BTSC loses case over cancellation of Orange Line bidding
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
THE NATION
The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) was on Tuesday acquitted of unlawfully cancelling the first bidding process for the Orange Line’s western section.
The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases Tuesday ruled that the bid selection committee was authorised to cancel the process in the interest of the state and commuters.
The lawsuit was filed by the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC), operator of the Skytrain and one of the original bidders, against MRTA governor Pakapong Sirikantaramas and six members of the selection committee.
It alleged that the seven defendants violated the Criminal Code by abusing their authority in cancelling bidding for the 128-billion-baht contract to construct the Orange Line section and operate the entire line.
The court reasoned that the seven defendants had changed the bidding rules and timeframe in line with the goal of the MRTA and Cabinet.
The changes were made after lengthy discussions among the committee and were not dictated by the governor, the court said.
It found that the plaintiff failed to provide convincing evidence that defendants cancelled bidding to benefit a private firm or had committed any malfeasance. The court also dismissed the plaintiff’s accusation that the defendants had discriminated against and persecuted BTSC.
The Orange Line project will run 35.9 kilometres from Min Buri in eastern Bangkok to Bang Khunon in the west.
The eastern section from the Thailand Cultural Centre to Min Buri is under construction and will stretch 22.5km with 17 stations, 10 of them underground.
The western section from Thailand Cultural Centre to Bang Khunnon will run for 13.4km with 11 underground stations.
The MRTA cancelled the first bid process on February 3 last year on grounds that it needed to change the bid criteria to prioritise technical data. Bids had already been put in by Bangkok Expressway and Metro Plc (BEM), and a consortium of BTSC, Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction and RATCH Group.
The second bid process was held on July 27 with two participants – the BEM and Italian-Thai Development Group. BEM won the contract by meeting technological requirements and offering the lowest price.
Siam Piwat showcases ECOTOPIA, Thailand’s first eco-lifestyle multi-brand store, at Sustainability Expo 2022
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
THE NATION
Positioned as a model of value co-creation, the store highlights Siam Piwat’s capabilities as an organization of sustainability
Bangkok (September 26, 2022) – Siam Piwat Co., Ltd., a leading real estate and retail developer, the owner and operator of world-class projects such as Siam Paragon, Siam Center, and Siam Discovery, a joint owner of ICONSIAM and Siam Premium Outlets Bangkok, has reaffirmed its business philosophy of creating sustainable and mutual growth at the Sustainability Expo 2022 (SX2022), Southeast Asia’s largest sustainability event. At the expo, Siam Piwat set up a booth that encapsulated the essence ECOTOPIA – Thailand’s first and largest eco-lifestyle multi-brand store, reflecting its business tenet of creating shared value to foster sustainable growth for all and create net positive impacts for society, the environment, and the country.
As a pioneer introducing novelty for a better world, Siam Piwat has opened ECOTOPIA since 2017 to create Asia’s leading eco-lifestyle destination that offers environmental-friendly and well-being products for eco-conscious consumers. It has collaborated with 12 eco-co-creators and more than 300 brands of small entrepreneurs to curate more than 100,000 eco-friendly items available at more than 1,000 square meters, the third floor, Siam Discovery.
Ms. Narathip Rattapradit, Chief Operating Officer, Siam Piwat Co., Ltd., said, “The Sustainability Expo 2022, which was held under the theme of sufficiency and sustainability for the world, marked a major collaboration of Thailand’s leading organizations to create Good Balance, Better World, which shared the same business approach as Siam Piwat. It also presented an excellent opportunity for Siam Piwat to present a model of brand development that produced tangible sustainability outcomes. Over the course of 63 years, all projects developed by Siam Piwat have focused on creating shared value and net positive impacts for society and the country.
Siam Piwat has driven its business with the concept of sustainability, as can be seen in various projects, such as Siam Piwat 360° Waste Journey to Zero Waste, which seeks to achieve closed-loop waste management in accordance with circular economy principles, as well as the launch of Thailand’s first-ever drive-thru drop-off points for cleaned used packaging, which not only promotes waste separation but also helps to systematically bring waste into the management process, so that it can be recycled into raw materials or upcycled for other uses, thus contributing to the restoration of environmental balance.
