Singapore's innovation booster: innovfest unbound

The anchor event for Smart Nation Innovations Week, a week-long series of events that showcase Asia’s most innovative developments in Singapore, is innovfest unbound. The event is billed as Southeast Asia’s most exciting innovation festival, the two-day event includes a digital conference and showcases Asian innovation, the infocomm media ecosystem, jobs and talent. Over 8,000 entrepreneurs, brands, corporates, government agencies, institutes of higher learning, investors and tech startups are expected to meet and share new ideas, build partnerships and celebrate digital disruption.

Organised by NUS Enterprise and in partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Co-Chaired by Yossi Vardi and Lily Chan, innovfest unbound will have over 300 booths, including showcases on:

 NEUTO Therapy: the world’s first intelligent hydrogen dry cleaning system invented for vehicles running on combustion engines. Made in Singapore, NEUTO Therapy significantly cuts down on the time required to clean car engines.

 Bee Bryte: a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) which can control selected electric equipment in order to time-shift electricity purchase and energy use (demand-side flexibility) so that users benefit from the cheapest electricity prices.

 Arcstone: a software platform operating system that consolidates information and provides a holistic view of the entire manufacturing process.

 Shelfx: Automated and unmanned merchandising that allows customers a touch-and-feel experience. Payment is done through mobile phone or cards.

There will be opportunities for startups to meet with brands and investors through various activities. The lineup includes:

 Founders & Investors Speed-Dating 
 Corporate Pitch Sessions with brands including Singtel Innov8, Publicis, Y&R, Dentsu
 Start-up Soapbox – an IHL tech pitching event
 The Unilever Foundry Start-up Battle 
 Oracle Startup Cloud Accelerator Battle 
 Bayer Grants4Apps

Source: IMDA.

This year, for the first time, four additional satellite events are being launched to highlight the trends shaping the world of tech throughout 2017; convergence, futurenow, fintech360 and arise.

The inaugural convergence highlights the growing synergies between advertising, media and technology over 3 and 4 May. The event will provide an interactive experience that brings players across the marketing ecosystem under one roof - from global brands, local advertising agencies to media and tech professionals in the region. Through a series of content-rich workshops, panel discussions, fireside chats, meetings and networking opportunities with thought leaders, attendees can expect to be inspired by the latest trends in advertising with the convergence of content, communications, creativity and technology to find new collaborations and ways to transform the advertising business and stay at the forefront of a digital future. Check out the Innovation Academy, with workshops by Facebook, Yahoo and Vice Media on the latest innovations and best practices.

A major highlight will be Minister of State Janil Puthucheary's opening fireside chat with Robert Gilby, MD, Southeast Asia of The Walt Disney Company on 3 May.

Also debuting is futurenow, which showcases the best technologies from research to application taking place in universities, corporations and the startup space. Various futurenow sessions on 3 and 4 May will connect the dots between the most bleeding edge research happening today, and their vast potential for impacting the world tomorrow. Questions discussed will include the impact of rapid urbanisation and global ageing on the development of cities and how advancements in healthcare could enable us to live longer and better.

The first arise, on 4 May, will explore the emerging trends throughout the robotic revolution and give insights into how they will affect the way we live and work in years to come. Sessions will give insight into big data, intelligent robots, bionics and AI powered mobility. A highlight of the event will be a keynote address by Dr David Hanson, Founder and CEO of Hanson Robotics, creator of expressive and engaging robots. Dr. Hanson will show case one such robot on stage.

On 4 May fintech360 will bring together the fintech ecosystem, build relationships, share knowledge, and create business opportunities. Co-organised by unbound and the Singapore Fintech Association, the multiformat fintech360 will range across the  new world of money, featuring deep dives into key areas of disruption and spotlights on innovations covering a wide spectrum from the rise of Asian fintech to globalising fintech.
Over 200 speakers are expected at the event, with key speakers such as:

 Dirk Ahlborn, CEO, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies
 Taizo Son, CEO, Mistletoe
 Deborah Barta, SVP Innovation Management and Start-up Engagement, Mastercard
 Robert Gilby, MD, Southeast Asia, The Walt Disney Company
 Cristina Magdalena, Head of Innovation, Fujitsu
 Min-Liang Tan, CEO, Co-Founder & Creative Director, Razer
 Hiroshi Saijou, CEO & MD, Yamaha Motor Ventures and Laboratory
 Mark Adams, SVP Innovation, Vice Media
 David Hanson, Founder and CEO, Hanson Robotic
 Kemal Malik, Board Member, Bayer

Interactive sessions run by partners of innovfest unbound, include:

 Facebook Blueprint: Crafting Mobile Ready Videos on Facebook and Instagram 
 Yahoo! Masterclass - The Art of Storytelling 2.0 
 Dentons Rodyk – From Founders to Being Found 
 VICE Media – with Adams
 Insights into the IP Landscape in Asia 
 The Trade Desk

Forums at innovfest unbound include:

 Singtel Innov8 VC Forum 
 Huawei – How to Create an Innovation Friendly Environment for the Digital Economy 
 Y&R e-commerce Forum 
 National Supercomputer Centre Forum - The Rise of Big Data: Harnessing the power of data analytics in the Government and Industry 
 Publicis Forum
 Ascendas-Singbridge - Co-innovation 2.0: Catalysing Industry & Deep Technology Collaborations in Singapore Science Park 
 Finland – Singapore Dialogue Series: Facing Common Challenges – Helsinki and Singapore as Ecosystems for Innovation  

The pillar events for Smart Nation Innovations Week - Tech Saturday (Upsized!), innovfest unbound, arise, convergence, futurenow and fintech360 – are expected to welcome more than 20,000 local and international guests across different communities and backgrounds to learn and share about disruptive tech, study the future impact of technology, and celebrate the success of innovative solutions.

Interested?

Innovfest unbound
Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
3 and 4 May 2017
Open from 8:30am to 7pm