Singaporean entrepreneur Didi Gan wins Red Club x Cartier Young Leader Award 2024

SINGAPORE – She beat over 500 social entrepreneurs worldwide to be named one of two winners of the Red Club x Cartier Young Leader Award (YLA) 2024. 

Singaporean Didi Gan, founder of local medical technology company N&E Innovations, was recognised for making an impact through technology at the award ceremony held at the National Gallery Singapore on Oct 15. 

“I am deeply honoured and proud to be the first Singaporean to receive this prestigious accolade,” Ms Gan, 37, told The Straits Times. 

“This achievement reflects not only my passion, but also the unwavering support of my incredible team,” said the married mother of three. Her company creates edible, non-toxic, natural sanitising solutions from food waste.

Red Club x Cartier was started in 2019 by French luxury brand Cartier as a means to connect global young multicultural entrepreneurs who seek to make a positive impact on society through their businesses.

The YLA, initiated in 2021, supports entrepreneurs aged 20 to 40 who lead socially impactful businesses.

The 2024 edition, with the theme Tech For A Sustainable Future, focused on pioneering technology solutions that address environmental and social issues, and it received 540 entries from 66 countries.

The other winner of YLA 2024 was India’s Suraj Nandakumar, whose company Recity Network recycles plastic waste, creating an ethical and fully traceable circular plastics economy in over 50 cities across the country.

Ms Gan and Mr Suraj were each awarded a grant of €50,000 (S$71,120), international exposure, media visibility and mentorship from the NUS Business School and the University of Sydney Business School. 

The YLA runners-up included Ms Aasawari Kane, co-founder of PadCare Labs from India, which recycles used sanitary pads to create wood pulp and plastic; and Italy’s Enrico Di Oto, founder of medical diagnostics company OACP, whose technology makes cancer diagnosis testing significantly faster and cheaper.

“To be recognised on a global platform is a great validation,” said Ms Gan, adding that the hard work her team put in had paid off. 

The biomedical graduate from the University of Melbourne, who used to work in textile manufacturing, established N&E Innovations with her best friend Jaslyn Lee in February 2020, during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

All the disinfectants and cleaning solutions used then were full of chemicals and alcohol-based, which worsened Ms Gan’s eight-year-old daughter’s eczema.

As Dr Lee, who holds a PhD in food science and technology, also has eczema, the pair put their biomedical science background to good use and started experimenting with producing a non-toxic sanitiser. 

“I had a spare room at home, and we turned that into our laboratory,” said Ms Gan, adding that they experimented using nutshells, durian husks and banana peels.

The women continued their experiments throughout the pandemic, with Ms Gan’s children aged one, eight and 12 running around them.

After months of research and development, Ms Gan and Dr Lee developed “Vikang”, a 100 per cent natural antibacterial agent made from food waste certified to eliminate toxic particles and bacteria. Their antimicrobial technology is currently used in food industries, hotels and airlines. 

While N&E’s main focus is its business clients, Ms Gan plans to expand its consumer business through its C2+ brand, which sells natural all-purpose disinfectant sprays, hand sanitisers and hand soaps.

It is currently expanding into the plastic wrap industry, as “our technology extends the shelf life of fresh produce by up to four times, so the YLA grant is timely to boost our research and development”, Ms Gan said.

Despite having N&E grow from a two-woman team to a current 14-person company in four years, she said she still faces challenges in getting customers.

“We still have to do a lot of door-knocking. The reality is that biotech is a male-dominated industry,” said Ms Gan, adding her credibility as a female entrepreneur is sometimes questioned by potential investors.

“But this YLA award is a testament to our collective efforts and the transformative work we are doing together.”

Ms Ho Kheng Lian, a member of the Red Club x Cartier Singapore Chapter and general partner at investment firm Turn Capital, could not be more proud to have Ms Gan representing Singapore at the YLA.

“Didi has achieved so much over the past four years,” said Ms Ho, 41. “It is incredible to see her running her business while being a mother, managing school exams and all.”

Being an entrepreneur herself, Ms Ho hopes to inspire and support the next generation of entrepreneurs, adding: “They are the ones who are going to be building products for millions of people here on after.”

The next Red Club x Cartier YLA is set to take place in 2026. The call for applications will open around the third quarter of 2025, and will invite a new wave of visionary entrepreneurs to present their transformative ideas.

Mr Cyrille Vigneron, chairman of Cartier Culture & Philanthropy, reaffirmed Cartier’s dedication to supporting impact entrepreneurship.

“At Cartier, we believe in the power of young leaders to drive meaningful change. The YLA is a testament to our commitment to those who contribute to shaping a better future.”