What Tech in Asia Tokyo 2016 looked like (PHOTOS)

Something special happened in Tokyo last week. It wasn’t just Apple’s launch of the new iPhone 7, but it was also a congregation of Asia and Japan’s tech community at Tech in Asia Tokyo 2016.

1,662 individuals from the tech community attended the two-day event held at downtown Shibuya. Even with the slightly erratic weather – sunny during most times, but with the occasional drizzle and light showers – it did nothing to dampen their spirits.

If you missed the event, here’s a photo walkthrough of how it looked like!

Day 1, September 6

Doors opened as early as 8.30am and attendees streamed into the halls to check in.

After which, attendees took the escalator down to Basement 1, where most of the activities were taking place.

The agenda wall proved useful for attendees, who were able to see at a glance the day’s schedule.

Networking commenced early at the Bootstrap Alley segment. We had 71 startups exhibiting on Day 1 of the conference.

Nearby the Bootstrap Alley booths, there was a space where attendees got to enjoy some VR fun.

Before we knew it, it was lunch time! Pizza Hut gave out free pizzas – it was convenient and yummy, and needless to say, it ran out fast.

At the same time, there was some photobooth fun taking place. Many flocked to take candid shots, and some of them even enjoyed a complimentary professional photoshoot!

There was even a mini-pitching stage at the conference grounds, supported by ABC Dream Ventures. How cute!

And more networking took place at the Startup-Investor Speed Dating area.

Post lunch, we saw a packed Main Stage for “The Innovator’s Dilemma” panel discussion by Dave McClure, Steve Leonard, Allison Baum, and Hiro Maeda. During this session, interesting insights were delivered on what goes on inside investors’ minds and their betting secrets. Read more here.

While the Main Stage sessions were taking place, there were ongoing talks at Day 1’s Marketing Stage and Fintech Stage.

During the course of the day, complimentary energy bars were also provided to attendees to keep energy levels high.

Soon, Day 1 of Tech in Asia Tokyo 2016 came to an end. Our selected guests and speakers were invited to an exclusive invite-only VIP Dinner where they mingled over food and drinks.

Day 2, September 7

The slight drizzle in the morning did nothing to dampen the moods of our attendees.

We kickstarted the day at the Main Stage with Jeff Jordan, general partner at a16z. He shared some great advice on executive decisions behind IPOs, acquisitions, and setting the global standard. Here are his nuggets of wisdom.

During the day, Bootstrap Alley was buzzing with activity. 69 startups exhibited with us on Day 2, making for a total of 140 exhibiting startups across two days at Tech in Asia Tokyo 2016.

Before the crowd broke out for lunch, local YouTube celebrity Chika Yoshida graced our Main Stage, sharing with the audience some tips to create great video content and increasing your fan base. With her bubbly and warm personality, she definitely hyped up the atmosphere a few notches!

If we had an award for the “Most Entertaining Speaker”, Brian Halligan would have won it hands down with his great acting on stage. He entertained the crowd with his adorable demonstration on how he jumped through hoops to secure funding when he was still an entrepreneur.

While all these took place at the Main Stage, stage sessions were also ongoing at the Developer and Design Stage.

Before we knew it, the nail-biting segment of the conference had begun: the Arena pitch battle.

While attendees were making themselves comfortable in their seats, our Arena finalists were rehearsing their scripts and calming their nerves backstage.

Let the pitching begin!

After witnessing all seven pitches, our judges went backstage to deliberate on who to crown as Tech in Asia Tokyo 2016’s Arena winner.

While they were at it, we invited last year’s winner, Mana.bo on stage to share about life post-Arena.

The results were cast in stone and it was time to reveal the winner. Acudeen, who helps small businesses turn receivables into cash, was crowned champion. Their reward? A US$100,000 investment from 500 Startups.

After concluding the formal conference segments, here came the fun part – Night Crawl! Following the announcement of the Arena winner, our attendees made their way to WOMB, one of the top nightclub spots in Tokyo to end off the conference on a high.

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With that, Tech in Asia Tokyo 2016 came to an end. To all our sponsors, partners, volunteers, and attendees, thank you for making this conference a successful one! We’ll be back bigger and stronger for #tiatokyo2017, but for now – set your sights on Tech in Asia Jakarta 2016, happening this coming November 16 & 17.