Founders, we’re looking for future ESG unicorns

Dear community,

Startup Arena has always been one of the most anticipated parts of our annual Tech in Asia Conference, but we’re adding something new this year. We have partnered with East Ventures ¹ to bring you our first Arena pitch battle for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) startups.

We are looking for startups that:

• Operate in Southeast Asia
• Offer an ESG product and/or program tackling one or several of the problem areas listed below
• Has raised less than US$3 million
• Has proven traction with a strong team or at least has a working minimum viable product or prototype
• Has a compelling English-language pitch explaining the problem, solution, risk and potential ²

If you fit the bill, please apply! Submissions will close on August 29, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. (GMT+8).

Problem areas

Problem areas include but are not limited to the following:

• Renewable energy
• Digital inclusion (financial and societal inclusion)
• Waste management
• Food security
• Battery technologies
• Clean or green tech
• Decarbonization
• Healthcare
• Circular economy
• Social or corporate governance

Judging criteria

Startups will be judged based on the following:

• Target problem statement and scale potential
• Sustainable impact on society and environment
• Caliber of the founding team
• Business model and ability to generate future financial returns
• Technology and business innovation
• Execution abilities and traction

“ESG is critical. Earth, the biggest platform of all time, is deteriorating in plain sight. We are merely the guardians of this platform for the next generation,” said Willson Cuaca, co-founder and managing partner of East Ventures.

“We are excited to see what the companies joining Tech in Asia’s Startup Arena will come up with to fix those issues,” he added. 

Prizes

Competing at Arena will give your ESG startup millions of media impressions and serve as a bridge between founders and investors in Asia. Beyond the exposure, the three winning teams will win a total prizes worth more than US$24,500.

Startup Arena stats

Since 2012, Tech in Asia has run more than a dozen Startup Arena pitch battles. We have seen thousands of submissions, choosing 105 companies across 17 countries to date. Out of the 105 startups, 92 are still operating (that’s 87.6%) and 56 have raised over US$481 million in venture funding.

You could be one of the startups pitching on October 13. See you soon!

¹ East Ventures was Tech in Asia’s very first investor, making us one of the VC firm’s earliest portfolio companies.
² Here are some great pitch decks for your inspiration.