From running 3D printers 24/7 to winning 'Nobel Prize for students'

Singapore start-up's robotics kit uses chopsticks to teach kids the technology

- Sarah Koh

When Singapore startup Stick 'Em found itself among more than 15,000 entrepreneur teams across 130 countries vying for what is called the "Nobel Prize for students", its co-founders Adam Huh Dam and Chong Ing Kai were certain that winning the honour was out of the question.

But they did win the coveted Hult Prize, and are still coming to terms with the accolade, which comes with US$1 million (S$1.28 million) in funding for their affordable robotics kit that uses chopsticks to teach the technology to children.

“We froze for a second because it didn’t feel real,” said Mr Adam, 27, recalling the moment on Sept 5 when he and Mr Chong, 22, received the trophy on stage at London’s Tate Modern.

“It felt like a flood of memories from the past five years — the late nights prototyping and stressing over deals, the setbacks, the times we questioned whether to keep going. All these efforts have led to this moment.”

Held annually since 2010, the Hult Prize brings together student entrepreneurs to create businesses that tackle social and environmental challenges.

The Stick 'Em founders' journey started in 2020. While they were students at various tertiary institutions, Mr Adam, Mr Chong and two others, Mr Tew Jing An and Mr Chong Kai Jie, set out to promote problem-solving skills and creative thinking via hands-on learning, with the help of their low-cost robotics kit.

Stick 'Em is now a 14-strong startup, comprising employees and the four founders, that has set up shop at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and National University of Singapore (NUS), where it continually refines lesson plans, manufacture building parts, and work out business deals.

Mr Adam graduated from SUTD earlier in 2025 with a degree in Engineering Product Development, while Mr Chong Ing Kai is completing his stint in national service.