Standing at the crossroads between east and west, Singapore is a sweet spot for many entrepreneurs looking to start a company. Coupled with business-friendly policies and government support, Singapore is recognised as one of the top ten ecosystems in the world for budding entrepreneurs to come together and innovate.

To kick off our Bootstrap Alley feature of exhibiting startups, we are introducing five homegrown ones you need to catch this May 17 & 18 at Tech in Asia Singapore 2017.

Skooly

Any teacher will tell you that establishing an effective parent-teacher-student communication chain is one of the toughest things on the job. But thanks to a ton of great edtech options available today, it’s probably never been simpler.

Enter Skooly, a powerful collaboration tool that makes it super easy for teachers to communicate with parents and students. Teachers can send instant updates and reminders to their class via their messaging system. Meanwhile, parents can use the app to stay updated on their kids’ learning activities, assignments and events.

MagLoft

Mobile is the future. If your business does not have a mobile app yet, it’s high time to get one – or you’ll be missing out on this growing market segment.

Want to build your app but haven’t got a clue about programming languages? Fret not, because MagLoft simplifies the app creation process for you. Users can choose from a variety of templates, drag-and-drop content to build a complete mobile app with a wide range of features. 100% of the branding belongs to you too!

cutQ

Singaporeans are known to be foodies, and queuing is a local pastime. Long queues tend to mean good food, and we don’t mind spending some time in line just to enjoy a good meal. But when we’re pressed for time, long queues can trigger frustrations – personifying the saying that “a hungry man is an angry man”.

With cutQ, a takeaway mobile ordering app, you can save yourself some time and skip ahead of the snaking queues. All you have to do is make an advance order and collect them later. They also save your previous orders, so you can always head back and order more of your favourite dish with just a few taps of the button!

CheerWrap

Shopping for gifts can be tough. Especially when you’ve left your shopping till the last minute and are scrambling for options.

CheerWrap is a digital gifting platform that makes it convenient for you to send, store and redeem e-gift cards with your smartphone. This clever app also profiles the interests and likes of each user, sparing you that headache of trying to find out what your friends are interested in.

Markedshot

Can’t find the perfect image for your new advert or eDM campaign? At Markedshot, you can create a personalised photo challenge to crowdsource for the photo you need for your next project!

With a community of over thousands of photographers from around the world, Markedshot is also a photo marketplace where amateur and professional photographers can show off their creativity and monetize their work.

Got a cool idea that you’d like to show the world?

We’re on the lookout for software/hardware startups to exhibit at our all-time favourite conference segment, Bootstrap Alley. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, so long you have a working prototype and have less than US$1.5 million in external funds raised, we want you!

If you apply by tomorrow, February 17, 11:59PM (GMT +8), you’ll receive 25 percent off your booth package too. Each package costs USD597 before discount and comes with a 1-day booth and 2 passes.

For those of you on a budget, our gracious partner Garena Group will be sponsoring 20 tech startups to showcase for free. All you need to do is fill out this form by March 17 for a chance to exhibit at no cost!

Note: Each Garena-sponsored startup will only be entitled to one booth and one exhibitor pass. 

Not planning to get a booth, but want to meet with these exciting startups anyway? Use this handy code: tiasg25 by tomorrow, 17 February, 11:59PM (GMT +8) to shave 25 percent on your conference pass.

Update 6.51pm Singapore time: We’ve added the Garena sponsorship into the article.

Update on 10 March, 5.19pm: Updated Garena application deadline to March 17.