Designed to move the ecosystem from AI hype to real-world implementation
Ecosystem Convergence to Build an Intelligent Future
3 - 4 June 2026 | Suntec Singapore CEC, Level 4
Echelon Singapore 2026 Agenda
Across two days, Echelon Singapore brings together builders, operators, enterprises, and talent to move beyond AI hype, and into real-world implementation, skills, and partnerships. The agenda is designed around four core pillars addressing a real challenge faced by today’s tech ecosystem.
9.00AM – 9:45AM
REGISTRATION OPENS & NETWORKING
9.45AM – 10:00AM
Future Stage
OPENING ADDRESS
Hear from our CEO as we open Echelon Singapore. A brief introduction to the themes, conversations, and opportunities shaping the event.
SPEAKER
Mohan Belani
Co-Founder & CEO, e27
10.00AM – 10:20AM
Future Stage
KEYNOTE | From Cloud to Local: Why Build High-Performance AI Agents On Your Own Infrastructure Wins Long Term
What if your AI could run faster, cost less, and keep your data fully in your control? Learn why forward-thinking companies are shifting beyond the cloud to build high-performance AI on their own infrastructure.
SPEAKER
Vincent Caldeira
Chief Technology Officer, Red Hat
10.20AM – 11:10AM
Future Stage
PANEL DISCUSSIONS | The New AI-Era VC Playbook: How the Role Has Changed – and Deals That Still Get Done
Fundraising looks very different in today’s AI-driven landscape. Hear how investors are adapting, and what founders need to understand to navigate this new reality.
MODERATOR
Prahlad Jaya
Founder, kurate
SPEAKER(s)
Sharan Makhija
Senior Director – Investments, Singtel Innov8
Chalinda Abeykoon
Managing Partner, nVentures
Koichi Saito
Managing Partner, JIF Capital
10.30AM – 11:20AM
Disrupt Stage
PANEL DISCUSSIONS | The AI-Native Stack: What Infrastructure, Capital, and Ecosystem Support Do Founders Actually Need to Build and Scale?
Building AI-native companies requires more than just great models—it takes the right infrastructure, funding, and support systems. This panel explores what founders actually need to build, scale, and sustain AI-driven businesses today.
MODERATOR
Fiona Budihardja
Community Manager, HP
SPEAKER(s)
Karl Chan
Founder & CEO, Sourcy Global
Felix Frenzel
Jose Arnulfo Batac
President, Megaworld Real Estate Investment Trust Inc
Eugenio Ferrante
CEO, Osome
11.20AM – 11:50AM
Disrupt Stage
FIRESIDE CHAT | Find Your AI USP: How to Build an AI Company That Global Giants Cannot Simply Copy and Deploy
If everyone has access to the same AI tools, what makes a company truly different? Hear how Wiz AI approaches building a unique advantage that goes beyond what large players can simply deploy.
SPEAKER(s)
Jianfeng Lu
CEO, Wiz.AI
11.50AM – 12:20PM
Disrupt Stage
FIRESIDE CHAT | Preparing for the Shifted Exit Window: Why Small-Cap IPOs and Early M&A Are Becoming the New Normal in Southeast Asia – And How to Prepare
Exit timelines in Southeast Asia are shifting with more startups exploring earlier M&A and small-cap IPOs. This fireside chat looks at what’s driving the change, how founders can start preparing for these new pathways.
SPEAKER(s)
Thomas Laboulle
Founder and CEO, Toku
12.00PM – 12:30PM
Future Stage
FIRESIDE CHAT | Beyond Search Boxes: Agentic AI and the Rewiring of Southeast Asian Commerce
The way people shop is changing and search is no longer the starting point. Join this conversation on how agentic AI is quietly rewiring commerce across Southeast Asia.
SPEAKER(s)
Oliver Tan
1.10PM – 2:00PM
Future Stage
PANEL DISCUSSIONS | Hire Right, Build More: How AI Is Forcing Founders to Rethink Who They Recruit and How They Train Their Teams
The rise of AI is changing what “great talent” looks like. This panel unpacks how founders are adapting their hiring strategies and preparing teams for a very different way of working.
MODERATOR
Maansi Vohra
Investment Manager, Monk’s Hill Ventures
SPEAKER(s)
Thothathri Srinivasan
VP of Engineering, Flip
Amos Tan
Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Core Skills Officer,
NTUC Learning Hub
Hugo Mas
Sales Director – APAC SMB, Deel
2.00PM – 3:00PM
Future Stage
COMPETITION | Shinhan Square Bridge Pitch
2.10PM – 3:00PM
Disrupt Stage
PANEL DISCUSSIONS | Built-In Markets: How ASEAN Governments Are Becoming the Most Powerful Go-to-Market Partner for Startups
Governments across ASEAN are becoming more than just regulators. Hear how they’re shaping opportunities for startups—and what it takes to work with them effectively.
MODERATOR
Phoebe Fontanilla
Senior Investment Manager, Gobi Partners
SPEAKER(s)
Patrick Lim
CEO, ACE.SG
Dr. Edwin Hidayat Abdullah
Director General – KOMDIGI
Adil Nurgozhin
Founding Partner, Big Sky Capital VC
3.00PM – 3:50PM
Future Stage
PANEL DISCUSSIONS | From Discovery to Defensibility: How Founders, Investors, and Institutions Are Rethinking IP in the Age of AI
AI is changing not just how things are built, but how they’re protected. Hear how different players across the ecosystem are approaching IP, risk, and competitive advantage today.
