8 startups vie for 8th TLC title

Eight pioneering startups offering groundbreaking solutions to address some of the planet’s most pressing sustainability challenges have emerged as finalists in the eighth edition of The Liveability Challenge (TLC).

The competition drew a record-breaking 1,200 submissions from 100 countries and the winner will be crowned in the TLC 2025 Grand Finale in Singapore on 7 May as part of Ecosperity Week 2025.

The finalists will present their innovations and compete for two S$1 million grants and other investment prizes at the ParkRoyal Collection Marina Bay Singapore.

Presented by Temasek Foundation and organized by Eco-Business, TLC is a global crowdsourcing platform that convenes investors and innovators to scale disruptive climate tech solutions.

This year, TLC searched for solutions in two tracks: Decarbonization and Cool Earth. Two finalists will be chosen to receive S$1 million in catalytic funding each, with an additional S$400,000 in investment and prize opportunities from TLC’s strategic partners, namely Enterprise Singapore, OCTAVE Well-being Economy Fund, TRIREC and Valuence Ventures.

The eight finalists have been shortlisted based on the disruptive potential of their solutions — from producing biogas from urban waste, to using artificial intelligence to reduce emissions from garment production, and deploying innovative cooling solutions to bolster climate resiliency.

They are Ayrton Energy Inc. (Canada), CatAmmon (Israel), Cetogenix (New Zealand), CO2Tech (Australia), D-CRBN (Belgium), Eztia Corp (United States), Krosslinker Private Limited (Singapore) and SXD Inc. (US).