Ms. Usara Yongpiyakul, Chief Executive Officer – Retail Business Group, Siam Piwat Co., Ltd., stated that “ECOTOPIA is a brand that has been developed in order to cultivate eco-consciousness in everyday life and encourage environmental revitalization. It has become a platform that revolutionizes the retail industry by creating a new business ecosystem that brings together nature lovers and an eco-community that unites them in an effort to change the world for the better. ECOTOPIA has also been ranked among the top 20 best retail stores in Asia by Inside Retail, Asia’s leading retail media, marking another successful step forward for Siam Piwat in its efforts to its advance sustainability business.”
The design and presentation of the ECOTOPIA booth also reflected Siam Piwat’s commitment to sustainability, as the components could be disassembled for further use.
You can visit ECOTOPIA by Siam Piwat both at the showcase booth in Exhibition Hall 3 on G Floor in the Better Living Zone and at the Marketplace Booth on LG Floor in the Marketplace Zone at the Sustainability Expo 2022, held on September 26 – October 2, 2022 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. A variety of activities await all visitors every day at the booth in the exhibition zone, including a photo corner and workshops held in collaboration with ECOTOPIA’s co-creators who are eco-curators, where you can learn how to color the sky with soft pastels with Friend & Forest and ENVIRONMAN, join “Uncle Ree” or Charee Boonyavinij for a workshop on how to grow vegetables for health and the environment, or take part in a workshop for nature-loving ladies hosted by Cleo in collaboration with Ali, a brand of chemical-free organic cleaning products.
The first 1,000 visitors to the ECOTOPIA booth in the Marketplace Zone will also receive an exclusive gift — vegetable seeds from Uncle Ree Farm, and will be eligible for special promotions and discounts.
For more information about activities, please visit: Facebook: ECOTOPIA and Sustainability Expo or www.sustainabilityexpo.com
EGCO Group acquires Chaiyaphum and Theppana Wind Farms
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
Electricity Generating Public Company Limited or EGCO Group expands its renewable power generation business portfolio with the successful acquisition of 10% additional shares in “Chaiyaphum Wind Farm” and “Theppana Wind Farm” power plants in Chaiyaphum province.
This acquisition enables EGCO to be the whole owner of those two wind power plants and the company will recognize the immediate earnings in the proportion of its additional shares.
Additionally, it will support the company’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Thepparat Theppitak, EGCO Group’s President, disclosed that “EGCO has successfully acquired an additional 10% of the common shares in Chaiyaphum Wind Farm Company Limited and Theppana Wind Farm Company Limited, which operate “Chaiyaphum Wind Farm” and “Theppana Wind Farm” power plants respectively, from the existing minority shareholders.
The transaction was completed with share transfer on 22 September 2022, resulting in EGCO’s 100% ownership in the two wind power plants.”
The “Chaiyaphum Wind Farm” wind power plant is located in Subyai district, Chaiyaphum province. The power plant, commercially operated in 2016, has a total installed capacity of 80 MW and sells its net electricity output to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) under a non-firm PPA for Small Power Plant (SPP) scheme.
Meanwhile, the “Thappana Wind Farm” power plant with an installed capacity totalling 7.5 MW is located in Thepsathit district, Chaiyaphum province. It started commercial operation in 2013 and sells its net electricity output generated to Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) under the non-firm PPA for Very Small Power Plant (VSPP) scheme.
Furthermore, both power plants operate efficiently with high availability and the machines are well-maintained in a good condition. They are placed in potential and good locations where the wind blows throughout the year.
“The additional investment is in line with EGCO Group’s “Cleaner, Smarter and Stronger to Drive Sustainable Growth” business direction in support of the global low-carbon objectives. It will support the company’s mid-term goals to increase the portion of renewable energy to 30% of the total generating capacity and reduce carbon emission intensity by 10% by 2030. Our ambitious goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,” added Thepparat.
Central opens membership store of ‘affordable premium imports’ to beat price crisis
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
Nongluck Ajanapanya
Central Retail aims to soften the cost-of-living crisis for Thailand’s middle class with Tops CLUB, a new membership-based store selling premium imported products at “affordable prices”.
