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Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference!
posted by Mohan Belani on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 2:25am Categories: BlogSep15
We were absolutely ecstatic to see iTwin, a Singapore based startup which spun off from Exploit Technologies A*STAR, being one of the 50 featured companies at this year’s TechCrunch50 event. Kudos to the team!Widely known as the top event for launching web startups, TechCrunch50 has been known to showcase promising and industry changing startups. This is the first time ever whereby a Singapore startup was chosen to be among the 50 launching companies. Previous Singapore companies like FusionGarage (who are now working with TechCrunch to develop the Crunchpad) and Socialwok (who is at TechCrunch50 right now) presented their startups at the demo pit. While no success or funding is guaranteed for the launching startups, they are usually pegged for great success. For example, Min.comt, which was recently acquired by Intuit for a whopping $170 million, launched at the TechCrunch40 event in 2007 and event went away with the top prize. This acquisition further entrenches the TechCrunch50 event as THE startup launch platform for web startups.
Yossi Vardi, a distinguished investor from Israel, clearly credited that there are interesting startups outside the valley (just like iTwin) and we clearly see the shift of innovation from Silicon Valley to Asia.
Time will tell how well the iTwin team manages to capitalize on this one in a lifetime opportunity, but this is definitely a great boost to the fledgling web startup industry in Singapore. Congratulations iTwin and congratulations Singapore! :)
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56 Responses to “Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference!”
mohanbelani said :
Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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jitsion said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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limmingji said :
Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @mohanbelani @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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armchairdude said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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Tweets that mention Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! » e27 - Discovering Web Innovation in Asia -- Topsy.com said :
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jonathan Wong, jasoncosta, Jit Siong, Lloyd Lim Mingjiand others. Lloyd Lim Mingji said: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @mohanbelani @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D [...]
cedric_chee said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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jasoncosta said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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E27sg said :
Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! http://bit.ly/CXGZG
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ruiwen said :
RT @E27sg: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! http://bit.ly/CXGZG
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chrisyeo said :
http://sn.im/ru4xe – is that Laks from A-Star I2R launching iTwin at TechCrunch50? Wow, that’s cool
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youngupstarts said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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danielgoh said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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burnflare said :
Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D (via @mohanbelani)
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cerventus said :
RT @e27sg Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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bleongcw said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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cheeaun said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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amcalpine said :
RT @bleongcw RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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jchowjs said :
Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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M0T0chan said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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PlanetAbroad said :
RT @M0T0chan: RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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Alvin_Yap said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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yanphun said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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thorbenl said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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ahkai said :
RT @tweetmeme Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! » e27 – Discovering Web Innovation in Asia http://bit.ly/tC6UG
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weekee said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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MacSheikh said :
Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! – http://bit.ly/3RnQ6a
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daphnemaia said :
RT @mohanbelani: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
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swfmaster said :
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hongting said :
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HomeCamera Bags Top Innovation Award at Broadband World Forum 2009 » e27 - Discovering Web Innovation in Asia said :
[...] 2009: HomeCamera Bags Top Innovation Award at Broadband World Forum 2009′ tickercontent[1]=’15 September 2009: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference!’ tickercontent[2]=’11 September 2009: The 3 D’s of Starting Up’ tickercontent[3]=’10 [...]
timisiytangco said :
Singapore represent! RT @mohanbelani Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference! @e27sg #tc50sg http://bit.ly/2pcx3D
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Singapore Startup Scene Scores a Hat Trick! » e27 - Discovering Web Innovation in Asia said :
[...] 2009: HomeCamera Bags Top Innovation Award at Broadband World Forum 2009′ tickercontent[2]=’15 September 2009: Singapore Startup iTwin Launches at TechCrunch50 Conference!’ tickercontent[3]=’11 September 2009: The 3 D’s of Starting Up’ tickercontent[4]=’10 [...]
James Chan said :
Among the loads of startups there, they were picked by the Silicon Valley community as THE BEST startup at the Demo pit.There are actually 2 DemoPit winners on each day, and not just one. Please verify.
