Forbes Asia Next Frontiers Forum

FORBES ASIA NEXT FRONTIERS WEBINARS

Navigating the Pandemic

Asia’s business leaders face a perilous landscape: Covid-19 has slammed the global economy into reverse. Many companies are struggling for survival, but the pandemic is also creating opportunities. Building on the six-year success of its Next Tycoons Forum, Forbes Asia is expanding the conversation to bring together next-generation business leaders, first-generation entrepreneurs, and leading investors.

With this inaugural series of webinars, the new Forbes Asia Next Frontiers Forum embarks on an exploration of the strategies and technologies companies are using to beat the coronacrisis and flourish after it passes.

Webinar 1: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 3.30 – 5.00pm (Singapore time)	Webinar 2: Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 3.30 – 5.00pm (Singapore time)
3:30 – 4:15pm Session I: Triangulation – Business Gets its Bearings	3:30 – 4:15pm Session I: How Deep is the Ocean? – The Outlook for Liquidity
Even those who’ve weathered the lockdowns on travel and trade are feeling a bit disoriented. As Asia re-emerges, companies need to figure out where to head first—fast. In this panel, some of the region’s top business leaders will discuss the journey so far, where the pitfalls remain and how to spot the road to revival. Moderated by Rana Wehbe Watson, Senior Editor – Special Projects, Forbes Asia Confirmed speakers: Adrian Cheng, CEO and Executive Vice-Chairman, New World Development Goodwin Gaw, Managing Principal and Chairman, Gaw Capital Partners Noni Purnomo, President Director, Blue Bird Group Holding Kishin RK, Founder and CEO, RB Capital Group	Though still staggering from the pandemic, Asia’s deal pipeline still seems surprisingly flush. That’s partly thanks to government stimulus. But it’s also the momentum of pre-pandemic funding. This panel will examine whether reopening and the economy’s “new normal” will keep cash flowing, or whether recession will crush liquidity and valuations with it. Moderated by Wayne Arnold, Executive Editor, Forbes Asia Confirmed Speakers: Randall S. Kroszner, Deputy Dean for Executive Programs and the Norman R. Bobins Professor of Economics, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business Jean Eric Salata, Chief Executive and Founding Partner, Baring Private Equity Asia V Shankar, Cofounder and CEO, Gateway Partners 1 more speaker to be confirmed
4:15 – 5:00pm Session II: Sail with the Tide – Investing in the New Normal	4:15 – 5:00pm Session II: Red Sky at Dawn – Pandemic Disruption
Every investor's an epidemiologist now. Hedge funds made headlines taking the pandemic more seriously than politicians. Now economic gloom has submerged bond yields, stocks are feverish on fiscal stimulus and gold bugs are ebullient. Is it wise to bet on reopening? Or do private equity and venture capital offer safer harbor? Moderated by Rana Wehbe Watson, Senior Editor – Special Projects, Forbes Asia Confirmed speakers: Adrian Cheng, CEO and Executive Vice-Chairman, New World Development Goodwin Gaw, Managing Principal and Chairman, Gaw Capital Partners Noni Purnomo, President Director, Blue Bird Group Holding Kishin RK, Founder and CEO, RB Capital Group	Remember when it was companies doing the disrupting? The pandemic has disrupted everything—even disruptors—redefining commerce and the workplace while scattering old investment assumptions to the wind. In this panel, founders and CEOs from some of Asia’s most innovative companies discuss managing through the crisis, pivoting to investors’ changing expectations and adapting technology to a harsher reality. Moderated by Rana Wehbe Watson, Senior Editor – Special Projects, Forbes Asia Confirmed speakers: Ankiti Bose, Cofounder and CEO, Zilingo Eric Gnock Fah, COO and Cofounder, Klook Confirmed Speakers: Forrest Li, Founder, Chairman and Group CEO, Sea 1 more speaker to be confirmed

Asia’s business leaders face a perilous landscape: Covid-19 has slammed the global economy into reverse. Many companies are struggling for survival, but the pandemic is also creating opportunities. Building on the six-year success of its Next Tycoons Forum, Forbes Asia is expanding the conversation to bring together next-generation business leaders, first-generation entrepreneurs, and leading investors.

