Introduction
The National University of Singapore (NUS) has long been known for its strong student-led builder culture. Across campus, students from business, engineering, and design backgrounds are constantly exploring how to turn ideas into real products—through startups, hackathons, and self-initiated projects. What connects many of them is not a single discipline, but a shared desire to build something tangible.
In January 2026, the Momen team visited NUS to work directly with this community of student builders. Over the course of the visit, Momen collaborated with different student groups in two formats: a hands-on startup workshop co-hosted with StartIT, and participation as a tool partner at Hack&Roll 2026, Singapore's largest student-run hackathon organized by NUS students.
StartIT Workshop — Working with Students on Early-Stage Startup Ideas
The workshop was co-hosted with StartIT – NUS Computing Technopreneurship Society, a student organization that serves as a central platform for students interested in IT and technopreneurship. StartIT brings together students who want to explore the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship, guided by its vision: Today's Thinkers, Tomorrow's Technopreneurs.
The StartIT workshop was framed around a simple question many students raised early on: "We can prototype fast with AI tools—but how do we turn this into something real?"
Instead of walking through slides, the workshop moved quickly into building. Students worked through a live example together: an AI-powered image generation app designed as a small, monetizable product rather than a throwaway demo. As the app took shape, the discussion naturally shifted from "how do we generate this?" to "how does this actually work as a product?"
Using Momen, the group explored the app piece by piece:
AI: image generation powered by Momen’s built-in Gemini 2.5 and 3 flash model, with different output quality for free and pro users
Database: storing generated images so users can view their history inside the app
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separate workflows for free and paid users
an additional flow triggered after payment to issue credits
Stripe payment: a simple paywall and membership setup, connected to Stripe via Momen’s system payment flow
To support continued experimentation, every participant received $100 in Momen credits, unlocking the Pro plan in the session. The workshop wasn't positioned as a one-off build, but as a starting point—something students could take, remix, and evolve into their own projects.
Hack&Roll 2026 — Supporting Student Hackers as a Tool Partner
Hack&Roll 2026 is one of the largest student-run hackathons in Singapore, organized entirely by NUS students. In 2026, the event brought together over 800 participants and 150+ judges, filling the venue with fast-moving teams, half-finished ideas, and a constant flow of demos and discussions.
Momen joined Hack&Roll 2026 as a credit partner, alongside tools such as Cursor, Google DeepMind, Manus, and OpenAI. The goal wasn’t to push a specific workflow, but to make full-stack and AI backend capabilities available to students who wanted to go beyond a surface-level prototype.
All participants received $100 in Momen credits, unlocking the Pro plan for the duration of the hackathon. To help teams get started quickly, Momen also shared a short “How to use Momen in a hackathon” walkthrough, focused on common needs under time pressure—setting up data models, handling logic with Actionflows, and connecting backend workflows to AI-powered front ends.
Conclusion
The time at NUS was less about individual events and more about how students build when given the right environment—whether in a focused workshop or a high-energy hackathon. From early startup ideas to late-night hacking, the common thread was experimentation, iteration, and a strong desire to ship something real.
Momen continues to work closely with universities and student-led communities through workshops, hackathons, and longer-term collaborations.
If you’re part of a university, student organization, or education program interested in building similar experiences, you can reach out at hello@momen.app, or apply for the Momen Education Plan with 50% off for eligible programs.
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