Afiq is an experienced leader with over 15 years in both the public & private sector across Southeast Asia and Kazakhstan, and brings wide experience across venture capital, investments, startups, corporate strategy, and government agencies.

Chen Chow is Founder of 1% Advisory & Coaching, focusing on management advisory, executive coaching and keynote speaking. He co-founded Fave Group, which was acquired by Pine Labs for USD45 million in 2021.

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He is Independent Non-Executive Chairman of Foodie Media. He was Regional Operations Director for Groupon Asia Pacific, Product Manager of JobStreet.com and Management Consultant of Accenture.

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He is an alumnus of Cornell University, an Ivy League University. He is an Eisenhower Fellow. He is a member of Institute Corporate Directors of Malaysia.

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He is an angel investor, who has invested in more than 30 startups in the region.

Ed recently relocated to Hong Kong from Silicon Valley. He comes from a strong background in strategy, product management, and business development focused on commercializing innovative technologies. For the past ten years Ed has worked as advisor and investor in multiple startups around the world, as a consultant to F500 enterprise technology and security companies, and as an entrepreneur, in the IoT, media and payments spaces. Highlights from Ed’s career in tech include:

• Launched billion-dollar business for Microsoft

• Led first (pre-incorporation) investment in a North African unicorn

• Advised European fintech from first meetings in Silicon Valley to $300M+ exit

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Ed has worked with multiple technology incubators and ecosystems over the past 20 years. At Microsoft he was often called on to help startups integrate into Microsoft programs, at Nokia he worked with Forum Nokia partners to understand Nokia’s M&A strategy. He has also done the reverse- and helped multiple startups leverage larger company ecosystems, including Microsoft Azure, AWS and Intuit. Since 2015 he has been an active mentor at Alchemist Accelerator in Silicon Valley, which focuses on launching B2B technology startups, including multiple CEO and Sales coaching roles.

Erdem was the vice chairman of TOBB (The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye)Istanbul Young Entrepreneurs Board which includes 18-40 aged second and third generations of leading family companies and entrepreneurs in Türkiye, He was elected by votes of under 40 years old delegates of Istanbul Chamber of Commerce. He was also vice chairman of Young MUSIAD(MUSIAD is biggest businesspeople association in Türkiye).He served as vice chairman of DEIK(Foreign Economic Relations Board which is connected to Ministry of Trade) Türkiye- Saudi Arabia Business Council, youngest vice chairman at current time more than 100 business councils, and organized first technology acceleration program with Saudi Arabia in Türkiye, ‘’Startup Expo’’ and ‘’Invest Up’’ cooperated with Investment Office of Presidency and Istanbul Stock Exchange. He was also executive committee member of Portugal and Norway Business Councils at DEIK. He was elected as founding member of ‘’Renewable Energy Council Asia Pacific’’ with the participation of Minister for Climate Change and Energy of Australia, Chris Bowen, and Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability of Malaysia, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmed in the launching ceremony at COP29.

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Erdem got an award named ‘’Best Venture Capitalist’’ at the 7th Edition of the Burj CEO Awards on 23rd October 2024 from CEO Clubs Network(Patron and Chairman of the Board of Governors is HH Sheikh Juma Bin Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum). He was awarded by the Asian Arab Chamber of Commerce on 10th March 2025, Erdem was honoured with the ‘’Excellence in Finance & Investments’’ Award, recognizing his special contributions to the finance and investment sectors. He has 47 registered trademarks(brands). He has also trained young entrepreneurs, changemakers and civil society leaders. He is regularly invited to consult on innovative and creative solutions and events for development of entrepreneurship and investment ecosystem. He gave seminars to more than 60 branches of businesspeople associations all over Türkiye and European cities such as Frankfurt, Rotterdam, London, Paris and Munich and also in chambers of commerce and universities .

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Erdem graduated with a bachelor degree in Economics from Bogazici University. Erdem Dereli is an advisory board member of Marmara University Innovation and Technology Transfer Application and Research Center and Istanbul Technical University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center(GINOVA).

Gareth Tan is a Senior Associate Director at APCO’s Southeast Asia office in Singapore and leads its technology practice, playing a coordinating role on regional technology accounts. Gareth brings to bear nearly a decade of experience with topics such as data governance, digital trade, and emergent technology to advise clients. Alongside this, Gareth is Regional Lead for the Digital Prosperity for Asia Coalition, an alliance of digital small businesses seeking ways to navigate the Asia-Pacific region’s changing policy landscape. 

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In these roles, Gareth has represented APCO and the DPA to government agencies across the region, and at major events and meetings hosted by organizations like the World Trade Organization, ASEAN Secretariat, and APEC. 

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Gareth is also a respected voice on technology issues and regularly contributes perspectives on digital trade, social media, and emergent technologies in Singaporean and regional news outlets such as TODAY Online, The Straits Times and Channel NewsAsia.

I’m a commercial leader with 10+ years of experience in technology sales, data partnerships, and GTM strategy across Central Asia and the GCC. Currently, I lead Big Data Monetization at Beeline Kazakhstan (part of VEON), where I drive multi-million dollar growth across AI services, analytics platforms, and ecosystem collaborations with partners in fintech, retail, and government.

