8 emerging flrms win awards for their innovation

Eight young companies from Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong clinched the top accolades for their cutting-edge innovation and sustainable solutions at the 2024 Emerging Enterprise Awards on Oct 24.

- 

For the second year, applications for the awards were open to emerging businesses across the region, beyond Singapore.

Over 650 entries from a broad mix of industries including biotech, sustainable energy, food and beverage and medical technologies were received, with more than 200 from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Now in its 17th year, the Emerging Enterprise Awards aim to recognise business innovation, resilience and excellence of small and medium-sized enterprises under 10 years old. It is jointly organised by The Business Times and OCBC Bank.

Singapore-based Kskin Management and Pancare Medical, as well as Hong Kong-based Fano Labs, were the three winners of the Emerging Enterprise Awards. The category recognises companies with an enterprising mindset that have achieved consistent and significant growth, on top of displaying the ability to scale and expand overseas.

Kskin Management offers pay-per-visit 15-minute facial treatments using Korean skincare technology and proprietary solutions. The company has ventured to Malaysia and the Philippines, and is set to open its first outlet in the United States; it is also developing a mobile app for artificial intelligence (AI)-driven skin analysis and digital booking.

Pancare Medical provides medical services at clinics run by private general practitioners and health-care projects, including Covid-19 testing and vaccination centres, and transitional care facilities. With six GP clinics in the heartlands, it plans to open two to three more annually in older residential neighbourhoods.

Hong Kong-based Fano Labs specialises in AI-driven language solutions, focusing on automatic speech recognition, speaker diarisation, voice biometrics and natural language processing technologies.