SINGAPORE, July 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The first Spark Founders Summit will be held on 3 August, simultaneously in Hong Kong and Singapore, to connect startup founders with policymakers, enterprises, investors to harness thought leadership and best practices, and to amplify innovation that matters to all. The summit aspires to generate a positive impact on the socio-economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19.
Spark Founders Summit to be held on 3 August in Singapore and Hong Kong
Supported by governments of Hong Kong and Singapore as efforts to boost economic recovery, the hybrid event brings together government agencies, venture capitalists, enterprises, and unicorn founders across APAC. Dialogues and discussions will center on innovation and startups ecosystem cultivation in the region.
More than 300 local tech startups and 50 plus venture capitalists are expected to join the event on site. Speakers from unicorns such as Klook, Carro, and Golden Gate Ventures will share their insights and perspectives on building great businesses and gaining opportunities to network with investors, enterprises, and other like-minded individuals.
The Spark founders will also use the opportunity to share its successes in the past year. Huawei, as one of the supporters of the program, will announce new initiatives to support the tech startups ecosystem.
Leveraging Huawei’s comprehensive tech stack, global innovations, and expansive network of business partners, the Spark Program is an accelerator initiative launched in 2020 for tech startups that have a business in the Asia Pacific, aiming to cultivate the startups ecosystem and accelerate digital economy development in the region.
To date, Huawei Spark has boasted a portfolio of about 40 startups, anchored in countries and regions like Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Malaysia, where the program has been launched. Owing to its success, the program will soon be launched in Sri Lanka, followed by Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam to complement existing ecosystem.
In 2020, Asia’s startup economy outpaced previous years to account for 30% of the global startup economy, valued at $3 trillion. While APAC as a whole has advanced over the years, economic and social disparity remains a growing concern. Startups can create value that goes beyond its customers to have a far-reaching impact on the economic and societal developments in countries in which they operate.
"Particularly high-growth ones, startups can stimulate job creation to drive economic recovery and growth in today’s pandemic-stricken landscape. To address a talent crunch in the region, Huawei works with government agencies to develop program to groom ICT talents and raise the overall digital literacy and competency levels," said Leo Jiang, Chief Digital Officer at Huawei Cloud Asia Pacific.
Tapping on Huawei’s rich experience and technological capabilities, the Spark Program empowers startups to contribute to local communities and societies to help bridge the digital and social divide.
"Startups can have a prominent effect on industries and enable them to transform from being labor-intensive to knowledge-based, service-centric industries," said Leo. "Instead of being home to a few countries that enjoy tech dominance, APAC as a whole can emerge as a stronger region globally."