My background blends deep execution in B2B sales with product strategy, helping organizations turn complex technologies into scalable, revenue-generating solutions. I’ve built and led Sales & Business Development teams, closed strategic deals, and launched cross-industry data products that deliver real business value.

In parallel, I’ve been mentoring startups and data ventures focused on synthetic data, privacy-preserving analytics, and digital infrastructure. I’m passionate about helping founders sharpen their focus, avoid common pitfalls, and scale with clarity and confidence—especially in emerging markets like Central Asia.

As Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Accredify, Jing Yi leads the International Partnerships division and the Corporate Services team to ensure operational excellence at Accredify.

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As head of International Partnerships, Jing Yi spearheads the company's efforts in building a global partner ecosystem focused on accelerating digital trust, through establishing strategic partnerships with corporate and government stakeholders. A key partner that Jing Yi has onboarded to the ecosystem includes the Chinese Ministry of Education. To date, Accredify's partner network stretches across China, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

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As the Corporate Services lead, Jing Yi has built robust operating processes across Human Resources and Customer Support to enhance productivity and accountability. Some of her key achievements include leading the onboarding and support of over 400 clients in three months, and nurturing key client accounts to secure Accredify’s position as the region's leading verifiable credentials platform.

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With an interest in both business and technology, Jing Yi has worked as a Business Analyst at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, developing business requirements and bridging the business and technology teams. Jing Yi later joined Aste Global Pte Ltd, a marine supplies company with offices across Asia and Europe, as Chief of Staff. At Aste Global, she redesigned and implemented technology solutions and standard operating procedures across all branches to improve productivity and ensure conformity to company policy and local regulations.

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Jing Yi graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics (Honours).

With a background in a digital solution provider (Macnica, Inc), Kengo Suzuki has led business development and cross-border projects, including investment execution. He has extensive experience launching and scaling overseas startups (Silicon Valley, Israel, Taiwan, SEA) in Japan and Asia, as well as accelerating startup deals. Kengo also led a new business division, where he invested in digital tech startups through CVC while overseeing portfolio companies.

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In 2019, he founded NEOLIZE, operating in Japan and Malaysia, supporting Japanese companies' expansion into ASEAN and assisting overseas firms entering Japan. Additionally, as a Venture Partner at Gobi Partners, he facilitates cross-border (Japan-SEA) opportunities.

Founder and CEO of Growth Vision Pro Ltd. and Khan Tengri Innovation Hub in Shanghai, China.

Main objective: building an ecosystem in China to support and accelerate innovative companies and facilitate cross-border technology transfer.

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Brings 20 years of experience in asset and investment management, business and strategic planning, and fundraising.

Member of the Board of Trustees of the Harvard Alumni Kazakhstan PF, overseeing engagement with Ivy League alumni clubs and venture capital initiatives.Limited Partner (LP) and Value Add Community Member at the Luxembourg-based venture fund More Than Capital (AUM $100 million), founded by business leaders and Harvard Business School alumni. Actively involved in capital raising, deal sourcing and due diligence, and mentoring of portfolio companies.

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Previous roles:

• Executive Director of Investments at Verny Capital – responsible for investment strategy, portfolio diversification, deal structuring and evaluation, and portolfio performance assessment.

• Senior Advisor to the CEO at AIFC – led strategy development and execution for expansion into new markets, identifying growth drivers and competitive advantages.

• Managing Director for Strategy and Development at Samruk-Kazyna – responsible for investment strategy implementation, portfolio asset and investment management, capital attraction, and business planning.

Member and head of the executive body of the Investment-Strategic Committee of Samruk-Kazyna and member of the Supervisory Board of Samruk-Kazyna Invest.

Education: Harvard Business School (AMP), Manchester Business School (MSc in Finance), KIMEP (MBA).

𝐇𝐢, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐍𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐞 — 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐞𝐱-𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐦𝐬, 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐈, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞.

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I cut my teeth in global competitions and research labs.

🧠 Gold @ Eurasian Coding Contest, ICPC World Semifinalist

🤖 Published ML & robotics research (IEEE in the US, Japan, Singapore)

🚀 Built and sold a startup

📈 Now backing early-stage founders who defy gravity in emerging markets @ Sturgeon Capital

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Fluent in C++, pitch decks, and pattern recognition — human or algorithmic.

I back founders who ask “𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵?” — and mean it.

Hi!

I’m Temerlan — a business development lead, ecosystem builder, and startup mentor with a focus on early-stage growth, strategic partnerships, and investor readiness.

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I currently serve as Business Development Manager at KPMG, where I lead cross-sector engagement and represent the firm in the Foreign Investors Council under the President of Kazakhstan. My work spans digital transformation initiatives, policy dialogue, and support for startup ecosystems in Central Asia.

• I help founders identify growth opportunities, build meaningful connections, and prepare for early fundraising rounds

• Strong regional network across corporates, government, and the venture landscape

• Selected for the Perplexity AI Business Fellowship as one of the early regional adopters

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I believe in thoughtful growth, clear narrative, and the power of the right introduction at the right time.

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Vykintas Mineikis is the Regional Senior Operations Director at ZALORA, overseeing operations across multiple countries in Southeast Asia. He has helped to scale ZALORA operations from ground zero and monetize on its fulfillment infrastructure. He has a strong background in e-commerce, start-ups, operations, strategy, lean management, operational excellence, WMS and tech.