Brunei’s Young Innovators Turn Ideas into Impact at Startup673 National Hackathon Cycle 3

Brunei Darussalam, 19 November 2025. The Startup673 National Hackathon Cycle 3 has concluded with outstanding demonstrations of creativity, teamwork, and rapid problem solving. Held from 10 to 19 November 2025 across KHub, the Amphitheatre at Level 1, and UNN Signal, this cycle brought together forty six participants who formed eleven dynamic teams. Eight teams advanced to the final pitch round. 

Organised by Startup673 through the partnership of Shell LiveWIRE, BEDB, AITI, and Brunei Innovation Lab, and enabled by Unified National Networks, the hackathon focused on the theme “From Idea to Impact in 7 Days”. Participants were challenged to identify real problems, design solutions, and build working prototypes within a high intensity innovation sprint. 

The programme opened with a kickoff and orientation session followed by a design thinking workshop led by Bobby Hassan of Shell LiveWIRE Brunei. The following days consisted of concentrated hacking and building sessions along with structured mentoring clinics featuring industry experts. Pitch Day took place on 19 November with eight finalist teams presenting their prototypes through a ten minute pitch and a ten minute question and answer session. Solutions were evaluated based on innovation, feasibility, scalability, market understanding, and impact. 

This cycle featured strong mentorship support from representatives across the innovation ecosystem. Mentors included Adzimin Amin from BIL, Ian Ong from Solarax, Aziz Ibrahim and Mason Chong from UNN, Hjh Nurul A’in Hj Jaafar and Rofini Zainal from BEDB, Chai Roslin from BIL, Reuben Chin from BEDB, Farid Ali from Solve. One. Fix. Company, and Saifullah Safwan from Everbetter Innovations. The judging panel consisted of Hjh Nurul Akmar Hj Jaafar of Al Riyada Consulting, Woo Chang Huei of UNN, and Reuben Chin of BEDB. The programme was facilitated by Syu’aib Rafie, a representative of Startup673. 

Participants created a wide range of solutions which included apps, platforms, and physical prototypes. The presented ideas addressed areas such as financial literacy, e-commerce, senior wellness, Islamic community engagement, food waste reduction, education technology, data collection, and childcare. 

Two teams were awarded seed funding. 

ASUH Enterprise introduced Brunei’s first digital nanny platform aimed at connecting parents with trained childcare professionals. 

AYCE Company developed an AI powered food cost and waste optimisation system designed to help F and B operators manage inventory and improve profitability. 

Other teams were also impressed with their creativity. These included BUZZLE, a friendly money diary app for budget tracking. CARIGO, a local retail e-commerce platform. YAH, a senior wellness ecosystem powered by QR and NFC features. PHYTOQUEST, a gamified data collection tool. BRUMASJID, a unified Islamic community platform. CALIBRATE.BN, a learning and tracking system for students and teachers. CIRCULAREAT, a marketplace for surplus edible food. BIZKITA, a digital directory for local businesses. 6STAR, an interactive Islamic learning app paired with a smart sensor prayer mat. 

Selected teams will continue to receive post hackathon support through Startup673 partners and related agencies working within Brunei’s innovation ecosystem. 

A spokesperson from Startup673 shared, “Cycle 3 of the Startup673 National Hackathon showed how rapidly Brunei’s young innovators can transform ideas into real solutions. Their energy and dedication highlight the strength of our growing ecosystem.” 

One of the participants also reflected, “The experience pushed us to think deeper and move faster. Building a working prototype in seven days gave us a new level of confidence.”