Cambridge Connection keynote speaker declares “Keep calm and come to Singapore”
Steve Leonard, Executive Deputy Chairman of IDA and Chairman of IIPL, announced to more than 150 representatives from the Singapore and UK technology communities this week that the plans would help to give start-ups from both countries access to each other’s markets.
The announcement was made at the Cambridge Connection technology sector networking forum at the British High Commissioner’s residence in Singapore, hosted by international law firm Taylor Vinters. The event, now in its second year, linked technology sector investors, entrepreneurs, corporates, Government and NGOs from the UK with their counterparts in Singapore to generate opportunities for collaboration, investment and strategic partnering.
Steve Leonard said: “We believe that Singapore and the UK are natural partners when it comes to building tech start-ups. The opening of our office in London in the weeks ahead is another step on that journey. Being in London helps us to listen, learn and understand the needs of UK-based entrepreneurs and more importantly, provide the bridge for Singapore-based and UK-based start-ups to access each other’s markets.”
“In Singapore, we have a strong accelerator community that can provide these start-ups with great insights and access to the huge and growing Southeast Asia markets. We have a strong investor community with good connections around the world that are able to provide active help to build the start-ups that they fund.”
To UK-based tech startups who have interest in building their business to penetrate the Asian markets, he concluded: “Keep calm and come to Singapore.”
Those attending the reception also heard from the UK Trade & Investment’s (UKTI) John Davies, ICT Sector Specialist, who highlighted how the UK is accelerating economic growth through innovative technology. Miles Upton, Head of Asia, Cambridge Consultants, explained how his business helped clients bring innovative products to market quickly and Patrick Farrant, Taylor Vinters’ Head of Technology, gave an insight into the UK investment landscape.
His Excellency Antony Phillipson, British High Commissioner in Singapore, commended the team involved in the growth of Cambridge Connection over the last 12 months. He explained: “Our core purpose at the High Commission and UKTI is to build networks and partnerships between the UK and Singapore. The Cambridge Connection has brought together research excellence, ambition and planning and can deliver real value and inspire the tech communities of both countries. The Governments of the UK and Singapore are working in partnership to deliver the best possible environment for growing our economies through but it is the entrepreneurs managing high-tech, high-value-added businesses that will deliver the growth.”
Henry Goodwin, Partner, Taylor Vinters Asia announced that there were plans to build on the Cambridge Connection event and hold a Technology Connection forum in early November, for which a delegation of Singapore-based technology entrepreneurs, companies and investors will visit the UK.
He explained, “We would like to thank the UKTI teams in the UK and Singapore, Steve Leonard and the IDA, and the Singapore Venture Capital and Private Equity Association for their continued support for the Technology Connection, and its growing influence in bringing together these two vibrant eco-systems. We look forward to our event in London, which will coincide with UKTI’s November Export Week, and introduce the best of Singapore’s entrepreneurial talent and investor community to their UK counterparts.”
Struan McDougall, of Cambridge Capital Group (CCG), who co-founded the Cambridge Connection forum with Taylor Vinters, said: “We have extended our programme this year to Hong Kong and Santiago and both showing us a strong and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem with good networks of investors but the 2014 Singapore event confirmed that Singapore is at the heart of the concept, linking Europe’s top tech cluster with key international centres. Well organised and promoted once again by Taylor Vinters and UKTI, Cambridge Connection Singapore proved to be an excellent forum for CCG to forge links in Asia.”
In addition to the VIP reception at the British High Commissioner’s residence, the delegation of UK tech-investors and entrepreneurs held a series of planned high level meetings with the British Chambers of Commerce; Singapore Venture Capital and Private Equity Association; UKTI; and EDBI, the corporate investment arm of Singapore’s Economic Development Board. Additional meetings were held with key influencers in the UK Pavilion at CommunicAsia, the International Communications and Information Technology Exhibition & Conference, Asia’s premier ICT event.
The Cambridge Connection delegation included:
• Alex van Someren, Managing Partner, Amadeus Capital Partners Limited. Alex manages the Early Stage investing activities at Amadeus, one of the UK's leading technology Venture Capital investors who are currently investing the Amadeus IV Early Stage Fund ECF, which exclusively considers UK technology companies requiring Seed through Series A financing. This fund has a principal focus on Big Data analytics, Cloud Computing, Cyber security, Digital Healthcare, the Internet of Things, Low-power computing, Machine-to-Machine communications and Medical Technology (particularly sensors and diagnostics) • Goncalo de Vasconcelos, Founder of Syndicate Room, the online crowdfunding platform that gives its members access to deals usually exclusive to professional investors • Martin Bloom, Cambridge Angel and Director of the Cambridge-based $63m investment from GIC, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund • Struan McDougall, Jayne Parker and Tomaz Slivnik of Cambridge Capital Group • Stuart McKean, CEO of innovative mobile technology solutions business Nine23 • Michael Binns, Independent Management Consultant with a vast knowledge of the Asia Pacific region advising on sales and distribution strategies • Sam Loose, CEO of Knowledge Transmission, a technology company and learning platform provider aimed at education organisations in the emerging economies. • Nicholas Tan, Director of Business Development at Aqdot, a Cambridge University spin-out that is developing a novel microencapsulation technology for use in household care products. • Chris Wade, entrepreneur and VC adviser who has recently been appointed as the European adviser to Singapore’s Infocomm Investments, a fund for highly scalable companies wishing to explore SE markets from Singapore. He will be supporting the newly appointed Investment Director based in London.
The following organisatons are partners of The Cambridge Connection: UK Trade and Industry; Cambridge Capital Group; Infocomm Investments Pte Ltd (IIPL) – an investment arm of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA); British Chambers of Commerce; Cambridge Consultants; Cambridge Wireless; Red Gate Software
Cambridge Connection is a technology sector networking forum founded by international law firm Taylor Vinters and Cambridge Capital Group. Cambridge Connection links investors, entrepreneurs, corporates and government bodies from the Cambridge, and broader UK, tech community with counterparts in Singapore, with the aim of generating opportunities for collaboration, investment and strategic partnering.