WYN

A lab full of ideas

by Samar Al-Montser

WIEF Young Leaders Network initiative, IdeaLab 2018, travelled to Goa in India to serve as a platform for startups to discuss challenges and opportunities. Here’s a report in photos first published in the third edition of In Focus.

After three successful editions, this year’s WIEF IdeaLab 2018 expanded for the first time beyond ASEAN to Goa, India, and was held on 16 – 17 October at the Goa Institute of Management (GIM). IdeaLab, an initiative of WIEF Foundation’s Young Leaders Network (WYN), is a distinguished startup conference that cultivates entrepreneurs and assists in developing the startup ecosystem. Goa, aiming to be a startup hub in the next five years proved to be a good venue for IdeaLab’s first sojourn abroad and it attracted close to 400 participants from six countries comprising startups, students and ecosystem partners among others.

Former director of GIM, Peter F. X. D’Lima, officiates the opening of WIEF IdeaLab 2018 with the Indian custom of lighting the Indian traditional lamp along with various dignitaries.

Razif Abdul Aziz, Acting Group CEO of Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd from Malaysia spoke about the struggles of startups and how it’s very important not to fall in the trap of being focused in just one area.

Jan Lambrechts, CEO of CXS International, spoke in the session about how innovation and big data is rapidly changing every industry.

In the plenary sessions, mindful participants engaged in discussion with the speakers on various topics including how to start a business in Goa, investments, blockchain among others.

IdeaLab’s a big advocate of the arts and it’s no different this time in Goa with Soundscape Pop-up sessions to liven things up and add colour to an already exciting event.

At Lab 51, the breakout room provided workshops for early stage startups who were also given the opportunity to share their experience living the startup life.

 

___________________

For more on the latest topics related to business, technology, finance and more, read our digital versions of In Focus magazine, issue 1, issue 2 and issue 3.

 

7 Jan 2019
Last modified: 16 Jan 2019
share this article