Asia Hardware Battle 2018: An Introduction
Asia: the world’s largest continent by area and population; home to more than four billion people and hundreds of spoken languages. It’s no wonder why the most diversified minds on the planet exist in this region. It also explains why the world’s most dynamic and rapidly expanding hardware ecosystems persist on this side of the hemisphere.
Shenzhen, China has become known as the epicenter of the hardware world, commonly referred to as the Hardware Capital of the World, or the Silicon Valley of Hardware. India and Singapore, conventionally known for their development and progress in the software sector, have made great strides in the shift to hardware and systems innovations. Indonesia has, over the years, transformed from an economy that imports hardware manufacturing products into one that produces them. And the list goes on.
Asia Hardware Battle (AHB) will be touring 10 countries and regions all across Asia in search of the next hardware superstar. AHB realizes that hardware’s central role in powering devices, small and large, is often overlooked. AHB now wants to shine the spotlight on entrepreneurs who are doing their best to improve the tech that fuels our daily lives and give them the recognition they deserve.
This event will bring together 300 business projects and startups spanning China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, India, and Malaysia. It will also be a place where corporates gather to seek out talents from the ground. The general layout of this event will be: Online Registration, City Pitching, Preparation, and The Grand Finals.
Now accepting applications!
We are currently in the Online Registration phase. We’re looking for hardware startups with Pre-Series A or a total funding of less than $5 million. Startups must have a prototype, and projects must exhibit the following: creativity, pain point resolution, business value, sustainable development, technical innovation, and product design.
Note: We are only looking for startups from Mainland China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, India, and Malaysia.
Preliminary Selection
After online registrations are complete, applicants will be reviewed and 10 teams from each city will be chosen to take part in City Pitching. City Pitching will be half-day affairs taking place city-by-city. Startups will be given 7 minutes for pitch and demo, followed by an intense round of questions from prominent judges in the industry. After all 10 startups have completed their pitch, judges will deliberate over the top winner. The top winner from each city will automatically qualify for the final, and remaining runner-up teams will undergo stringent preliminary selection by top international judges including, but not limited to, professionals, corporates, and VCs from TechCrunch, BMW, SoftBank, 500 Startups, and many more.
Final Challenge
Only 15 teams will emerge to take part in The Grand Finals held in Shanghai.
A rundown of the awards:
AHB Gold: RMB 50,000
AHB Silver: RMB 30,000
AHB Bronze: RMB 10,000
Top 3 Winners are entitled to 6 months of 7 complimentary workspaces, courtesy of NodeSpace.
Top 15 Finalists will get the chance to interact and network with our distinguished judges and conduct exclusive interviews with TechNode and our media partners.
Top 15 Finalists will be invited to our branded events.