The Tech in Asia Tour is coming to <em>namma Bengaluru</em> next. You’re invited!

The Tech in Asia Tour is coming to India for the first time, and we’re heading straight to the tech hub of the country, Bangalore, on March 31. This is the last leg of our 10-city prelude to the flagship conference, Tech in Asia Singapore, where you can rub shoulders with the who’s who of the startup world.

The tour is where we handpick some of the coolest young startups from all over Asia to join us at our Singapore conference. So book your seats now to see demos from ten Indian finalists vying for a free trip to Tech in Asia Singapore 2015 on May 6 and 7, hear our international panel of judges give feedback, and meet other entrepreneurs toying with disruptive ideas.

The event will kick off at 7:00 pm in Bangalore’s TechHub with a lively discussion between three high-profile venture capitalists: Japan’s Takeshi Ebihara, founder of Rebright Partners; Indonesia’s Yasuhiro Seo, general manager of IMJ Investment Partners, and India’s Sid Talwar, co-founder of Lightbox VC. The trio, with their experience in working with startups in different parts of Asia, will share insights on expanding to new markets, scaling up ventures in Asia, and fundraising. They will judge the pitches, analyze what works and what doesn’t, and pick the winner. And yes, they will stick around to network with the attendees as well.

The winner will fly with us to Singapore and enjoy a prize package that includes return airfare, event passes, and an exhibition booth at our conference.

We have already toured Jakarta, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul, and Kuala Lumpur and picked the winners from each of those cities. We saved the best for last. Now, it’s Bangalore’s turn to show off its tech mettle.

We have two terrific partners for the event in Bangalore: 10,000 Startups, an initiative by India’s top tech industry body Nasscom, and TechHub Bangalore, an arm of the UK-headquartered community and workspace for tech entrepreneurs.

The Tech in Asia Tour Bangalore registration page can be found here. Be there if you’re an entrepreneur or dream to be one some day. Even if you’re an established startup star, or a newbie in the startup world, it’s a unique opportunity for pan-Asian networking and insights.

Namma Bengaluru, as locals fondly refer to “Our Bangalore,” has become a melting pot for tech and entrepreneurship, inspired by Silicon Valley. Now it’s time to make it a place where East meets West.

Venue

TechHub Bangalore

Agenda

6:30pm-7:00pm: Registration
7:00pm-7:05pm: Welcome by Tech in Asia
7:05pm-8:15pm: Pitches by Startups (5 mins pitch, 5 mins Q&A)
8:15pm-8:30pm: Peek Into Judges’ Backstage Discussion
8:30pm-8:45pm: Announcement and Closing
8:45pm-9:30pm: Networking

Judges

Takeshi Ebihara founded Rebright Partners in 2008, an early stage VC, backed by Japanese tech corporations. Rebright was focused on Southeast Asia until recently, when it decided go for Indian startups as well. Ebihara first started his career in 1994 at JAFCO, one of the largest venture capital firms in Japan. He is also a seasoned entrepreneur, who has founded and managed several internet companies, including a few which were listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange. He is a mentor at the Founder Institute and a board member of many startup companies in Southeast Asia and Japan.

Siddharth Talwar is co-founder and partner with Lightbox. He too has an entrepreneur’s heart. Talwar moved to India in 2001 to found Evolv, a vocational training company funded by Singapore Technologies – their first early stage investment in the sub-continent. Over the next six years, Talwar grew Evolv to 300 employees training and assessing over 20,000 people a year across 200 cities in South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East. In 2007, he sold Evolv to NIIT – Asia’s largest training company. He worked with NIIT for the next three years, heading Evolv, as well as Litmus and Uniqua (NIIT’s foray into assessments and JV with Genpact). Over ten years, Sid became a master in edtech, especially in the context of India, Southeast Asia, and emerging markets. Over the next few years leading up to Lightbox, he has advised several startups, angel funds, and an NGO called Magic Bus. He recently launched a restaurant, The Hungry Monkey in Delhi.

Yasuhiro Seo is a Jakarta-based venture capitalist and currently is the general manager of IMJ Investment Partners. Yasuhiro takes charge of investment in startups all over Southeast Asia. As of February 2015, IMJ Investment Partners has made 13 investments in two years. Bukalapak, mClinica, Orori, Zipmatch, and Urbanindo are some of them. Yasuhiro previously managed web development projects in a digital agency, IMJ Corp after majoring in broadcasting from San Francisco State University.