We’re on a hunt for the next rockstar startup in Singapore. Are you up for it?

So far, the Tech in Asia Tour – a prelude to our flagship conference, Tech in Asia Tokyo 2015 – has arrived in Osaka, Taipei, Jakarta, and Hong Kong. With four more cities to visit on our map, the Tour will make its final stop on July 30 in Singapore, Southeast Asia’s startup hub.

We’re on the hunt for the next rockstar startup in Singapore. If you are up for the challenge, you might just be able to pitch your way to a sponsored trip to our Tokyo conference in September and exhibit at our ever-popular Bootstrap Alley. Hardware/software startups who have raised not more than US$1.5 million external funds and have an innovative solution or proven traction are welcome to submit your applications. The deadline for submissions have been extended to July 14, so hurry and apply while you still can!

Even if you are not pitching, the Tour is also a great opportunity for you to learn about your city’s finalists and the ideas they have, glean some insights on how to build a great startup in Singapore, and network with individuals in the local startup community.

Judges for the Singapore leg of the Tour are Koichi Saito, founder and general partner at KK Fund; Kuanhua Hsu, principal at Gree Ventures; Kuo-Yi Lim, managing director at Monk’s Hill Ventures; and Michael Lints, venture partner at Golden Gate Ventures.

For all of you interested to attend the event on July 30, do register for your complimentary seat here:

Venue

HUB Singapore
LaSalle School
128 Prinsep Street
Singapore 188655

Agenda

6.30pm – 7pm: Registration
7pm – 7.05pm: Welcome by Tech in Asia
7.05pm – 7.35pm: Fireside chat: How to build a world-class startup in Singapore
7.35pm – 8.30pm: Pitches by startups (5 min pitch, 5 min Q&A)
8.30pm – 8.35pm: Peek into Judges’ Backstage Discussion
8.35pm – 8.45pm: Announcement & Closing
8.45pm – 9.30pm: Networking

Judges

Koichi Saito, founder and general partner at KK Fund

Koichi Saito previously worked at IMJ Investment Partners as director and was responsible for IMJ’s investments throughout Southeast Asia such as iMoney, Bukalapak, and Zipmatch. Prior to IMJ, Koichi worked at Private Equity Fund founded by George Soros, and was engaged in several corporate and hotel acquisitions.

Before that, he served as an arranger of the securitization of mortgages at investment banking division of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities. He also worked at Orix Corporation where he was responsible for providing loans to small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan.

Kuanhua Hsu, principal at Gree Ventures

Kuanhua Hsu joined Gree Ventures in 2012 and serves as principal of Gree Ventures Asia. Based in Singapore, Kuanhua oversees Gree Ventures’ overall Southeast Asia operations as well as advising portfolio companies. Kuanhua started his career as a consultant with McKinsey & Company before moving on to work in supply change management at technology manufacturer Solectron Corporation. Prior to joining Gree, he served as an associate director at Temasek Holdings, driving investments in the financial institutions group sector.

Kuo-Yi Lim, managing director at Monk’s Hill Ventures

Kuo-Yi was the CEO of Infocomm Investments, a US$200 million venture fund based in Singapore investing in technology startups globally. Prior to Infocomm, Kuo-Yi has been a founder, early employee, mentor, and angel investor of early-stage technology startups spanning the US and Asia. He was a senior sales executive at Encentuate (acquired by IBM) and Reputation Technologies (acquired by Security Sources), and co-founder of SportsHook, a sports-focused SaaS platform.

Michael Lints, venture partner at Golden Gate Ventures

Michael is a venture partner at Golden Gate Ventures. After graduating with a degree in information science, he worked briefly as a consultant and project manager at one of the largest insurance companies in the Netherlands, after which he started his own business, an IT system maintenance company. In 2007, Michael founded his own venture fund focused on Dutch SMEs before joining Golden Gate Ventures as a venture partner.

Here’s a shoutout to our Singapore partners: