(Open to all, limited capacity, first come, first serve)
Fast and intense, for startups, innovators, investors and anyone interested in the startup ecosystem. A great place to hear interesting stories, exchange lessons, trade secrets and build relationships and networks.
Venue: Cassia Junior Ballroom, Level 3, Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre
1:00 PM – 1:10 PM
Kick Off
Yeoh Siew Hoon
Founder
WiT
Pete Comeau
Managing Director
Phocuswright
1:10 PM – 1:40 PM
Founders: The Next Generation
Online travel is almost 30 years old, with Expedia and Booking.com founding in 1996. In Asia, it took off in the early 2000s and it took a special kind of founder to build the first generation of online travel businesses. Perhaps you had to be a bit of maverick, fearless, tough, street-smart because you were entering uncharted territory. Then came the second generation of founders – who built new businesses as well as bigger ones on top of markets that had already been created – savvier, investor-smart, a different kind of grit, perhaps? As we enter the Next Generation of digital travel, what kind of founders and entrepreneurs will be needed?
Ethan Lin
CEO & Co-founder
Klook
Ittai Chorev
Chief Product Officer
Agoda
Paulina Klotzbücher
CEO & Co-founder
GlydePay
1:40 PM – 2:05 PM
Around The World of WiT
Top trends to watch from the various WiT editions around the world, in 5 minutes each.
Africa
Linda Scott-Hayward
Commercial Manager
Travelstart / Innovation City Cape Town
Japan
Kei Shibata
Co-founder & CEO
Venture Republic – TRAVEL.jp & Trip101 Travel
South Korea
Sunny Chang
Director, Global Business Development
Tidesquare
2:05 PM – 2:15 PM
Open Space
2:15 PM – 2:45 PM
Investors’ Talk: Funding The Next Generation
It takes a village to raise a child, so goes an old saying. Well, it also takes an eco-system to raise a startup. We find out how investors are thinking about future opportunities in their regions and sectors, as well as trying to build eco-systems to inspire and nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Roger Sharp
Tech Chair, Webjet, Iress, Lotto/
Founder, North Ridge Partners, TQ
Stephen Snyder
Managing Director, Operations & Partnerships
JetBlue Ventures
Tina Di Cicco
Board Member, Manila Angel Investors Network/
Co-founder, Avaya Ventures/Partner, Investible
2:45 PM – 3:05 PM
Coffee Chat: Seeking Meaning in Sophie
Meet the dynamic duo behind Seek Sophie, a platform to “uncover the unexpected”. Theirs is also an unexpected story – a name which literally came from obscurity pre-pandemic to now one of the most mentioned brands in South-east Asia when it comes to local unique experiences that change lives. Well, that’s the co-founders’ intent. Find out their story in this session and how they will continue to seek out travel gems, without sacrificing purpose.
Jacinta Lim
CEO & Co-founder
Seek Sophie
Lina Gedvilaite
COO & Co-founder
Seek Sophie
3:05 PM – 3:30 PM
Global Startup Showcase
We put the spotlight on the startups that have come through our Global Startup Pitch, run by WiT and Phocuswright.
Moderator:
Pete Comeau
Managing Director
Phocuswright
3:30 PM
It’s A Wrap