After acquiring Pie, Google’s Caesar Sengupta will speak at TIA SG 2016

Caesar Sengupta is the VP of product management at Google, but you might better remember him as the man responsible for bringing home the tech giant’s first acquisition in Southeast Asia, Pie. On April 13, he’ll be speaking in a keynote session and fireside chat at Tech in Asia Singapore 2016’s main stage, joining a star-studded lineup of speakers including Adi Tatarko (Houzz), Patrick Grove (Catcha Group), Takeshi Idezawa (Line Corp), Danielle Levitas (App Annie), and more.

If you’re working on a hardcore tech startup and looking to expand your exit options, or an engineer wanting to work at the big G, Caesar Sengupta is the one person you absolutely have to meet.

The acquisition of Pie was made with one specific purpose – to kickstart the engineering team that will bring Google’s next billion users online. As of now, half of the world’s population is not yet on the internet and Google doesn’t intend to let them slip by. Their game plan? Rolling out products and services in emerging markets such as India, Philippines, Indonesia, and Brazil.

Caesar oversees these projects, which include the development of Android One smartphones first initiated in 2014, bringing wifi access to train stations in India, and making Google’s Maps and Youtube accessible offline.

However, for Google to get even closer to its audience in Southeast Asia and South Asia and make this mammoth goal happen, it needs a solid team of engineers. And it’s building this key engineering hub right here in Singapore.

The decision to transform Singapore into its tech hub is significant. While the island-nation has always been a repository of talent for sales, marketing and operational hires, Silicon Valley companies have traditionally overlooked it in favor of larger neighbours such as India and Indonesia. Now that Caesar has identified Singapore with its hyper-connectivity and convenient location to build its engineering team, the technical landscape in Asia looks poised for a huge change.

Google has bought over 180 companies to date, and Pie marks the beginning of its investment in Southeast Asia. Here’s a look at five of the most successful tech acquisitions by the tech giant:

• NestLabs – acquired for US$3.2 billion (2014)
• Youtube – acquired for US$1.65 billion (2006)
• DoubleClick – acquired for US$3.1 billion (2007)
• Waze – acquired for US$966 million (2013)
• SkyBox Imaging – acquired for US$500 million (2014)

If you want to know how you can join this list of acquisitions, or be on top of Google’s big plan to build an engineering hub in Southeast Asia, grab your pass to hear from Caesar Sengupta today!

It’s the last few days to save on your passes for Tech in Asia Singapore 2016 – purchase your tickets before this Sunday, March 13 to save 10 percent off with the code tiasg10!

Catch up on the rest of our Main and Expert Stage speaker introductions for TIA SG 2016 here:

• Adi Tatarko, CEO of Houzz
• Patrick Grove, founder and CEO of Catcha Group
• Takeshi Idezawa, CEO of Line Corporation
• Danielle Levitas, SVP of research and analysis at App Annie

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Product Stage:
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Developer Stage:
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