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Over 300 participants attended the first ever ASEAN and Republic of Korea (ASEAN-ROK) Startup Festival on Wednesday organised virtually by DARe (Darussalam Enterprise).

The festival showcased promising enterprises as well as promoted collaboration and exchange of information among startup ecosystems within ASEAN-ROK.

Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II and Chairman of DARe Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah launched the event following his keynote address that highlighted the potential for the region and South Korea to work together and nurture ideas from creative minds to build a startup economic community as a driving force in the global economy.

Permanent Secretary (Industry) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE) and board member of DARe Pengiran Hajah Zety Sufina binti Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Sani said, “Guided by the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Development 2016 to 2025, the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (ACCMSME) endeavours to promote innovation and technology as key competitive advantages for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Recognising startups as the drivers of innovation, it is natural that ACCMSME’s undertaking extends to startups, in their capacities as adopters of innovative technologies and as the source of innovative technologies for the benefit of other MSMEs.”

She commended the ACCMSME and South Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) in pursuing cooperation on startups through the ASEAN-ROK Startups Partnership.

The partnership, she said, “aims to expand networking, cooperation and knowledge-sharing between ASEAN and South Korea to promote a balanced development of the startup ecosystems in both regions, in light of the increasing prominence of startups.”

Startups globally, Pengiran Hajah Zety Sufina said, “have not been spared from facing significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, I hope that this event will serve as a platform for startups to gain valuable insights and knowledge from our panellists, identifying ways to overcome the challenges, and possibly expand cooperation and seek new business opportunities between ASEAN and South Korean startups, paving the way for effective regional actions and collaborations”.

South Korean Deputy Minister for SME Policy at MSS Byeon Taesup said, “Since the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in 2019, ASEAN and South Korea have been strengthening startup cooperation.”

He said amid COVID-19, the ASEAN startup ecosystem has shown dynamic growth, where 17 startups in the ASEAN region have grown into ‘unicorns’, and ‘unicorns’ like Gojek have grown into a ‘decacorn’.

According to DARe, participants were given the option of joining different panel discussions including opportunities for collaboration between ASEAN and South Korean startups; views from ASEAN member states on the effects of COVID-19 and challenges going into the new normal; entrepreneurs who have pivoted during COVID-19; new ideas, trends and technologies that shape big opportunities in the coming years; long-term strategies and scalable leadership for startups to last; and the inside scoop on what investors are looking for.

The event also showcased startups from each ASEAN member state and South Korea including CEO of Al-Huffaz Management from Brunei Haji Mohammad Loqman Al-Hakim bin Haji Hamdan; Pletina Co-founder and Chief Business Officer Earl Martin S Valencia from the Philippines; Aerodyne Group Vice President, Partnership and Ecosystems Development Arka Irfani from Malaysia; Lailaolab ICT Solution Co Ltd CEO Vannapha Southivong from Laos; Aerodyne Group Vice President and Ecosystems Development Richard Ker from Malaysia; Hodoo Labs CEO Minwoo Kim from South Korea; Shwe Taung Ngyo Gyi Co Ltd Co-Founder and CEO Zaw Ye Naung from Myanmar; Evercomm Singapore Pte Ltd Co-founder and CEO Ted Chen from Singapore; Shippop Co Ltd COO Chanvit Sanguansintukul from Thailand; and Lozi Vietnam Joint Stock Company’s Hoang Trung from Vietnam.

The event also showcased one ‘baby unicorn’ from South Korea – Codestates – and two ASEAN unicorns – Carro from Singapore and Gojek from Indonesia – that shared the challenges they faced in the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival is hosted as part of Brunei’s ASEAN Chairmanship and falls under the ongoing ASEAN-ROK Startups Partnership between South Korea’s MSS and ACCMSME.

In a closing statement, DARe CEO Javed Ahmad recapped the festival: “Today has opened up new doors for those opportunities by providing a platform for our startups to meet each other and exchange information and experiences. I think today’s talks and discussions can be summarised into three words: resilience, opportunities and collaboration.

“We were blessed with the opportunity to learn about ways on how different country’s startup ecosystem builders help with their startups – a sentiment in which we, as startup ecosystem builders ourselves, passionately share.

“This shouldn’t just stop here – the friends you have met here, keep in touch, talk to each other and if an opportunity comes for a collaboration, seize it and work together – and disrupt. This is the start of our journey in building the vision of a cooperative startup cluster geared towards ASEAN and South Korea.”

Source: https://borneobulletin.com.bn/over-300-join-asean-korea-festival/