Update: View our post-event report here!
Startup Weekend is an intense 54-hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of a weekend. The weekend brings together people with different skillsets – primarily software developers, graphics designers and business people – to build applications and develop a commercial case around them.
Last year, SW Manila was organized by Singapore-based incubator JFDI. SW Manila 2012 is however brought to you by a bunch of people led by Jay, a tech entrepreneur who also runs Roofcamp.
Our editor-in-chief, Gwen will be mentoring and judging at SW Manila! Our assistant editor, Terence will also be there to find cool startups to write about on SGE. So please say hi to the both of them. Read more
For a one-stop to all events related to or concerning entrepreneurship, certain industry-meets-business forums and seminars in Singapore, check out our Calendar. If not, you can also follow our bite-size updated posts for upcoming events for the week.
Events range from simple get-togethers to full-blown conferences. Get to meet fellow developers, entrepreneurs, startup CEOs & founders, and meet & learn from CEOs of established companies who have seen it all.
Our aim here at SGE is to make it easy for you to pick & choose from the event buffet. Enjoy.
Here are the events for this week. Events are mostly in Singapore (generally 30 minutes drive from anywhere), but we also include key events from around Southeast Asia and beyond. Read more
South Korea is a leading player in the global tech industry with Korean brands leaving their mark in various sectors. While we hear a lot about South Korean firms innovating and pushing the envelope, there is hardly any platform to showcase the thriving software and tech startup scene in South Korea. beLAUNCH hopes to do just that by giving a platform for Korean startups and at the same time enable people outside to tap into the exciting world of Korean entrepreneurship. beLAUNCH is a flagship initiative of beSUCCESS which is South Korea’s leading media platform focused on startups and technology (formerly known as OnSuccess). beLAUNCH will be hosted at aT Center Yangjae, Seoul on June 13,14 2012.
The event will bring together the best known names in the Korean technology industry along with exceptional startups right in the heart of Seoul. For 2 days, participants will be able to make new connections, find out about new products and engage in opportunities that will unleash untapped value and at the same time have fun!
beLAUNCH will provide an opportunity for startups from Korea and abroad to pitch to investors and technology firms through the ‘Launch Pad’. With fireside chats, startup booths and panel discussions the event promises to be a one stop shop for people interested to get connected to the Korean startup ecosystem. Read more
You’ve got the idea, your code is solid, but you’re still working for the man and uncertain about going solo on the App Store — sound like you? Well you’re not alone. Others have been where you are and taken the leap into being full-time iOS developers, on their terms, doing what they want.
One More Thing isn’t a traditional programming conference. It’s a meeting for iOS developers, designers and those who just want to come along for the ride. You won’t directly learn to code better. Your UI probably won’t improve either. But you will leave with more confidence in your abilities as an iOS developer or designer.
Their hope is that through listening to the stories of successful independent iOS developers, you will be inspired to follow through on your own ideas and projects.
For 2012, they’ve brought the best independent iOS developers from all over the world to Melbourne, and expanded to an extra day of workshops, with masters in the craft of code & design. If you’ve ever wanted to make a living off the App Store, making your own apps and setting your own agenda, One More Thing is where you want to be.
Featuring speakers from Camera+, Tweetie, Flipboard and more. Read more
Just days after the mighty Rocket Internet launched their online food delivery service Food Panda in Southeast Asia, Singapore’s second largest daily deals site Deal.com.sg unveiled their very own competitor today — DEALivery.sg.
Both websites now join HungryDelivery.com and EatIt.sg in an increasingly competitive food fight — a boon for consumers.
Rocket Internet is a German technology incubator that has been aggressively expanding to Southeast Asia in a variety of online verticals: Fashion store Zalora, Amazon-like website Lazada, and a Pinterest-clone called Pinspire.
Read more
Filed under F&B, Featured, General, Innovation & Technology, News, Technology, WebTags: DEAL.com.sg, dealivery.sg, eatit.sg, food panda, foodpanda, hungrydelivery.com, Rocket Internet, RocketInternet, Samwer Brothers, Southeast Asia
It would appear that Singapore-based Reserveit.sg has maintained its front-runner status as the king of online restaurant reservation sites in Singapore.
Now, with the launch of their mobile app on iOS, they are leaving Chope.sg and TableDB in the dust.
Mobile is big in Singapore, so there’s definitely value in creating a mobile app to allow users to fluidly make reservations. Read more
The bad thing about Android phones, at least from the consumer’s perspective, is that any genius can create a mobile game and upload it to the Google Play store, even if it’s atrociously bad.
Applorer Gamebox, a game discovery app store by the creators of MoVend, hopes to give users a better experience. It basically handpicks the best free games available on Android, so that users can get a curated list of quality titles.
Jeremy Ee, marketing executive at Singapore-based Stream Media, tells me that games are picked based on their ratings. Staff also play the games themselves to ensure the five-star ratings aren’t bogus. Read more
Dear readers,
Justin from Ace Tutors requested that we remove the article. We have done so.
Regards,
SGE Team
Singapore, March 29, 2012 – First Meta (www.firstmeta.com) announced today that it has secured SGD 588,000.00 in growth capital from Silicon Valley based technology business accelerator Plug and Play Tech Center, and Singapore’s National Research Foundation. First Meta currently provides a web-based exchange for users to buy, sell, and trade virtual currencies for real money across multiple games and virtual worlds. The Company has deep expertise in the virtual goods space. First Meta was the first provider of ATMs and Credit Cards inside the popular virtual world Second Life, and their existing exchange was built to provide users with further liquidity.
“Consumers are being bombarded with virtual currency today like we’ve never seen before. We get them from games, websites and reward programs. Soon most of us will have 5 or 10 different types of online currency. You likely have a handful already. First Meta provides a safe environment for you to mange and trade these goods; we work closely with game publishers and other issuers of currency to offer a sanctioned environment for trading” says CEO Autumn Radtke who joined First Meta in January. The company, which already has stable revenue, is using the newly secured capital to build the next generation of its virtual goods exchange and expand support to new platforms.
Virtual Currency trading is somewhat similar to forex trading and it’s already a large business in Asia. “We believe as gaming becomes more mainstream so will secondary trading. We’re here to help the new generation of game companies and currency issuers participate in revenue and avoid the black market fraud problems associated with unsanctioned trading.”
“First Meta is in a fast growing and exciting industry and we are looking forward to working with the team to succeed in Asia and beyond”, added Jupe Tan, VP International Operations of Plug and Play Tech Center and Director of Plug and Play Singapore.
About FirstMeta:
First Meta a Singapore based technology company was founded in 2007 with the goal of providing virtual financial
services to end users of games and virtual worlds.
About Plug and Play Tech Center:
Plug and Play Tech Center officially commenced its Singapore operations in March 2010 with the goal of
accelerating entrepreneurial companies, increasing their access to the dynamic resources of Silicon Valley and
increasing the chances of commercial success.
About National Research Foundation:
The National Research Foundation (NRF), set up on 1 January 2006 as a department under the Prime Minister’s
Office, seeks to strengthen Singapore’s R&D capabilities, encourage greater innovation and nurture the growth of
technology-based enterprises in Singapore.
For more information please contact
Wayne Soh
Business Development Manager
Plug and Play Singapore
Email: wayne@plugandplaytechcenter.com
Autumn Radtke
CEO
First Meta
Email: autumn@firstmeta.com
First Meta, a Singapore startup that provides a web-based exchange for users to buy, sell, and trade virtual currencies for real money across multiple games and virtual worlds, has received SG$588k (US$466k) in growth capital. Read more
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