Silicon Valley no longer has the monopoly on tech innovation: new startups in Asia are emerging with new ideas and technologies, diversifying innovative power to various ecosystems worldwide. Asia in particular is boiling hot and setting new trends. Just think of those two figures from 2016: China’s giant messaging app WeChat processed twice as much transactions (money transfers) in one month than Paypal did in a year India’s biometric-identity database Aadhaar now counts more than a billion registered users, and is turning into a bankless, cashless payment system for all. Experiential learning through physical exploration of these different ecosystems – from Kuala Lumpur to Seoul and Shenzhen to Bangalore – is still the best way to keep up with the ever evolving trends. Key benefits of such tours involve understanding new behaviors, testing out the latest prototypes and engaging key stakeholders in high-level partnerships. In a nutshell, learning expeditions are steps into the near future, and wake-up calls for Excoms, GMs and leadership teams who experience real change and a cultural shock by meeting with relevant entrepreneurs, investors, experts and peers. After completing more than a dozen of these tours, here are 8 important tips for you to plan an effective learning expedition in any part of the world. […]

Startups are here to stay.  With access to endless data and more funding, start-ups will survive and therefore disrupt. Hence, the emergence of an innovation race amongst corporates. Everyone – from banks, industrials and even consumer goods companies – are obsessed with innovating. Innovation Labs, accelerators, transformation teams are mushrooming, but are often disconnected with the real business. – How to engage the whole company in the transformation effort? – How to create a digital culture and vision among your top managers? – How can your teams identify new opportunities, new business models?   Changing a company’s culture can turn to be extremely challenging.  But relax, we’re here to help! Here are 5 ways to  foster a culture of innovation and identify opportunities in your company: #1 Encourage an active learning culture by opening mindsets to new realities     Some companies do so by bringing inspiration to their offices and creating an ecosystem around them.  For example, the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) has created a special place for innovation: DBS Asia X (DAX). The building is entirely dedicated to innovation, hosting staff, startups, students and strategists together for better synergy. The facility is hosting the bank’s latest workshops and hackathons […]