We are rooting for the coders, makers, and builders

Coder, maker, builders. Image credit: DALL-E

Tech in Asia was founded as early as 2009, officially in 2011. I was in college, neglecting school work and writing news about what I found interesting in the world of social media, tech, and startups. The tech community back then was focused on three things: founders, investors, and fundraising. “Follow the money,” an investor once told me about 10 years ago.

Back then, a headline like “Startup X raised $1 million from VC” was sufficient to make an article go viral. And if a business managed to exit – (think Koprol, Groupsmore, Tarad, and TenCube) – the founders would become overnight superstars in their local startup community.

I was also sucked into the “follow the money” mindset until my experience at Y Combinator in 2015 opened me up to the world of product development¹. I was impressed by Kevin Hale’s presentation on “How to build products users love.” It all makes sense: You build a product that people love, users use them and pay for them, you get traction, and you can choose if you want investors to back your startup.

But how does one build a product users love? It will take more than just a workshop to learn.

I read several product management books,² built my own prototype, talked to users, and applied what I learned to Tech in Asia. I also thirst for local and regional knowledge – I wanted to learn from people who have built great products in Southeast Asia. Back in 2015, there weren’t many experts and the concept of product development was still fuzzy in this part of the world.

And then something magical happened. In 2016, my colleague Putra Setia Utama³ gave the idea to kickstart a conference for coders, makers, and builders. I loved the concept but was skeptical how big the market would be.

I’m thankful that he took the leap of faith in 2017. The Product Development Conference (PDC) continues to be one of Tech in Asia’s flagship conferences. It’s closely tied to one of our missions: “to build and serve the tech and startup ecosystem.”

Some of my favorite sessions at PDC include “How to drive growth using data” by Crystal Widjaja, a former SVP of Gojek and now CPO at Kumu, as well as “Hooked: How to build habit-forming products” by Nir Eyal, a bestselling author.

We built the Product Development Conference for coders, makers, and builders. They are the backbone of the tech and startup ecosystem.

Because without great products,⁴ there will never be great companies.

¹ If not a founder, I see myself as a product manager.
² My favorite is still Don’t Make Me Think by ​​Steve Krug. It’s a short but compelling book.
³ He codes. And still does if we need his help.
⁴ Alright, great, you found this link that gives you an additional 20% discount.