DHAKA: Thailand’s TakeMeTour took top honor ‘Digital Winners Asia Champion 2016’ title after competing with seven other leading startups from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia at the first regional Digital Winners Asia startup event by Telenor.
Following the winning pitch, the team will return to their home market with 100,000 Norwegian Kroner in initial expansion funds, and a wealth of support, network and knowledge to expand their business into neighboring markets – the event’s overall theme.
Eight startups from five Asian countries competed in the inaugural event to gain new market expansion tools from global specialists
Hosted in emerging tech hot-spot Yangon, Myanmar, Digital Winners Asia is the first Asia-wide startup event that pairs some of the top startup talent from Telenor Group’s leading accelerator programs across Asia and leaders in market expansion and entrepreneurship within a two-day learning and competition platform.
The format also featured keynote discussions from across the startup and venture capital communities such as Google, Golden Gate Ventures and Telenor Group’s own innovation and investment arms of the company, said a press release Group on Thursday (November 3).
“Bringing together some of the brightest startups from across Asia in our first Digital Winners Asia event was not only inspiring, but an exciting indication of the extraordinary talent and growth in this region. All teams were strong and dynamic contenders,” said Johanna Staaf, Director of New Ventures, Telenor Group.
“On a broader scale, having the ability to host such diverse groups under numerous innovative categories, in a market with a burgeoning tech future like Myanmar, is a true honor.”
The winning startup duo from TakeMeTour, Jinda-Apiraksa Amornched, CEO and co-founder, and Noppon Anukunwithaya, COO and co-founder, created the Bangkok-based company focused on providing consumer access to the largest collection of one-day tours in Thailand.
They will use this experience to focus on growth in their own country, and they plan to expand into Myanmar starting with the expansion funds from Telenor Group.
“An event like Digital Winners Asia is a dream-come-true for startups like us. We started with the dtac Accelerate program and have advanced to this point to be able look at expansion into other markets. Then to have the caliber of speakers and their personal advice at the event, is priceless,” said Jinda-Apiraksa Amornched, CEO and co-founder of TakeMeTour.
BDST: 2043 HRS, NOV 03, 2016
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