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Patrick Grove, Richard Branson and Steve Wozniak in search for talent in APAC

They want to find Asia Pacific’s top tech superstars. What does that mean, and should you participate?

The search is on. Malaysia’s Catcha Group CEO Patrick Grove will be joining the likes of Virgin Group’s Sir Richard Branson and Apple’s Steve Wozniak to scour talent in Asia Pacific, as part of the 2014 Talent Unleashed Awards.

Patrick Grove, CEO, Catcha Group
Patrick Grove, CEO, Catcha Group

Patrick Grove, CEO, Catcha Group

The programme, organised by Australia-based recruitment company Talent International, is now in its second year. The company provides IT&T (Information technology and telecommunications) recruitment services to companies in Asia Pacific and Europe.

The 2013 Winner of Talent Unleashed, Duncan Ward, published his story on the official website. His non-profit organisation Classroom of Hope gives children in third world country the access to education.

While Talent Unleashed sounds like a good way to uncover hidden treasure, is the programme only for technology startups?

An official release noted that Patrick Grove is joining Richard Branson and Steve Wozniak to find technology superstars. However, Classroom of Hope seems more like a typical non-profit organisation which uses the Internet to raise funds for its non-technology driven programmes (building a school). Are children using technology to learn now? That was unstated. It will definitely be enlightening to see how this programme will showcase bright tech talent, and not just talent who use technology.

Other judges include Clifford Rosenberg, Managing Director for LinkedIn Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia; Joel Neoh, CEO at Groupon Malaysia and Taiwan, and Co-Founder of Youth Asia; and Richard Earl, Founder and Managing Director, Talent International.

In the official statement, Grove was quoted as saying, “Talent Unleashed … not only provides entrepreneurs with a chance to be recognised for the transformative work that they have produced for their community or industry, but it puts them in front of some of the most influential entrepreneurs alive today.”

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Of course, he added that he wished such opportunities were available back in the day. For the record, he had started Catcha in 1999, which only became profitable after seven long years.

Applicants interested to take part in the 2014 Talent Unleashed Awards should take note that there are a total of six awards: Rising Star, Inspirational Leadership, Best Startup, Digital Content, Community Impact, and People’s Choice.

The winners will be announced in an awards ceremony in Sydney Australia in July, and will gain a place at a five-day business innovation workshop at the Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship in South Africa. Entries close 10PM Malaysia Time (MYT), May 20, 2014.

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