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May 8, 2025
Krosslinker and Ayrton Energy have emerged as the winners of The Liveability Challenge (TLC) 2025 Grand Finale. Each received a S$1 million grant to scale their innovative climate solutions.
Republished from Energy Asia: Original article here.
Krosslinker and Ayrton Energy have emerged as the winners of The Liveability Challenge (TLC) 2025 Grand Finale. Each received a S$1 million grant to scale their innovative climate solutions. The two start-ups, selected from eight finalists, topped the Cool Earth and Decarbonisation tracks, respectively.
Singapore-based Krosslinker impressed judges with its passive cooling technology, using aerogel materials to reduce surface temperatures by up to 10°C and ambient temperatures by up to 5°C. Canada’s Ayrton Energy stood out for its safe and cost-effective hydrogen storage technology, addressing key infrastructure challenges that limit hydrogen adoption.
The winners were announced after a live pitch session held at the ParkRoyal Collection Marina Bay during Ecosperity Week. The Challenge, presented by Temasek Foundation and organised by Eco-Business, aims to discover breakthrough solutions that tackle pressing climate and sustainability issues.
Since its launch in 2018, TLC has grown into Asia’s largest sustainability solutions platform, having deployed over S$12 million in funding across 53 finalists.
Now in its eighth edition, TLC focused on two critical areas: decarbonisation and climate resilience. The Decarbonisation track sought scalable solutions to cut emissions across industries, while the Cool Earth track targeted technologies that mitigate the effects of extreme weather. Finalists represented countries including Singapore, Australia, Belgium, and the United States.
In addition to the main prizes, TLC’s strategic partners—Enterprise Singapore, OCTAVE Well-being Economy Fund, TRIREC, and Valuence Ventures—offered S$400,000 in investment and grant opportunities. Amazon Web Services also supported the event as the Tech for Good partner.
Dr Gayathri Natarajan, CEO and Co-founder of Krosslinker, expressed her excitement: “This is just the beginning. We’re committed to developing solutions that equitably reach everyone, not just the tech-savvy.”
Dr Brandy Kinkead, CTO of Ayrton Energy, echoed the sentiment: “We’re grateful for this support, which strengthens our position in Singapore and Southeast Asia. None of this would be possible without our fantastic team and investors.”
Heng Li Lang, Head of Climate and Liveability at Temasek Foundation, emphasised the organisation’s long-term commitment: “Our catalytic funding helps promising innovations transition into scalable prototypes. We’re also expanding climate tech challenges across China, Indonesia, and Vietnam to accelerate commercialisation.”
Eco-Business Founder and CEO Jessica Cheam noted:
“TLC plays a crucial role in taking climate tech beyond prototypes and delivering real-world impact—especially as the world edges closer to planetary tipping points.”
The Grand Finale also featured an Innovation Dialogue with industry leaders discussing pathways to accelerate climate tech innovation. Key insights included the need for supportive policies, market clarity, and the seamless integration of new technologies with existing infrastructure.
Mark Gainsborough, Chairman of Seatrium, highlighted policy instability as a barrier: “Technology risk is often minimal. What matters is whether markets and regulations evolve as expected.”
Magdalene Loh of Enterprise Singapore added that pricing and integration are vital: “Climate solutions must be scalable, exportable, and easy to integrate into clients’ existing systems to gain traction.”
