Start-up, entrepreneurship session at Sweden-SEA Business Summit

Mr Andreas Ehn and Ms Lisa Enckell are the Singapore-based Swedish angel investors and consultants invited to partake in a session at the upcoming Sweden-Southeast Asia Business Summit 21–22 of September 2016.

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They will bring forward the topic ‘The future of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia’. They both have a background in founding and working for technology companies in Stockholm and San Francisco. Andreas was Spotify’s first employee and chief technology officer (CTO). Lisa is a marketing and product consultant for start-ups. Clients include “Candy Crush Saga” maker King, the world’s leading period tracking app Clue, and a number of early-stage European and American start-ups.

Together Andreas and Lisa decided to explore ten different countries during the course of five years. In every market they work with local start/ups and investors and look for potential start/ups to invest in.
“Ideally we’d like to opt out of the nation state entirely, buying the services we need on an open, free and global market unencumbered by state coercion. Alas, that’s not how the world works. You have to be physically based somewhere and associate yourself with a state actor,” they explained how they made Singapore into a base.

“Of all options, Singapore is one of the most international places. It is a city-state not bogged down by countryside. Its government is efficient and a great service provider. It has excellent healthcare, an important factor for us, who were expecting at the time. It has amazing food, welcoming people, one of the best airports in the world and business-friendly regulators.”

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“As the centre of gravity of the global economy shifts (back) to Asia, this region is important for all companies doing business internationally. Many Swedish companies know this and have been present in the region for a long time, but still many don’t. Hopefully the summit will play a role in changing that,” Andreas and Lisa comments on the inaugural Sweden-SEA Business Summit. “This is another reason for why Singapore is a great base for us.”

In their presentation the will highlight that Southeast Asian economies, like most parts of the world outside of Silicon Valley, are still in a phase with a lot of low-hanging fruits.

“Most companies started are local version of something that originated elsewhere. There is little need of taking the risk of doing something truly unique and unproven.”

“The start-up ecosystem is for the most part still in its first build–grow–exit cycle. A lot of liquidity is unlocked and dispersed in the community as successful companies grow and either are acquired or IPO. This will enable founders and early employees to go on and start the next cycle of more innovative start-ups, building on cash and experience from the previous one,” they evaluate.

Andreas Ehn and Lisa Enckell speaks at the business summit on 21 September, held at Parkroyal on Pickering hotel in Singapore.

About Joakim Persson

Freelance business and lifestyle photojournalist

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