Day two of the Wild Digital SEA 2019 Conference was just as intense and insightful as day one, with an entirely different speaker line-up. There was also a special guest appearance from YB Syed Saddiq, the Minister of Youth & Sports, advocating for the right of Malaysians to vote from a younger age.

Here are the key lessons that the editorial team has observed throughout the event:

• There is huge potential in the ASEAN startup scene, with US$52 billion being invested in the space by the speakers attending the conference alone.
• Just as China economically is ten years behind the United States, South East Asia is ten years behind China. If the existing data trend is to be trusted, many unicorns are expected to emerge from South East Asia within the next ten years.
• The internet is officially 30 years old this year, and with so much technological breakthroughs in the last few years, it is time for us to reconsider how humans have adapted to these rapid changes by referencing Japan’s Society 5.0 framework.

With China being one of the fastest emerging markets globally, they set a precedence for local entrepreneurs, highlighting the importance of tech innovation. Gang Lu, Founder & CEO of TechNode said, “ Copying business ideas is not actually a bad thing. But you definitely need to innovate and localise it to make it work.”

Terence Sim, Associate Director of Vickers Venture Partners, echoed that statement. “There is a lot of tech innovation in China. They, in fact, sued and won court cases for patent infringement.”

Secretary Raul L. Lambino, a Philippines member of parliament, also made a special appearance in the conference, further enforcing the narrative that technological innovation is key to a country’s success and growth. He has established the Cagayan Special Economic Zone (CEZA), which is an innovation hub, crypto valley and blockchain academy zone in the Philippines.

“We have turned a small town of illegal gambling and smuggling syndicates into an international technological innovation hub. We will not entertain the buyers for the smuggled cars and we will not take fruit from a poisoned tree,” said Secretary Raul.

Wild Digital SEA 2019 is the fifth instalment of the Wild Digital conference series, bringing together key opinion leaders in the internet space, providing exposure and networking opportunities for those who are attending the event. There are plans of establishing an Indonesian series as well in the coming future.