Launched in September 2020, the CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge will source for innovations worldwide to meet CapitaLand’s sustainability targets aligned with business needs. It is the first sustainability challenge by a Singapore real estate company on a global scale. Through the challenge, CapitaLand will source and deploy impactful and scalable innovative solutions.

CapitaLand is one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups. Headquartered in Singapore, CapitaLand’s portfolio focuses on real estate investment management and real estate development, and spans across more than 260 cities in over 40 countries.

Within its ecosystem, CapitaLand has developed an integrated suite of investment management and operating capabilities that supports its real estate businesses and platforms in building core competencies across the real estate value chain. With this full stack of capabilities, CapitaLand can optimise the strategies of its listed real estate investment management business CapitaLand Investment (CLI), and its privately held property development arm CapitaLand Development (CLD), to drive competitive advantage for its businesses.

CapitaLand places sustainability at the core of what it does. As a responsible real estate company, CapitaLand contributes to the environmental and social well-being of the communities where it operates, as it delivers long-term economic value to its stakeholders.

CapitaLand has set  ambitious sustainability targets to be achieved by 2030. We want to source globally for new ideas and technologies to meet our bold sustainability ambitions and work with like-minded partners to create shared values. 

CapitaLand believes in growing our business in a sustainable manner to create long-term value for our investors and improve the economic and social well-being of our communities. CapitaLand’s sustainability framework is centered around the ESG pillars - Environmental, Social and Governance. Recognising the urgent need for action against climate change, CapitaLand Investment’s (CLI) sustainability goal is to be Net Zero for our Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2050. CLI’s 2030 carbon emissions reduction targets have also been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), for the 1.5°C scenario, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. CapitaLand is one of the few Singapore-based companies with SBTi-approved carbon targets (Scope 1 and 2) aligned to the 1.5 degrees Celsius scenario for its extensive global operations.

Agorize is a leader in innovation management software fueled by a community of 10 million startups & innovators and a team of experts. We’ve helped launch 7,000+ innovation programs for enterprise companies and G2 has named us the software with the ‘best-estimated ROI’.

Organizations like L’Oréal, Huawei, PepsiCo, Hitachi, and Bayer use Agorize to turn transformational ideas into tangible outcomes.

Founded in France in 2011, Agorize is now known for helping enterprises worldwide accelerate their transformation at scale. Our clients scout and deploy ideas from students, startups, developers, and employees on a secure, ISO27001-certified platform.

Visit get.agorize.com for more information.

You are eligible if you are: 

1. Aged 18 years or older;
2. Not an employee of CapitaLand or Agorize;
3. Not directly involved in the organisation or judging of the Challenge;
4. Not immediate family members of any person directly involved in the organisation of or judging of the Challenge;
5. Proposing a solution that is at least at Technology Readiness Level 8: The final product in its final configuration is successfully demonstrated through test and analysis for its intended operational environment and platform; and
6. All Submissions must: (a) be original work owned by the Participant(s); and (b) not violate or infringe upon any Intellectual Property Rights or proprietary right or other rights including but not limited to contract, copyright, patent, trademark, open-source license permissions, and/or privacy rights, of any other person or entity.

The themes are:

1. Low Carbon Transition
   
2. Water Conservation & Resilience
   
3. Waste Management & Circular Economy
   
4. Construction Decarbonisation
   
5. Health, Safety & Wellness in Buildings
   
6. Tenants
7. Supply Chain
   

Each theme has challenge statements that your solution should aim to address.

More details can be found here.

We advise that you submit your solution in the theme where it has a competitive advantage. In the event that the shortlisting panel assesses that your solution is a better fit for another theme, you will be informed and given the option for your solution to be evaluated in the alternative theme.

Submit your innovation details via the form here by 13 Jan 2025.

(1)   Once submissions are closed, the Organiser gathers a panel of both CapitaLand and external industry experts in each area to do a first cull to select the top 50+ entries of which 30+ will be invited to submit a pre-recorded pitch video and deck for Selection Day. This number depends on the quality of submissions.

