Get Ready for RISE! Day 1 Must-See Events

There are so many impressive talks at RISE Conference, the largest tech conference! It might get a little overwhelming to research on which are the best conferences and to organize your itinerary. 

We don't want you to miss out on the best talks in the house! So in preparation, WHub has highlighted the must-see events in chronological order to help you plan out your schedule, and conducted more than 30 interviews with some of the biggest names at the conference, to name a few:

- David Hanson, the Founder of Hanson Robotics, which develops the world's most human-like robots including Sophia, the first robot citizen
-  Cameron Adams, Co-Founder & CEO of Canva, the unicorn startup which makes graphic design simple for everybody
-  Mark Birch, Enterprise Developer Strategist at Stack Overflow, the world's largest developer survey
-  Mike Massimino, the NASA astronaut that sent the first tweet from space and spend more than 550 hours in space

As well as the WINNER of Runway to RISE:
- Bernard Tan, CEO & Founder of ReCactus, the hottest new social app for reaction videos

And the audience favorite at the RISE Pitch Competition:
- Sunder Jagannathan, CEO & Founder of RevSmart, the solution for riders to drive safely & effectively, and a member of Brinc's acceleration program

Want to know more about the startups in Hong Kong, how to give a good pitch, as well as where to eat, sight-see and have a good time here? Download the special HK VIBES MAGAZINE by WHub! 

Must-see Events – RISE Day 1, July 10 (Tues)

10.00 – Central Stage – Grab Announcement & Press Conference
Co-founder Tan Hooi Ling will be speaking about Toyota’s $1 billion investment in Grab. Press conference will take place afterwards.

10.30 – 10.55 – FullSTK/binate Stage – Security is all of our Jobs
A keynote discussion with Werner Vogels of Amazon. In the past you could have a three-month development cycle, then have a review by security team engineers, Werner Vogels discuesses how this is now our responsibility.

11.45 – 12.10 – Panda/Creatiff Stage – Tech Has Replaced Artistic Talent
Can computers be more creative and artistic than humans? A lively debate between award-winning artist and designer, Yiying Lu, and Yali Saar of Tailor Brand. Tailor Brand is a platform that uses a machine learning algorithm to create a creative & unique logo along with brand identities.

12.40 – 13.05 – Center Stage – Can Politics lead on Innovation?
A conversation with Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong and Bernie Lo of CNBC. Discussing what role politics can play in creating a more innovative and technologically advanced society.

13.50 – 14.15 – Center Stage – Robots can be as Creative as Humans
A keynote with Sophia the Robot supported by David Hanson and Ben Goertzel of Hanson Robotics. The robot will be the star of the show. Can robots be more creative than humans?

15.50 – 16.10 – Center Stage – Building a Brand and a Legacy
A conversation with Mike Massimino of Columbia University and Fomer NBA player and American Professional Basketball Coach, Metta World Peace. Discussing how athletes can strengthen their brand once the playing days are over.

Key Takeaways from Major Satellite Events - July 9 (Mon)

Nail Your Pitch Over Breakfast
Moderator: Karena Belin, CEO & Co-Founder, WHub | Speakers: Nicolas Breitburd, Startup Catalyst, WHub & Michelle Paisley, Managing Director, CC Strategic Partners

1. The most important things investors look for are the personal relationships and chemistry. The focus should be 90% on the team, and 10% on the projects, especially for early-stage startups. Make sure you sound genuine - talk about your history of both failures and successes, show your emotions and your passion, let investors know what you've been through and why they can trust you.

2. "Pitching is not a skill, it's an art." When you're pitching, communicate well with the investor. It's not about the buzzwords - blockchain, AI, machine learning... Let the investors know what your product actually is. Be concise: practice explaining your business in 30 seconds and be direct with what you'd like to ask from the investors - they'd want to know as well. At the end of your pitch, you can ask your investor "what do you think I do?" to truly understand how much the investor understood your pitch, and then to fill in the gaps if necessary. 

3. Investors don't like investing in sole-founder businesses, try to get yourself a co-founder. It becomes more of an investment on the temperament and fortune of a person, and it looks better to have a team.

Remember to check for tomorrow's must-see events so you don't get a serious case of #FOMO!