The startup world may be flat but South-east Asia is the headline act for WiT Singapore Startup Pitch 2019
The fact that a Myanmar-based domestic flight OTA, Flymya, won the WiT Startup Pitch in Japan is proof that the startup world is indeed flat, and that while ideas and execution may be local, global is the new playground for all aspiring entrepreneurs.
“At WiT Japan & North Asia, [...]
In a world where funding knows no boundaries, think global from day one, startups urged
The good news is, there is more money around and at the early stage, it’s a good time for all startups. The bad news is, at the late stage, money is chasing fewer startups.
“Companies can come in early with traction these days. That’s when investors pile in. But at the late stage, competi [...]
Letter from Kanazawa: Having a “kimono” moment in Japan’s New Golden Age
“Are we moving already?” We had not even put away our bags, let alone sat down and settled, when we realised the Shinkansen was already in motion. 11.35 to be exact.
We are headed to Kanazawa after an intense two days of WiT Japan & North Asia where the talk was about how tech was [...]
The Samurai swords are out in travel – Hughes calls out Google as an OTA, LINE reveals its superapp Pay power
A high-intensity Samurai “tate” swordfight opened the eighth WiT Japan & North Asia last week, leading some to draw a parallel with the growing competition in online travel. Certainly, the online share of the region’s market continues to grow but there’s no doubt that the intensity of t [...]
Agoda sees Yanolja stake as opportunity to break “wall between booking and on-property experience”
Booking Holdings’ investment into South Korean accommodation startup, Yanolja, its first foray into that market, was motivated by two key factors – the market opportunity as well as Yanolja’s unique model “which includes tens of thousands of hotels installed on its PMS”, said Agoda’s vi [...]
Japanese angel investors dangle US$100,000 carrot ahead of WiT Japan & North Asia 2019 Startup Pitch
Three Japanese angel investors have announced an additional incentive of up to US$100,000 funding for the winner of the WiT Japan & North Asia 2019 Startup Pitch which takes place from July 4 to 5 in Tokyo.
Kei Shibata, Kenichi Shibata and Ken Mishima, who have been actively involved in nur [...]
VIDEOS: WiT Europe 2019 – Through the Looking Glass
This year’s WiT Europe @ Phocuswright Europe on May 16 in Amsterdam took a peek "Through The Looking Glass" at the key trends driving and influencing two of the world’s largest and fastest changing travel markets – Asia Pacific and the Middle East. The discussions went deep into the opportuni [...]
Top 10 semifinalists picked for final showdown at WiT Japan & North Asia Startup Pitch 2019
Ten semi-finalists have been judged and selected for a final pitch and showdown at the upcoming WiT Japan & North Asia event in Tokyo this July.
Amadeus is supporting the startup pitch event which attracted close to 30 entries from 11 countries.
The WiT Startup Pitch is an ann [...]
From Ain Dubai to the Red Sea, travel brands jostle to find their groove in a booming market
On the morning after WiT Middle East ended, I went for a walk across from Jumeirah Beach to Bluewaters Island, a new development that boasts 132 shops and restaurants, Caesars Palace Hotel and the 210m Ain Dubai, touted as the world’s largest observation wheel. For those of you familiar with Duba [...]
Lessons from Aliens on the Galactic Silk Road: Space tourism, creating experiences and dreaming of AI with empathy
Science fiction has always informed the future and it was interesting to hear speakers at Melon, the sci-fi and fantasy conference address themes such as space travel, consumers wanting experiences, versus static content, the rise of China and the role of AI and machine learning to create stories a [...]
