Join us for a panel taking on bold questions and predictions at the Echelon TOP100 Roadshow in Bangkok.

Our Echelon TOP100 travels through Asia Pacific has long been about more than just discovering the region’s startups. It has also served as our way of getting down on the ground to working more closely with partners and the local community, understanding developments and trends, what the buzz has been about, and what each ecosystem needs.

Our goal? To bring these ideas and potential initiatives to Echelon Asia Summit in Singapore this June 28-29.

We have put together a passionate panel led by muru-D’s Paul Meyers as moderator alongside representatives from Beacon VC, Gobi VC and True Incube to tackle the question “Will 2018 will be the breakthrough year for Thailand’s tech ecosystem?” – and what needs to be done differently from past years for it to be.

 

Also read: Do these 21 represent Thailand’s next generation of promising startups?

Which ecosystem player should lead the charge?

“Entrepreneurial spirit which is fundamental for world-class startup is very rare in Thailand,” says True Incube’s Startups Incubator & Investment BD Manager Bhisidh Nardee (pictured bottom left).

According to Nardee, corporates should lead the charge in supporting the country’s new innovations, technology and talent by inspiring and investing in the ecosystem. This can be achieve by partnering with local and regional startups. He also believes that 2018 is due time for Thai entrepreneurs to engage and share the best practices and global mindset to capture the market of Southeast Asia’s 600M population.

Got you fired up? Get to know the panel:

• Moderating: Paul Meyers, Head of muru-D, Singapore
  Paul has over 25 years experience building and running media and technology companies in Asia. He spent his early career as an award-winning television producer/director in the US, creating award winning documentaries, commercials and corporate films for Apple, IBM, HP, Motorola, Visa and other Silicon Valley companies. Since moving to Asia in the early 1990s, Paul built a number of successful media, Internet and mobile companies.
  
  Muru-D, a startup accelerator programme in Australia and Asia that help founders scale smarter and faster, offering tech entrepreneurs masterclasses, connections to a global network of mentors, investors, and alumni and seed funding, boasting a total of 44 startups successfully graduating the programme.

• Vitavin Ittipanuvat, Senior Investment Manager, Beacon VC
  Founded in 2016, Beacon VC is a wholly-owned corporate venture capital fund of Kasikornbank PLC (SET: KBANK), a leading commercial bank in Thailand with highest mobile penetration and largest SME base. With initial fund of THB 1 billion, Beacon VC focuses on strategic investments in early to growth-stage technology startups covering not only financial technology (fintech) but also consumer lifestyle and deep technology sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI) and enterprise IT.

• Bhisidh Nardee, Business Development Manager, True Incube
  Mr. Bhisidh is currently responsible for the Startups Incubator & Investment division at True Group. With experience in founding and managing organisations, management strategy and setting up new business unit under Charoen Pokphand (C.P.) Group, he also spent four years as an entrepreneur  and over six years in agriculture commodities trading and logistics across South Asia and Thailand.
  
  True – C.P. Group is on a mission to create and drive digital innovations to support the country’s vision to become Thailand 4.0. for benefiting to the country in stable growth, prosperity, and sustainable economy as well as building ecosystem and providing services for Thailand startup to be able to compete in the global level.

• Nadia Fonny, Investment Associate, Gobi VC
  Nadia joined Gobi in 2016. She has 4 years of working experience in the chemical industry, and more recently as a Citibusiness Associate at Citibank, where she spearheaded the FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) implementation with 100% High Priority Completion in CitiBusiness Indonesia. She holds a BSc. in Biochemistry from Trinity College, Cambridge University in the UK.
  
  Gobi is a venture capital firm that focusses on early stage IT, TMT, and digital media companies in China and Southeast Asia with its Meranti ASEAN Growth Fund aiming to raise US$200 million to invest in 15 or more companies.

How to get involved

These very industry leaders will come together at the TOP100 Roadshow this Friday, March 23 at Siam Innovation District, together with e27’s long-time partner CU Innovation Hub.

Want your say in how we represent Thailand at Echelon Asia Summit? Join the community at the Bangkok Qualifier Roadshow:

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