SINGAPORE, Jan. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- "Intelligence should be built by anyone, for everyone, not just live in labs or belong to big tech," said Christel Buchanan, Founder & CEO of ChatAndBuild, as she opened the Codechella Singapore 2025 Grand Finale.
What unfolded over the next four hours proved her point. Ten finalists - from medical students tackling postpartum depression to solo builders reimagining education - demonstrated that when you give people the right tools and community, they build solutions the world needs.
A Different Kind of Hackathon
When registrations opened on October 6, over 200 students from 10 Singapore universities signed up. Medical students. Bioengineering majors. Business students. Digital media creators. The builders who showed up weren't the usual computer science crowd - they were students from every discipline proving that AI isn't just for technical majors anymore.
Students built virtually, sharing their prototypes across X, Instagram, and TikTok. Judges selected the top 10 finalists, who then spent a week in mentorship sessions with industry leaders on pitching, product design, and go-to-market strategy.
"I was amazed by the creativity of the students and how quickly they were able to bring their ideas to life," said mentor Jonathan Chong from codetogether.ai. "Mentoring them through thinking commercially was an absolute highlight."
When Builders Build for People They Know
The three winning teams demonstrated what happens when students build solutions for problems they witness daily:
Hera - Five NUS medical students built an AI-driven postpartum companion after witnessing how mothers' mental health gets overlooked in clinical care. With 1 in 7 Singaporean mothers experiencing postpartum depression and 50% going undiagnosed, Hera provides personalized mental health check-ins, baby tracking, and lifestyle features. The judges were impressed when the team shared plans to use prize money to continue developing Hera and even hire people.
Edugrade - "I have witnessed educators spending countless hours grading papers late into the night, often sacrificing their personal time," said solo builder Sidharth Rajesh from SMU. His AI-powered grading assistant automates repetitive tasks while maintaining personalized feedback - giving teachers their evenings back.
Migrant Mate - NTU students witness migrant workers building the Jurong Region MRT line under the hot sun every day. "Despite their selfless contributions to our nation's infrastructure, their struggles often remain unseen," they explained. Their multilingual AI app helps Singapore's 900,000+ migrant workers navigate finances, understand their rights, and build community.
Special Mention: MicroCosm - Bioengineering student Archit Pratham (NTU) transformed static biology diagrams into interactive 3D cell visualizations. "Those pages about 'the mitochondrion is the powerhouse of the cell' felt like distant fairytales," he said. "I wanted students to explore it, not just memorize it."
A Community Effort
The Grand Finale brought together judges Vincent Tan (Google Cloud), Kevin Boezennec (Design Strategy Consulting), Jimmy Lim (WeWork), Jordan Dea-Mattson (Box850 Advisors), and Christel Buchanan (ChatAndBuild). The nationwide reach was made possible through collaboration with Lorong AI, Singapore's AI community hub, and partners including Singapore Global Network.
The Movement Continues
Codechella Singapore is part of a global movement - from Codechella Kids introducing AI literacy to young creators, to Codechella Sessions expanding internationally. "Our mission is simple," Buchanan said. "Empower every builder, everywhere, to create and own intelligence."
For the 200+ students who participated, Codechella Singapore was proof that the future of AI belongs to builders with heart, vision, and community behind them.
About ChatAndBuild
ChatAndBuild enables anyone to build AI apps, agents, and systems by describing them in natural language. The company also pioneered Non-Fungible Agents (NFAs), ownable AI agents that learn and evolve. Through global partnerships and university festivals, ChatAndBuild has introduced hands-on AI creation to thousands.
About Lorong AI
Lorong AI is Singapore's hub for the AI community, bringing together practitioners and creators to connect and grow through a collaborative environment and curated programming. Since launching in January 2025, it has fostered a vibrant community with members across government, industry and research sectors.
Contact Information:
Name: Anastasia Harper
Company: ChatAndBuild
Website: chatandbuild.com
Email: anastasia@chatandbuild.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/35d8a04a-b107-430e-b42b-3be1c4c66683
source: ChatAndBuild
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