Techventure 2015 ​Technology Panel: Tech Up! From Start-Up to Scale-Up

The second panel discussion at Techventure 2015 focused on helping startups to scale-up and grow into larger businesses. The panellists also discussed how startups and companies could work with translators and intermediaries to help them achieve this goal.

The panel was moderated by Mr Frank H. Levinson, founder and managing director of the Small World Group.

Panellists highlighted the need to correctly package innovation to scale up. “I am very bullish on creativity and innovation,” said HTC Corporation’s chief content officer Mr Phil Chen, emphasising not to mimic the innovation of others.

Mr Andrew Hessel, a research scientist of the Bio/Nano Research Group at Autodesk Inc., agreed and said digital design was of vital importance.

On the question of new areas of technology, both Mr Chen and Mr Hessel spoke about 3D printing, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

Mr Chen highlighted the potential of VR and said it can offer a magical world of learning. He noted that VR is the ultimate empathy-generating engine and it has implications for the world of filmmaking.

Visualisation can be challenging in research, said Mr Hessel. He highlighted 3D printing as a possible solution and said he wanted users to utilise 3D printing technology, referring to a 3D printed model of a virus as an example. He considers 3D printing, VR and AR as platforms to build technologies on.

Mr Duncan Irschick, a professor of biology at University of Massachusetts Amherst, said animals could be better studied with such technologies.

In response to a question from the audience, Mr Hessel said technologies such as 3D printing hold implications for security. He highlighted the need to restructure security.

Mr Chen noted other challenges with new technologies, such as being unable to live stream VR. “There is no broadband technology or mobile platform that can do that,” he said, concluding that computing abilities should continue to increase to allow this capability.