Singapore-based Metha8 and France-based YAMA emerged winners at this year’s The Liveability Challenge (TLC) Grand Finale, which was held on 20 May as part of Ecosperity Week.
Now in its ninth edition, TLC has grown into Asia’s largest platform for sustainability solutions, fast-tracking their journeys from lab to market. This year, TLC’s two themes — Decarbonisation and Cool Earth — aimed to surface groundbreaking innovations addressing urgent sustainable development challenges in the urban tropics.
The competition is presented by Temasek Foundation (TF) and organised by Eco-Business, with the Decarbonisation theme co-presented by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
The two winners were each awarded S$1 million in catalytic grant funding from TF to accelerate the development and commercialisation of their technologies — beating six other finalists shortlisted from a record 1,500 submissions from over 100 countries.
TLC 2026 winners Metha8 and YAMA with TF’s Executive Director and CEO, Mr. Ng Boon Heong (extreme left) as well as Head of Climate and Liveability, Ms. Heng Li Lang (extreme right). (Photo credit: TF)
TLC 2026 saw the platform’s largest catalytic funding pool to date, as A*STAR's commitment of up to S$2 million in development funding raised the total awarded amount to up to S$4.3 million.
Metha8: More Clean Electricity, Zero Emissions
Metha8’s technology generates clean electricity around the clock by converting methanol into power at 60% efficiency.
“[As] our technology enables people to extract two times more power from every barrel of methanol that’s produced, we will be a catalyst to accelerate the energy transition,” said Mr. Zhaotan Xiao, CEO, Metha8.
Their innovation, which also integrates low-cost carbon capture, can be deployed across factories, data centres, and remote communities. Its strength lies in being able to consistently meet minimum power demand without producing harmful emissions or sacrificing reliability.
Singapore-based finalist Metha8, represented by CEO Mr. Zhaotan Xiao and Project Director Mr. Norman Lee, receiving the award from TF CEO Mr. Ng Boon Heong. (Photo credit: TF)
Metha8 also received the Decarbonisation development funding from A*STAR, which is aimed at helping finalists pilot their solutions in industrial conditions.
YAMA: Cost-Viable Carbon Capture
YAMA’s technology captures carbon emissions from dilute gas streams produced by natural gas power plants, such as turbines which are common around the world.
It delivers up to 50% lower costs than conventional methods and can be easily incorporated into existing infrastructure without major modifications.
This appears to be the most cost-effective technology in the carbon capture industry in decades. Ms. Aurélie Gonzalez, Founder and CEO, YAMA, said that she was excited to receive the grand prize as it would enable her company to develop their solution locally in Singapore.
Ms. Aurélie Gonzalez, Founder and CEO of France-based YAMA, pitching and receiving the top award from CEO of TF, Mr. Ng Boon Heong. (Photo credit: TF)
YAMA was also awarded a S$100,000 investment prize by climate venture and advisory firm CarbonFix.
From Lab to Market: Accelerating Climate Innovations
This year’s finalists were selected following a rigorous three-month evaluation process involving industry experts, investors, scientists, and sustainability leaders.
The other six finalists — Endo Enterprises, FlueVault, MacroCycleTechnologies, Power to Hydrogen, SPACECOOL, and UP Catalyst — hailed from diverse countries including the United Kingdom, United States of America, Japan, and Estonia.
The six other finalist teams — Endo Enterprises, FlueVault, MacroCycleTechnologies, Power to Hydrogen, SPACECOOL, and UP Catalyst — pitching to the judging panel. (Photo credits: TF)
Japan-based SPACECOOL received a US$100,000 investment prize for its radiative cooling technology from strategic partner Kibo Invest, while UK-based Endo Enterprises secured a US$100,000 grant from Enterprise Singapore for its cooling technology for built environments.
UP Catalyst from Estonia won the popular vote for its innovation which uses flue gas to make lower-cost battery-grade carbon materials.
To date, TLC has garnered thousands of applications from across the world and incubated 56 start-ups. It has also mobilised over S$18 million in catalytic funding to support these start-ups who have then gone on to raise hundreds of millions more.
In the words of Ms. Heng Li Lang, Head of Climate and Liveability, TF:
"TLC serves as a catalytic platform for most of the innovative solutions to shine and scale. We really hope to build this as a platform where the regional ecosystem can come together for innovators to find investors."
Beyond catalytic funding, TLC tracks the journey of the finalists and offers other forms of support, such as clearing regulatory approvals, matchmaking with commercialisation partners, and mentorship.
In addition, Ms. Irene Cheong, Assistant Chief Executive, Innovation & Enterprise (I&E), A*STAR, pointed out that TLC connects A*STAR with innovators at a critical stage, when access to research capabilities, testbeds, and industry-relevant validation can make the difference between a promising idea and a deployable solution.
Finalists, judges, partners, and participants at the TLC 2026 Grand Finale. (Photo credit: TF)
The TLC 2026 Grand Finale in Singapore gathered 400 sustainability innovators, investors, researchers, corporates, and policymakers from 17 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America, with over 400 more joining virtually.
Looking ahead, TLC aims to continue crowdsourcing early-stage climate innovators with high-impact solutions from around the world, and equipping them with the catalytic capital and networks to scale their solutions and tackle critical climate challenges.
The success of TLC has since encouraged TF to expand its network of climate tech platforms across Asia, which today includes the Climate Impact Innovation Challenge in Indonesia, the Net Zero Challenge in Vietnam, and the Green Future Innovations Challenge in China. Together with partners, TF is activating solutions across critical themes like renewable energy, food systems, circular economy, and sustainable agriculture.
TF’s initiatives are part of the Temasek Trust Collective’s wider efforts to mobilise capital and create clearer pathways to scale and commercialisation for Asian innovations, in order to accelerate responses to the interconnected sustainability and development challenges of our time.
Visit the TLC website to learn more.
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