Stephane Coum, Central Retail Food Group CEO, said Tops Club will be the first store of its kind in Southeast Asia when it opens on Wednesday (September 28).
Tops CLUB will be an exclusive source of premier brands from all over the world, with new additions weekly, he said.
The stores will sell five categories of products: dried groceries and beverages, fresh food and ingredients, alcohol, general goods including sports equipment and pet products, and household goods.
Of the 3,500-plus items on shelves, 75 per cent will be imported while the remainder – including chicken, eggs, and some local fruit – will be sourced from domestic producers.
Coum said Tops CLUB expects strong growth after positive feedback from pop-up stores in July. It said about 12,000 members have already registered with 10,000 more expected to follow this year.
Tops CLUB spans 15,000 square metres of warehouse-style space behind Central Rama II and is divided into three product zones.
“Customers can try products before purchasing them at over 40 sampling points,” general manager Jitlada na Chiangmai said.
She added that all prices at Tops CLUB were comparable or lower than the equivalent prices overseas. Thai and expat consumers have long complained about inflated prices of imported products in Thai supermarkets.
Jitlada said Tops CLUB target group is upper-middle-class families.
Nation Group establishes new subsidiary for Post Today, NewsClear acquisition
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
THE NATION
Nation Group Thailand Plc notified the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) on Monday that it has approved the establishment of a subsidiary for Post Today and NewsClear online media that it purchased from Bangkok Post Plc.
Nation Group expects the acquisition will strengthen its media empire, as Post Today brings over 20 years of experience in reporting business, economic and social news.
The new subsidiary, named Post Today Co Ltd, will serve as the recipient for licences and services of the newly acquired media.
On September 7, Nation Group notified the SET that the acquisition contract with Bangkok Post was finalised at a price of 58.85 million baht. Nation Group paid a deposit of 10 million baht, with the remainder due by September 30 or when the asset inspection is complete.
Post Today Co Ltd has registered capital of 120 million baht and 12 million ordinary shares priced at 10 baht per unit. Nation Group holds 99.99 per cent of shares in the company, whose business is listed as media and news services. The company is expected to start generating commercial earnings within this year.
Explaining the reason for the acquisition, Nation Group CEO Shine Bunnag said Post Today was a strong media outlet with 20 years of credibility and stature in Thai society.
“Post Today is an outstanding media outlet for both economic and social news. It is a crucial piece of the jigsaw that will help Nation Group grow stronger, as well as build new communities within our media group under the One Nation policy,” said Shine.
He added that the Post Today editorial team is committed to producing high-quality news and analysis that help sharpen public debate and thinking, while adhering to the highest ethical and journalistic standards. “Their dedication is compatible with Nation Group’s ideology, and this is another reason behind the acquisition,” he said.
Post Today has over 4 million followers on its online platform while NewsClear has about 1 million. The acquisition is part of Nation Group’s “One Nation” policy to maximise synergy, under the principle of press freedom, among all its media, including Krungthep Turakij, Nation TV Channel 22, Kom Chad Luek, The Nation Thailand, Nation Online, Spring Online, ThaiNews, OKNation, The People, and Khob Sanam. The acquisition also highlights Nation Group’s position as one of Thailand’s oldest and largest media organisations.
PTG joins hands with CBS to open a coffee shop and convenience store in Chulalongkorn University
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
THE NATION
Aiming to promote students as future entrepreneurs under the concept of “The Real Business in The School”
PTG Energy Plc (PTG) on September 12 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chulalongkorn Business School (CBS) to promote student education under the project “CGS Lounge by PTG”.
PTG president and chief executive officer Pitak Ratchakitprakarn said that under the project, PTG and CBS will together open a coffeeshop “CBS Café by Punthai” and a convenience store “CBS Mart by Max Mart” in Chulalongkorn University, where students can learn how to build and manage a business from early steps until they become future entrepreneurs under the concept of “The Real Business in The School.”
