Inside the Global Innovation & Entrepreneurship Residency

In May and June of 2026, two cohorts of high school students from all over India traveled to the Asia School of Business (ASB) campus for the Global Innovation & Entrepreneurship Residency, hosted by ASBhive in collaboration with GradCircle and The Times of India. Students got a taste of university life and more importantly, a real walkthrough of what it takes to build a startup, from the first spark of an idea to standing in front of a room and pitching it.

Things kicked off with a Battle Bot build and it wasted no time throwing students into fast decisions, quick teamwork and figuring things out on the fly. By the end, each team had a robot they'd built from scratch, moving in a straight line under its own power, no small feat when half the team is arguing over wiring and the other half just wants it to move already! Students also got hands-on with the Business Model Canvas, working out how a loose idea turns into something resembling an actual business. From there, a masterclass on the future of AI innovation gave everyone plenty to chew on. Then it was straight into MVPs, covering what one actually is and how to build a working version of your idea in a matter of days. Having a product is one thing but being able to talk about it is another. Sessions on speaking with customers and sharing your founder story drove home a point that trips up a lot of first-time entrepreneurs: no one cares how good your idea is if you can't explain it! Midway through the week, everyone got out of the classroom for a bit. There was a trip to Batu Caves, an afternoon at the Petronas Twin Towers, and some time to wander and shop at Central Market. Students also visited Sunway University for a campus tour, getting a glimpse of what life looks like on the other side of high school. By the time Demo Day rolled around, everything narrowed down to one thing. The final stretch was all about prepping decks, running through pitches, and trying to settle the nerves before walking on stage. On Demo Day itself, all students pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges. The May cohort presented to Redza Shahid — Assistant Director of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) at Asia School of Business, Aidiel Mat Isa — Head of Partnerships & Special Projects at Pandai, Jesyka Hiu — Co-founder of HERizon and Female Founders in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, Thomas Maddison — Founder of Candour Labs and ASB alumni, and Parvinjeet Kaur — Founder & CEO of Be Noor Foundation and ASB alumni. The June cohort presented to Aidiel Mat Isa once again, Nini Daing — CEO & Co-founder of myHarapan, Zaran Bhagwagar — Founding Member & Vice President of Biome, Celine Nyon — Assistant Manager Cradle Fund, and Eizaz Azhar, serial entrepreneur and ASB alumni. Parents and family members were there too, cheering the students on from the audience. With every student bringing their best, narrowing it down to five winners per cohort was no easy task. The winners were: May cohort:

1. Alterra — Home Inspection Marketplace
2. North Peak — AI Fridge Camera
3. Parkpilot — Parking Space Rental
4. C4talyst — FMCG Marketplace
5. Aether Ace — Online Thrifting Marketplace June cohort:
6. Qurate — Campus Marketplace
7. CM Bargens (TutorSync) — Tutor Matching
8. Kaizen — Local Services Hub
9. Genesis (Swych) — Membership Resale Two cohorts, two demo days, and a whole lot of ideas turned into real pitches. For a week that started with a Battle Bot and ended on a stage in front of judges, these students walked away with something no classroom could have given them: the confidence to build, test and speak up for an idea of their own. We can't wait to see where they take it from here. A huge thank you to GradCircle and The Times of India for making this collaboration happen, to the judges who gave their time to deliberate, and to every trainer who guided students throughout both cohorts. This program wouldn't have been possible without you! Each winning team will get its own blog post soon, so keep an eye out!