Metha8 and YAMA win S$1M each to scale methanol-to-power and carbon capture technologies at Asia’s largest crowdsourcing platform for climate solutions

Singapore, 20 May 2026: Metha8 and YAMA – start-ups delivering scalable decarbonisation solutions across diverse and hard-to-abate sectors – today won the top prize of S$1 million each in catalytic grant funding at The Liveability Challenge (TLC) 2026 Grand Finale.

The two start-ups beat six other finalists – selected from a record-breaking 1,500 submissions across more than 100 countries – to take home Asia’s most competitive climate tech prizes.

The Grand Finale also marked TLC’s largest catalytic funding pool to date, with up to S$4.3 million awarded to these disruptive deep tech start-ups.

The winners

Metha8 (Singapore)

Metha8 has built a new way to generate reliable, clean electricity around the clock, converting methanol into power at 60 per cent efficiency – twice the output of conventional generators from the same amount of fuel – with none of the harmful emissions. Whether powering factories, data centres or off-grid communities, Metha8 offers something that has not existed before: baseload clean energy without compromise.

YAMA (France)

YAMA has solved a problem that has stumped the carbon capture industry for decades. Gas turbines power much of the world’s electricity grid, yet no cost-viable technology exists to capture their emissions, until now. YAMA’s solution works at the low CO₂ concentrations that conventional approaches struggle with, delivering up to 50 per cent lower costs, and is compact enough to bolt onto existing infrastructure without modification.

“There’s so much potential, especially in Southeast Asia, to bring about bio-methanol production, and because 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 Zhaotan Xiao, CEO for Metha8.

“It’s really exciting [to win the grand prize] because it means that we will develop locally, so I’m very happy for that. I am also really impressed by the … people that really want to make something for the planet. This is what drives me every day, so I’m happy to be surrounded by people that I trust can make change,” said Aurélie Gonzalez, Founder and CEO of YAMA.

Metha8 also secured the Decarbonisation development funding from A*STAR.

Finally, an additional S$100,000 investment prize was awarded to YAMA by strategic partner CarbonFix, S$100,000 investment prize awarded to SPACECOOL by strategic partner Kibo Invest and a S$100,000 grant awarded to Endo Enterprises by strategic partner Enterprise Singapore. (See Appendix for partner quotes).

UP Catalyst from Estonia, which works on the utilisation of flue gas to produce battery-grade carbon materials at a lower cost, won the popular vote.

These catalytic funding opportunities are crucial with the equity investment landscape for climate tech start-ups in Southeast Asia hitting an over six-year low in the first half of 2025, with deals falling to 229 transactions and capital deployment at US$1.85 billion.

Capital flows are also shifting towards higher-quality assets with strong business fundamentals, prioritising later-stage projects ahead of early-stage deals.

By crowdsourcing the world for leading sustainability solutions and providing the funding and ecosystem support needed to take them to market, TLC plugs this financing gap facing many early-stage start-ups. This is vital in the urban tropics which face some of the highest climate risks globally, requiring deep-tech over incremental solutions.

This year’s TLC winners were selected after a competitive and rigorous judging session, with the eight finalists pitching their solutions live at the Grand Finale – a partner event of Ecosperity Week 2026 by Temasek and held at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

Established in 2018, TLC – a global crowdsourcing platform presented by Temasek Foundation and organised by Eco-Business, with the Decarbonisation theme co-presented by A*STAR – has grown to become Asia’s largest sustainability solutions platform, supporting the commercialisation of innovative technologies from the lab to market. 

To date, TLC has attracted thousands of applications globally, shortlisted and incubated 56 start-ups and deployed more than S$18 million in catalytic funding to help these start-ups who have gone on to raise hundreds of millions more.

“The Liveability Challenge was built on this belief: solutions to our greatest climate challenges need the right support to accelerate towards scale. Now in its ninth edition, this commitment is stronger than ever. This year’s finalists are showing strong promise across decarbonisation and cooling. Temasek Foundation is proud to provide catalytic funding that helps bring these groundbreaking innovations into real-world applications – advancing a more liveable future for generations to come,” said Heng Li Lang, Head of Climate and Liveability, Temasek Foundation.

“The Liveability Challenge 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. Through the Decarbonisation track, we look forward to supporting teams as they refine their technologies for real-world conditions and bring solutions closer to adoption,” said Irene Cheong, Assistant Chief Executive, Innovation & Enterprise (I&E), A*STAR.

“With investors increasingly prioritising later-stage ventures with proven business models, early-stage climate innovators risk losing critical support despite their central role in driving novel decarbonisation and adaptation solutions. TLC plugs this gap by surfacing scalable, deep-tech solutions with high impact and strong long-term potential, while equipping them with the networks, visibility and investment readiness needed to secure capital and scale effectively,” said Jessica Cheam, Founder and CEO, Eco-Business.

