• 134 speakers from the APAC region and beyond, with over 1,800 registered attendees.
• Featured sessions include top entrepreneurs and key industry leaders from 500 Startups, Nas Daily, Lazada, Bukalapak, Zoom, Sendbird and more.

Powered by Catcha Group, the region’s premier tech conference – Wild Digital Southeast Asia 2020, closed on a high with over 1,800 attendees, 134 regional and global speakers and 54 sessions for this year’s conference. Fully-virtual for the very first time, the 4-day conference took place from 3 – 6 November, and kicked off with a special Keynote conversation between Patrick Grove (Co-Founder & Group CEO of Catcha Group) and Khailee Ng (Managing Partner of 500 Startups).

Titled 10 YEARS LATER – SERIAL FOUNDER vs SERIAL INVESTOR, Patrick and Khailee discussed the differences between founding companies and investing in companies. On Patrick’s prediction for the future, he said “I hope that at some point in the next five years, this part of the world builds a company that truly goes global and puts Southeast Asia on the map. I would love to be part of that journey, and so that’s my big, crazy goal for Southeast Asia. We’re not just a geographical playbox for global VCs, we actually are a global hotbed of ideas and innovation.”

Some of the other featured key speakers include:

• John Kim – Co-Founder & CEO (Sendbird)
• Nuseir Yassin – Founder & CEO (Nas Daily)
• Ray Alimurung – CEO, Philippines (Lazada)
• Karen Chan – CEO (airasia.com)
• Rachmat Kaimuddin – CEO (Bukalapak)
• Wee Jonn Leow – CEO (Photobook Worldwide)
• Catherine Hindra Sutjahyo – Chief Food Officer (Gojek Group)
• Marc Woo – Country Manager, Malaysia (Google)
• Gibran Huzaifah – Co-Founder & CEO (eFishery)
• Derek Pando – Head of International and Partner Marketing (Zoom Video Communications)

Other highlight quotes over the four days include:

Beverly Chen, Marketing Director, APAC (AppsFlyer): “Oftentimes, women are pitted against each other as well. That’s something that is really important to remember – you’re not in competition with each other, and it’s also one of those things that you do need to unlearn. Because we’ve made it a habit of comparing. Remembering that lifting each other up, supporting each other – it lifts up the whole community.”

Khailee Ng, Managing Partner (500 Startups): “Venture capital is very similar (to angel investing), I could create a lot of impact by doing what I was doing. It could also be very fun to learn and grow with people, rather than the solitary journey of being a founder. I thought I could learn with a larger community.”

Dan Roberts, Global Head of Business Banking, Interim (HSBC): “I think no matter how small your businesses are, these capabilities are readily available. There are government resources, banks like HSBC, and many more you can turn to, just do your research. If you’re not including digital transformation in your business model, then just be careful and think about the sustainability of that for the next few years.”

Kevin Fitzgerald, Managing Director, Asia (Xero): “We focus on the impact of the digitisation of accounting, rather than the digitisation of accounting itself.”

Eric Cheng, Co-Founder & Group CEO (Carsome): “Be aware of the industry that you’re trying to enter and the solution that you’re providing. Always pick the right battles to fight, don’t pick on the ones that gives low ROI.”

Juhn Teo, Co-Founder & CEO (Common Ground): “The value of office spaces may be more in the social and collaborative aspects.”

Bill Reichert, Partner (Pegasus Tech Ventures): “You cannot let investors off the hook. You have to show them your intense sense of urgency.”

Carmen Yuen, Partner, SEA & India (Vertex Ventures): “For founders who are coming up to do their own projects, trying to raise funds… Even if you are female, don’t be too hung up about the fact that there aren’t enough females represented in VCs. Just continue to do the great work, be sure to provide a solution to solve a big enough problem.”

Nuseir Yassin, Founder & CEO (Nas Daily): “I think a lot of people that build companies should have that mindset, your company should last. The goal is not to win, the goal is to outlast. I think that’s the difference, you build a company differently.”

2021 Startup World Cup Southeast Asia Regional Winner Crowned

As a vibrant and ever-growing tech-focused region, Southeast Asia continues to carry immense potential in becoming the Silicon Valley of Asia. One of Wild Digital’s objectives has always been to showcase and support the most disruptive and innovative startups in the region. We want to be the launching pad where they pitch their billion-dollar ideas to leading investors, mentors, senior executives and the media.

Our Startup Disruptor Arena competition, which also doubles as the Startup World Cup SEA Regional, received over 170 applications from startups across the region. We shortlisted the top 15 finalists, and Karzo emerged as the winner — voted and scored by 6 distinguished judges. The judges are:

• Jeffrey Paine – Co-Founder & Managing Partner (Golden Gate Ventures)
• Milan Koch – Co-Founder & Managing Partner (MANTIS Venture Capital)
• Chin Chao – CEO, SEA (InnoVen Capital)
• Eunice Wong – Investment Associate (Monk’s Hill Ventures)
• Alan Hellawell – Venture Partner (Alpha JWC Ventures)
• Kean Zen Liew – Investor (Gobi Partners)

Karzo manages the largest virtual truck fleet in Myanmar — providing B2B goods transportation for corporate enterprises & SMEs moving cargo anywhere in the country and beyond. The team will now go on to compete at the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in Silicon Valley next year on 21 May, for a Grand Investment Prize of USD1million.

Startup World Cup is helmed by Pegasus Tech Ventures, a US Silicon Valley VC, and consists of a global series of startup conferences and pitch competitions that spread across 40+ countries.

Showcasing Disruptive Startups

In line with always bringing something new and exciting for our attendees, Wild Digital also launched an ALL NEW #STARTUPSHOWCASE initiative as a bonus feature for participating startups! For the first time, startups across the region had the opportunity to showcase their products and services via complimentary virtual booths to our extensive network of attendees.

A total of 30 startups, including the top 15 Startup World Cup SEA Regional finalists had their booths on display.

Wild Digital – bringing “digital” to the forefront

A recap on what’s new this year:

• FOUR DAYS, ONE MAIN STAGE, 130+ SPEAKERS – Bringing 20+ hours of content to you
• FIRST-CLASS PROGRAM – Specially-curated topics to navigate through this crisis
• BUILD YOUR OWN AGENDA – Create a personalised schedule with your favourite talks
• INTERACTIVE LIVE SESSIONS – Chat with attendees, live Q&A and polling
• BRINGING FACE-TO-FACE NETWORKING ONLINE – Schedule 1-on-1 video meetings with attendees and expand your network
• CLAIM EXCLUSIVE PERKS – Complimentary vouchers, special discounts, subscriptions and more, generously provided by our partners
• STARTUP SHOWCASE – First time ever, a virtual exhibition of the #nextunicorns and #nextbigthings
• STARTUP DISRUPTOR ARENA – Taking it up a notch this time by partnering with Startup World Cup, the largest global startup pitch competition

Missed out on a couple of sessions or want to rewatch your favourite panel? Playbacks for all sessions will remain available on our conference platform until 30 November. All virtual booths will remain up and accessible as well.

SOURCE Wild Digital