MODERATOR
Takahisa Ohira
Head of Asia Region – Deloitte Tohmatsu Venture Support
SPEAKER(s)
Prasanna Ravi
CEO, PQStation
Clara Chen
CEO & Founder, Universal Health
Liu Genping
General Partner – Vertex Ventures
Anuj Jain
Director, Nanyang Technological University Singapore
3.50PM – 4:20PM
Future Stage
FIRESIDE CHAT | 12 Years Building New Campus: The Lessons You Only Learn by Staying in the Arena and Earning Your Way to Your Final Destination
Not every journey is defined by quick wins or overnight success. Join this conversation on what 12 years of building teaches you about resilience, decision-making, and earning your way over time.
SPEAKER(s)
Will Fan
CEO and Co-Founder, NewCampus
9.00AM – 9:45AM
REGISTRATION OPENS & NETWORKING
10.00AM – 10:30AM
Disrupt Stage
FIRESIDE CHAT | Building the Next DeepSeek from Singapore: How Agnes.AI Scaled from Zero to 6M Users in Months
Scaling to 6 million users isn’t just about speed. It’s about timing, product, and execution. Join this conversation on how Agnes.AI achieved rapid growth and what founders can learn from it.
SPEAKER
Bruce Yang
CEO & Co-Founder, Agnes.AI
10.50AM – 11:20AM
Future Stage
FIRESIDE CHAT | How Surfin Trained AI on Local Youth Consumer Behavioural Data as Its Vital Strategy to Win 10 Markets – and Beyond
In diverse markets, one-size-fits-all rarely works. This session looks at how Surfin built its AI strategy around local consumer behaviour to scale regionally.
MODERATOR
Yinglan Tan
Founding Managing Partner, Insignia Ventures Partner
SPEAKER
Yanan Wu
CEO, Surfin
11.20AM – 11:50AM
Future Stage
FIRESIDE CHAT | Merge, Hand Over, Rebuild: What a 10-Year Global Mobility Business Taught Me About Starting Over in the Age of AI
Not every founder story ends with an exit. This session explores what comes next, drawing on a 10-year journey in global mobility and the shift toward building again in the age of AI.
SPEAKER
Zachary Wang
Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Level3AI
1.40PM – 2:40PM
Future Stage
COMPETITION | e27 AI Workflow Competition
The AI Workflow Competition brings together builders and SMEs to solve real operational challenges using AI. Participants design and demonstrate working workflows that show how AI can improve business processes in practice.
2.40PM – 3:30PM
Future Stage
PANEL DISCUSSION | The Narrow Path: How AI Founders Found PMF by Solving One Problem Obsessively for One Customer
AI startups rarely succeed by trying to solve everything at once. Join this discussion on how some founders found product-market fit by narrowing in on one problem, and one customer, obsessively.
MODERATOR
Esna Ong
Regional Startup Success Manager – Emerging Markets APAC, Google Cloud
SPEAKER
Yan Meizi
Head of Strategy APAC – 3D&I, Adobe
Partha Rao
CEO & Co-Founder, Pints
Wi Lex Tan
Associate Director, Lion X Venture
11.15AM – 12:15PM
Day 1 | 3rd June
ROUNDTABLE | National Innovation Agency
2.30PM – 3:30PM
Day 1 | 3rd June
ROUNDTABLE | Deel
12.20AM – 2:25PM
Day 2 | 4th June
ROUNDTABLE | IES-INCA
10.10AM – 12:10PM
Day 1 | 3rd June
PITCH | Kaiora Ventures Startups
12.10AM – 12:25PM
Day 1 | 3rd June
PITCH | Aeon Earth
1.25PM – 2:40PM
Day 1 | 3rd June
PITCH | Singapore University of Social Science (SUSS) Startups
10.15AM – 10:30AM
Day 2 | 4th June
PITCH | Jumpstart Disruptive Innovations (JDI)
10.30AM – 12:30PM
Day 2 | 4th June
PITCH | Plug&Play Tech Center Startups
From Hype to Implementation
- Live demonstrations of AI workflows solving real problems
- Practical, deployable use cases — not theoretical discussions
Exposure to how companies and talent apply AI in real environments
Democratizing the Intelligent Future
- Practical guidance on AI and digital adoption for SMEs
- Clear pathways for improving efficiency and profitability
- Conversations that bridge traditional businesses with tech partners
Navigating Complexity with Clarity
- Honest conversations about AI, quantum, new energy, and cybersecurity
- Deep-dive discussions on defensible tech advantages
- Insights from founders, investors, and enterprise leaders navigating real market pressure
Building Human Capital for Resilience
- Visibility into in-demand AI and frontier tech skills
- Opportunities to connect talent with companies that need real capability
- A focus on quality skills, not headcount growth
"The energy across the hall was electic... It was a packed, insightful day filled with (re)connections, fresh ideas, and future collaborations."
Onzla Ventures
Bronze Sponsors, Echelon Singapore 2025
"They’re already ahead of the game and are bending the curve of innovation"
Imane Jamal Eddine
GM & Head of Sales, Microsoft Asia
Our mission is to create platforms that curate information and connect stakeholders, driving the sustainable growth of the Southeast Asia tech ecosystem.