When we mention the beautiful island of Penang, “startup” isn’t the first word that comes to mind. The organisers of Echelon Malaysia 2017, however, will beg to differ. e27 and TE4P, supported by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Cradle Seed Ventures, Google, Malaysia Debt Ventures (MDV), Malaysia Digital Hub and others, bring the tech and startup conference to the Pearl of the Orient for the first time ever. Themed “Second City to Startup City,” Echelon brings together Asia’s tech ecosystem to engage in an intensive two-day conference with focus on Hardware & IoT, Travel Tech and Creative Content.
In essence, Echelon isn’t just a single tech conference, but a year-long digital platform attracting world-class international and local speakers, founders, investors and professionals. It’s the coming together of government ministries and agencies; angels and VCs, startups and entrepreneurs; SMEs, corporations and institutions, digital professionals and media companies.
The conference has been making its mark across Southeast Asia, hosted in cities like Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City. In its seventh year, it has grown to be a leading tech conference in Asia.
In 2017, Echelon is focusing on pushing the second city movement, as demonstrated in second cities such as Bandung, Chiang Mai, Jeju Island, and now Penang. Having said that, cosmopolitan cities like Kuala Lumpur remain main tech hubs.
Echelon Malaysia 2017 runs from 12-13 April 2017 in Georgetown, Penang.
The two-day conference features keynotes and panels with over 40 world-class speakers. There will also be breakout sessions run by industry experts. Additionally, the exhibition area will house the best and brightest innovations from the region.
Key speakers include Norhizam Kadir (VP, Infotech industry development of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation); Dzuleira Abu Bakar (CEO, Cradle Seed Ventures); Terry Gold (MD, Techstars Adelaide); and Warren Leow (CEO, Designs.net/VO of strategic partnerships and revenue of 123rf.
The conference will also host TOP100 – the fundraising platform for Asia’s most promising startups in Echelon’s Fight Club showcase segment. The most promising startups are selected through online qualifying rounds, powered by startup-investor matching platform Echelon Connect. Selected teams make their way to Penang to showcase their products.
These teams will have a chance to meet over 500 potential investors, mentors, and customers. Prizes include software, services, technical support and Azure cloud courtesty of Microsoft BizSpark; access and booth space to Echelon Asia Summit and media exposure from the e27 and Echelon series.
10 of the selected startups include:
- BolehCompare – https://e27.co/startup/bolehcompare
- CheQQme – https://e27.co/startup/cheqqme
- HorecaBid – https://e27.co/startup/horecabid-sdn-bhd
- Poladrone – https://e27.co/startup/poladrone
- FoodZaps – https://e27.co/startup/foodzaps
- Staydilly https://e27.co/startup/staydilly
- Petbacker – https://e27.co/startup/petbacker
- ZeptoExpress – https://e27.co/startup/zeptoexpress
- EasyLaw – https://e27.co/startup/easylaw
- SmartPeep – https://e27.co/startup/smartpeep
For more information about Echelon Malaysia, visit http://e27.co/echelon/malaysia.