(2)   During Selection Day, the shortlisted top 30+ entries will be reviewed by a panel comprising various CapitaLand Business Unit Leaders who will select 10 teams to advance to Demo Day. Submissions are selected based on the quality of their application, potential to create value for CapitaLand through a proof of concept or pilot, and their overall performance against the judging criteria set out for the Judging Panel.

(3)   Up to top 10 shortlisted teams are required to accept the invitation to participate in the mentorship programme and pitch at the Demo Day event within 3 working days. In the event they fail to do so, their spot will be given to the next best submission.

Please refer to the timeline here for more details.

Submissions will be reviewed and shortlisted by CapitaLand, Agorize and a panel of industry experts. For the CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge Demo Day, a list and profile of judges will be published online prior to the event.

The submitted proposal must address the solution requirements stated under the relevant challenge statement. Projects will be judged according to the following criteria: 

• Impact
  • What is the extent of the solution in meeting CapitaLand’s sustainability targets?
    
  • Does the solution solve an existing problem in a more cost-effective or efficient manner?
    
  • How significant is the quantifiable cost reduction or avoidance relative to the cost and ease of implementation?
    
• Innovation
  • What are the technologies/ideas underpinning the proposal? Are they original or innovative?
    
  • Does the technology provide a new path to address energy & water efficiency, waste reduction, or healthy buildings/wellness?
    
• Potential to scale
  • What is the business plan, go-to-market strategy or progress in these two areas to date?
    
  • Can the solution be implemented in various countries for different property types?

Teams/participants who are selected to progress into the CSXC 4th Edition Selection Day will be informed via email in mid April 2025. On Selection Day, teams/participants shall submit a pre-recorded pitch video and deck to a Selection Panel. Both the pitch video and deck must be in English language. The Top 10 teams/participants will be announced within the three weeks after CSXC 4th Edition Selection Day. The Top 10 teams/participants will enter the mentorship programme and pitch at CSXC 4th Edition Demo Day tentatively scheduled in July 2025.

Participants who are shortlisted as the Top 10 startups must:

1. Participate in the mandatory mentorship programme and training sessions between June and July 2025 where employees from CapitaLand and partners it appoints would help the Participants understand CapitaLand’s business units better, refine the value proposition of their Submission and prepare for the CSXC 4th Edition Demo Day;
2. Participate and pitch in-person at the CSXC 4th Edition Demo Day scheduled in July 2025 and make a 5-minute live pitch about their Submission to the Judging Panel of the Challenge; and
3. Answer the judges’ questions in an individual live 5-minute question and answer session after their pitch.
4. Answer the audience’s questions in a combined live 10-minute lightning round together with four other finalists after the individual question and answer. 

The Demo Day will be held in-person and broadcast live globally. This is subject to change and will be communicated accordingly.

The information you provide on your submission will only be available to the following:

- The CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge organisers (to manage the submission platform)

- The shortlisting and selection panels (to evaluate your submission)

- The judges (to score your project)

- Selected partners (to look for potential collaboration)

Your submission details and content may be used in the public domain for the sole purpose of promoting the CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge and its related events.

The top 10 startups with the most ground-breaking solutions will get to pitch them at the CSXC 4th Edition Demo Day tentatively scheduled for July 2025.

Up to 10 startups will each be given an exclusive opportunity to pilot, test and implement their solutions with CapitaLand, with over S$1 million to cover the cost of piloting for all the chosen innovations. All costs required to undertake the testbedding may be covered by the project funding including (but not limited to) equipment and software costs, material and production costs, and manpower costs (excluding founders’ salaries). Travel and business development costs will not be covered. Manpower costs should not exceed more than 20% of the grant.

It will be held at BCA Braddell Campus, BLK D Level 7 Nexus, 200 Braddell Road, Singapore 579700 on 10 July 2025 (Thursday) from 2pm to 5.30pm (GMT+8).