e27 and AsiaStartups.com engage the local and regional startup scene through activities like mentorship talks and speed dating

At e27, we are all about nurturing the startup ecosystem in the region — and this includes acting as matchmaker among stakeholders, like entrepreneurs, investors, and even users. We are not alone in this mission, however, and we actively seek to partner with other organisations that want to help improve the state of the ecosystem by making relevant introductions and connections.

At Echelon Thailand last month, e27 partnered with Bangkok-based AsiaStartups.com, a company that matches and connects startups with investors across Asia, with the shared goal of engaging the local and regional startup scene. The company’s involvement included two keynote presentations by AsiaStartups.com founder and chairman, Mr. Keenan Kwok, as well as the organisation of “speed dating” sessions between founders and investors.

During his keynote presentation on the first day of Echelon Thailand, Mr. Kwok delivered a highly informative talk to a diverse audience of investors from across the region — ranging from angel investors to VCs and family offices. His presentation touched upon the topic of early stage tech startup investment, and it triggered a very insightful and value-adding discussion during the Q&A session that followed.

Mr. Kwok also participated in the “Impact Investments” panel discussion later in the day, which addressed the theme of social impact and the importance of delivering both profit and purpose as a business in today’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Also read: In Photos: Echelon Thailand 2017

On the second day, the AsiaStartups team led the Echelon Connect module, which consisted of two sessions during which founders were able to sign up for 10 minute meetings with up to three investors. More than 20 investors and 50 startups were able to connect over a total of 150 meetings throughout the day, giving way to a good opportunity for founders to meet investors from across the region that they would otherwise not be able to reach, and for investors to discover new and promising startups.

In an interview with e27, Mr. Kwok stressed the importance of establishing connections across the region. “AsiaStartups curates both startups and investors to ensure fruitful local and cross-border connections that maximise the potential for fundraising success, and it also offers value added services to support startups in becoming ready to have great impact when meeting investors.”

In addition, Mr. Kwok said that “AsiaStartups engages its community of investors through a number of events for members only, and works with Seed and Series A & B VCs in the region to share deals based on their categories of interest.”

He concluded that “the partnership was a success and reinforced AsiaStartups.com’s position as an investment platform, and e27’s position as a startup ecosystem consolidator.”

—-

 

 

The post Curating 150 plus startup and investor matches at Echelon Thailand, AsiaStartups.com helps improve fundraising success and impact appeared first on e27.