Tech in Asia Conference 2022 – the reunion we’ve been waiting for

It’s that time of the year again – the annual Tech in Asia Conference is back!

The 11th edition of our conference – our largest annual flagship event for Asia’s tech and startup community – is titled “Southeast Asia: Built to last” and will be hosted in-person in Jakarta on September 15 (update: SOLD OUT) and in Singapore from September 21 to 22, with a free, full stream of the Singapore Main Stage available for those who can’t make it down to the venue.

We’re glad to be bringing Tech in Asia Conference back into the real world – while still leveraging the strengths we’ve developed in hosting virtual events – with this year’s hybrid format. Our goal this year is to reunite as much of the tech community as possible, which is why our premium subscribers can join us at Marina Bay Sands or virtually for free.

Over the past 10 years, we’ve been able to gather more than 100,000 people at our in-person conferences in Singapore, Jakarta, Bangalore, Tokyo as well as on virtual platforms. We’ve brought in over 120,000 attendees, 2,000-plus speakers, and over 1,000 sponsors who have supported us on our mission of connecting Asia’s tech and startup ecosystem.

This year, we’re thrilled to host over 10,000 participants in our hybrid event to foster exciting opportunities for our community to reunite after two years.

To help founders, investors, corporate leaders, and other participants maximize the experience, we’re hosting several flagship events within the conference. These include:

• Speed Dating (Jakarta, Singapore)
  • Organized in partnership with Brick, Speed Dating is a signature segment designed to help investors and founders explore significant prospects and funding opportunities. We’ll match founders and investors for meetings in order to facilitate discussions that could lead to great outcomes.
• Startup Factory (Jakarta, Singapore)
  • In partnership with Amazon Web Services, Aspire, and YouBiz, we’re bringing back Startup Factory, the tech trade show segment of the conference. More than 200 of the region’s most promising and dynamic startups will get to showcase their innovative products throughout the event to thousands of participants.
• Startup Arena (Singapore)
  • A community favorite, Startup Arena will be the grand finale of the Conference, where five founders focused on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues will take the Main Stage to pitch to a panel of investor-judges for major prizes sponsored by East Ventures. This is the second year in a row that the venture capital firm is shining the spotlight on ESG startups via Startup Arena.

We’ve also got a slate of prestigious speakers who will be sharing their insights at the event, such as:

• Pratik Gandhi, co-founder and COO, Nium
• Rameez Ansar, co-founder and Director, Circles Life
• Jenny Lee, managing partner, GGV Capital
• Akshay BD, advisor for international expansion, Solana Foundation
• Genping Liu, venture partner, Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India
• Julian Hosp, co-founder and CEO, Cake DeFi
• Greg Krasnov, founder and CEO, Tonik
• Alex Svanevik, co-founder and CEO, Nansen
• Lim Wai Mun, founder and CEO, Doctor Anywhere
• Gabby Dizon, co-founder, Yield Guild Games
• Basil Lui, managing partner for emerging technology and healthcare, EDBI
• Leon Sing Foong, head of Asia-Pacific market, Binance
• Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman, Animoca Brands
• Rachel Lim, co-founder, Love Bonito
• Martha Sazon, president and CEO, GCash
• Hian Goh, founding partner, Openspace
• Kabir Narang, founding general partner, B Capital
• Binh Tran, general partner, Ascend Vietnam Ventures
• Caecilia Chu, co-founder and CEO, YouTrip
• Moehammad Ichsan, co-founder and CEO, Octopus Indonesia
• Vicknesh R Pillay, founding partner, TNB Aura
• Janil Puthucheary, senior minister of state, Ministry of Communications and Information
• Tessa Wijaya, co-founder and COO, Xendit
• Lawrence Crowther, head of solutions engineering APJ, Snyk
• Philip Effendy, vice president of operations, Xurya
• Charles Ferguson, general manager (APAC), Globalization Partners
• Achmad Alkatiri, founder and CEO, HypeFast
• Marie Cheong, founding partner, Wavemaker Impact
• Wilson Cuaca, co-founder and managing partner, East Ventures
• Aung Kyaw Moe, founder and CEO, 2C2P

Of course, this conference would not be possible without the support of our sponsors – especially JobStreet by Seek Asia, which is joining us for the second year running as the Conference’s title sponsor – who are instrumental in bringing Asia’s tech and startup community together:

Built to last

The theme for this year’s conference is “Southeast Asia: Built to last.” The most recent conference themes have been nothing but positive: Last year, we looked at the region’s Global Debut, and before that we explored its Golden Age. So for this year, we’re bringing in industry leaders, experts, and changemakers who will be diving into what the future holds for Southeast Asia.

Over the last decade, the region has grown tremendously and produced incredible startups that have completely transformed the way people live and work. However, as Southeast Asia enters the next stage of maturity as a startup ecosystem, it’s got lots of soul-searching to do.

See also: The SEA startup landscape: then, now, and what’s next

The aftermath of the pandemic, coupled with a bear market, rising inflation rates, and a potential recession, have created headwinds for the region. Granted, startup funding remains high, key verticals like ecommerce and fintech are growing steadily, and new technologies like blockchain are gaining traction. But the truth is, Southeast Asia is facing a looming crisis, and its tech scene needs to ensure that the right foundations are in place so it can weather the storm and come out ahead.

The entire ecosystem remains optimistic about Southeast Asia – we wouldn’t be here otherwise. However, we’re also being realistic about what hurdles are standing in its way. Ahead of the conference, we’ll be taking a closer look at the state of affairs in the region as well as the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, be sure to get your conference tickets to join us at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore (note: Priority Passes are sold out and General Passes are selling fast!). We’re looking forward to reconnecting, having insightful discussions, and facilitating the development of great ideas that will help propel Southeast Asia forward.