Recently, Echelon, the tech event startup organizer from Singapore held an event at WeWork Asia Centre in Bangkok. The Echelon Roadshow is part of a series of international stops leading up to the annual Echelon Asia Summit happening in May.
The event brought together the local startup ecosystem over a night of networking, Thailand top 100 startup, plus a panel discussion with feature founders sharing their startup journeys – from how they scaled their company to how they addressed obstacles such as building a sustainable team. The panellists included Surasit Sachdev, CEO of Hungry Hub, Casey Liang, co-founder of Pomelo, and Bond Thaiyanurak, CEO&Founder of Box24. The discussion was moderated by PachareePantoomano, BrandNow.asia’s Director of Make it Happen, the agency that launched large startups such as Grab, Lalamove, and Honestbee in Thailand.
The panel discussion tackled Founders Confessions which panellists shared their experiences as part of starting up. Bond talked about working with the right partners and having the right chemistry. He’s had to resolve a conflict with a shareholder. Surasit confessed that when he initially started the company, he did not do market research and that causes him to burn through his investment quickly. He advised anyone thinking about starting up should do the research and work on the proof of concept from the beginning. When Pacharee asked the panellists if they started their companies for love or money, Casey said that it was a bit of both. However, it’s the love for growing the business that keeps him going. The life of a start-up can be a bumpy one and he said that if you love what you do, it will help you stay true to your goal.
Thaddeus Jit Siong Koh, the co-founder of e27, shared “The journey for these winners has only just begun. We are excited to see them compete against the other bright new stars of Southeast Asia’s ecosystem in Singapore — at our Echelon Asia Summit 2019 which is taking place on May 23rd and 24th at Singapore Expo. We also hope that these startups will be able to level up through absorbing insights from thought leaders, corporate business matching, and more”
Pacharee added, “It is important that we continue to contribute, develop and grow the ecosystem locally, regionally and globally. These events and competitions bring about better products and services for businesses and consumers. We are delighted to be Echelon’s media and community partner in Thailand. It is an opportunity for us to support our local startup scene and do our part in fostering the digital economy”.