helps
business grow with digital technology in moving toward Digital Thailand
March 4, 2016 – dtac launches dtac
accelerate batch 4, an incubator program
ranked as the best in Thailand due to its world-class training by top
startup experts from Silicon Valley and mentorship opportunity by
successful Thai startups. This year’s program includes a partnership
with DiGi Malaysia
and
Telenor Myanmar, who will send startups to attend the 4-month bootcamp
in Thailand, preparing them for entering the AEC market. The winners
will receive a free one-year 24x7 access to work space at HANGAR
Coworking Space after the program.
In addition to becoming a Digital Service Operator, dtac
also has an important mission to support the government to build
Digital Thailand
in which digital technology is used as a driving engine to grow the
economy. There are initiatives to apply innovation and technology
expertise in all manufacturing and service sectors and to enable SME’s
in agricultural, industrial, and service sectors to
have access to digital technology, as part of the roadmap to promote
and enhance digital startups in all industries. dtac
is ready to support the government by providing business knowhow,
creativity, innovation, and social identity to help startups to grow
their business and collectively to improve the economy and society.
dtac
accelerate is part of the Ecosystem that relies on digital technology
to drive the economy. The program plays an important role in
grooming Thai startups and giving them an opportunity to reach their
full potential and access to funding sources, and as a result, gaining
momentum to build a strong and sustainable economy and society for
Thailand. dtac has also collaborated with the
government
and other relevant organizations to help Thai startups by providing
platforms for them to showcase their products at both domestic and
international levels
Mr. Andrew Kvalseth, EVP, Head of Strategy & Innovation Group, Total Access
Communication PLC or dtac (Right), said, “The startup
industry has been growing rapidly over the past 2-3 years. In 2015, the
investment in Thai startup industry reached 35-40 million USD or 1,260 –
1,440 million Baht with over 20 deals. The total investment was
expected
to be close to 50 million USD or 1,800 million Baht, when taking into
account several undisclosed investments. dtac launched dtac accelerate 3 years ago when it realized the potential of the startup industry and increased its focus and dedication on Startup
Ecosystem. For 2016, dtac aims to elevate dtac accelerate to a world-class accelerator program. dtac accelerate has consistently been growing and by the 4th
year, it has been regarded as the best program in Thailand due to its
proven success over
the past 3 years in helping 11 participating startups to succeed and
enter international markets. Some of the success stories include:
·
Startups from dtac accelerate have grown 3-15 times, with a total worth of 1 billion Baht.
·
70% of dtac accelerate startups have received funding. The market average is only 20%.
·
3 out of 6 dtac accelerate startups received VC funding during the 4-month bootcamp.
·
4-5 dtac accelerate startups are top-ten ranked in several Thailand’s top startup rankings
·
500 TukTuks, one of the world-class and most active VC firms, has 50% of its budget invested in the dtac Accelerate family.
·
ClaimDi,
an auto insurance industry-revolutionizing software, received $2
million Series A funding, bringing the company’s total worth to $10
million, a 15-times growth in just 12
months. This is the largest ever Series A funding ever received by a
Thai startup. ClaimDi is recently ranked as one of the World top 10
startups in insurance or Top 10 InsurTech.
·
GizTix was the winner and Z my Home was in the top 5 of Echelon Thailand 2015.
·
Take Me Tour is ranked one of the top 5 travelTech applications in Asia by e27.
·
SKOOTAR name as “The Rising Startup of the Year 2015” in several Thailand’s top startup ranking
Mr. Sompoat Chansomboon,
Director of Business Innovation & dtac
accelerate (Left), said, “We continue to see rise of FINTECH for this year and
next 2-3 years, HealthTech will getting hot across the world due to
aging society and device/software
getting smarter, EdTech will help to improve world education and make
it accessible, eliminate more inequality. With full 4G roll out- Media
Streaming will getting popular across in Thailand and SEA. VR Technology
will getting commercialize more and more this
year and next year onward. IOT & Machine learning together with
AgriTech will also be the next big thing for global trend
that will lead to Thai startup opportunity. Startups hope to join dtac accelerate because of the opportunity and rewards the program offers, which include the following:
1.
dtac
accelerate is ranked the best incubator program in Thailand with a
strong training curriculum and world-class boot camp, which includes
teaching and one-on-one mentoring from
top experts from Silicon Valley.
2.
The program provides 10 million Baht funding and commercialization support worth 50 million Baht, doubled from last year.
3.
The
mentors include top well-known Thai startup gurus, including Khun Ariya
Banomyong, Managing Director, LINE Thailand, Khun Natavudh “Moo”
Pungcharoenpong, CEO and Founder, Ookbee,
Khun Pawoot “Pom” Pongvitayapanu, CEO, Tarad.com, Khun Kittinan “Jack”
Anuphan, CEO and Founder, ClaimDi, Khun Patai “Boat” Padungthin, CEO,
Builk, and Khun Tiwa York, CEO, KaiDee, who mentored the 2 winners from
last batch.
4.
This
year’s program partnership with DiGi Malaysia and Telenor Myanmar
allows startups nominated by DiGi and Telenor Myanmar to attend the
4-month boot camp in Thailand. The collaboration
will help Thai startups grow into the Malaysian and Myanmar market and
give startups from DiGi and Myanmar an opportunity to learn from Thai
startups.
5.
Partnership
with Disrupt University, an exclusive partner of 500 Startups – one of
the world’s top 3 VC firms from Silicon Valley.
6.
Partnership with BlackBox, the world’s Top 5 most popular accelerator in Silicon Valley, allows the winner from dtac accelerate to participate in the boot camp, connect with successful
entrepreneurs and investors, and gain access to resources to accelerate their global expansion.
7.
Partnership
with Telenor Digital Winners offers an opportunity for startups to
pitch to world-class VC firms such as Intel Venture Capital in Norway.
