Background of Pioneers

How is the event going so far?

People are making meaningful business connections. This is crucial when building a startup and it's been very successful so far. This event has become more professional and people are focusing more on making valid, worthwhile connections as the ecosystem grows and stabilizes so does the Pioneers event. People are spending less time on purely imaginative and explorative talks and more on concrete connections and meaningful business meetings. We have moved away from marketing ourselves as a 'festival' and taken it more in a serious direction. The people are the most important thing, curating a strong platform for them to network with others.

What makes Pioneers unique?

What is Pioneers 500 and how can startups in Asia become a part of it?

Its open globally so we do get a lot of applications from Europe specifically but we encourage startups in Asia to apply. The earlier you apply the higher your chances of being accepted goes up. We check for your USP, the strength of your team and your product/service to convey and match you to the top VC's in Europe.

What can we expect from Pioneers ventures?

We are focusing on getting traction and they have reached more than 20 million euros in their rounds of investment. We are very proud of that and want to focus on encouraging and facilitating key investments.

Why should people take financial help from Pioneers ventures?

Its all about tapping into the resources we provide. We connect you to the top advisory boards globally for your industry and key investors.

Europe and Asia are very similar in a lot of ways in the fact that they have large domestic markets in each country. Of course, Europe is more affluent, however, there is definitely potential for both markets to merge, connect and succeed.

What is your take on the Austria and Vienna Tech Ecosystem?

The big tech hot spots such as London have a sheer amount of talent and if you network right you can become a respected part of the ecosystem quickly. The advantage that a second tier hotspot has is that it's very easy to get to the top. If you play your cards smart you can become a respected part of the ecosystem quickly which is of course harder in a larger and more established ecosystem.

For expansion into Europe, for Asian Tech Startups, where do you think they should go?

What are some of the challenges for the European ecosystem both on the investor and startup side?

If foreign Investors want to get exposure into Europe what advice do you have?

It's a great opportunity for investors to come into the European market and can act as a bridge for markets with the potential for lucrative deals and is perfect exposure. There are a lot of networking events and startups that need the financial help so investors are extremely welcomed.

In Asia, Corporate innovation is all the rage. What are Pioneers doing differently that Thai and Southeast Asian corporates should take note of?

We have really strong connections to the startups and we have an eye to eye level with them. We actually know them and have a relationship. That is our USP with working with Corporates.

We try to truly understand what the startup is conveying and how the technology will benefit the industry. The deeper the relationship, the better. That is really important not just a high-level buzzword.

2018, what can we expect for Europe and Pioneers?

We will move into a new space in Vienna, and we will be innovating new formats which will be more streamlined for people to connect with the Pioneers brand. We have another chapter in health coming out soon which is our ongoing focus on transforming and making strides in the digital health sector.

Bio of Philipp Stangl

Managing Director of Pioneers Venture

In my role at Pioneers Ventures, I invest in outstanding entrepreneurs when their companies are still pre-seed stage, particularly in the fields of Productivity, Artificial Intelligence, MedTech, and FinTech. I have an entrepreneurial background and I involve myself strongly with the companies I have invested in. 

For more information on our very own ecosystem building platform in Bangkok, The Techsauce Global Summit is at the end of June 22/23rd.

For all the information on how to be part of this unique event click the link below.

https://summit.techsauce.co/