This comment was originally posted on e27 – Discovering Web Innovation in Asia
Mohan Belani said :
@james: Yup I’ve ammended the post to reflect other winners like Odesk and Clynde. Thanks for point it out :)
This comment was originally posted on e27 – Discovering Web Innovation in Asia
Sean Seah said :
Are they funded by any local VCs yet? Though I am sure ming dun need that right now, haha.
This comment was originally posted on e27 – Discovering Web Innovation in Asia
Varun said :
Thanks for the kudos, Mohan.
@bjornlee: Of course, we can, should, and are moving beyond awards. The thing about industry awards is they help establish credibility. Remember the old saying “no one ever got fired for buying IBM”? Similarly, for risk averse distribution partners like ours (ISPs, telcos), external validation makes it easier for them to get internal consensus. And, of course, from a funding perspective, these are useful too.
@Sean: dunno about the others but we’re friends-and-family funded (close to 200K) and are now going out to raise a small round (why small? because there’s no point raising a lot when you don’t need it – better to raise a lot when you’re able to put it to the right use AND are in a position to demonstrate value).
Cheers,
- Varun
Co-founder, HomeCamera.
This comment was originally posted on e27 – Discovering Web Innovation in Asia
WL said :
I see iTwin as a Facebook for hardware devices. It is a fundamental platform to connect hardware devices. Then, on top nof this fundamental platform, developers can build all kinds of applications to facilitate communication between hardware devices.
Although there are software based approaches to share and transfer files, many people in the world still prefer to use thumbdrives to access and transfer files. With iTwin, we no longer need a browser to access a website, remember and type in password. We don’t need to consider browser compatibility when accessing a website. iTwin is a brainless solution to file access and transfer. It moves authentication to the next level. With iTwin, it is physical bodies authenticating with physical bodies, just like fingerprint authentication. iTwin reduces authentication by one step, which is remembering and typing passwords.
I think the target market for iTwin might not be the small minority who are extremely tech savvy. It is the majority of the world who are not so tech savvy and who would prefer to have a convenient sloution to access and transfer files.
The pain in this age is not that of carrying an additonal small device to access files. The pain is “thinking” when you already haev so much to “think” about your daily activities. iTwin provides a mindless solution to that problem.
Mohan Belani said :
@WL: Interesting insights you have there. You hit the spot by saying that iTwin is a platform, as opposed to simple a hardware device. I think conceptually, people trust hardware based transfers rather than software based. And with iTwin’s simplicity, it really appeals to a mainstream, non-tech market, which is one of their biggest advantages. However, I believe their USD$99 price tag will create some inertia in adoption, and if they can find a cheap way to massively distribute their device (their idea of having their own online store to sell the device doesn’t cut it), then there may be large adoption.
Bjorn Lee said :
@mohan,
to gain traction in mainsteam audience, itwin might be solving a nested need so consumers might not go out of their way to buy a single device. itwin should hence look for co-selling or bundled sales partner as its a highly valuable add-on device as part of a suite of tools solving a bigger consumer need.
Singapore Startups Kick Ass Overseas, Gets Ignored At Home As Usual | Young Upstarts said :
[...] iTwin became the first-ever Singapore startup on 14 September to demo at TechCrunch50 Conference 2009, the massive showcase of the latest [...]
Daniel said :
Hi Mohan,
Thanks for sharing the success of our startups.
It’s just a shame that our local media doesn’t give a damn about such great news:
http://www.youngupstarts.com/2009/09/21/singapore-startups-kick-ass-overseas-gets-ignored-at-home-as-usual/
This comment was originally posted on e27 – Discovering Web Innovation in Asia
Mohan Belani said :
Yup it’s sad. But there’s definitely hope with the tech blogs out there. We just need more support from the startups etc. and that should be it ;)
This comment was originally posted on e27 – Discovering Web Innovation in Asia
Gerald Tan said :
To be blunt – this is nonsense. Grow up already. No one owes these companies any media coverage just because they had won the approval of TechCrunch 50 attendants.