With this inaugural series of webinars, the new Forbes Asia Next Frontiers Forum embarks on an exploration of the strategies and technologies companies are using to beat the coronacrisis and flourish after it passes.

Webinar 2: Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 3.30 – 5.00pm (Singapore time)

3:30 – 4:15pm Session I: How Deep is the Ocean? – The Outlook for Liquidity
Though still staggering from the pandemic, Asia’s deal pipeline still seems surprisingly flush. That’s partly thanks to government stimulus. But it’s also the momentum of pre-pandemic funding. This panel will examine whether reopening and the economy’s “new normal” will keep cash flowing, or whether recession will crush liquidity and valuations with it.

Moderated by Wayne Arnold, Executive Editor, Forbes Asia

Confirmed Speakers:
Randall S. Kroszner, Deputy Dean for Executive Programs and the Norman R. Bobins Professor of Economics, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Jean Eric Salata, Chief Executive and Founding Partner, Baring Private Equity Asia
V Shankar, Cofounder and CEO, Gateway Partners
1 more speaker to be confirmed

4:15 – 5:00pm Session II: Red Sky at Dawn – Pandemic Disruption
Remember when it was companies doing the disrupting? The pandemic has disrupted everything—even disruptors—redefining commerce and the workplace while scattering old investment assumptions to the wind. In this panel, founders and CEOs from some of Asia’s most innovative companies discuss managing through the crisis, pivoting to investors’ changing expectations and adapting technology to a harsher reality.

Moderated by Rana Wehbe Watson, Senior Editor – Special Projects, Forbes Asia

Confirmed Speakers:
Forrest Li, Founder, Chairman and Group CEO, Sea
Chatri Sityodtong, Founder, Chairman and CEO, ONE Championship
1-2 more speakers to be confirmed

Webinar 1: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 3.30 – 5.00pm (Singapore time)

3:30 – 4:15pm Session I: Triangulation – Business Gets its Bearings
Even those who’ve weathered the lockdowns on travel and trade are feeling a bit disoriented. As Asia re-emerges, companies need to figure out where to head first—fast. In this panel, some of the region’s top business leaders will discuss the journey so far, where the pitfalls remain and how to spot the road to revival.

Moderated by Rana Wehbe Watson, Senior Editor – Special Projects, Forbes Asia

Confirmed speakers:
Adrian Cheng, CEO and Executive Vice-Chairman, New World Development
Goodwin Gaw, Managing Principal and Chairman, Gaw Capital Partners
Noni Purnomo, President Director, Blue Bird Group Holding
Kishin RK, Founder and CEO, RB Capital Group

4:15 – 5:00pm Session II: Sail with the Tide – Investing in the New Normal
Every investor’s an epidemiologist now. Hedge funds made headlines taking the pandemic more seriously than politicians. Now economic gloom has submerged bond yields, stocks are feverish on fiscal stimulus and gold bugs are ebullient. Is it wise to bet on reopening? Or do private equity and venture capital offer safer harbor?

Moderated by Wayne Arnold, Executive Editor, Forbes Asia

Confirmed speakers:
Abhinav Jhunjhunwala, Chief Executive Officer, AJ Capital
Jenny Lee, Managing Partner, GGV Capital
Nick Nash, Managing Partner and Cofounder, Asia Partners
Danny Yong, CIO and Founding Partner, Dymon Asia Capital

WEBINAR SPEAKERS

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FORBES ASIA NEXT FRONTIERS FORUM

