RISE 2019 – a jam-packed programme for attendees
The first day at RISE (July 9) was frenetic and whether you were catching up with keynote speakers such as Thuan Pham (Uber),Will Gaybrick at Stripe, Pau Loo (Cathay Pacific Airways), Jessica Spence at Carlsberg or hear Tony Fernandes emaphasizing the importance of his employees to growth – there was something for everyone at the main Centre Stage.
If that was not enough for attendees it was all happening concurrently at the Venture stage which was standing room only.Those eager to learn more about AI and robotics, uncovering unicorns, where the VCs are investing for the future or, accelerating your first idea – these were some of the panel sessions covered.
Various lounges created for attendees at the event were brimming with meetings – many arranged via the RISE App which also helped in creating individual schedules in a jam packed programme. The conference main sessions, round tables and other event schedules were all listed in the App and you just had to select where you wanted to be and refer to it throughout the day to make sure you did not miss out. Nice to see the Women In Tech Lounge launching this year and buzzing throughout the day.
Roundtables – with a more intimate style for participants to engage with the speakers were also overfilling for those gleaning key insights and specific answers. Donald Lacey, COO & MD of Ping An Global Voyager Fund engaged with startups and those who had already sought first stage funding to learn more about the process and what questions need to be asked before jumping in with a big corporate venture capitalist (CVC).
The pitch stage showcased short and sharp presentations and provided insights to the pain points being covered with entrepreneurs from around the globe and listening to the questions from investors. Great for those attending who wanted to see how it is done …and some very interesting pitches.
Paddy Cosgrave, CEO and co-Founder of RISE would have to be pleased with the turnout and the energy abounding at the venue on day 1 and it looks to continue throughout the event this week. RISE is now in its fifth year and the biggest technology event in Asia. More than 16,000 attendees and 375 speakers from different verticals are attending.
At his press conference held yesterday, Innovation Hong Kong asked Paddy if there were any trends he could see from investors at this year’s conference in terms of who they wanted to meet with…and here are the top ten that investors selected:
Axinan – an InsurTech startup based out of Singapore with full-stack capabilities to create and distribute digital insurance products for the internet economy.
Albam – a payroll human capital management (HCM) service for SMBs based in Seoul who raised 2.5 million in a third round of Series A funding this year.
Kaodim – an online service marketplace that helps their customers to find the right service providers for hire based in Selangor, Malaysia.
WOWBID -a live stream auction marketplace featuring unique products & services based in Jakarta, Indonesia. The company raised 5 million in seed funding in April of this year.
Apoidea Group – a technology company focusing on identifying and presenting valuable business information. Based in Hong Kong.
Aqumon – an algorithm-driven, technology-based investment platform based in Hong Kong.
Butler – a hospitality and real estate management services company that helps to deliver greater convenience to people and businesses. They operate in Singapore.
Haulio – is for businesses to get their containers moved. Their slogan is ‘Together, We Cargo Faster’. They are based in Singapore.
Madeforgoods – a SaaS solution for B2B packaged goods companies which was founded in Shanghai. They had a series A funding round in Feb of this year raising 3 million.
Saphron -aims to make insurance more accessible to everyone making the process of buying insurance simple convenient and fun. They operate in Manila,Philippines.
Events are also being organised around RISE and one that Innovation Hong Kong attended on July 8 was the Explorium “Night Salon” by the Li & Fung Group at Uma Nota in Central. This was a very well thought out event and round tables were arranged with attendees, led by Anthony Liu, Swire Properties, Tiffany Wan, Tencent and Tak Lo, Zeroth guiding discussion and sharing valuable insights. This event was very successful with praise going to Mikkel and Marco from Explorium for putting this together and networking with all attending.
There is definitely something for everyone at RISE to immerse in – just get out there and explore !