“The MoU signing and the opening of CBS Café by Punthai and CBS Mart by Max Mart are part of a pilot project between PTG and CBS that aims to maximise the learning efficiency in business administration among college students,” he said. “It also enables students to build their own businesses while studying and gain real-world experiences and skills that can be adapted to other industries in the future.”
The project also aligns with PTG’s policy in corporate social responsibility as the company has realised the importance of students who are the country’s future and is therefore committed to promoting their education and personnel development, added Pitak.
PTG will be responsible for the opening and initial operation of the coffee shop and convenience store, while CBS will supervise all the administration of the stores.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Wilert Puriwat, Dean of Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy at Chulalongkorn University or Chulalongkorn Business School (CBS), added that this project will turn CBS into a real business in the school and allow students of the faculty to work as employees of Chula Business Enterprise.
“This project will help students become familiar with working in the real world in all aspects, both online and offline. It also solves the issue that new graduates lack real-world working experience when they try to apply for a job,” he added.
In the early stage of the project, PTG will support the opening of CBS Lounge, a learning space that also provides working experience. CBS Lounge comprises three parts: CBS Café sponsored by Punthai coffee, CBS Mart sponsored by PT Max Mart, and CBS coworking space which provide training in customer service for students.
Students will not only learn how to make coffee or be a cashier at a convenience store but they will also be trained in all aspects of business administration in different capacities, such as online business executives, marketing managers and accountants.
“The CBS Lounge uses Ed-Enterprise model in building a real business in the school to promote students’ learning as well as generate profit to support underprivileged students and other social charity projects,” said Wilert. “The project will serve as a model for business administration education in the digital era that creates a true digital social enterprise while allowing students to establish their own startups while they were studying. In the future, there will be more of this project in the faculty, which will further help prepare students to embark on a real-world career at their full potential.”
The story behind major changes at Nation Group, Thailand’s eminent media organisation, was revealed by vice chairman Adisak Limparungpattanakij at the Trusted Media Summit APAC 2022 event, held virtually on September 20-21.
The seminar was organised by Google News Initiative, Cofact (Thailand) and network partners after their recent public survey of trust in Thai media’s political reporting. The survey revealed that Bangkokians had highest trust in media when it came to news reporting and presentation techniques (score 3.42), but lowest trust when it came to transparency and professional ethics of journalists (2.91).
“Trusted media is the most valuable asset for the journalistic profession,” affirmed Adisak, executive committee vice chairman at Nation Group (Thailand). “However, it is also the asset that is hardest to maintain.”
During a “Lightning Talks” seminar, Adisak revealed the core mission to “bring The Nation back to earth” as well as outlining changes and challenges that have shaken up Nation Group and Thai society over the past few years.
“What severely damaged our credibility as journalists was allowing Nation TV news anchors and moderators to influence the editorial team,” said Adisak. “There was no filtering whatsoever on what was presented on Nation TV programmes during 2019-2020. Anchors and moderators selected whatever they liked, including one-sided information and fake news, and then persuaded the audience to agree with them.”
“It is as though Nation TV audiences were being hypnotised during those two years,” he added.
Adisak said the decline of audience trust and confidence in the company was the turning point that spurred major change within the organisation over the past few years.
“The voice of news consumers made us think about what we had done wrong that caused over 50 of our employees to resign at the same time,” said Adisak, clarifying that the mass resignation had happened before his return to Nation Group as a vice chairman.
“This incident was the beginning of our return to the ‘Nation Way’ – the way of professional media. Since then, we have embarked on a mission to restore trust among news consumers and external parties, as well as raise the morale of employees through communication,” he said.
Adisak said Nation Group had learned from this lesson that trustworthiness is the most important asset of a media organisation. It is the hardest asset to keep but is also of the greatest value to all journalists.
“Trust in your media output leads to you being trusted as an organisation. I constantly reiterate the message to all Nation Group employees: stay committed to this principle,” said Adisak.
Bitkub emphasizes the importance of Web3.0 and trending technology at Huawei Connect 2022 event
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2022
THE NATION
Bangkok, September 23, 2022 – Bitkub Blockchain Technology Co., Ltd., emphasized the importance of Web3.0 and the trending technology at Huawei Connect 2022 event.
