innovfest unbound returns to Singapore in its fourth year, expecting biggest turn-out yet

SINGAPORE, May 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- innovfest unbound, Southeast Asia's largest, most exciting and award-winning innovation festival, will be celebrating its fourth year of connecting disruptive innovations and encouraging entrepreneurship in Asia. To be held on 5^th and 6^th June 2018, over 12,000 entrepreneurs, brands, corporates, government agencies, institutes of higher learning, investors and tech startups across more than 100 countries will gather to exchange ideas, forge new partnerships and celebrate digital disruption at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

Leading the conversation on innovation

Co-Chaired by Yossi Vardi and Lily Chan, the award-winning innovfest unbound is the anchor event of Singapore's Smart Nation Innovations Week. It is jointly organised by Unbound and NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore, and in partnership with Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

Visitors to this year's event can expect an exciting line-up of keynotes and panels from over 300 speakers including the biggest names across industries, such as Grab's Anthony Tan, National Gallery's Chong Siak Ching, Tencent's Steven Chang, ONE Championship's Chatri Sityodtong, Circles.Life's Rameez Ansar, The LEGO Group's Marjorie Lao, The Walt Disney Company's Mahesh Samat and Kuek Yu-Chuang from Netflix.

"innovfest unbound's growth since 2015 -- with ever more attendees and speakers from all industries, spanning the biggest names to the most disruptive startups -- is testament to the power and significance of innovation in today's digital age," said Daniel Seal, founder and CEO of Unbound. "At Unbound, we are passionate about driving the innovation conversation and creating mutually beneficial connections between forward-thinking brands and investors with startups and the cutting-edge technologies."

"innovfest unbound is unique. Every year, we have seen entrepreneurs, corporates, VCs, innovators, researchers, students and policy makers congregate to make the right connections and learn from the leading opinion makers and domain experts," said Lily Chan, CEO, NUS Enterprise.  "The event acts as a catalyst to encourage and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs, leaders and game changers; helping to drive innovation and enterprise across the region."

This year's key content pillars will focus on the following topics: Artificial Intelligence, e-Commerce & Payment, Internet of Things, Immersive Media & Storytelling, The Digital Consumer & Generation Z, Future Talent and Open Innovation.

Four satellite stages will also be making a return since launch last year, ensuring attendees gain maximum value at the event by drilling down into the tech trends of 2018:

• convergence -- Local and global marketers, brands, media owners and creative agencies will come together to examine how to can harness the power of adtech.
• futurenow -- A showcase for universities, corporations and startups as they explore the future of healthcare, manufacturing and the digital economy.
• arise -- Explores emerging trends in Artificial Intelligence and how it will affect the way we live and work in the years to come
• Einstein -- Created in collaboration with Salesforce, Einstein focuses on the challenges, opportunities and trends in AI, Data, Cloud and Finance

New for 2018, attendees will also have the opportunity to attend a proptech forum, Proptech Unleashed, hosted by JLL on 6^th June, and explore the impact of smart cities, how real estate technology is changing our lives and how corporates can successfully innovate to keep up.

Providing entrepreneurs with a springboard for greater innovation

innovfest unbound 2018 will feature several notable key events that will support the transformation of the region's startup ecosystem.

• Pitch@Palace ASEAN will take place this year at innovfest unbound to help ASEAN Entrepreneurs develop connections with the Pitch@Palace global network of Entrepreneurs. The event is hosted by The Duke of York, and provides a platform to amplify and accelerate the work of Entrepreneurs. 20 Entrepreneurs will be selected to Pitch at Pitch@Palace ASEAN on 5th June, 2018, and will have the opportunity to be coached by mentors who are leading investors, business executives and influencers in their respective fields and network with potential supporters for their businesses. The Winners will be invited to Pitch at Pitch@Palace Global 3.0 at St. James's Palace in London in December 2018.
• The unbound50 ASEAN, powered by Accenture, will make its debut this year, showcasing 50 of Asia's most exciting and innovative startups in a dedicated area. Inspiring tech startups will be chosen to win a free exhibition stand, gain exposure to investors and corporate representatives, as well as have access to pitch sessions and competitions.
• Data and AI-driven startups can look forward to the Unilever Foundry Startup Battle on the Main Stage of innovfest unbound. The competition will showcase groundbreaking startups with a solution or product in the Marketing, Advertising, E-commerce, or Retail vertical. Winners will receive $5,000 cash prize and the opportunity to work with Unilever Foundry.
• The HSBC Hexagon Hive at innovfest unbound is an exclusive networking space with have the opportunity to connect with the HSBC's network of private and institutional investors, large corporates, startups and in-house financial experts, with pitch sessions and prizes of $30,000

