Bangkok--15 Feb--AIS
AIS moves forward to strengthen the community of Thai Developers, launching the activity “AIS the Startup Weekend 2013” inviting thinkers to join idea contest developing Mobile Application commercialized to market under full supports of development fund, technology and marketing plan by AIS and Partner Companies, with the opportunity to participate in Boot Camp, the 3-month intensive business training course amounting to 28 million Baht in value, organizing Investor Day for networking and direct presentation of developed works to investors, expecting to expand App market meeting demand of customers in the age of 3G.
Mr. Pratthana Leelapanang, Acting Senior Vice President Digital Product and Service of Advanced Info Service (Public) Company Limited or AIS, disclosed “Following the trend of Application Development industry promoted by many countries to encourage their civilians to become digital entrepreneurs fueled by today technologies that simplify access to customers from every nation and language with no limit and market demand of mobile phone users requiring applications and contents that suit different lifestyles, evidenced by application download global statistic of 1.4 billion downloads per month, AIS places importance to robust and continual supports to new generation developers through the project “AIS the Startup” organized for 1 consecutive years with remarkable success participated by 300 new developers possessing high potential in developing Apps to consumer market.
Based on experience in cooperation with the Startup group, we find that today new generation developers are blessed with creative idea and courage to start and experiment new things. The group of prospects entering digital business does not limit to programmers but designers, artists and marketers totaling over 40,000 startup in Thailand market. Those prospects own capabilities and potentials to become App developers.
In 2013, the project “AIS the Startup” establishes plan as a continual support rendered to the developers group throughout the year in a variety of activities.
- Welcome idea sharing and work proposal to co-develop App with AIS. Appointment may be made for discussion and idea sharing with AIS at all time through the website www.ais.co.th/thestartup
- Cooperate with Partners organizing events in response to market demand featuring Ecosystem such as the cooperation with NOKIA App contest exclusively for NOKIA ASHA user group.
- The annual grand event “AIS the Startup Weekend”
The activity “AIS the Startup Weekends 2013,” the opportunity for creative thinkers and Thai developers to join the groundbreaking idea venue and Mobile Application contest for further development of products and services that satisfy demand of AIS customers, consists of 3 activities
1. “AIS the Startup Weekends” organized in the new form of 2-week event divided into Audition round selecting specialists from various areas to team up for workshop advised by expert committee to adjust basic concept and skills relevant to product creativity developed to Prototype for commercialization and the Pitching round selecting 5 teams to Boot Camp. The 5 winner teams will be granted with development fund of 200,000 Baht per team and sponsorship from Partners such as Microsoft Bizspark and Windows Azure Cloud for 1 year (value 4 million Baht/team), office space for 3 months from HUBBA (value 60,500 Baht per team) and 2-day workshop training with Nokia Window Phone (value 10,000 Baht/team)
2. “AIS the Startup Boot Camp” offering intensive training program for 3 months, designed by AIS exclusively for new digital business entrepreneurs including presenters, specialists and businessmen with success story from Thailand and abroad to acknowledge and share experience in terms of technology and business investment. The entrepreneurs passing the training course from this project will own a product which can be commercialized in the market. The winner team from Booth Camp will be awarded with 600,000 Baht development fund together with marketing and PR plan support worth 3 million Baht from AIS.
3. “AIS Startup Investor Day” invites investors and business partners from Thailand and abroad to witness the presentation of entrepreneurs in the activity “AIS the Startup Weekend 2013” for networking and support seeking from investors.
Interested persons can apply to join the activity from today to March 17, 2013 at the website www.ais.co.th/thestartup. The activity “AIS the Startup Weekends” will be organized from March 23 to 31, 2013, followed by the activity Booth Camp from April 22 to July 31, 2013 and the activity Investor Day in August 2013.
This year AIS receives great cooperation and support from Government Agencies and Business Partners including SIPA, SOFTWARE PARK THAILAND, NECTEC, InVent, KBank, Microsoft, NOKIA and Partners in the online business including EGGidea, and the community for new era of StartUp HUBBA to build the StartUp community for Thai developers.
AIS extremely hopes that “AIS the Startup Weekend 2013” will expedite the idea and innovations for the Application market as well as taking the step to form direct partnership with Application developers or small and medium entrepreneurs enormously emerging today. AIS confirms that we are committed to supporting and sponsoring with technology, marketing strategy and technique, channel to access AIS customer base reaching 35.7 millions in number, extending to regional customers via SingTel Group possessing 500 million customers accordingly.” Pratana concluded.