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Kamis, 03 Desember 2020 21:17:00

Four Startups Win Inaugural Microsoft Emerge X Pitch Competition in APAC

The Emerge X Program sits within Microsoft’s Highway to a 100 Unicorns initiative, which discovers and nurtures high potential technology startups & grows the ecosystem in emerging markets across APAC
SINGAPORE  - 3 December 2020 - Four startups from Vietnam, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Singapore are winners at Microsoft's inaugural Emerge X Regional Pitching Competition in Asia Pacific: 
 
1.     Abivin from Vietnam: An AI-powered platform that optimizes supply chains across multiple sectors by solving the vehicle routing problem 
2.     Lifetrack Medical Systems in the Philippines and Singapore: A cloud-based platform that provides affordable access to medical imaging in emerging markets 
3.     Agrithmics from Sri Lanka: A cloud-based solution that enriches the agri-industry by digitizing the farm to factory supply chain and connecting farmers and buyers 
4.     Milky Way AI, from Singapore: An AI-powered smart retail solution leveraging image recognition technology to help retailers manage shelf inventory and maximize sales 
 
"For Asia Pacific to remain at the forefront of global transformation, it takes disruptors, visionaries, and futurists. There are no limits to what people can achieve when the world and technology reflect the diversity of everyone who uses it. Which is why at Microsoft, we build technology so that others can create technology, and to be successful we all need to come together," said Andrea Della Mattea, President, Microsoft Asia Pacific. "Through the Highway to a 100 Unicorns and our Emerge X program, we aim to help startups on the road to innovation, where they can meet unarticulated needs of the industry and help businesses become resilient." 
 
Growing the Startup Ecosystem in Emerging Markets across APAC 
The Emerge X Program is part of Microsoft's Highway to a 100 Unicorns initiative, which was launched in Asia Pacific in October 2020 after overwhelming success in India. Microsoft engaged with more than 70 prominent startup ecosystem players and governments across 16 countries, who then nominated more than 300 of their most promising for the program.  
 
The 16 countries engaged in the program are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam. 
 
79 startups were selected to join the Microsoft Emerge X program. As an Emerge X startup, they will participate in a year-long mentorship program with Microsoft for Startups which is designed to help them scale and accelerate their growth. They will also receive GitHub and Azure credits, have the opportunity to attend a Founder Bootcamp for 3 days, gain access to enterprise clients globally through Microsoft's unique co-sell program, and interact with Microsoft experts and industry stalwarts.  
 
Of these, 21 of the Emerge X startups pitched their ideas at the Emerge X Regional Pitching Competition, held at the Philippine Startup Week 2020, with Abivin, Lifetrack Medical Systems, Agrithmics and Milky Way AI identified as the top startups in the whole region. They were selected by a jury of leading investors and startup ecosystem leaders, including investors from BOV Capital, Cradle, Monk's Hill Ventures, Movac, M12, SBK Tech Ventures, Sequoia, Vista Consulting Group, and 54i Ventures, and ecosystem leaders from GitHub and Target Accelerator. 
 
Details on the top four startups can be found in APPENDIX A, and a full list of Emerge X startups and jury members at the Philippine Startup Week 2020 can be found in APPENDIX B. 
 
Highway to a 100 Unicorns at the Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology 2020 
Microsoft's Highway to a 100 Unicorns Regional APAC Event will be held at Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology (SWITCH) 2020 on 9 December, from 2pm-4pm. At that session, industry leaders from Microsoft and their partners will discuss the opportunities ahead and how to manage the challenges startups could face in APAC. The top four Emerge X startups will share their founding stories and how they have leveraged technology to solve some of the key challenges faced by business owners across different industry sectors. 
 
Said Peter Ong, Chairman of Enterprise Singapore, who is organizing SWITCH, "We are happy that Microsoft has chosen to launch its inaugural Highway to a 100 Unicorns Regional APAC Event in Singapore. Culminating at SWITCH after its mentorship program and pitching competition, we see great synergies in bringing together the region's most innovative and ambitious startups to network with our diverse line-up of speakers and participants. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Microsoft to provide a vibrant and conducive ecosystem for the development of innovative startups."  (*).