It is an honor for Mr Passakorn Pannok, CEO of Bitkub Blockchain Technology Co., Ltd., to be a part of this event and share some useful information about the evolution of websites and trending technology.
The 7th annual flagship event for Huawei for the global ICT industry was organized in Bangkok and the theme of this year is called “Unleash Digital”. There are over 10,000 ICT industry experts and partners who join the event to demonstrate, explore and build up stronger digital technology and community.
In addition, it is an honor for Bitkub Blockchain Technology to have been invited to join this event, led by CEO, Mr Passakorn Pannok to share some useful information about Web3.0 and blockchain technology in the keynote speech. The detail of the keynote is concluded as follows:
1. The Evolution of Website – Earlier, only a few users could access Web1.0 and it is the beginning of the website era that functions as one-way communication with support from Javascript and Html. After a few years, Web2.0 has become very famous which highlights the user-generated content and interoperability of the end-users; we can communicate with each other in two-way communication. Now, it is the beginning of the Web3.0 era, with the integration of blockchain technology, we can virtually own the content and the digital asset; it enables a trustless society by getting rid of the middleman.
2. GameFi and Metaverse Concept – Mr Passakorn also emphasized the role of GameFi and Metaverse which will generate more real use-cases on Web3.0. The users can truly own the digital asset and interact with each other to create a mini digital economy within the platforms.
3. Social DAO Concept – The concept of a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) was constructed by using the source code. It is a type of bottom-up organization with no central authority. The smart contract was implemented into the structure and coded to govern the community to get rid of some human errors decision.
4. Web 3.0 and DApp on Bitkub Chain – At the present, there are several decentralized applications (DApp) on Bitkub Chain which are
4.1 Bitkub NEXT – The decentralized digital wallet on Bitkub Chain which is available for 80 countries worldwide. Currently, there are more than 1 million users already registered in the wallet.
4.2 Bitkub NFT – The primary non-fungible token (NFT) platform that uses blockchain technology for data storage and maintains transaction records and allows users to virtually own the digital assets (NFT).
4.3 Bitkub Social DAO – Allow the users to vote and participate in the activities by using blockchain technology to record the voting polls. This will add more utilities to the NFT as well.
4.4 EarnKUB – The platform on Bitkub Chain, allows the users to claim rewards as KUB Coin or other special NFTs from accomplishing the mission in both the physical and digital world such as attending events or holding NFTs.
4.5 Bitkub Metaverse – The land beyond imagination, opens for you to enjoy a new dimension of experience. It will be a place consisting of many businesses, entertainment, tourism, culture, and education. Bitkub Metaverse will utilize a state-of-art of technology like Web3 and blockchain to provide a futuristic experience.
5. The Efficiency of Bitkub Chain with the support from Huawei Cloud – Huawei Cloud is the first Web3.0 solution on Bitkub Chain. It is a service for building Web3.0 solutions, which 90% of Bitkub Chain’s infrastructure and 70% of official projects use Huawei Cloud Elastic Cloud Server (ECS) and this could reduce costs by 35%.
GrabMart committed to helping small retailers tap consumers
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022
Nongluck Ajanapanya
Grab, a leading superapp in Southeast Asia, has promised to assist small merchants in reaching consumers in the digital era through GrabMart, an online platform for daily essential products.
Chantsuda Thananitayaudom, the head of marketing, Partnerships and GrabMart, Grab Thailand, told a press conference on Thursday that GrabMart has seen increasing popularity and tremendous growth since its launch in Thailand in April 2020.
The service provides on-demand delivery every day of goods from supermarkets, convenience stores, and local shops.
Chantsuda said the service responds effectively to the diverse needs and lifestyles of modern consumers seeking convenient shopping and on-demand delivery.
Despite constant changes in consumer behaviour since the Covid-19 outbreak two years ago, GrabMart’s business in Thailand grew significantly in 2021, compared to the previous year.
“Today, GrabMart service has expanded to more than 68 provinces, with over 15,000 merchant partners across the country,” said Chantsuda.
At present, there are approximately 9,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs), or nearly 50 per cent of all merchandise. As a result, Grabmart hopes to attract more SMEs to its platforms.
