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Singapore–Sarawak Friendship AI Business Design Hackathon 2026
Go-to-Market Hackathon Sarawak 2nd Runner-Up · 11 Teams

Zero to a Live Website in 21 Hours, Built From Another Country Over WhatsApp

The Brief

The Singapore–Sarawak Friendship AI Business Design Hackathon 2026 didn't deal in hypotheticals. Each team was matched with a real Sarawakian business that had good products and no online presence, then given 21 hours to design, build, and ship a live website. APAC Edge drew My Little House Play School, a childcare centre in Bintulu run by founder Puan Siti Fatihah.

The Constraint

The hackathon ran in Kuching. Francis worked from Singapore. No site visit, no whiteboard session — just WhatsApp back and forth with a founder who had never worked on a website before, and who had to trust three people she had never met to represent her business correctly.

“Okay for now, everything is okay. Tqsm, and hope u get high marks.” Puan Siti Fatihah, founder — reviewing the site over WhatsApp

The Build

Working with teammates Lynn Choa and Damien Goh, Francis shipped a live five-page site — real programme details, real fees, real photos — inside the 21-hour window, judged by six judges across Singapore and Sarawak. The team placed 2nd runner-up out of 11.

Francis Lee, behind the scenes of the 21-hour hackathon build
A one-minute look behind the 21-hour build
The 3-minute virtual pitch to the judges
WhatsApp exchange with the founder reviewing the site
Sign-off over WhatsApp
Second runner-up trophy
Second runner-up
Francis, Lynn and Damien with the trophy
The team
Certificate of participation for Francis Lee, Damien Goh and Lynn Choa
Made official
The team holding the Borneo Post article covering the hackathon
It made the news
The team holding a laptop showing the finished My Little House Play School website
The finished site
A live, five-page website delivered in 21 hours — remotely, over WhatsApp, for a founder who had never had one. 2nd runner-up out of 11 teams, judged across Singapore and Sarawak. The point that carried: distance and time pressure aren't the constraint people assume they are, when the process is right.
The same approach behind APAC Edge's client work — listen first, move fast, keep the client in the loop at every step — run under a 21-hour clock and a thousand kilometres of separation.

Common Questions

How do you build a website in 21 hours?

Each team at the Singapore-Sarawak Friendship AI Business Design Hackathon 2026 was matched with a real Sarawakian business that had no online presence. APAC Edge's team shipped a live five-page site for My Little House Play School, with real programme details, real fees and real photos, inside the 21-hour window, working with the founder over WhatsApp.

How do you work with a client in another country?

The hackathon ran in Kuching while Francis worked from Singapore, so there was no site visit and no whiteboard session. The team worked over WhatsApp with the founder, who reviewed the site and signed it off the same way.

How did the team place?

APAC Edge placed 2nd runner-up out of 11 teams, judged by six judges across Singapore and Sarawak. The win was covered by the Borneo Post.

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