Learning and government agencies, delivering cutting-edge insights and trends in innovation to all visitors.

The forum is exploring the latest in technology and innovation advancements across three key themes: AI and Digitalisation (29 May); Sustainability and Environment (30 May); and Future of Healthcare, Work and Education (31 May)

The global edition is hosting around 200 start-ups from across Asia and will be showcasing their groundbreaking technologies at the event which is expected to draw over 6,000 attendees. With participants hailing from 10 countries and 17 Institutes of Higher Learning, the diversity and breadth of innovation on display are unparalleled. The speaker line-up is also the most inclusive ever, featuring around 65 local and international speakers, with a remarkable 50 per cent representation of female visionaries.

In collaboration with industry leader Microsoft, NUS Enterprise hosted the NUS-Microsoft Generative AI Accelerate Programme Demo Day, organised through its flagship global start-up development platform. It aims to champion the advancement of early-stage Generative AI start-ups in Asia, through curated curriculum, events, and collaborative spaces to explore the potential of generative AI applications.

The final day of the event sees three MOUs being inked with Indonesian partners. The first MOU involved partnership with Institut Teknologi Bandung, to nurture entrepreneurial talent and support venture creation beyond NUS. They will offer scholarships for aspiring entrepreneurs to participate in the NUS Enterprise Summer Programme in Entrepreneurship. Start-up incubatees from the university will be showcased at InnovFest.