The 10-city search for the best startups to showcase at Tech in Asia Tokyo 2015 has begun

Two months ago, we went on a nine-city tour around Asia to find the top startups to showcase at our flagship conference in Singapore. Fast forward three months later, and we will be embarking on our second tour in the lead up to Tech in Asia Tokyo 2015 on September 8 and 9.

This time round, the Tech in Asia Tour: Road to Tokyo 2015 will land in 10 destinations – Osaka in late June, and Jakarta, Sendai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Fukuoka, Singapore, Tokyo, Taipei, and Seoul in July.

For each leg, we will be looking for the best startups to pitch to a live audience and panel of investor judges. Applications for all 10 cities are now open, but the first deadline for submission will fall on 16 June for Osaka, Jakarta, Sendai and Hong Kong. If you are applying to pitch in these cities, make sure you submit your applications before then!

Here are some good reasons why you should apply for the Tour:

Great content
We want to enhance your Tour experience with better content. Partnering with branding and advertising agencies to help hone your pitches; and getting founders to share their entrepreneurial journeys are just some of the interesting highlights that we have in the pipeline.

Meet investors
As a finalist selected to compete in each Tour city, you will get the opportunity to meet several investors and pitch to them live.

Win a sponsored trip to showcase at Tech in Asia Tokyo 2015
We will sponsor each of the 10 Tour city winners’ their flight, accommodation, two-startup passes, and a two-day startup booth to showcase to over 2,000 international attendees at the conference.

Stand a chance to pitch at our highly-coveted Arena stage
Arena, the most highly-anticipated highlight of our conference, gathers Asia’s best startups in one place. As a Tour finalist, you stand a chance to be selected to pitch at Arena and walk away with an attractive prize of US$10,000, as well as exposure to hundreds of investors, international media, and potential customers.

How to apply?

Step 1: Determine your eligibility. Are you a software and hardware tech startup that has raised less than US$1.5 million of external funds, and has an innovative solution of proven traction? If you meet the above criteria, we want you!

Step 2: Pick one of the 10 Tour cities to compete in. You can choose between Osaka, Jakarta, Sendai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Fukuoka, Singapore, Tokyo, Taipei, and Seoul.

Step 3: Submit your application online, using either the English version or Japanese version.

Step 4: Check your inbox! Finalists will be notified before each leg of the Tour that they will be pitching at their city of choice. All other follow up details will also be communicated via email.

Step 5: Get ready to pitch!

Up for it? We would like to receive your application! Remember to submit it early before deadlines close.

Important dates for Tech in Asia Tour: Road to Tokyo

Update on May 27: There has been some changes to the dates, highlighted in red.

Update on June 12: Submission deadlines for Hong Kong and Sendai have been postponed. The updated dates for all cities are in the table below:

Update on June 22: Due to unforseen circumstances, we will be cancelling the Seoul and Sendai leg of the Tour.

Update on July 1: We have extended the submission deadline for Singapore to July 14. Results will be announced on July 21.

Check back on our official Tour website for the latest updates and information. We are also extending our 2-for-1 early bird deal for Tech in Asia Tokyo 2015, so make sure you grab your unique discount code before 28 May, 2359 (GMT +8). Not sure how to get your code? Here’s how.