Echelon 2012 essentials — your guide to Asia’s key tech startup event

Organized by tech blog e27 for the third year running, Echelon 2012 is a key startup launchpad in Asia with over 1,100 delegates in attendance and 50 startups exhibiting in the Marketplace. The two-day, double-track event, which will be held on 11th and 12th June, plays host to a list of distinguished speakers who will discuss the latest trends in Asia’s startup scene.

The conference will also feature a startup pitch competition, where 10 companies will take the stage to win the audience and the judges over — and hopefully secure their next round of investments. These finalists were selected from a series of Satellite events held around Asia earlier in the year.

In this page, you will find everything we have about the conference and the startups that are being showcased. Check back here often as we’ll constantly update it with more content. Read more

Flocations, ShopSpot get investment offers from SingTel Innov8, says fund’s new CEO

Flocations and ShopSpot, two of the incubatee startups at the JFDI-Innov8 2012 Bootcamp, have received investment offers from SingTel Innov8, the telco company’s investment arm.

While ShopSpot has indicated that they will accept the offer, Flocations has not made a final decision as they are still in talks with other investors.

SGE was told of the news during an exclusive interview today with SingTel Innov8 CEO Edgar Hardless, who took over as the new head just under two months ago.

Singapore-based Flocations has built a web app that enables travelers to search for destinations by price, using a highly-visual interface. Users would then be redirected to partner sites to book their plane tickets and hotel rooms.

For now, they are monetizing using a hotel affiliate program with Agoda. They plan to monetize on flight ticket purchases soon, and even move towards travel insurance, flights, e-guides, flash deals and packages. Read more