Most, if not all of the people/media/blogosphere that are complaining are just as guilty of not providing attention to iTwin and SocialWok. Why wasn’t there more coverage from these people BEFORE TechCrunch 50? If we thought it was so good then everyone complaining should be covering it already. We wouldn’t have to wait for TechCrunch 50 to validate both products before talking about it.
It was mentioned that CNET, Forbes, etc, wrote about TechCrunch 50. What I’d like to know is how many of them actually wrote about iTwin or SocialWok. And don’t be mistaken – I like both technologies. I just wonder how many people complaining about the lack of coverage in the local media are actually using SocialWok NOW. And don’t forget there were countless other products/presentations/launches too. Just because it’s Singaporean doesn’t make it special.
Many major publications around the world don’t cover TechCrunch 50 too, and why should they? I think TechCrunch 50 is a cool event, but don’t go expecting that the rest of the world should care when it is of no concern or interest to them. Believe it or not, not everyone is in the ‘IT’ or ‘entrepreneurial’ scene. Give them a reason (a REAL reason, not just because of TechCrunch 50) to provide coverage, and they will. When people can see a service/product that is truly of use to them, it will naturally get the coverage it deserves.
This sort of coverage in any media, local or international, is a privilege, not a god-given right. Real entrepreneurs know better than to moan and groan about such things.
If there are better opportunities elsewhere, then they should indeed leave and head for greener pastures. Great entrepreneurs rely primarily on their own determination and ingenuity. Blaming it on circumstances is just a convenient excuse, which is too commonplace among local ‘entrepreneurs’.
I believe both iTwin and SocialWok will do well, and I hope they don’t waste time concerning themselves with such trivial matters. Less talk and more action.
This comment was originally posted on Young Upstarts – Voice of A New Business Generation
Brian Benenhaley said :
You are not alone, if you are not a Boston backed or Silicon Valley startup, you are not going to get the same exposure. Even if you are the next Google, they just don’t show the same interest.
This comment was originally posted on Young Upstarts – Voice of A New Business Generation
motochan said :
I totally agree with Gerald.
I might be wrong, but I do not think iTwin is the first Singapore start-up to demo at TC50. FusionGarage had demoed as well, and there might have been 1 or 2 others before that.
TC50 is a great event, but being a DemoPit winner certainly isn’t something that any prospective user or investor would care about when they are evaluating the product/service. It’s important for entrepreneurs to be focusing on the right milestones, no matter how difficult things may seem. After all, in a desert, even a drop of water in the distance could be a mirage for a stream.
The sort of entrepreneurs I’d like to work with, are those who would not be spending the time bemoaning the lack of love by his homeland, but instead be continually focused on his product and users. A small win does not maketh a start-up. It should instead serve as a firm pat on the team’s backs, to drive them to scale greater heights.
This comment was originally posted on Young Upstarts – Voice of A New Business Generation
Daniel said :
@Gerald:
If the mainstream press should be interested in this scene only if it is popular, huge and successful, then its not exactly news is it? Oh wait… maybe you’re right – since only now are the local press interested in 3-year old Twitter.
But I agree with you that the press do not owe startups any coverage. You’re also right to say that startups should focus on providing true value instead of clamoring for attention.
Which is why folks like us have to do it on their behalf.
This comment was originally posted on Young Upstarts – Voice of A New Business Generation
Daniel said :
@Brian
That’s the sad truth.
This comment was originally posted on Young Upstarts – Voice of A New Business Generation
Daniel said :
@Motochan:
If you are looking through the eyes of an investor, yes you’re right and entrepreneurs shouldn’t aspire towards media attention as opposed to driving value. But remember, it’s not a sliding scale.
My point is that there are startups in Singapore who can provide business value, and as a country who purportedly is encouraging entrepreneurship, we should celebrate any form of success to, as you said, ’serve as a firm pat on the team’s backs, to drive them to scale greater heights’.
For these successes may not come as often as we’d like.
