J-STORIES – Singapore grew to become the epicenter of innovation this week because it hosted SWITCH 2024, one in all Asia’s largest startup occasions, from Oct.28 to 30. The occasion attracted over 25,000 members, together with entrepreneurs, buyers, and business leaders from all over the world.
SWITCH, one in all Asia’s most established startup occasions, drew over 20,000 members from all over the world. Supply: J-Tales (Similar beneath)
Now in its ninth yr, SWITCH, brief for the Singapore Week of Innovation & Know-how, serves as a platform for startups to discover international growth and foster worldwide collaborations. Whereas many attendees hailed from Asia — together with Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia — the occasion additionally featured members from each nook of the world with representatives from international locations akin to Germany, Spain, Norway, Estonia, India, Brazil, and Qatar internet hosting classes and highlighting the occasion’s worldwide attraction.
Singapore’s authorities has been instrumental in organizing SWITCH yearly, aligning with its strategic aim to transition from a monetary hub to a deep-tech hub. In a current transfer, the federal government introduced a further funding of $440 million in home deep-tech startups by enterprise capital, bringing the full funding since 2017 to just about $1 billion.
Entrepreneurs and authorities officers from throughout Asia related past borders and industries, exploring prospects for collaboration and worldwide growth.
Asia’s inventory exchanges vie for future unicorns
The occasion additionally attracted stakeholders from varied sectors, together with authorities officers, buyers, and representatives from main inventory exchanges throughout Asia with bourse representatives from Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan presenting their distinctive market itemizing benefits.
Earlier this yr, the Tokyo Inventory Trade launched its “Asia Startup Hub” initiative, which goals to assist promising Asian startups—together with these from Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam—in itemizing on the Tokyo market.
A facet occasion featured a seminar on the advantages of itemizing in Taiwan, with insights from the Taiwan Inventory Trade and enterprise capital representatives.
In the meantime, the Taiwan Inventory Trade promoted Taiwan as a startup-friendly market by facet occasions, specializing in its distinctive benefits to IPO-seeking entrepreneurs. Officers emphasised decrease prices, sooner timelines for itemizing in Taiwan, and simpler entry to additional capital post-IPO, interesting to founders inquisitive about speedy, cost-effective public choices.
Japanese cities make a definite mark
Backed by Japan’s commerce group JETRO, Japanese cities left a novel imprint at SWITCH.
A standout was Fukuoka Metropolis, which clinched the “finest sales space design” award for its “yatai”-themed sales space, the place workers in conventional yukata apparel welcomed guests. Fukuoka’s showcase was a part of a broader effort to model the town as a tech hotspot, following the success of its current “Ramen Tech” occasion.
Representatives from Japanese cities, together with Tokyo, Fukuoka, and Osaka, attended to assist startups. Fukuoka’s “yatai”-themed sales space gained the most effective design award, whereas Hokkaido College hosted a “Snow Tech” facet occasion.
Different Japanese cities, together with Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, and Sendai, have been additionally well-represented, with cubicles and facet occasions. Hokkaido College hosted a “Snow Tech” session, including a contact of seasonal aptitude and underscoring its dedication to constructing a startup ecosystem in Sapporo.
Tokyo startups obtain high 10 standing at SWITCH 2024
Two Tokyo-based startups have been among the many high 10 corporations chosen from over 5,500 rivals at SWITCH.
Menou, specializing in no-code AI for visible inspection in manufacturing, and Sonire Therapeutics, providing ultrasound-based most cancers therapy, each earned locations on this prestigious rating.
Panel discussions over the three-day occasion lined a variety of subjects, from fundraising and worldwide growth to cutting-edge quantum know-how
All through the three-day occasion, attendees engaged in panel discussions protecting subjects from enterprise financing to quantum know-how, all carried out in English to accommodate the worldwide viewers.
Enhancing by Lucas Maltzman
Prime picture by J-Tales (Toshi Maeda)
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