Photo credit: Unsplash.
Startup conferences often have the same faces — successful founders sharing their experiences, corporate executives expounding on their growth plans, or experts commenting on tech trends. Presented by Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, Digital Thailand Big Bang (DTBB), the latest international digital-tech showcase in Southeast Asia by Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, plans to break that mold.
While big names like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, serial entrepreneur Jeff Hoffman, founder and president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Jonathan Ortmans, co-founder & CEO of Peek Vision Andrew Bastawrous, and representatives from Airbnb, Grab, and Line will be speaking at the event, the conference is pushing the boundaries with its speaker line-up. Expect the unexpected with these four speakers.
The Venerable Phra Maha Wutthichai
Photo credit: Wikimedia.
Meditation has become something of a permanent fixture in the Silicon Valley scene. Buddhist-influenced mindfulness practices have found followers in stressed entrepreneurs. Companies like Google have taken the lead in in teaching meditation to employees, while the co-founders of Twitter and Facebook have made contemplative practices key features of their new enterprises. Some 1,700 people showed up at a US conference called “Wisdom 2.0”, where top executives from LinkedIn, Cisco, and Ford spoke on mindfulness and spirituality.
With Thailand’s Buddhist roots, it makes sense for an innovation conference based in the country to also put spirituality on the agenda. The Venerable Phra Maha Wutthicahi is one of a group of monks in Thailand pioneering the use of technology to teach dharma, or Buddhist doctrines.
In a session titled “Intelligence 4.0”, the Venerable Phra Maha Wutthichai will explain how practicing dharma can help entrepreneurs succeed in Thailand’s new vision of the future by changing the way they deal with criticism, failures, collaboration, and life-long learning.
Minister of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), Pichet Durongkaveroj
Photo credit: Flickr / Sikarin Thanachaiary
As the Minister of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), Dr Pichet Durongkaveroj leads the country’s Startup Thailand program to develop, promote, and sustain startup businesses as a new engine of growth.
Before Pichet joined the MDES office, he held the Minister of Science and Technology portfolio, spearheading Thailand’s ICT master plan since 2010. Now moving into its third phase, Pichet is spearheading “The Pracharat Internet”, a government initiative to provide internet access to 24,700 villages in Thailand by the end of 2017.
“[Thailand] needs to focus on global connectivity by propelling the nation to become the destination for seamless connection, transfer of big data, and digital manpower in ASEAN, and implement a new economic cluster called Digital Park Thailand in Chonburi province,” he said.
“Mr Social Activist”, Mechai Viravaidya
Photo credit: Wikimedia.
You wouldn’t think an ex-government minister nicknamed ‘Mr Condom’ would be speaking at a conference about digital innovation and startups, but ex-minister of the Thai Office of the Prime Minister, Mechai Viravaidya, has a lot to share about unorthodox growth hacking methods.
The social activist earned the nickname through his work in the Population and Community Development Association, where he initiated a public sex education campaign through condom-blowing contests in schools, art contests, and an award-winning chain of restaurants and resorts that sells good food along with contraceptives. Through these methods, he reduced the country’s population growth rate of 3.3 percent to a more sustainable 0.5 percent and sparked a 90 percent decline in new HIV infections within 12 years.
As a result of his efforts, Viravaidya served as deputy minister of industry from 1985 to 1986 under prime minister Prem Tinsulanonda. He was also elected to the Senate between 1987-1991, 1996-2000, and 2000-2006. His work has become so well-known over the decades that condoms are now nicknamed “Mechai” by locals.
Giving a keynote speech titled “Learning not to leave anyone behind”, Viravaidya will draw on his experience of using daring methods to make lasting changes in the world around us.
Drone artist Raffaello D’Andrea
Photo credit: YouTube.
Drones hold immense potential to change the world. A dynamic systems and control professor at ETH Zurich, Raffaello D’Andrea also co-founded Kiva Systems, now operating as Amazon Robotics, to integrate robotics into every part of the supply chain. He also founded Verity Studios, a company that programs drones to entertain which recently joined Metallica on tour.
Alongside Swiss architects Gramazio & Kohler, the drone artist created Flight Assembled Architecture, the first architectural installation built by drones in 2011. The installation in France consists of swarms of quadrotor helicopters stacking 1,500 modules to form a 600-meter high “vertical village.”
Speaking on “Dronology”, D’Andrea will demonstrate the potential of drone technology, not just as a useful tool in industry, but also in art.
Image credit: Digital Thailand Big Bang 2017.
DTBB 2017 will take place on September 21–24 2017 at IMPACT Challenger Hall 1-2 in Bangkok, Thailand. The summit will bring together world tech leaders to address topics surrounding smart cities, digital ecosystems, and transformation roadmaps within ASEAN.
Covering the entire digital technology stack, DTBB 2017 will deliver the latest products, solutions, knowledge, and innovations to businesses keen to widen their expertise and digital business offerings. For more information on DTBB 2017 and its program, please visit www.digitalthailandbigbang.com.
This post Ministers and monks – 4 unexpected speakers at Thailand’s new startup summit appeared first on Tech in Asia.
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