SINGAPORE: Innovation festival, Innovfest Unbound, returns to Singapore for its fifth and largest ever edition to showcase the rising stars of tech innovation from across Southeast Asia, at Marina Bay Sands on the 27th and 28th of June 2019. The award-winning festival is the anchor event of Smart Nation Innovations, a week-long series of events promoting the nation as a leading digital economy with a rich culture of innovation.
Organised together with NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore, and supported by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Innovfest Unbound will connect scaling start-ups with the largest corporations driving innovation across the globe, promoting the potential opportunities for local, regional and international companies in the technology hub.
With more than 15,000 entrepreneurs, brands, investors, corporations, and start-ups from across Southeast Asia, and 400 exhibitors from over 100 countries attending, Innovfest Unbound is the largest corporate innovation festival in the region, pushing Singapore to the forefront of the digital economy, fostering the best possible ecosystem for success and growth.
Amongst 400 speakers across multiple stages are tech leaders such as:
- Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman of S4 Capital
- Dr Bicky Bhangu, President SEA, Rolls-Royce
- Mada Seghete, Co-Founder & Head of Marketing, Branch
- Ralph Hunter, President of Microsoft Asia
- Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer of Airbus
- Rosaline Chow, Founder & CEO of CXA Group
- Anja Hendel, Director of Innovation Management and Digital Transformation for Finance, Porsche AG
Alongside the Main Stage are deep dive stages including:
– The Arise deep tech stage presented by SGInnovate and Unbound
– Convergence, the go-to event for global marketers, brands, media owners and creative agencies
– Futurenow and Edison, curated by NUS Enterprise and showcasing the future of leading technologies throughout universities, corporations and start-ups
– Trusted AI and Services 4.0, presented by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)
– Einstein Stage, powered by Salesforce
– An innovation forum, in association with Mobility Partner Porsche
– A Workshop stage featuring content from Element AI, NCS, Dentons Rodyk, Sansan, Singtel Innov8, Huawei, Asia Pacific MSME Trade Coalition, Lanturn
Delegations of start-ups will travel to Innovfest Unbound from Kerala Start-up Mission (India), Czech Invest (Czech Republic), Jetro (Japan), German Entrepreneurship Asia, Orange Fab Asia, Startups.be (Belgium), SGInnovate, Taiwan Tech Arena and CSIRO (Australia). The exhibition will also feature start-ups from the ST Engineering Ventures portfolio, which focuses on robotics and autonomous technology, data analytics and cyber security.
New and returning for Innovfest Unbound in 2019:
New: Smart Cities Suite by JLL
Platinum Partner JLL will host an immersive space on the exhibition floor featuring thought-provoking fireside chats, as the real estate leader publishes its first Smart Cities report. Jeremy Kelly, Director of Global Research at JLL, will present pioneering research on cities and urban futures on the Innovfest Unbound Main Stage.
Unilever Foundry Start-up Battle
20 of the most promising start-ups working to revolutionise retail around the world will gather in Singapore to compete in the Unilever Foundry Start-up Battle. Five finalists will pitch on the Main Stage to win the opportunity to work with Unilever Foundry and a cash prize of SGD$ 5,000.
New: Future of Finance Start-up Battle
Together with Abu Dhabi Global Market, Innovfest Unbound will showcase the start-ups working to revolutionise finance. Six fintech start-ups are set to compete in the Innovfest Unbound Future of Finance Start-up Battle to win the opportunity to travel to MENA’s Largest FinTech Festival, FinTech Abu Dhabi, all expenses paid.
New: Tech for Good Start-up Battle
TIP (Technology Innovation Pioneers) and Unbound worked together to scout start-ups unlocking technology for good around the world. The selected start-ups will battle to win the opportunity to travel to Abu Dhabi and take part in TIP (November 2019), initiated by The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy and the Department of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi. The overall winner will be invited to join the TIP with the chance to access network and mentorship, gain investment of up to USD$3 million and sign deals with international customers.
New: Denstu Aegis Network presents Bites of DAN
Dentsu Aegis Network presents the ‘Bites of DAN’ experience on the Innovfest Unbound exhibition floor, with a zen garden style area and sampling of food and content at a sushi bar inspired booth. During the festival, Dentsu Aegis Network will release a high-level white paper looking at how brands can ride the wave of change in Asia Pacific.
New: SCOR Provides Health & Wellness Interludes at Innovfest Unbound
Throughout the festival, SCOR Global Life will hold a Step Competition, as well as lead the audience through meditation or stretching breaks to help promote physical and mental wellbeing. On Day Two, SCOR Global Life will hold a yoga and meditation session open to all delegates.
New: Cutting-Edge Deep Tech and MedTech Showcases From Universities at Futurenow Stage
The National University of Singapore (NUS) will be hosting two pitching events from its NUS Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP) and JUMPstart programme (a joint initiative between NUS and the Nanyang Technological University). These events will feature spin-offs with groundbreaking technologies in the areas of micro drones, data analytics, medtech, and more.
New: ASEAN-focused panels at Futurenow & Edison Stages
Taken as a single entity, ASEAN is the third largest economy in Asia with lucrative opportunities, and a rising hotbed for innovation. Yet, the member countries are also highly diverse. How should start-ups looking to penetrate ASEAN navigate this landscape, and how can ASEAN start-ups scale globally? NUS is putting together a series of panels to explore this topic:
1. Capturing ASEAN: Crafting A Regional Strategy For A Fragmented Market will feature experienced entrepreneurs and investors to identify the key strategies required to succeed in Southeast Asia
2. Building Vibrant Tech Start-Up Ecosystems In Southeast Asia: The Role Of Universities will discuss the role in entrepreneurial talent development and start-up ecosystem that universities in the region increasingly play
3. Global From Day 1 will explore the vibrant entrepreneurial hubs in Europe and North America that are favourable for Asian entry, beyond Silicon Valley
New: Redefining Travel & Singapore Airlines AppChallenge 2019 at Futurenow Stage
Singapore Airlines (SIA) is inviting start-ups to co-create new technology solutions for the aviation and travel space. It will be sharing more about KrisLab – a newly launched digital innovation lab – as well as SIA’s Accelerator Programme and upcoming Singapore Airlines AppChallenge 2019, which are joint initiatives with NUS.
Building A Regional Maritime Ecosystem & PIER71 Smart Port Challenge 2019 at Futurenow Stage
PIER71, a programme by the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore and NUS, will be highlighting the new innovation opportunities for the Smart Port Challenge 2019, as well as the prizes, grant awards and corporate adoption opportunities available for shortlisted participants. The session also features a panel on how Singapore can realise and build a regional innovation ecosystem for the maritime industry,
Founder & CEO of Innovfest Unbound, Daniel Seal, said “It’s inspiring to see the enormous potential of scalable start-ups across Southeast Asia in 2019. Singapore is truly making its mark as the go-to location for innovative technologies, and Innovfest Unbound is bridging that gap between corporations and start-ups, creating endless connections.”
“Over the past five years, we’ve seen Innovfest Unbound grow, in terms of number of attendees, speakers and exhibitors, which is evidence of the growing relevance of technology and innovation. More importantly, attendees are making powerful connections during Innovfest Unbound – connections with potential partners, investors and licensors,” said Professor Freddy Boey, Deputy President (Innovation & Enterprise), National University of Singapore.
For more information on Innovfest Unbound, new speaker announcements, and exclusive start-up competitions, please visit https://unbound.live/innovfest-unbound.
