With just three weeks left until Tech in Asia Tokyo, things are heating up around here. If you’ve been having trouble keeping track of the conference updates, here’s the place to find a weekly roundup of everything you need to know.
Speakers
Some of the most prominent figures in the industry will be taking our main stage by storm.
China Launchpad: How App Annie Took Flight from Beijing – Bertrand Schmitt
Bertrand Schmitt helms the international team at App Annie, a mobile analytics service headquartered in San Francisco.
With App Annie’s massive success – having just raked in US$55 million in its latest series D funding and taking its total funding close to US$100 million – it’s almost hard to imagine its humble beginnings. Come hear from Bertrand Schmitt as he takes us through his journey in building the data analytics tool app, and how it grew to become the center of a revolution in content distribution.
Second Time is the Charm: How Failure Fueled Smartnews’ to the Top – Ken Suzuki
Ken Suzuki is the co-founder of award winning mobile news app, Smartnews.
The app, available in more than 150 countries as of February this year, has amassed over 10 million downloads – with the bulk of new users in the United States, India, Canada, the United Kingdom, and China.
However, this success, much like Rome, wasn’t built in one day. Join Ken as he shares an open look at how the obstacles and failure of his first startup helped pave the road to his eventual success.
Japanese Hardware: Where is it Now, Where is it Going? – Taiga Matsuyama, Takafumi Horie
Software startups in Tokyo seem to be the most popular in the world of technology – for now. But the tides could be turning very soon, as a shift towards hardware seems imminent. Where is the Japan hardware startup ecosystem at now, and where is it headed?
Have these questions and more answered in our fireside chat with Takafumi Horie, founder of SNS Inc and Taiga Matsuyama, co-founder and managing partner at East Ventures, as the pair share their thoughts on the future of Japanese hardware.
BONUS: Always wanted to meet Ben Horowitz in person?
Well, you’re in luck!
Don’t miss this prized opportunity to come up close and personal with industry superstar, Ben Horowitz in a meet-and-greet session, and win a copy of his bestselling book The Hard Thing about Hard Things.
All you need to do is sign up for your passes, using the code meetben (with 10 percent off). The promotion ends today, August 19, at midnight (GMT +8) so put it off no longer! Valid while stocks last.
Ben Horowitz will also be joining us as a speaker on Day 2 of the conference.
Booths to catch at Bootstrap Alley
We’ve unearthed the best startups in the region to join us at Bootstrap Alley.
In this week’s edition, we bring to you some of the most interesting booths we’ve handpicked from all the fascinating startups.
Olympians Engineering & Technology
An Internet of Things (IoT) future might be in the cards for Malaysia much quicker than expected, with Kuala Lumpur-based startup Olympians Engineering & Technology on a singular mission to connect all of Malaysia’s machines.
If your vacation planning is fraught with frustrations at being unable to find reasonably priced villas without much effort, know that you’re not alone. In fact, this might be a problem of the past, with Thailand based startup Villacarte working to revolutionize the way owners manage vacation villas and the way customers make holiday decisions.
Here’s a startup out of this world. Quite literally, the Japan-based startup backed by company Ispace Technologies is looking to the moon for outer-space mineral development.
Be sure to keep an eye out for them and more at Bootstrap Alley!
Road to Tokyo – Here’s a look at the winners
1314 attendees. 37 startups. 8 winners.
Want to meet the worthy champions from our Tech in Asia Tokyo Tour? Here’s a tip: All winners have each won free flights, accommodation, conference passes, and a startup booth at Bootstrap Alley. You know where to look!
As we round up the tour, we’d like to thank all judges and sponsors for their time, effort, and invaluable words of wisdom. This event could not have taken place without you.
We look forward to seeing you again in Tokyo!
Get your passes now
Catch all of the above and more on September 8 and 9. Get your tickets now!
See also:
Weekly roundup #1
Weekly roundup #3
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Editing by Michael Tegos
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