Andrew Rowan is the Author of Startup Vietnam, an American entrepreneur, and an Entrepreneur in Residence with the Swiss Entrepreneurship Program, currently living in Peru. Andrew has previously lived in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for one year where he worked as a tech consultant and plunged into Vietnam’s startup scene. As Director of GKTA Group, he established a partnership with the €11 million ($13.1 million) Finland-Vietnam Innovation Partnership Program (IPP), which accelerates growth for startups originating in Vietnam and is supported by the Governments of Vietnam and Finland until 2018. Andrew regularly collaborates on innovation initiatives in Vietnam with the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, as well as with Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).
On this episode you'll learn:
What are the Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang ecosystems like?
Xiaochen Zhang is the Cofounder and President of Fintech4good and brings more than 16 years of thought leadership and global experience to build impactful solutions and enable innovative ideas in North America, Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia. FinTech4Good introduces cutting edge fintech and blockchain solutions to emerging markets through incubation, acceleration and investment. In working with partners, FinTech4Good launched Insurance Blockchain Lab, Inclusive Finance Blockchain Lab, and Smart City Blockchain Lab. He also serves as a founding partner of New Development Ventures, on the Crowdfunding Professional Association Board of Directors and UN ESCAP Digital Economy Task Force. Xiaochen advised government agencies and multinational organizations on innovative finance in positions at the World Bank, United Nations, and other international partnership platforms.
On this episode you'll learn:
-What the current state of the blockchain startup ecosystem in China?
-What country's blockchain ecosystems are advancing the quickest?
-How is blockchain being used to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals?
Kari Gordon is the Executive Director of Startup Calgary. She is a champion of the startup community, bringing together diverse people, skills, and experiences to foster innovation. She has been instrumental in leading Alberta to transform economic downturn into entrepreneurial opportunities.
Under Kari’s leadership, Startup Calgary became a founding member of the Calgary Innovation Coalition, a collective of 17 organizations representing the innovation community to the Alberta government.
Hannah Cree is the co-founder of CMNGD (COMMONGOOD) and a leading Alberta advocate for social enterprise and compassionate business innovation.
In her work, Hannah combines experience in entrepreneurship, finances and marketing with a passion for ending poverty and homelessness in Canada.
On this episode you'll learn:
Troy Vosseller is the Co-Founder of gener8tor, A Concierge Startup Accelerator and has run accelerators in partnership with Allianz, American Family Insurance, and more. His first company was a dorm room t-shirt brand, Sconnie Nation (www.sconnie.com). That has since spawned multiple companies including Sconnie Beer (www.sconniebeer.com) and SCONNIEBAR (www.sconniebar.com).
On this episode you'll learn:
-How does gener8tor's accelerator for musicians measure success?
-At what stage does Troy think it's best for a startup to establish a board?
-What international market excites Troy the most outside of the US?