Mr Robert Kim: Our role in driving entrepreneurship is to fill the gaps in the start-up eco-system.

DEMO Asia made its successful debut in Singapore this year, with more than 70 start-ups and innovators from across the region converging at Matrix@Biopolis to take part in the three-day event which started on 29 February 2012.

DEMO is a leading Silicon Valley event for startups and innovators, with a 22-year track record of selecting, coaching, promoting and making a success of game-changing products such as Java, Picasa, Salesforce and VMware, just to name a few.

The idea of launching DEMO in Singapore took root two years ago, when the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) invited the event’s Executive Producer Mr Matt Marshall to mentor some local start-ups. IDA went on to work with other agencies to explore the possibility of launching DEMO Asia here, as part of its iSTART programme to build up a start-up ecosystem in Singapore.

The inaugural DEMO Asia event featured six-minute speeches and product demonstrations by 44 start-ups in sectors such as the cloud and enterprise, web, social and media, consumer, mobile and innovative technologies. Another 28 companies featured their prototypes in 90-second Alpha Pitches. The event also included a conference and networking opportunities.

The three-day DEMO Asia was held at Matrix@Biopolis.

Singapore start-up Intraix was one of the companies that featured their prototypes in the Alpha Pitch. Founded just three months ago, the company demonstrated an application which allows consumers to drill down on how energy is consumed in small offices and the home.

“With rising energy prices and the need to conserve resources, we have developed a web-based software to which consumers can subscribe if they want to know how their various appliances impact their energy use. This could lead to better efficiency,” explained Mr Darrell Zhang, Co-founder of Intraix. The company is still working through its marketing model before making the product available to the public. “It could be charging a flat-rate of no more than S$5 per month to help the consumer analyse his bills,” Mr Zhang added.

Another Singapore company, Hoiio, walked away with the DEMO Asia People’s Choice Award for its Hoiio API, a product which allows developers to create and launch telephony apps such as voice conferencing, IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system, answering machines and voicemail services easily.

Mr Darrell Zhang of Intraix, whose web-based software helps consumers to monitor their energy consumption, took part in the Alpha Pitch.

The company will receive a US$20,000 three-month accelerator package that provides the company access to top-notch training, networking events, venture capitalists and investors as well as a guaranteed pitching slot at the Plug & Play Expo. It will also get a chance to present at DEMO FALL in the US.

Other companies supported by IDA in DEMO Asia 2012 included Teamie, Clault, MXR, YFind and Sierra Solutions.

Mr Robert Kim, Director of Consumer Infocomm, IDA, said his division’s role in driving entrepreneurship is to fill the gaps in the start-up ecosystem, and take effective measures to do so, for example, ensuring local entrepreneurs are given access to mentors, overseas market linkages and development support. IDA works with other government agencies in this effort, concentrating on the infocomm technology space.

“One of our roles is to help local companies go regional and international to increase the potential scale of the companies,” said Mr Kim. Recently, IDA brought a group of companies to Silicon Valley and the results have been very positive. Five companies locked in customers, five found partners to expand their business in the US and another five received investment offers.

Mr Junda Ong is the business lead of Hoiio, which won the DEMO Asia People's Choice Award for its Hoiio API. The product helps developers to create and launch telephony apps easily.

IDA also supports local technical user group activities by supporting events and workshops that give these developer communities hands-on training in emerging technical skill sets not yet taught in schools and higher institutions. This helps them build communities which strengthens the infocomm ecosystem. Mr Kim said IDA has provided support to more than 20 technical user groups to date.

To further nurture the entrepreneurial flame, IDA along with its wholly owned subsidiary, Infocomm Investments Pte Ltd, has attracted more than 80 high-quality, VC-backed start-ups to do engineering and development work in Singapore. It has also connected with over 350 start-up companies in Singapore in the last two-and-a-half years. "We now have an ecosystem that comprises both local- and international-based start-ups as well as renowned multinational companies such as Yahoo, Google and international advertising companies in Singapore,” said Mr Kim. “It is a good mix of east and west and Singapore is fast becoming very interesting culturally."