We are excited to welcome Tobias Bauer as the next speaker at this quarterly’s Innovation: China & SEA Startup Ecosystems — Decrypted!
Innovation (Powered by Sinofy) is an immersive series of talks exploring technology and business in the APAC region. Powered by Sinofy Group, Innovation is assembling some of the greatest minds of freelancers, startup founders, and multinational company executives. Speakers from all over the globe will dive into conversations on the current technology and business trends, VCs, legal landscapes and more. Discussions will help shape your understanding of Asian technology and business environments, as well as help foresee the opportunities within the region.
Tobias Bauer, Principal at Blockchain Founders Fund — Investors and venture builders of top-tier startups. Tobias also shares his outstanding expertise as a startup mentor for 500 Startups, APX, PlugAndPlay, NUMA New York, Alchemist Accelerator, and as a Venture Partner of Republic.
Tobias has built his experience via the investment team of Chinaccelerator, one of the global elite accelerator programs operated by the venture fund SOSV hosting $907M+ AUM in China. Furthermore, he has worked for the German Government in Thailand where he co-organized the NSTF, a career fair with 1.1M visitors.
Tobias holds true cultural and language agility having lived in 9 different countries across 15 cities with fluency in Mandarin Chinese, English, and German. Tobias holds an MSc. in Management and CEMS Master’s in International Management from the National University of Singapore and Tsinghua University, as well as a Bachelor’s in Management and Law from Management Center Innsbruck and Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. With an impressive list of accolades, we are delighted to welcome Tobias on board.
For Innovation 2021, Tobias will provide insights on the key developments in the early-stage investment landscape in SEA and China.
However, we have managed to grab him from his busy schedule and obtain some of this wisdom to wet your appetite!
What do you personally find to be the most captivating about East Asian markets?
Encouraging governments and a tech-savvy population which has driven the widespread technology adoption. Furthermore, the size of the markets (number of potential customers both B2B and B2C) with an increasing discretionary income makes this environment very attractive for both entrepreneurs and investors. This, and my passion for Asia (including China) driven by culture, food, diversity, and lasting business opportunities have been the key players in determining my professional career.
What’s the most common misconception startups and investors tend to have about the SEA/China markets?
I believe that many people still do not fully recognize the market potential of the region. The market dynamics seem untransparent from an outside perspective which makes it even harder to understand and operate in this part of the world. Success stories such as Grab, SEA, and Gojek are necessary to show the world how developed and important SEA and China have become over the last years. This importance is unlikely to slow down and so now is the time to engage and secure the first-mover advantage for both entrepreneurs and investors.
Looking at how China is adopting blockchain, as well as taking into account the most recent crackdowns in relation to the technology, do you think China’s market is still advantageous?
I am bullish on China (of course the market has been challenging for the crypto part of Blockchain), however, Blockchain as a core technology to solve key problems has been a deep focus of China and is now present in most of the verticals not just finance. China has a great talent pool of engineers, business professionals and tech resources to develop this technology and foster wide-spread adoption. This development will most likely be driven by local businesses and not by foreign ones.
Tobias’ experience, passion, and devotion to the Asian market is a true testament to his knowledge and insights he will provide. We hope you can join us for China & SEA’s Startup Ecosystems — Decrypted on January 17th at 11 AM GMT.
**Attendance is free**
Register here: https://forms.gle/XG1s6yzAYzGejbdW7
Stay tuned for the updates on our LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovation-powered-by-sinofy