This comment was originally posted on Young Upstarts – Voice of A New Business Generation
Gerald Tan said :
If the mainstream press tried to cover everything that happened, we’d be spending hours sifting through news everyday. They keep up with current affairs, and is inherently not meant to inform about the every little buzz that happens in the startup scene. This is secondary news that concerns a much smaller proportion of their readership. If a company’s innovation is only keeping pace with what the mainstream media reports, then that company is probably doing something wrong. Google has been around since 1998. Most people only started using it MUCH later. Facebook officially launched in 2004. Most of us didn’t have an account until 2007 (Singapore undergraduates could register since 2006). Not everyone, much less the media, are early-adopters.
And I doubt that many would argue that despite the attention they have been getting, most people are still not convinced about Twitter. It is still very much a Silicon Valley thing.
You can do your part to provide coverage, but we shouldn’t blame the local press or others for not doing so. They are not obligated to do so. If they were failing their readers in that respect, then their readers should move elsewhere, and let them be the author of their own demise.
I personally would much rather hear about the companies that truly succeeded and crossed the chasm than to hear about the dozens of startups that are launched everyday.
This comment was originally posted on Young Upstarts – Voice of A New Business Generation
motochan said :
@Daniel more thoughts from me, not necessarily from an investor’s angle.
The best form of motivation for any entrepreneur is to hear a big thank you from your users, and to be recognized by his peers for his achievements. Having mainstream media cover one’s achievements is a good-to-have, but I’m not sure that’s going to be what’s keeping them entrepreneurs up at night.
Excessively celebrating any form of success would also lower the bar for future, more significant successes (yet to come) by them or other start-ups from our ecosystem. Let’s not count our chickens before they hatch. Besides, I’d much rather keep those shots and make them count, rather then expend it here and now.
What’s worthy of our mainstream media would probably be a main win at TC50 (i.e. best of 50). In the meantime, good job guys, and keep doing your best at changing the world.
This comment was originally posted on Young Upstarts – Voice of A New Business Generation
Daniel said :
@motochan:
I’m not talking about excessive celebration (which I agree can be detrimental); but at least some form of recognition which can spur them to greater things.
Perhaps the problem is that the local mainstream press may not even be clued in even if they are interested.
This comment was originally posted on Young Upstarts – Voice of A New Business Generation
Twitted by bleongcw said :
[...] This post was Twitted by bleongcw [...]
bjorn said :
i agree with both gerald tan and james chan.
it is every entrepreneur’s dream to seek acknowledgement and validation of their hard work and determination agst all odds. some face more odds than others, hence it is all the more satisfying when one gets some form of victory, no matter how big or small the victory is.
but entrepreneurs hv to avoid sinking into the self-delusion bubble. one’s personal victory is not necessarily shared by others. publicity is good-to-have, but the “who cares” question is equally as impt in PR as in product feature devt. why bother about what others people think, as what PR is, when entrepreneurs shld care abt their users first and foremost?
in all this talk abt the 3 startups, i have not seen any user uprising about why their startups is not featured. not enough users or users dun care? that is the real crisis. not mainstream media in SG not picking it up. dun get me wrong, the SG startup community should care and comment on this, but lets move on and stop picking a fight with mainstream media and help the startups gain users instead if one is up to it.
This comment was originally posted on Young Upstarts – Voice of A New Business Generation
Daniel said :
Hi Bjorn,
Thanks for weighing in.
Regarding a “user uprising”, consider these 2 points:
1. iTwin has not been commercialized. SocialWok targets small-to-medium enterprise user base. HomeCamera may be commercial, but it targets a niche audience. Not much chance of a popular user uprising, is there?
2. You cannot help the startups gain users if nobody knows about them, and it is difficult to let people know about them without employing the mainstream media. A startup may do it without the mainstream media, but would they scale faster than their burn rate?
Simply said – a startup cannot change the world, if the world doesn’t know they exist.
And if the mainstream media think I’m picking a fight – they’d better grow thicker skin! =)
This comment was originally posted on Young Upstarts – Voice of A New Business Generation
Ada Tamu Dari e27.sg | DailySocial said :
[...] Singapura, otak di balik blog populer e27.sg. E27.sg ini beberapa bulan yang lalu bahkan sempat mengorbitkan 2 startup yang dikirim ke event Techcrunch50, sungguh prestasi yang luar [...]