Echelon

The startup ecosystem has been relatively resilient amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Sure, the pandemic’s economic impact is no joke, but it also opened doors for entrepreneurs to innovate and accommodate the market shift towards digitalisation. Likewise, startups became Singapore’s lifeline as the world reeled from the global health crisis, with budding tech companies forging ahead and carving their paths towards the new normal.

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Think of the post-pandemic as the new era of “cloud kitchens,” telemedicine, agritechs, online shopping, fintechs, SaaS, e-sports, and regtechs, among others. As such, it is wise for governments to encourage emerging enterprises by infusing money into the startup ecosystem for early-stage and late-stage startups to thrive in a volatile market.

The years ahead will still be all about survival

However, many challenges are still to be weathered. Survival remains the theme in the new normal as investors expect a slowdown in investments due to the pandemic’s lasting effects. Startups, in particular, will be the ones feeling its brunt.

Another roadblock could be lower valuations as larger companies divest their assets through mergers and acquisitions. Startups may also want to pay attention to debt restructuring, expenditures, marketing, and fundraising to get to the other side.

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Despite the challenges, though, startups’ decision-making holds a crucial role in strengthening the economy. It’s all a matter of understanding the landscape that erupted from the pandemic by answering key questions: What are the most significant fundraising trends? What lessons can we learn from the collapse of companies? What are the fundamental shifts in customer behaviour today? Is investment really slowing down? What are the available opportunities for startups?

Hear it straight from the experts

Find the answers with Mohan Belani, Co-Founder of e27, as he moderates a panel discussion on the state of the SEA tech startup ecosystem today at the Echelon Asia Summit 2022. He will be joined by leading industry experts, Yinglan Tan (Insignia Ventures), Carmen Yuen (Vertex Ventures), Sonny Sudaryana (KOMINFO), and Aaron Tan (Carro).

Echelon Asia Summit 2022 (October 27-28) returns after a three-year hiatus. It aims to gather the most influential decision-makers and industry leaders from the Southeast Asia tech and startup ecosystem.

The post Echelon 2022 to discuss the state of the SEA startup ecosystem appeared first on e27.