innovfest unbound started in 2015 and has grown to become Southeast Asia's largest innovation festival, welcoming over 11,000 registrations and more than 3,000 international delegates in 2017, with Unbound awarded "Best Trade Conference Organizer" at the Singapore Tourism Board Awards. For 2018, innovfest unbound is expecting an even more diverse turnout, with over 400 exhibitors, 5,000 startup participants and 6,000 corporate representatives.

For more information about the upcoming innovfest unbound including the latest speaker line-up and purchase of tickets, please visit www.unbound.live.

PR Newswire is a community partner of innovfest unbound 2018.

Press contacts:

Serene Chow
Email: chows@ruderfinnasia.com
Phone Number: +65 9836 4873

About innovfest unbound
Organised by NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore, and Unbound, a global ecosystem of innovators, in partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority Of Singapore (IMDA), innovfest unbound is the anchor event of Smart Nation Innovations Week. innovfest unbound is Southeast Asia's largest, most exciting and award-winning innovation festival, with an expected attendance in 2018 of over 12,000 delegates from across the world. Co-chaired by Yossi Vardi and Lily Chan, innovfest unbound is a cross-industry, cross-vertical event that brings together stakeholders from across the innovation ecosystem -- including entrepreneurs, corporates, academics, investors, as well as government officials and media representatives -- to discuss the latest trends shaping our world, forge lasting relationships, and create new business opportunities.

About Unbound

Founded by Daniel Seal in 2013, Unbound has quickly developed into an internationally recognised market-leading platform connecting grassroots innovation with corporates, brands and governments.

Unbound has 3 offices around the world -- London, Miami & Singapore, with full capabilities to execute festivals, content creation and innovation discovery programmes. We pride ourselves on having a super talented energetic team. The company has scaled rapidly into new markets and firmly positioned in the centre of the innovation ecosystem.

As a powerful, trusted brand with a globally respected voice on innovation, Unbound bridges the gap between entrepreneurs, corporate business, governments and trade agencies to fuel a digital future. It encourages innovation by showcasing pioneering ideas to digital communities around the world. Unbound creates fusion between grassroots entrepreneurs and established corporate businesses, pioneering human interaction with dynamic brands to inspire communities, powering digital economies around the world.

About the National University of Singapore (NUS)

A leading global university centred in Asia, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore's flagship university, which offers a global approach to education and research, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise.

NUS has 17 Faculties and Schools across three campuses. Its transformative education includes a broad-based curriculum underscored by multidisciplinary courses and cross-faculty enrichment. Over 38,000 students from 100 countries enrich the community with their diverse social and cultural perspectives. NUS also strives to create a supportive and innovative environment to promote creative enterprise within its community.

NUS takes an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to research, working with partners from industry, government and academia, to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in NUS' Faculties and Schools, 30 university-level research institutes and centres, and Research Centres of Excellence cover a wide range of themes including: energy, environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases common among Asians; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems. The University's latest research focus is to use data science, operations research and cybersecurity to support Singapore's Smart Nation initiative. For more information on NUS, please visit www.nus.edu.sg

About NUS Enterprise

NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS), plays a pivotal role in advancing innovation and entrepreneurship at NUS and beyond. It actively promotes entrepreneurship and cultivates global mind-sets and talents through the synergies of experiential entrepreneurial education, active industry partnerships, holistic entrepreneurship support and catalytic entrepreneurship outreach. Its initiatives and global connections support a range of entrepreneurial journeys and foster ecosystem building in new markets. These initiatives augment and complement the University's academic programmes and act as a unique bridge to industry well beyond Singapore's shores. For more information, please visit www.enterprise.nus.edu.sg

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