We talked to RISE founder about D-NEXT, their 12-week startup bootcamp in collaboration with PTT Digital.

In the race for innovation, Southeast Asia is catching up. In the Global Innovation Index of 2017, six countries in the region namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam are actively improving their innovation ecosystems and have managed to rank high in a number of indicators related to education, R&D, and productivity.

The region has a long way to go but enterprises, groups, and organisations are up for the challenge.

According to RISE Founder Dr Supachai Kid Parchariyanon, with Southeast Asia being the third largest labor market in the world with an increasing number of people using digital innovation, it’s no wonder that the digital economy has increased to US$50 billion.

It is with this advantage – and opportunity – that D-NEXT was launched.

Innovate faster

Aiming to “Digitalize Your Venture to the Next Level”, D-NEXT is the first Thai accelerator-led programme to accept startups from all over the world.

“We are not a typical accelerator who will help you grow your business but we have the right access to corporate clients and partners as we’ve been working one fifth of the publicly-traded companies in the country by market capitalization.” Parchariyanon said.

The programme includes a 12-week bootcamp conducted by RISE, where guest speakers will be coming in to give special mentoring sessions and workshops that would help startups in their business.

Also read: Thailand’s D-NEXT provides free acceleration for zero equity in your startup

Participants will also be benefiting from the resources of PTT, said Parchariyanon. “With PTT’s support, startups will be able to learn from different experts in different areas that would help them to setup their businesses. PTT is ready to open to any opportunities and ready to support startups in the best way possible.”

Apart from mentoring and workshops, selected startups will also have access to RISE and PTT Digital corporate partners, regional media and marketing opportunities, free-coworking space for the duration of the programme, and other perks like accommodation budget and free credits from AWS, Google Cloud, and more.

Since the goal of D-NEXT is to drive not only faster innovation but also long-term growth, startups who undergo the bootcamp will have ongoing support for six months after the programme and access to a global community of growth-stage founders and mentors, all at no equity taken.

Going regional

The D-NEXT programme is open to any startup with a solid product and who are ready to scale their business.

“We are bringing in more startups, more VCs, and more awareness to Thailand,” Parchariyanon said. “Our goal is to make Thailand a digital hub of Southeast Asia, and move the country towards the 4.0 era.”

Startups looking to join should be aligned to either of the two themes of the programme. The first is alignment with PTT strategic initiatives. “Any startup that can improve sales, reduce cost, or improve profitability of PTT Group has a higher chance to get into our programme,” Parchariyanon said.

Also read: Thailand is planning to give free internet to the poor

Of course, startups looking to transform businesses are also encouraged to join. “We are currently living in the age of transformation where technology is moving very fast. Corporates today need to be able to catch up with them. We are looking for startups to help corporates not only to help them directly to their business, but help them prepare and give them the tools to be able to tackle and handle the fast-evolving changes.”

Specifically, the D-NEXT programme invites startups working in the following spaces:

• IoT and embedded software

• Data Analytics / Big Data

• E-commerce

• Retail

• Data Science

• IT Solution

• AI / Machine Learning

• Cyber Security

• Cloud Computing

• Logistics

• Energy Management & Solution

“The most important thing we are looking for in startups is the commitment to scaling their businesses in Thailand and internationally, and the passion to actually make a difference in the world,” Parchariyanon said.

Pivot and persevere

When asked of qualities that make for long-term success, Parchariyanon mentions two things: pivot and persevere.

“Before becoming successful, startups will need to learn how to how to face the obstacles and challenges which they will face. They need to be ready to make changes and pivot, keep finding solutions that will enable their success.”

Parchariyanon tells startups that the first solution may not work right away or at all – a reality acknowledged by the programme, evident in the offer of continued support 6 months after. The programme. “We are ready to help startups connect with our network partners globally and give any advice on how to improve their businesses.”

The D-NEXT Programme will be held in Thailand. Applications are accepted today until March 9, 2018.

For more information, visit the D-NEXT page.

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