Saki Kobayashi, a young entrepreneur, co-founder and COO of LCO-Creation Singapore, was one of the finalists who pitched at WIT Japan & North Asia 2016 in Tokyo in early June. She shares how her participation opened her eyes to new opportunities in travel.
Taking part in the WIT Japan & North Asia 2016 Startup Pitch gave me an opportunity of a lifetime. I am extremely confident that this will become one of the turning points in my entrepreneurial journey.
Here are a few reasons why I recommend any travel startups out there to apply for the WIT Startup Pitch. (The next competition will be held in conjunction with WIT Singapore Oct 17-19).
- It is a great way for your business to have contact with prominent professionals in the industry.
It can be challenging at times for startups to meet up in person with hundreds of big players in your industry, especially as they are often based all across the world. It also takes time to get to that first meeting. Furthermore, companies may have plans that aren’t mentioned on their website and could be venturing into the market that you work in. Though opportunities to collaborate are possible, the other company’s internal strategies are still under consideration and not known online – you have to let the world know what you do so that they can come to you.
Incredibly though, top executives and prominent professionals travel from all over the world attend WIT, making it far easier to connect and have conversations with influential figures in the industry. For all entrepreneurs out there, it is a great chance to share what you’ve accomplished since day one with them and express exactly how you are trying to impact the world. We have especially benefited from this since we provide technology and services to businesses (B2B), so we could market ourselves directly.
The best and most important part is that you can talk to the right people at the right time. And this is exactly what taking part in WIT has offered us. In fact, we are currently in discussions with multiple companies we met at WIT.
The judging session at the WIT Japan & North Asia Bootcamp
2. Taking part in the start-up pitch means getting the chance to be coached by seasoned and successful entrepreneurs and investors in the travel space.
Once you are selected as a finalist in the WIT Startup Pitch, you will be matched with two mentors who help you review and amend your pitch for the Grand Finals the following day. My two mentors were Rod Cuthbert (Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Viator; CEO, Rome2rio.com) and Shinichi Takamiya (General Partner/Chief Strategy Officer, Globis Capital). Just 24 hours with these mentors were truly valuable to me as they provided me with insights and guidance that could only have come from years of experience.
Another great piece of advice from Rod was to start connecting with more people. I had not realized how powerful the industry conference could be in terms of establishing contacts. In order to increase our business opportunities, we have to attend more events that will help us establish new partnerships and WIT is a great way to do that.
3. You get an indepth understanding of travel market trends
Beyond the opportunity to be coached by industry experts, attending the conference itself was an invaluable and educational experience. I found myself immersed in every moment of the sessions. I especially enjoyed “The Great Experience” session during the WIT Bootcamp.
While I am sure there will be many challenges to come when running my company, I will always remember the tips and stories shared by the panelists, who had each experienced these challenges for themselves – to always have faith in yourself, be logical, and remember that no matter what life throws at you, it’s not the end of the world.
I was also inspired by a closing talk by Melissa Yang (CTO & Co-founder, Tujia Inc.) wherein she shared her story of founding her company, Tujia. I honestly related a lot with Melissa as a female entrepreneur, especially when she mentioned the importance of always having to get out of your comfort zone.
Furthermore, I was surprised by how rich traditions and innovations, along with established companies and startups, can coexist in the travel industry – it’s not simply one or the other. I was amazed by the “Rebooting Family Businesses” session where Japan’s traditional and highly distinguished companies shared their plans on how to succeed and adapt to this new age of travel, while still retaining their values and traditions. The travel industry is evolving at an incredible pace, with travel and technology becoming inseparable.
WIT Japan & North Asia 2016 – a great place to get connected with industry peers
4. It’s a great opportunity to meet with like-minded peers
When meeting with peers from a similar industry, it’s easy to be motivated by fellow startups who are also fighting to make a positive difference in the world. Meeting with talented entrepreneurs from the travel industry gives you energy to carry your idea forward, and even the opportunity to partner with them in the future!
“TravelDoor Japan”, our new TravelDoor series app dedicated to foreigners visiting Japan (Japanese inbound tourism), will be launched this fall. As the app will be available in multiple languages, including Korean, we see a potential partnership with THERE, a Korea-based startup that offers tours and activities to South Korean travelers. We also see a potential collaboration opportunity with Pokke, an audio walking tours app which covers historical places in Japan.
Last but not least, one of the most influential aspects of WIT is that the conference is held in multiple key locations throughout the world, which means various companies focused in different consumer markets will be attending each time. I will definitely attend the next conference and I am very excited to share our progress with the companies I met in Tokyo as well as other industry professionals and potential partners that were not present at WIT Japan & North Asia but will be attending the WIT 2016 Conference in Singapore, this coming October.
I would like to thank the WIT team and supporters for organising such a wonderful and motivating conference.
For all the entrepreneurs out there, I strongly recommend that you apply to the WIT Startup Pitch. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime!
- Details to enter the WIT Startup Pitch here. Entries close Aug 12.
