#WHubatRise: Day 3 Recap
Annnd that’s a wrap for RISE Conference 2019! Thanks for following our team through for the last 3 days, it was definitely one for the books. Here’s our final recap of RISE Conference 2019, see you next year!
Read what happened on the other days of RISE: July 9 | July 10
HIGHLIGHTS – KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
The GIFs that keep on giving
GIPHY Founder and CEO Alex Chung shared how the company is pushing the boundaries of short-form entertainment.
What started as a platform just meant to share GIFs amongst friends has become a major content tool for more than 500 million DAUs around the globe!
Notable Quotes:
Don’t be discouraged if your first or first ten companies fail. Companies are 50% your work and 50% being in the right place at the right time, it’s luck.” -Alex Chung
Q&A with Alex Chung
Phelisha: If a picture is worth a thousand words than a GIF must be worth a million. How do you think GIFs have impacted digital culture and the way we communicate online?
Alex: When we text we take all of humanity, and all of our emotions and convert them into small, black letters. Then we send it and someone has to decode that. It’s such a bad way to transport emotions. That’s why you have these English literature guys who use 10,000 words to describe one small emotion. So it’s not about GIF or the format, it’s about the amount of information you can send in a short amount of time. GIFs are just a stepping stone, until I can artificially teleport what I’m thinking to your brain.
Setting the dating world on fire, one continent at a time
There are close to 600 million single people in the world, excluding Europe and the Unites States! Two thirds of these uncoupled individuals have never tried a dating app- The Match Group is hoping to swoop in on this untapped market, specifically Asia!
Elie Seidman, CEO of Tinder, discusses the cultural difference in relationship building and how the app plans to adapt to fit new markets.
Elie’s advice on writing a successful Tinder bio:
“Treat Tinder as if you are meeting people for the first time – show your passion! It’s like durian – some people will hate you, but some people will definitely love you!”
HIGHLIGHTS – PANELS
Meat from plants isn’t just possible… it’s inevitable
As the demand and interest in fake meat continues to grow, companies like Impossible Foods, that are working to convert meat eaters to the joys of plant-based dishes, are becoming more popular.
Nick Halla, SVP International at Impossible Food, and Uwe Opocensky, Group Executive Chef, The Great China Restaurant Company discuss how consumers are the driving force behind the dramatic shift in eating habits.
During the panel, audience members got to sample a taste of where the movement is headed and it was delicious!
Notable Quotes:
“Hong Kong is one of the largest meat consuming market in Asia” – Nick Halla, Impossible Foods
Why we’re still talking about diversity
With so many companies talking about making diversity a priority, but falling short of the mark having conversations about diversity and inclusion is more important than ever.
Anna Curzon, CPO of Xero, Lisa Skeete Tatum, Founder & CEO of Landit and Theodora Lau of Unconventional Ventures chat about the importance of diversity in the workplace and also how it can be an asset for both startups and established companies.
Notable Quotes:
“Diversity is to get invited to the party, and Inclusion is to get invited to dance.” -Theodora Lau
HIGHLIGHTS – STARTUP SPOTLIGHT
In case you missed it, Singapore-based startup Haulio came up on top in the Pitch! Powered by Manulife final! Co-founder and CEO, Alvin Ea, was cool under pressure as the four judges asked their final round of questions. When asked how Haulio differentiates, Alvin says,
“Biggest challenge is getting trucking companies to the network. We need a Mindset shift. They don’t understand the tech to transform their bus. Pitch: how we make these companies operate better.”
HIGHLIGHTS – HOTTAKES
Ecosystem Summit
Our co-founder and CEO Karena Belin sat on the panel for the Ecosystem Summit. The global leaders of startup ecosystems sat on the panel to discuss.
Notable Quotes:
“To help develop our ecosystem, we are inviting accelerators and community builders to foster bridges with their respective ecosystems from Hong Kong and Singapore.” – Simon Galpin, Invest Bahrain
Stay connected with us for more updates on Hong Kong’s startup community!
