What you missed at TIA’s very first Conference in KL

It’s been a year of firsts at Tech in Asia.

After making our debut in Vietnam earlier this year, we hosted the inaugural Tech in Asia Conference Kuala Lumpur, held in partnership with MyStartup by Cradle. Over 1,800 attendees joined us from July 24 to 25 at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur to unpack the conference theme – “Malaysia on the rise.”

Malaysia has emerged as an exciting startup ecosystem, and the conference brought together the best and brightest of Malaysia’s – and Southeast Asia’s – tech scene to highlight the key opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for the country, as well as the larger role it plays in the region’s tech growth.

On top of curated networking events, a dedicated exhibition floor, and opportunities for startups to showcase their innovations, we also had a slate of insightful stage sessions, with some 70 speakers coming in to share their perspectives.

A key highlight was a speech by Chang Lih Kang, Malaysia’s minister for science, technology and information. He discussed the country’s efforts to drive startup growth domestically and beyond, with Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, spearheading the ASEAN Startup Initiative.

Local champions also took center stage. Eric Cheng, CEO of used-car marketplace Carsome, shared his journey of building Malaysia’s first unicorn, and Kamarulazaman Muhamed, founder and group CEO of drone tech firm Aerodyne, weighed in on navigating change and seizing new opportunities in the drone tech sector.

We also featured leaders from regional companies and notable VCs, such as

• Dione Song, CEO of Love Bonito
• Moses Lo, co-founder and CEO of Xendit
• Joel Neoh, co-founder of Fave and founding partner at First Move Fund
• Khailee Ng of 500 Global
• Carmen Yuen of Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India

TIA Conference KL also saw the return of our flagship Startup Arena Pitch Battle, where five startups went head-to-head. For the first time ever, it featured Star Mentors – leaders in the tech scene who guided the startups as they prepared for the competition.

Biotech firm Entomal emerged as champion, walking away with the grand prize, which included over US$11,000 in Stripe credits, Sunway iLabs office hours, and other exciting benefits.

There’s a lot that went down at TIA Conference KL – let’s get into the numbers.

Feeling FOMO because you missed out on our Kuala Lumpur conference? Worry not – you can still get in on the action by joining us at our flagship Tech in Asia Conference in Jakarta from October 23 to 24.

Held at the Ritz Carlton Pacific Place, the event will feature two days of dynamic conversations, insightful stage sessions, focused networking opportunities, and all things tech in Asia. Get your tickets today!

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