“We plan to expand our merchant-partner base by targeting small-sized merchants to enable them to grow their customers and increase sales through digital platforms,” said Chantsuda.
Grabmart is classified as “Quick Commerce”, which differs from e-commerce. Quick commerce focuses on daily products that customers need to use that day and takes a short time to deliver, approximately 25 minutes, so the products are purchased from nearby grocery stores.
Over the last few years, online shopping has grown at an exponential rate. According to the “e-Conomy SEA Report 2021”, the total value of Southeast Asia’s e-commerce market was as high as US$120 billion, a 62 per cent increase over the previous year.
Although the total market value is less than that of the e-commerce market, quick commerce is regarded as one of the businesses with high potential, particularly in the online grocery category, where online purchases have a current penetration rate of only 2 per cent.
When purchasing on-demand everyday goods, shoppers consider three key factors: a wide selection of products, an affordable price, and quick delivery, according to a Grab study.
With these factors in mind, GrabMart developed a growth strategy centred on “Affordability, Wide Selection, and User Experience”.
Chantsuda said that Grabmart would maintain its affordability through marketing campaigns, expand a wide selection of products and merchant-partners, and provide a better user experience with enhanced convenience and quick delivery of daily essentials.
Chantsuda insisted that Grabmart would provide micro-entrepreneurs more opportunities to reach larger consumer groups, drive sales, and capture business opportunities via Grab’s platforms.
Currently, Grab operates across the deliveries, mobility, and digital financial services sectors in 480 cities in eight countries in Southeast Asia – Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Huawei Empowers The Digital Startup Ecosystem At The “Spark-Ignite Pitching Day”
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022
THE NATION
Helping Thai Startups Become The Driving Force For Digital Transformation
Bangkok, September 21, 2022 – Huawei held the finals of their long-running startup competition, the “Spark-Ignite Pitching Day & Award Ceremony”, at the flagship Spark Founders Summit event, Asia’s fastest growing startup event. The finals were held in Bangkok, Thailand, in conjunction with Huawei Connect 2022, to empower startup capabilities and the Thai digital startup ecosystem through the competition. The winners will receive up to 125,000 USD in cloud credits and professional support from Huawei to help them grow in the market and become a driving force behind Thailand’s digital transformation into a digital hub for the ASEAN region.
Mr Abel Deng, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Huawei Technologies Thailand Co., Ltd. concluded at the event: “I would like to thank all participants for your impressive pitches. You have shown us some truly exciting ideas about the integration of digital technology solutions in business models. Startups have become a force for discovery and drivers of innovation. This is why it has brought us all here today, and Huawei is completely confident in the potential of startups to create more job opportunities and inject new energy into the digital landscape to support post-pandemic economic recovery. Innovation never stops and neither does our commitment to supporting Thailand’s digital ecosystem. We are ready to provide technological expertise and go-to market partnerships for a wide range of startups. I hope Huawei will walk the road of entrepreneurship together for shared successes and to become the driving force of digital transformation in Thailand.”
“Looking into the future, we remain committed to contributing to Thailand’s economy and society, with a special focus on building ICT talents. As a leading ICT partner for digital transformation, as well as a continuous societal contributor in Thailand over the past 23 years, I would like to reiterate our commitment once again to Grow in Thailand and Contribute to Thailand, as well as to bring digitalization to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected, intelligent Thailand,” he added.
Dr Pun-Arj Chairatana, Executive Director, Thailand National Innovation Agency (NIA), delivered the opening speech at the event: “Building a digital startup ecosystem is very important for the development of the country. The NIA would like to thank Huawei for actively supporting and promoting the startup ecosystem in Thailand. Also, thank you very much for organizing this Spark-Ignite Pitching Day competition as well as supporting technologies, business knowledge, startup funding, go-to-market, and the opportunity for Thai startups to have access to fantastic projects like this, in order to encourage any investment in the future. I would like to take this opportunity to recommend Thai digital startups to give priority to practical business models to ensure that your projects are both credible and have the foundation for success in our current digital ecosystem.”
