Here’s how are we building the Founders Stage at Echelon Asia Summit 2018

For most people, the West, or to be more precise, Silicon Valley, is seen as the cradle of technological innovation. Tech luminaries such as Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Larry Page have all cut their teeth there. And every year, budding entrepreneurs from across the globe make a kind of pilgrimage to that Southern region in San Francisco to meet potential partners, launch startups, or just soak in the vibe.

But this trend is shifting. One feels the gales of change blowing eastwards. Thanks to a gob of private sector and government support, as well as Southeast Asian entrepreneurs who drank Silicon Valley’s ‘anything’s possible’ Kool-Aid and were eager to bring that home, the Southeast Asian story, is becoming as, if not more, pivotal as the Western narrative.

Here at e27, empowering entrepreneurs and evangelising local markets are core components of our ethos; we want to bring to fore the heroes and trendsetters of the regional tech ecosystem.

To accomplish this, we provide a platform for them to let their voices be heard. At our yearly Echelon Asia Summit, a tech conference we have been running since 2010, we have invited founders to share (candidly) how they think about the growth of their companies, war stories and where their companies are headed at the Founders Stage. Here is why we believe this is crucial for all stakeholders in the ecosystem.

We have a responsibility to present the ecosystem in the right light — and we are not afraid to think different

We want to showcase startups and founders that are relevant to the ecosystem. This is important because Echelon Asia Summit is a conference where stakeholders in the ecosystem — from corporates to entrepreneurs and investors — gather to check out the Who’s Who in the industry; the entrepreneurs who are the movers and shakers; and the potential disruptors.

In a nutshell, the Founders stage is a pulpit for entrepreneurs to share how exactly their companies are going to grow and evolve in the ever-changing Southeast Asia tech landscape, their struggles and the lessons they learned along the way, with all stakeholders in the ecosystem.

Now, we don’t claim to be soothsayers. Not every startup who takes the Founders Stage would become successful companies. We all know that startup-building has a 90 per cent failure rate, and so, it’s only natural that some of these guys would fall off the wayside.

But that is not what this is about.

The goal of the Founders Stage was never about just showing off the flashiest and most eye-catching companies; it was never about featuring just the champions. It is easy to pay a Silicon Valley investor to attend Echelon and give some high-level advice, which you can already read in his book. That helps us sell tickets, and we can use his quotes about “attending the best tech conference in Asia” to milk future ticket sales.

Instead, it’s about showcasing all companies whose business propositions and stories matter and add value to the ecosystem.

We aspire to provide a myriad of viewpoints from startups across different verticals to keep conversations balanced. A cybersecurity company may not be as interesting or palatable as a startup that makes AI-powered dildos, for example, but both provide equal value in the markets they aim to target. Both, in their own way, help to advance the growth of the landscape, and we have a responsibility to the ecosystem to make this happen.

At the end of the day, you never know which underdog would end up striking pay dirt.

To give you an example, four years ago, a then little-known startup called 99.co exhibited at the conference. At that point, it had raised a modest US$560,000 in funding. Today, it has over US$10 million in its war chest and has its branding plastered all over a commercial jet. Pretty impressive, huh?

Women in tech matter (seriously!)

Last year’s sexual harassment scandals was a watershed moment for the tech industry. It was a shameful moment that forced everyone to reckon with the elephant in the room — the industry’s patriarchal structure and gender imbalances that still exist in tech companies.

Over the past years, we have strived to make Echelon Asia Summit an inclusive event. That mission has not changed; instead, it is now more imperative than ever. Using the Founders Stage, we want to make a greater effort to give voice to female tech entrepreneurs and leaders. There is ample research to suggest that a more inclusive environment makes for better productivity and a healthier and stronger company culture. We want you to hold us accountable to this.

There is still a lack of women representation in STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields — especially in Southeast Asia. There needs to be more female leaders in this space so future generations have role models to look up to.

We want to play our part in creating a world where young women pursuing STEM roles do not have to worry about a glass ceiling or any other gender-bias barriers. Showcasing women founders is just one way we believe we can make this happen.

Southeast Asia is fragmented and we need to dig deeper

Southeast Asia is a heterogeneous and fragmented region. There are many markets, each with their own localised pain points to tackle. We want to ensure that the Founders Stage provides an equal opportunity for entrepreneurs from each of these countries to present their case. It is easy to obsess about Singapore as a fundraising hub or Indonesia as a massive market opportunity, but we need to better showcase the other regions.

This is important as the ecosystem has to grow as a whole together. For the whole region to succeed, no one should get left behind. We have other services and programmes, such as our Market Access, and TOP100 qualifiers, to facilitate collaborations and deals between stakeholders from different markets so the ecosystem can evolve holistically.

At that end of the day, we believe that the time is ripe for Southeast Asia entrepreneurs to rise, to not play second fiddle to those in Silicon Valley and to take the global stage.

The founders should be the drivers of this change. They, who understand the intricacies and challenges of the ecosystem, will be able to set the tone for its future growth and provide critical insights for upcoming trends. They will drive the narrative and e27 will be the conduit for them to channel their messages.

—

The post Why we will make diversity and regional stories focal points at Echelon Asia Summit appeared first on e27.