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For the first time since Covid-19, Gobi Partners brought together colleagues, portfolio companies, and investors from 15 of its key markets across Asia for the BEYOND Expo 2023, which kicked off in Macau on May 10 with the theme “ Technology Redefined.” The three-day expo focused on showcasing the future of consumer, sustainability, and healthcare technology.
“We envision BEYOND Expo to become the go-to destination for everything related to technology in Asia bringing it up to the level of Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona – two of the most innovative and influential gatherings in the tech space,” said Dr. Gang Lu in his keynote.
If you missed out this year, here is a quick recap of everything you need to know: |
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MACAU CHIEF EXECUTIVE IAT SENG HO EMPHASISES THE ADVANTAGE OF MACAU’S NEUTRALITY
Iat Seng Ho affirmed the city’s commitment to optimising innovation and technology regulations, integrating technology into traditional industries, and attracting top-notch talent by introducing hi-tech personnel to the territory.
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GOVERNOR OF GUANGDONG PROVINCE WEIZHONG WANG TO ENHANCE MACAU AND GREATER BAY AREA TECH DEVELOPMENT
The Guangdong official underlined that the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in nearby Hengqin could provide opportunities for Macau and the Greater Bay Area to expedite the development of technology. For instance, the incubators in Hengqin have nurtured over 400 start-ups by Macau’s young entrepreneurs, Mr Wang said; adding that the cooperation zone now boasts 301 national-level technology firms.
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ALIBABA’S JOSEPH C. TSAI SAYS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL REDEFINE DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT
“The first thing about Macau that I learned over the last several months is that Chief Executive Iat Seng Ho is very intent on transforming the economy away from just a single industry of gaming into the world of entertainment, content, healthcare, sustainability, and consumption.”
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CHIEF ADVISER TO CHINESE BANKING REGULATORS ANDREW SHENG CALLS FOR EMBRACE OF A CHANGING WORLD POWER BALANCE
“All leaders have emphasised that Macau holds a central position in the fastest-growing region in the world, which is East Asia. China and India today account for half of the global growth in 2022. Those of us in Central East Asia and Northeast Asia, which is prosperous, must not overlook Southeast Asia represented by ASEAN. ASEAN is 700 million people, half the population of China and India… and growing at 5% to 6% annually.”
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FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL KISHORE MAHBUBANI ON THE NEW CIA: CHINA, INDIA, AND ASEAN DRIVING ASIA’S FUTURE
“If you look at the future of Asia, the growth will be driven by what I call the new CIA. The CIA is not the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA is China, India, and ASEAN. The CIA countries make up 3.5 billion of the world’s population. Now in the year 2000, out of the 3.5 billion people, only 150 million were in the middle class. By 2020, the number had grown to 1.5 billion and increased 10 times in 20 years. And by 2030 it will grow to 3 billion people. That middle class is going to drive this growth.”
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AIIB PRESIDENT JIN LIQUN CALLS FOR INVESTMENT TO CLOSE DIGITAL DIVIDE
“There is no magic bullet for achieving the dream of financial inclusion across Asia. Our region is incredibly diverse with vast differences in per capita GDP and population size, a dizzy variety of cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity. We must understand the unique preferences and barriers that shape financial access in each of Asia’s local markets, and ensure that we continue to keep people moving forward in their education, health, and livelihood.” |
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QUANTUM PHYSICS EXPERT JIAN-WEI PAN CALLS FOR GLOBAL COLLABORATION
Jian-Wei Pan explained after nearly 20 years, Chinese scientists successfully developed the world’s first quantum science satellite and China’s long-distance fibre-optic quantum communication backbone network (launched in 2016 and 2017 respectively). “To achieve a generalized [global] quantum communication network, we can use optical fibres to build quantum communication between major cities, use quantum relays to achieve quantum communication between cities, and further use the quantum satellite platform to achieve long-distance quantum communication,” Pan said. |
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BEYOND x GOBI PARTNERS: COLLABORATION EVENTS
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GOBI SHOWCASE: 21 YEARS OF EMPOWERING INNOVATION IN EMERGING MARKETS
In an invite-only session with 80+ attendees, Gobi Partners’ teams across 15 markets shared insights into emerging opportunities within Gobi’s Pan-Asian strategy and provided a comprehensive overview of Gobi funds covering Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia in a two-hour sharing session.
With over 380 portfolio companies across multiple sectors, the Showcase provided an insight into Gobi’s investment philosophy and success in empowering innovation in emerging markets and allowed stakeholders in Gobi’s ecosystem to connect over a networking session with drinks and canapes. |
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BEYOND FUTUREPROOF PARTY
In aid of UNICEF, Gobi organised BEYOND’s second-day celebration party with one of the world’s top DJs, sponsored by City of Dreams and UBS. |
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GOBI GREATER BAY AREA MEDIA TOUR
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Gobi Partners GBA hosted over 15+ media partners at the BEYOND Expo in a one-day media tour including a networking lunch and an expo-walkthrough to visit portfolio companies. With 10+ Gobi GBA portfolio companies exhibiting at the expo, the tour provided opportunities for founders and media partners to discuss the exciting opportunities of the Greater Bay Area’s development for their business and the role Macau and the BEYOND Expo will continue to play. |
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BEYOND x GOBI PARTNERS: FEATURED SPEAKERS FROM GOBI’S ECOSYSTEM
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As part of the BEYOND week, the ORIGIN Conference and Global Investment Summit featured expert speakers and panel discussions that covered in-depth topics with the aim of connecting businesses across Southeast Asia and China and unlocking new growth opportunities in the region.
Gobi colleagues, portfolio companies, and investors have been featured in the following panels: |
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With 800+ exhibitors and 55,000+ attendees from around the world, BEYOND Expo has become an exceptional platform for businesses to connect with global tech innovation enthusiasts, industry leaders, and potential partners. The event featured at least 100 networking sessions, fostering collaboration and idea exchange across various fields, including enterprise, product, capital, and industries.
Gobi Partners was proud to be an organising partner of this hallmark event, and we look forward to seeing the event grow to its potential and welcoming you in the years to come!
If you have any questions or queries, feel free to contact [email protected].
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