The Evolving Role of Accelerators in Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in Asia

Speakers

Mr. William Bao Bean

SOSV - General Partner and Chinaccelerator - Managing Director

William is a General Partner at SOSV – The Accelerator VC – the #2 most active venture capital investor in the world in  (3Q20, Pitchbook) with US$855m under management.  At SOSV he is the Managing Director of Chinaccelerator the first accelerator to launch in Asia and the only accelerator in Asia to have a unicorn come through its program – Bitmex in Fall 2015.  He is also Founder and Managing Director of MOX – the Mobile Only Accelerator – providing startups with free user acquisition to the 70m monthly active smartphone users in the ecosystem. William joined SOSV from SingTel Innov8 Ventures where he was a founding Managing Director supporting China investments. Prior to that William was a Partner at Softbank China & India Holdings, a venture capital firm backed by Softbank and Cisco, leading investments in China and South East Asia. William started his career in equity research most recently with Deutsche Bank where he was a top ranked analyst for Asia Internet and China Tech, Media and Telecom and worked on the IPOs for Alibaba, Kingsoft, eLong (Expedia China), OnMobile, Rediff and Naukri.

In 2005, he was ranked #3 stock picker in China/Hong Kong and #1 for Technology, Media and Telecom by Thomson Reuters Starmine. In 2006 he was ranked #3 equity research analyst in Asia for Software and IT Services by Institutional Investor Magazine for his work on China Internet. William has done over 250 early stage investments including Bitmex – crypto exchange, UShopal – social ecommerce, Snapask – online tutoring platform, italki – language learning platform, Yodo1 – mobile games platform, Carota – mobility, Phable – health, Flickstree – media, ELSA Speak – language learning app, Tappytoon – media,  Coutloot – ecommerce, DemystData – fintech, Orange Hotel – boutique hotel chain acquired by China Hospitality Group, Lekan – children’s media platform acquired by Condé Nast, and Playspan – payment platform acquired by Visa.  He currently sits on the board of directors of Phable, Scantrust, Goama, italki, and SRT as well as organizations including Angelcrunch (天使汇), Music Matters, Techyizu, the US China Strong Foundation and Blair Academy. He holds a BA from Bowdoin College.

Ms. Elisa Chiu

Founder and CEO, Anchor Taiwan

Elisa Chiu is an entrepreneur & investor who operates at the intersection of tech innovation, cross-border collaboration and Asian market immersion. She works with top entrepreneurs, professionals and creatives from Y Combinator, 500 Startups, Warner Bros., UBS, Uber, Intel, Deutsche Telekom and such for growth, market entry and investment in Asia through Anchor Taiwan’s innovation programs. This award-winning platform is backed by impeccable network, providing exclusive access, resources, and insights for Asia soft-landing. As a part of Anchor Taiwan’s expansion, in 2019 she started Anchor Venture Partners, a cross-border funding network to inject strategic capital into companies with a Taiwan angle.

Elisa is a mentor for Founder Institute, a premier startup accelerator from Silicon Valley with 200 chapters around the world. She is also a highly sought-after moderator and speaker for tech conferences with recent appearances at Stanford University, Infinity Ventures Summit, APEC O2O Summit, Asia Blockchain Summit, and Global Harbor Cities Forum. Elisa was awarded 40 Under 40 as a Woman in Tech in 2018, recognized as one of the 30 Women Power by New Taipei City Government in 2019, and is one of the 10 Gen.T X Credit Suisse Social Impact Awardees in 2020.

Elisa sailed from Wall Street with a decade of experience at top tier investment banks and hedge funds, trading and overseeing over US$1 billion assets in Pan Pacific Asia. A purpose-driven capitalist, she dedicates her resources and expertise in finance to world-positive endeavors. She frequently works with accelerator programs, venture philanthropy funds, and other mission-driven projects (e.g. Selection Committee for Clinton Global Initiative). She initiated the Women in Venture network (Anchor Roundtable) with 100+ female investors in Taipei.

Elisa is a global citizen (70+ countries), a published documentary photographer and a community builder through art, culture and impact investing.

Mr. Richard Min

Co-Founder and Executive Partner, Startup Seoul

Richard D. Min is Manager Director of Fashion Technology Accelerator (Silicon Valley, Seoul, Milan) and Cofounder of Seoul Space and Kstartup (the first Asian accelerator funded by Google). He is an Accelerator/s, VC/Angel, and entrepreneur.

Originally recruited by Google to lead Korea operations, nearly 20 years of “in-the-trenches” experience helping companies be successful in the notoriously difficult, but ultra-savvy Korean market including: Google, Facebook, Twitter, Estee Lauder Companies, Paramount Pictures, Sanrio Digital, etc. He has been a Board Advisor, Advisor, Mentor and investor for various startups, and has been working with Bloomberg, CNBC, ABC News and more. BA from Bowdoin College in Philosophy and Economics. NCAA Championships Swimmer and Team captain and avid birder.