Lankan startup ecosystem to accelerate with ABAF 2017 says Mano Sekaram

One of the biggest events in Sri Lanka’s startup ecosystem is set to take centre-stage this month as Sri Lanka hosts Asia’s largest startup investor forum – the Asian Business Angels Forum (ABAF) 2017.

Mano Sekaram

“For Sri Lanka to reach its 2022 goal of $ 5 billion in IT exports, tech startups have to step up and drive industry growth to an even greater extent. Regional events like ABAF are essential in drawing a wider funnel of expertise and investment, while also shining a spotlight on the attractiveness of Sri Lanka, as an in-demand international destination of choice for startups moving out of the USA and Silicon Valley,” according to Mano Sekaram, Chairman of the Lankan Angel Network, the host for ABAF 2017.

ABAF 2017 will gather some of the most prominent angels, venture capitalists and High Net Individuals (HNIs) from across the world together on one platform, providing Lankan startups and corporates a one-of-a-kind networking and knowledge sharing experience.

With a line-up of globally renowned figures from the international startup scene and over 70 foreign investors from China, India, Australia, Hong Kong, USA, Israel and more, rubbing shoulders with Sri Lankan angel investors, this event will be a one-stop shop for local startups. It will be an opportunity not only to meet a diverse pool of investors but to also glean cutting-edge insights on global startup trends and investing best practices. 

In addition to entrepreneurs, this will prove to be immensely useful to professionals, managers and corporate executives to gain insights from experts in their respective fields. This, coupled with the networking session with all the delegates, investors, startups and attendees participating in the conference from over 25 countries, makes ABAF 2017 a must-attend event. 

Venture Engine, Sri Lanka’s most successful platform for accelerating and expanding the country’s most promising entrepreneurial concepts, will be held in conjunction with the Asian Business Angel Forum (ABAF) 2017. Through this collaboration, this year’s Venture Engine will also act as an unprecedented conduit for Sri Lankan entrepreneurs to gain access to investment, expertise, and direct mentorship from some of the Asian region’s most prominent investors via the ABAF platform.

Furthermore, the ‘Startup Corner’ exhibition will be held in parallel to the main conference, featuring 40 exciting Sri Lankan startups. The exhibition will be open to all visitors, and will provide a platform for startups looking to scale regionally either by forming partnerships or to raise their next round of funding.

The theme for ABAF 2017 is ‘Cross Border Investing in Startups’ and will feature regional analyses of what is trending in the startup ecosystem in the Asia Pacific and globally. The first day will kick off with sessions by companies such as WSO2, UstockTrade, Takas.lk and more. The second half of the day will be dedicated to the Venture Engine finalists, who will pitch to an esteemed panel of judges. 

From the hundreds of applicants, the battle to be the winner of Venture Engine will go down between the following promising startups: FYI (444), IgniterBee, Ultimma Occta (Orasi), PlushBox, Grubz, Aniwa.lk, Roar.lk, Virtuarism, Mosurance, Pregbuddy, InsureMe.lk and Techkitez (BusSeat.lk).

The second day of the Forum will be packed with in-depth panel discussions on various aspects of the startup and business ecosystem, featuring an impressive mix of both top international and local speakers, all of whom will share diverse views on topics such as regional startup trends, cross-border investing, impact funding, driving exits and more. 

Headlining the event will be Dr. Clarence Tan, a former Ambassador of Singularity University (Australia) as keynote speaker. Other speakers will include Dr. Yehoshua (Shuki) Gleitman, Chairman of GIBF (Guangzhuo Israel Biotech Fund), Dr. Samson Tam, Chairman of the Hong Kong Business Angel Network (HKBAN) and Dr. Mark Hon, Chairman of Business Angel Network South East Asia (BANSEA).

Among the other speakers are Rajan Anandan, VP for SEA & India at Google, Pankaj Jain, Member of the Investment Committee at Wadi Accelerator (USA), David Chen, Co-founder of AngelVest/Founding Chairman of Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of China, Brigitte Baumann Gervais, Founder and CEO of Go Beyond Early Stage Investing (UK), Jordan Green, Chairman of ABAF/Melbourne Angels, Padmaja Ruparel, President of the Indian Angel Network (IAN), Sanchayan Chakraborty, Partner at Aavishkaar (India) and Jayesh Parekh, Managing Partner at Jungle Ventures (Singapore).