EmTech Asia Opens: Features 50 speakers on innovation and emerging technologies

SINGAPORE – EmTech Asia, the conference on emerging technologies in the region opens tomorrow. Held on 26 and 27 January at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre, the conference features local and international speakers, an exhibition and networking opportunities and is a hallmark of the region’s innovative spirit and exemplary research and development.

"Singapore has a vision of the future which we call Smart Nation. As a nation, we are focused on tackling tough challenges in energy, health, food, and transport, to name a few. These issues affect every country in the world. We want to be part of crafting original answers to these challenges. Not only do we need deep technical expertise, we also need a wide range of creative expertise. The EmTech Asia event held in Singapore brings exciting and ambitious people together to shape the future," said Steve Leonard, Executive Deputy Chairman of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. IDA is also the Host Partner of EmTech Asia.

In 2016, EmTech Asia examines advancements in the fields of transportation, artificial intelligence, robotics, wearables, augmented knowledge, bioengineering, fintech, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies focused on providing clean energy, food and water for a future global population of 9 billion. This year, an outstanding panel with representatives from Y Combinator, Sequoia Capital, Shasta Ventures and SoftTech VC will comment on how and where their investments support innovation.

Notably, that the conference is held in Singapore is a matter of national relevance.

“Industry trends and emerging technologies such as Robotics, Internet of Things, Intelligent Logistics and Autonomous Vehicles have the potential to transform Singapore’s manufacturing industry. It is important to equip our workforce with relevant skills in these areas. EmTech Asia 2016 allows Singapore's manufacturing workforce to continually stay updated with the latest developments in emerging technologies. This is important for them to remain future-ready, in line with the spirit of the national SkillsFuture movement,” comments Ang Chai Soon, Director, Manufacturing Division of the Singapore Workforce Development Agency.

Over 500 delegates are attending the conference. The delegates represent 20 countries, some of whom have flown from the UK and the USA to attend. From Asia, delegates have attended from China, South Korea, India and Sri Lanka among other countries.

EmTech Asia has stamped its mark on the technological innovation scene in Asia, steadily growing in appeal. This year, the stature of the speakers has been significantly elevated over that of the past three years. Ten of the speakers are from the EmTech Asia regional 10 Innovators Under 35 list, which also had an incredibly high standard of applications this year.

In the words of Jason Pontin, Editor in Chief and Publisher, MIT Technology Review (right), which owns the EmTech series of events, “EmTech Asia has a very high quality of speakers; it is reflective of what I see is Singapore - an innovative and entrepreneurial culture that is a leading light for what a smarter city, and what a smarter nation, might be like.”

Key sponsors and partners of EmTech Asia include Host partner IDA, Innovation partner SMART, partners MIT Sloan Executive Education, CREATE and WDA. Sponsors include L’Oréal Research and Innovation, Analog Devices, MIT Professional Education and The Stakeholder Company. Sensavis, SUTD and Patsnap are the Technology Showcase Partners; CNBC is the Official Broadcast Partner. EmTech Asia is organised by Koelnmesse in association with MIT Technology Review.

For more information, please visit www.emtechasia.com.

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About EmTech Asia

EmTech Asia is where technology, business, and culture converge. It is the showcase for emerging technologies with the greatest potential to change our lives. It is an access point to the most innovative people and companies in the world. Most of all, it is a place of inspiration — an opportunity to glimpse the future and begin to understand the technologies that matter and how they will change the face of business and drive the new global economy. www.emtechasia.com

About MIT Technology Review:

MIT Technology Review (www.technologyreview.com), which is wholly owned by MIT, creates award-winning technology-related editorial content on a variety of platforms for an audience of millions of business leaders, innovators, and thought leaders, in six languages and in 147 countries. At www.technologyreview.com readers access daily news and analysis, and the award-winning MIT Technology Review magazine has set the standard for technology publications since 1899. In addition to producing engaging live events, the company manages the global entrepreneurial organization MIT Enterprise Forum.

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About Koelnmesse:

Koelnmesse Pte Ltd is one of the world's largest trade fair companies. Its more than 70 trade fairs and exhibitions have the broadest international scope in the industry, as 60 percent of the exhibitors and 40 percent of the visitors come from outside Germany. The Koelnmesse events include the leading global trade fairs for 25 sectors, such as Imm cologne, Anuga, IDS, INTERMOT, Interzum Cologne, Photokina, Gamescom, and the International Hardware Fair Cologne. Koelnmesse is MIT Technology Review’s local partner for EmTech Asia.