October 13, 2020 | Singapore
Agenda

Business leaders navigating Asia’s future face a perilous landscape: the Covid-19 pandemic has slammed the global economy into reverse. Globalization is in retreat. And policymakers are printing even more money to revive confidence and growth. So while many companies struggle for survival, the coronacrisis is creating a wave of opportunities. Asia’s family businesses have the cash, the know-how and the networks to turn the turmoil into entrepreneurial triumph. But simply lavishing cash on fledgling enterprises will no longer suffice. Building upon the six-year success of its Next Tycoons Forum, Forbes Asia is expanding the event to bring together next generation business leaders, first-generation entrepreneurs and unicorns, as well as leading venture capitalists and private-equity investors. The new Forbes Asia Next Frontiers Forum will explore the technologies, industries and companies positioned to survive the Covid recession and flourish long after it passes. Panelists will discuss how the pandemic has transformed family business, where success will depend not just on spotting promising ventures, but guiding them through harsher terrain to the next level. There may be unicorns; there will also be dragons.

11:00

Registration desk opens

11:45

Guests to be seated

12:00

Welcome remarks

12:15

Lunch and Session I – Voyage on the High Seas

Emerging Asia’s markets for venture capital and private equity are, believe it or not, still boiling with funds. The wave is drawn in part by the need to find new ways in the corona-era to marry the region’s deep pool of savings with its vast market of increasingly tech-savvy consumers. And it’s being propelled by moves among policymakers to slash rates and inject stimulus to keep small companies alive and revive economic growth. So investors have an appetite for risk—but not like before. The real cost of capital has risen. This panel of economic and investment experts will assess the opportunities this presents and weigh the risks that the ebbtide reverses, sweeping valuations and the investors riding them off the edge of the map.

14:00

Session II – The Journey Within

The pandemic is decimating businesses everywhere. And those smart enough to have survived also know they’re not out of the woods yet. Demand is likely to remain depressed for the foreseeable future, so survival strategies will need to evolve. But planning to stay afloat is no plan at all: the failure of so many others creates room to grow—and raises the stakes for those that remain. Anyone who thought technology was disruptive before is in for a shock: technologies that allow companies to redefine the market, innovate new services and reach new customers will determine which companies are around tomorrow and which make it to 2030. It’s time to rethink, rebuild and restructure. This panel will examine how business leaders are positioning to move from survival to superiority.

14:55

Session III – Expedition into the Unknown

The pandemic has remade the business landscape. Asia’s family companies have the capability to become pioneers in this new frontier—ample funds and deep regional wisdom. But blazing off without a firm understanding of this unfamiliar terrain will likely lead to disaster. Investing in new ventures or riding to the rescue of existing ones will require careful analysis of how they dovetail with a company’s existing business and what risks they impose. In this panel, family business leaders will discuss how to stake a claim in this uncharted territory and how to tell if your money is going the distance or going in circles.

15:50

Networking Break

16:10

Session IV – To Infinity and Beyond

The astronomical valuations that prevailed before the pandemic now look like sheer science fiction. The pressure is on those startups left standing to demonstrate a plausible path to profits. For entrepreneurs, that means plotting a careful trajectory between attaining sustainable market share and burning up their funding. Investors still expect them to boldly go where no one has gone before, but to do so without sliding into a black hole of poor governance. From the moment they launch, startups need to determine whether they should be the brightest star in a single market or build a constellation of regional satellites. This panel of founders and entrepreneurs will explore what it takes to achieve liftoff without getting lost in space.

17:05

Session V – An Investor’s Guide to the Galaxy

If an investor calls a startup “unicorn,” will anybody buy it? The answer, as more are discovering, is no. In this session, a panel of seasoned venture capitalists and investors will ponder the deeper questions they should ask of startups and their backers, how to spot red flags and use a term sheet to achieve harmony. They’ll examine what industries and technologies hold the most promise in the post-pandemic world, the wisdom of expanding abroad vs. focusing on a single market, and how to walk the middle path between early financing below $20 million and pre-IPO funding above $100 million. They’ll also seek to enlighten listeners on how to discern the difference between valuation and value.