Raise, Exit and Pitch During the COVID-19 Pandemic | Google for Startups APAC Partner Content Series

Join us for this exclusive conversation with two startups and two VC funds on how to Raise, Exit and Pitch During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Google for Startups APAC Content Series is a limited series with experts within the Google for Startups partners’ networks to provide new knowledge and guidance on the challenges facing startups within the APAC region. 

In the third event of this series, SheStarts is bringing together an incredible panel of speakers to share with you their experiences in the current Capital Raising, Exits and Pitching landscape in the APAC:

• Anna Wright, Founder and CEO of BindiMaps, that just closed their latest funding round (Australia)
• Shefali Thompson, Chief of Staff & Head of Finance at TradeGecko, that was just acquired by Intuit Inc. in one of only a few acquisitions of a South-East Asian tech company by a US Tech giant (Singapore)
• Retno Dewati, Head of Indonesia at Access Ventures, who is looking to connect with startups in the APAC region (Indonesia)
• John Sharp, Managing Partner at Hatcher+, experienced both in investing and capital raising from an extensive network of investors globally (Singapore)
  

The panel discussion will incorporate your questions and will be followed by networking in breakout rooms so you can connect with the speakers and other attendees.

You can reach us at hello@shestarts.com if you need any support.

Agenda:

45 min Panel discussion and audience Q&A
15 min Breakout rooms to share insights and network (attendees can choose their own room)

Speakers:

ANNA WRIGHT, Founder and CEO of BindiMaps, Australia

Dr Anna Wright is the CEO and Founder of BindiMaps - a navigation app revolutionising the way we navigate indoor spaces. 

BindiMaps is an award-winning smart cities technology startup, bringing accessibility to people and places currently out of bounds for the vision impaired. By providing a navigation tool that works where traditional GPS does not - inside major public precincts such as university campuses, airports, shopping malls and office buildings - BindiMaps offers increased convenience for most, while fundamentally changing the lives of people with a vision impairment, allowing them to navigate public spaces independently and safely.

Anna developed the idea for BindiMaps after undergoing years of major surgery to save her own eye-sight. Prior to launching her own tech startup, Anna had helped many other businesses move from start-up through to IPO, as a consultant specialising in Business Development and Business Analysis.   

SHEFALI THOMPSON, Chief of Staff / Head of Finance at TradeGecko, Singapore

Shefali Thompson is the Chief of Staff / Head of Finance at TradeGecko, now acquired by Intuit Inc. She joined TradeGecko in 2017 with 8 years of experience in M&A/fundraising and Finance with KPMG Singapore and Deloitte New Zealand.

At TradeGecko, she headed the Finance and Operations team and worked closely with the Founders on all fundraising activities, with the latest being TradeGecko’s acquisition by a US Tech giant in September 2020.

TradeGecko is a Singapore head-quartered, SaaS/cloud-based Inventory & Order Management system (IOM) for Small and Medium Businesses. TradeGecko provides a central overview of how a customer’s business is performing with access to revenue, profit and inventory data across all channels. 

In Sep 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, they got acquired by Intuit Inc (Quickbooks) that serves 7 million small businesses around the globe. This was Intuit’s first acquisition in South-East Asia and one of only a few acquisitions of a South-East Asian tech company by a US Tech giant.

RETNO DEWATI, Head of Indonesia at Access Ventures, Indonesia

Retno Dewati is the Head of Indonesia at Access Ventures - an early-stage VC firm headquartered in Hong Kong with an extensive global network and experience. Retno is responsible for leading deal sourcing and investment activities in Indonesia/Singapore. Her portfolios including P2P lending platform - Akseleran (ID), alternative lending startup - Helicap (SG), digital freight forwarding company - Andalin (ID), and AI-driven digital credit scoring system - Credolab (SG).  

Prior to joining Access Ventures, Retno served as the Program Director at Amatil X, Manager, Regional Expansion at Antler (SG), and SEA Regional Manager at Pegasus Tech Ventures (formerly Fenox Venture Capital) - a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm managing a multi-million dollar fund. At Pegasus Tech Ventures, she was responsible for leading deal sourcing and investment activities as well as business development for the Southeast Asia region. She invested in 40+ startups across SEA including MOKA POS (acquired by GOJEK), Pomelo Fashion, Alodokter, Bridestory (acquired by Tokopedia), Ritase, Travelio and many more.

JOHN SHARP, Managing Partner at Hatcher+, Singapore

John is a Partner at Hatcher Plus, the leading data-driven venture capital investment firm. John has extensive commercial experience at the senior management level, having been the Chief Executive Officer of Authentium, Inc. the Managing Director, Asia, of WorldSpace, and CEO of Hatcher, the precursor company to Hatcher+. A tenacious and driven executive with longstanding board-level and C-suite level management experience within high-growth companies, John also brings a strong history of capital raising from an extensive network of investors globally.

As Chairman and CEO of cybersecurity pioneer Authentium (acquired by CYREN in 2010), John co-authored three US patents and developed and sold cybersecurity solutions to some the largest organizations in the world, including the US Department of Commerce, NASA, AOL, British Telecom, Comcast, Cox Communications, Google, McAfee, Microsoft, Symantec, and Telstra. As CTO at Hatcher+, DocDoc, Heardable, and ThoughtRiver, John has designed and developed several highly-innovative technology platforms using cutting-edge approaches to data processing, user interface design, and workflow optimization.