Bangkok--29 Jul--AIS
AIS is moving forward to weave the dream and push for a new Thai startup into the international market and creating the AIS The Startup 2015 for the fifth consecutive year with more opportunities and greater success. We are looking for new business faces to become digital partners with AIS through the opening of a forum for creative thinkers and small entrepreneurs with fresh concepts or products on hand to expand their businesses by submitting their work to the competition for improvement and launching in the real market. The top prize is 1,000,000 baht and a ticket to attend the Regional Operator Workshop and Regional Challenge in addition to an opportunity to meet with numerous investors from all around the world. All of these are fully supported by AIS as well as our allies in Thailand and abroad who have access to a customer base of over 550 million people in the region.
Mr. Pratthana Leelapanang, Executive Vice President - Marketing, AIS, says, "Since 2011, AIS has generated support for Thai startup projects with ongoing engagement and open arms for the younger generation with bright ideas to become our business allies and sustainably cooperate with us in furthering success in this industry, along with expanding our customer base at the regional and international levels. One important driving force is our ally in the Singtel Group. The mutual alliance has seriously driven startups within the group to grow in the market.
Over the past four years, over 1,000 startup groups have joined the project and passed selection for sufficient entry to the marketing test stage to release services. These include ShopSpot, Infographic Thailand, Noonswoon, Golfdigg, Local Alike, AIS U Academy and StockRadars teams, which have finally attracted the attention of investors.
Thus, we have consistently provided opportunities based on the concept "The New Generation of Digital Partnerships", which remain focused on partnership-like growth. New digital partners are always needed to craft new services for the usage and lifestyles of the digital age. This year's competition provides opportunities for digital products in many forms in concurrence with the behaviors of the newer generation, e.g., digital games, entertainment and lifestyle services, on-demand economy (platform or application that coordinates purchase and sale requirements with facilitation for consumers to easily purchase goods and services online) and IOT smart living (communication with electrical appliances and devices through applications), payment and fin tech (financial payment technology system), social enterprise: activities for the society.
"AIS The Startup 2015" accepts work in the form of both tangibly marketable concept and product. Interested people can apply at www.ais.co.th/thestartup from today until 13 September 2015. Contestants can arrange slide presentations of their work (by using the template specified on our website). Contestants can be either individual persons or companies who are either Thais or foreigners. They can also submit more than one sample of their work. These presentations will be given preliminary consideration based on the details in the slides. Then contestants will be invited to present their work to a committee before the audition round on Tuesdays from 4 August to 22 September 2015. The results on the 15 teams eligible for the AIS Top Management will be announced on 25 September 2015, so contestants can present their work on 29 September 2015. The ten teams selected for the final round will be announced on 2 October 2015 and the work will be presented to an honorary committee, after which the winners will be announced and prizes given on 7 October 2015.
The prize for the winning team is 1,000,000 baht from AIS, 2,000 USD from Samsung Asia, round trip travel and accommodation fees for attending the Regional Operator Workshop, Singapore, in October and for attending the Regional Challenge event at Jakarta, Indonesia, in December. What's more, Kasikorn Bank will give a special award, "The Best FinTech Startup Award" of 100,000 baht in cash for a team that presents a project related to FinTech.
And AIS still has a policy to support every startup team partnering with AIS' business in every dimension in a way that cannot be found anywhere else that gather the whole financial support on this project in value of 100 million baht. with the following five atoms:
1. Link up with the telecommunications network of AIS to improve product potential, e.g., invoices in mobile phone billing.
2. Opportunities for financial support from AIS from 100,000 baht to 6,000,000 baht divided as initial support funds and marketing funds.
3. Participation in creating special privileges for customers of AIS, a way to expand the service user base of startup operators.
4. Financial capacity improvement services as joint ventures between AIS The Startup and Mahidol University by which financial consultant services are provided at no charge.
5. Business development and cooperation-building with AIS in business models specifically designed for startup groups.
This competition is well-supported by our ally companies in various businesses honoring AIS by being judges in the final rounds and awarding startups, namely, the Stock Exchange of Thailand, EAI, InVent, KBank, Samsung, Singtel Group, and more. Accordingly, the executives of our allies shared a perspective on supporting startups in Thailand as follows:
Mr. Pakorn Partanapat, Senior Executive Vice President, Kasikorn Bank, discloses, "KBank is one of AIS' allies in "AIS The StartUp 2015". As an expert in the financial industry, KBank recognizes the importance of developing the Fin Tech business group. So, KBank has joined our alliance for this event as a judge and sponsor of various aspects. In addition, KBank is sponsoring a special prize, the "Best FinTech StartUp Award" in the amount of 100,000 baht for contestants who have financial solutions to show with creative thinking and applicability to benefit the financial industry. Moreover, the bank will organize the world shop, "Digital Technology to Transform the Financial Service & Experience" on 14 August to expand the pool of knowledge about FinTech. Experiences will also be shared with world shop participants by invited guests who have been successful in Fin Tech development.
The challenges faced in the growth of FinTech developers and entrepreneurs are inadequate investment funds, lack of knowledge about the financial industry and inadequate knowledge about business expansion. As a leader in digital banking with a firm commitment to innovative financial development offering solutions to meet consumer needs, KBank recognizes the importance of supporting Thai developers and entrepreneurs in FinTech development in the form of investment funds and education about the financial industry to help develop these companies with sustainable strength in line with digital economy policy to help drive the Thai economy with the use of digital technology for efficiency.
Mr. Nicholas Foo, Head of Developer Relations, Samsung Asia, says, "As a global leader in technology, Samsung is a firm believer that technology never stands still and has no international borders. We have a large variety of products to support the trend for Smart Things. Furthermore, Samsung recognizes the capacity of Thailand's StartUp group for coming up with new innovations for handling the introduction of the Internet of Things, which is becoming a trend for the future in finding solutions to meet needs and make people's lives more convenient. So, it's a great opportunity for Thai developers who join in the development of these things. Therefore, concerning this year's AIS The StartUp 2015 contest, Samsung is wholeheartedly doing its part in moving full speed ahead, just like always, by sponsoring the first prize by awarding 2,000 USD with a trip to the Regional operator Workshop and the Regional Challenge".
Mr. Oliver Foo, Vice President – Business Development & COE Programme Office, Singtel International Group, reveals, "With the Singtel Group's policy for coordinating cooperation among its group of allies and operators in all six member countries to promote the StartUp group together for international growth with a business model aimed at Fast Track growth with support arising as a result of international cooperation, including a mixture of strength at the regional community level for real Startups by using our capacity and strong points from experience with the competent service provision of the member countries in various aspects to join our strength in offering the best proposals that are second to none and offering opportunities to access over 550 million users with expansion to 25 countries in Asia, Australia and Africa.
"AIS is convinced that AIS The Startup 2015 will expand the concepts of startups by successfully creating new opportunities for growth in the mobile and digital content industries to consistently meet the needs of consumers in the digital life, while advancing AIS to another level in directly welcoming alliances with application developers or small entrepreneurs. AIS affirms that we will maintain support and promotion of technologies, strategies, marketing strategies and channels to access over 42 million current customers of AIS and press ahead to customers on the regional level through Singtel Group with a customer base of over 550 million people in the future", Mr. Pratthana concluded.