Mr Leo Jiang, Chief Digital Officer, HUAWEI CLOUD APAC, said: “Spark Founders Summit 2022 is a follow-up of last year’s success in Singapore and Hong Kong. We’re coming back bigger and better; having government and industry leaders from the region share important conversations on shaping regional and local startup ecosystems, as well as addressing opportunities and challenges intersecting technology, society, and digital economies.”
Mr Vitavin Ittipanuvat, Executive Director of Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, a Huawei Spark ecosystem VC partner, believes that: “Through every crisis there’s always an opportunity. We are happy to support Huawei’s Spark Founders Summit event as part of their continuing trust and commitment in the Thai startup ecosystem. There is obviously a lot of work ahead for everyone in the community, but we trust it will be another exciting year for all of us to collaborate and grow stronger together through the challenging times.”
In August, Huawei launched the “Spark-Ignite 2022”, together with depa, NIA, and our partners. The Spark Ignite Thailand startup competition gives Thai startups the opportunity to enter the Huawei Spark Accelerator program, to gain more exposure, and to scale up their potential to an international level. To date, over 1,700 startups in Thailand were directly reached. The Spark Founders Summit bring together key ecosystem players; connecting founders, policymakers, enterprises, and investors to discuss Asia’s digital future, harness thought leadership and best practices, and showcase products and upcoming startups.
The winning team for the Spark-Ignite 2022 competition was Globish, an online English teaching platform focused on speaking skills for corporate clients and schools. In an interview, Ms Chuencheewan Wongsaeree, co-founder of Globish Academia (Thailand) Co., Ltd., said: “Our purpose for joining this project was because we wanted to expand our business to other countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Middle Eastern countries, etc. By joining this project, it will support us in expanding to other countries like these where Huawei is operating. More importantly, we also want to use Huawei’s cloud technologies to collect teaching data and we hope to continue using other technologies to support teaching and learning as well.”
The first runner-up team was Finema, a startup delivering Public Key authentication solutions on mobile devices to prevent identity theft in the digital world. Their technologies are compatible with identity registration systems in various industrial sectors, such as the financial sector, health sector, tourism sector, and education sector, etc. Mr Chatchai Chanvej, Business Development Lead, Finema Company Limited, stated that this competition has helped Thai startups learn more about Huawei’s products, solutions, and management, which will in turn develop Huawei’s products and support their adoption into a range of businesses. Finema soon hopes to use Huawei’s OCR solutions to help verify ID cards, including expanding business connections with Huawei partners.
The second runner-up was BKK Management Group led by Mr Kriangkrai Pipatvilaikul, Managing Partner & Co-Founder of BKK Management Group Co., Ltd., a startup that provides ERP (enterprise resource planning) solutions for data collection and rapid reporting to help increase efficiency in manufacturing processes and reduce operational costs. He shared his opinion that the ERP market is currently worth $8 billion in the Asia-Pacific region alone, and thanks to Huawei’s competitive projects, this will give Thai startups the opportunity to access experts and technological knowledge in order to push them to the next level.
The startup teams that won 4th through 8th place were Dynamic Intelligence Asia, Edvisory “We Assess”, Covest, Vecabo “Fleetex”, and Easy Rice. The eight final teams receiving select one-on-one mentorship sessions with top Huawei executives. The 1st place winner will go on to win 125,000 USD in cloud credits and benefit from access to Huawei technologies, expertise, and go-to-market partnerships. The 2nd & 3rd place teams, 4th & 5th place teams, and 6th – 8th place teams will receive 80,000 USD, 20,000 USD and 5,000 USD in cloud credits, respectively, to help their startups grow as well and quickly generate profits. In addition, they will all receive an opportunity to be admitted to the Huawei Spark Program “Accelerate” Tier and “Incubate” Tier, as well as to Huawei Spark Fire and the Spark Go-China program.
The stores will sell five categories of products: dried groceries and beverages, fresh food and ingredients, alcohol, general goods including sports equipment and pet products, and household goods.
Tops CLUB spans 15,000 square metres of warehouse-style space behind Central Rama II and is divided into three product zones.
Chantsuda insisted that Grabmart would provide micro-entrepreneurs more opportunities to reach larger consumer groups, drive sales, and capture business opportunities via Grab’s platforms.
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