The Grand Finale also featured an innovation dialogue, “From breakthrough to buy-in: Unlocking adoption for climate solutions”, where past TLC winners – Ayrton Energy and Krosslinker – and ecosystem players, Hongpeng Lei, Chief of the Mitigation Branch, Climate Change Division at the United Nations Environment Programme and Jane Zhang, Head of Southeast Asia and Singapore, Fellows for Breakthrough Energy, examined how climate solutions can be designed and financed for resilience amid turbulent conditions.

The Grand Finale drew a 400-strong crowd in person from 17 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and North America, with over 400 people tuning in virtually. 

For more information, visit The Liveability Challenge website at  www.theliveabilitychallenge.org.

For high-resolution photos from the event, please visit this photo album, to be updated.

Finalists for The Liveability Challenge 2026 are: 

1. Endo Enterprises (United Kingdom) 

Closed-loop hydronic additive for the built environment that reduces energy for cooling by up to 15%. 

2. FlueVault (Singapore) 

Low-cost, low-purity industrial CO2 capture and storage with critical metal recovery. 

3. MacroCycleTechnologies (United States of America) 

Textile-to-textile polyester recycling technology with 80% lower energy usage, 80% lower CO2 emissions and 99% less water usage, all at price parity. 

4. Metha8 (Singapore) 

Methanol-to-power technology for 24/7 baseload generation with 60% efficiency and integrated CO₂ capture. 

5. Power To Hydrogen (United States of America) 

Low-cost hydrogen production system with five times greater durability, 65% lower capex and a pathway to US$2/kg of hydrogen. 

6. SPACECOOL (Japan) 

Passive radiative cooling that cuts energy use by up to 11% and reduces urban heat island effects. 

7. UP Catalyst (Estonia) 

Utilisation of flue gas to produce battery-grade carbon materials at 26% lower cost than conventional methods. 

8. YAMA (France) 

Electrified carbon capture technology for dilute gas-fired streams, delivering up to 50% lower costs than conventional methods while enabling flexible operation. 

Notes to Editors:

All media coverage should include a mention of The Liveability Challenge, presented by Temasek Foundation and organised by Eco-Business.

For media-related requests, please contact:

media@eco-business.com

About Temasek Foundation 

Temasek Foundation supports a diverse range of programmes that uplift lives and communities in Singapore and Asia. Temasek Foundation’s programmes are made possible through philanthropic endowments gifted by Temasek, as well as gifts and contributions from other donors. These programmes strive towards achieving positive outcomes for individuals and communities now and for generations to come. Collectively, Temasek Foundation’s programmes strengthen social resilience, foster international exchange and regional capabilities, advance science and protect the planet. 

For more information, visit www.temasekfoundation.org.sg  

About Eco-Business 

Established in 2009, Eco-Business is Asia Pacific’s leading business intelligence and advisory platform dedicated to advancing sustainable development. We produce trusted, high-quality multimedia content exploring the world’s most pressing challenges—and the solutions driving change. Our work is aligned with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and supported by a 15-year archive of news, analysis, research, and events on sustainable development topics. Headquartered in Singapore, we have a presence in Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Beijing, and London.  

For more information, visit www.eco-business.com

Appendix

Comments from our Strategic Partners: 

Emily Liew, Assistant Managing Director, Innovation, Enterprise Singapore:

“As climate change intensifies, platforms like The Liveability Challenge play a key role in connecting innovative climate tech startups to ecosystem partners who can help translate ideas into real-world impact. Beyond scientific excellence, solutions must be commercially viable, scalable and easily integrated into existing systems. Enterprise Singapore will continue to support these startups to grow and scale from Singapore, leveraging our strategic networks, infrastructure, capital and talent.

Kornel Tetera, Investment Director, Climate, Kibo Invest:

“The Liveability Challenge exemplifies how entrepreneurship, innovation and technology come together to address some of the world’s most pressing issues. The Challenge is also a testament to Singapore’s leading role in deep tech and climate ecosystems, in the region and beyond. At Kibo Invest, we believe that true results are achieved through broad based partnerships where stakeholders are aligned on their purpose and commitment to meaningful, sustainable goals.”

Michal Klar, Advisor, CarbonFix and Founding Partner, Better Bite Ventures:

“Our disruptive world is a combination of old models cracking, outdated mindsets and irresponsible use of resources. Emerging climate solutions are vital and urgent because they are paving the way for new systems, models and mindsets, which we so urgently need. What stood out for The Liveability Challenge this year is that founders are tackling the most structurally underfunded problems - yet showing real technical proof points and commercial validation, which is genuinely rare for breakthroughs at this stage.”

Jane Zhang, Head of Southeast Asia and Singapore, Fellows, Breakthrough Energy:

“The Liveability Challenge continues to gain global recognition as one of Asia’s leading sustainability innovation platforms. This is reflected in the strong quality of solutions emerging from founders who are translating bold ideas into practical, scalable solutions with real-world impact. The next step is to ensure these solutions move beyond pilots and become embedded in the economy and everyday systems that shape how people live and work.”