Southeast Asia is entering a new phase of growth with Singapore as its epicentre. Find out what the hype is about at the upcoming Singapore Tech Forum

My job requires me to have regular conversations with key decision makers of Multinational Companies and fast growing start-ups to discuss business growth strategies in Asia and implementation plans. In these conversations, we often find ourselves talking about Southeast Asia, one of the fastest growing region in Asia.

What's the big deal, you ask?

In addition to being home of a growth market of over 600 million people, Southeast Asia also has easy access to 60% of the world’s population. No wonder that since 2012, the top 10 unicorns in the region have created a combined market value of US$34bil! Bain & Company expects this momentum to sustain over the next 5 years to reach deal values of US$70bil as more start-ups join their ranks.

These headlines figures don’t begin to do justice of what the region can offer for companies and individuals. For that, we need more in-depth and open dialogues. For that, we are bringing back the Singapore Tech Forum for the second year running! Whether you’re looking for market opportunities for your business or insights on how Singapore’s dynamic tech ecosystem can support the global ambitions of individuals, this is the place to learn and network.

Here are three more reasons why you shouldn’t miss out on this opportunity.

1) Be inspired by the best!

Hobnob with prominent founders such as Stripe’s co-founder and CEO, Patrick Collison; Grab’s co-founder Tan Hooi Ling – a Southeast Asian start-up that has been promoted to decacorn status after acquiring Uber’s regional business; online marketplace Carousell’s founder Quek Siu Rui; fashion start-up Zilingo’s CEO Ankiti Bose; business chat platform Zopim’s founder Wenxiang Wu; and live-streaming platform Bigo’s founder Jason Hu!

This year we will also have a special guest appearance by Singapore Ministers Heng Swee Keat (Minister for Finance) and Vivian Balakrishnan (Minister-in-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative and Minister for Foreign Affairs) who will also share their vision for the Smart Nation initiative and its potential impact on the country and region.

2) Learn to navigate Southeast Asia like a boss

There are massive opportunities to build solutions for 600 million people. In dollar terms, its internet economy will be worth US$240b by 2025. Great rewards come with risks. To maximise your chances of winning, you need innovation ecosystem, financial infrastructure, market insights, and talent.

But let’s get specific! We have put in place six panels in the afternoon to help find answers to questions that matter, such as:

What are the market trends in the region?

You can tap on the brains of the technology investors, Temasek’s MD of Digital Technology Group Mark Lim, and GIC’s chief Technology officer Wu Choy Peng to find out the new market and technology trends in the region and where companies are finding their next inspiration and growth.

How to play the region’s diversity to your advantage?

This will be one of the many questions answered by Shopee’s head of regional operations and people team Lim Teck Yong and Google’s engineering payments lead David Ko. It is moderated by Cheryl Sew Hoy, entrepreneur-in-residence at the Silicon Valley Bank.

How can Singapore help me achieve my goals?

Top tech leaders from GovTech, AIDA, SP Digital, and many more will hold open and frank discussions on the challenges faced as they tackle this region and insights gleaned as they try to unlock its market potential from Singapore.

3) Multiply your network and unleash your own potential

This year’s forum will be attended by more than 40 tech movers and shakers from Singapore and SF Bay Area, and not to mention a great opportunity to mingle with more than 700 like-minded tech professionals.

Get to know Tech leaders from prominent US companies setting up cutting-edge engineering and product teams in Singapore. Hear first-hand from their engineering and business leaders the type of talent they are looking for in Southeast Asia and the skills you would need to succeed. Google Payments lead David Ko, Indeed.com engineering director Jordan Dea-Mattson, and Facebook director of privacy products David Baser are just some of the people who will hold the stage and walk the ground on that day.

Our tech executives and mentors are passionate about their work, and are looking forward to sharing their career journey and potential job opportunities across sectors in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Finally, wind down the day with your fellow participants over a pint and get to know your fellow Southeast Asians better. Hopefully, these conversations continue beyond the Forum and please feel free to ping me for your thoughts and suggestions!

See you there!

Kelvin Zin is Regional Vice President for Singapore Economic Development Board based in Redwood City, California. One of the organizers for Singapore Tech Forum 2019 taking place on April 20 in San Francisco, he is also the moderator for one of the panel sessions, Tales of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, at the Forum. Sign up here to meet Kelvin at the event!  #techmetoSG #techtalent