OctoGrid Wins First Place at NTU’s Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition 2024 and earns the $10k Colab4Good grant

Team OctoGrid with the SIE24 judges (from left): Mr Daniel Ling, Founder and Trainer at Emerge Creatives; Mr Brian Kwek, donor representative; Ms Zoe Peters, Director of Student Affairs Office at NTU; Ananya Goyal (NTU, CCDS Undergraduate, Computer Science with Minor in Entrepreneurship); Andreas Kuster (NTU, CCDS PhD student, Wireless and Distributed Sensing Group); Dr Erwin Chan, Lead Start-up Development at raiSE; Felix Kottmann (SEC, virtual on the laptop screen). 

OctoGrid – a team led by Andreas Kuster, Ananya Goyal from the College of Computing and Data Science at NTU and Dr Felix Kottmann from the Singapore ETH Centre – has clinched first place in the NTU Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition 2024. Their innovative project, OctoGrid, focuses on enhancing the accessibility and affordability of cooling solutions in Singapore, addressing the rising issue of heat stress in tropical climates.

OctoCool Prototype

OctoGrid offers a unique AI-powered, plug-and-play device – OctoCool – that can be retrofitted and optimizes air conditioner usage to reduce energy costs while maintaining comfort. OctoGrid leverages predictive analytics to adjust energy consumption based on real-time and past data, generating cost savings and enabling homeowners to participate in Singapore’s electric energy market. This approach not only makes air conditioning more affordable for low-income households but also contributes to a more sustainable and resilient electric grid in Singapore.

With this win, OctoGrid has been awarded a $10,000 CoLab4Good grant and fast-tracked into NTU’s incubation program, where the team will receive additional support to refine their prototype of OctoCool and prepare for market entry. Their project has the potential to create lasting social and environmental impact by making smart cooling solutions accessible to everyone in Singapore, reducing household electricity bills, and lowering carbon emissions.

The team’s achievement reflects NTU’s commitment to nurturing innovative solutions that address critical social and environmental challenges. OctoGrid is now poised to drive meaningful change in Singapore’s energy landscape and expand its impact to other tropical regions worldwide.