East Meets West 2021 - East Meets West

EMW’21

EMW’21 featured amazing international speakers, hot topic breakout sessions, pitch opportunities, and ample networking in a tropical Startup Paradise!

MAHALO! $10K RAISED FOR HAWAII FOOD BANK

MAHALO to all 400 registrants that helped us pull off our very first (and hopefully last) virtual East Meets West 2021. Because of you, we were able to raise $10,600 for the Hawaii Food Bank.

EMW ’21 gave us so many gems from all of our moderators, opening panels, closing fireside chats, and guest VCs.

We can’t wait to see you next year!

MAHALO TO OUR EMW ’21 SPONSORS!

On behalf of our family of companies at ALTRES, we are honored to be a continued sponsor of the East Meets West Conference. Our commitment is helping to make business simple for Hawaii’s businesses and that including the many new entrepreneurial efforts in our start-up community. If you are looking for guidance in navigating the uncharted waters of launching your business and establishing strong HR, Payroll and Administration foundation, we encourage you to apply for our simplicityHR Service Grant, or give us a call, 808-591-4900.

EMW 2021 PANELISTS

Siana Hunt

Director, Corporate Philanthropy, ALTRES

Scott Mercer

Chief Executive Officer, Volta Industries

Ashwani Jain

Head of Growth and Operations, International, Airmeet

Kalani Kaʻanāʻanā

Director, Hawaii Tourism Authority

Jessica Blotter

CEO & Co-Founder, Kind Traveler

Sam Liang

CEO, Otter.ai

Nicole Lim

Director, Movers and Shakas

Stefan Opsal

Co-founder & COO, RendezView

Liza Rodewald

Founder & CEO, Instant Teams

Greg Gaug

Vice President of Investments, Ulupono Initiative

Casey Lau

Co-Host of RISE

Chenoa Farnsworth

Managing Partner, Blue Startups

Chris Hemmeter

Managing Director, Thayer Ventures

Dawn Lippert

CEO, Elemental Excelerator

Maya Rogers

CEO, Tetris & Partner, Blue Startups

Henk Rogers

President & CEO, Blue Planet Energy

FEATURED SPEAKERS

We are bringing the finest industry experts to speak

Nina Labatt

COO, General Partner, Trinity Ventures

Maximilian Von Poelnitz

Entrepreneur | Food Tech Investor

Mark Kraynak

Founding Partner, Acrew Capital

Leah Edwards

Partner, Pegasus Tech Ventures

Kent Madsen

Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Epic Venture Funds

Josh Stein

Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Threshold VC

Elton Satusky

Partner, Wilson Sonsini

Andy Betz

Principal, Stafford Capital Partners

Amit Mehta

General Partner, Builders VC

Sherrie Totoki

Director of Accelerator Operations, Elemental Excelerator

Ryan Wang

Founding Partner, Outpost VC

Nneka Uzoh

Director of Innovation, Energy, Elemental Excelerator

Kim Baker

Director of Innovation, Water, Elemental Excelerator

Gene Soo

Head of Ecosystem at MTR

David Lee

Investor, Entrepreneur, Early ex-Googler

Danya Hakeem

Director of Innovation, Elemental Excelerator

Ben Wong

Assistant General Manager, Eureka Nova

Phuong Jean Pham

VP of External Affairs, VietChallenge

Jonathan Bailie Strong

Podcast Consultant & Strategist, Spotlight Podcasting

Laís de Oliveira

Program Director, On Deck

Chris Baker

Founder, Totem

Harold Li

Vice President, ExpressVPN

Brendan Yell

Director, Twilio Startups

Lalitha Wemel

Regional Director APAC, Community, Techstars

Todd Embley

Senior Startup Advocate, Agora.io

Peter Wilkins

Engineer/VR Fan

Brett Brewer

Co-Founder & Managing Director, CrossCut Ventures

Takaho Iwasaki

Owner, MajiConnection

Bernard Moon

Co-founder & Partner at SparkLabs Group

Christopher Kelley

Vice President, J.P. Morgan

Aubrie Pagano

General Partner, Alpaca VC

Amanda Ellis

ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory

Terry Hsiao

Adjunct Professor, Marymount University

Kyle Corbitt

Director, YC Startup School

Lu Zhang

Founder & Managing Partner, Fusion Fund

Clint Chao

General Partner, Moment Ventures

Donavan Kealoha

Director, Startup Capital Ventures

Pat Riley

CEO, Global Accelerator Network

Rebecca Lynn

Co-Founder & General Partner, Canvas Ventures

Elisa Chiu

Founder & CEO, Anchor Taiwan

Jeffrey Paine

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Golden Gate Ventures

Holly Liu

Founder, Kabam

Patrick Lee

Co-Founder, Rotten Tomatoes

Tony Blank

Director of Startup Programs, Agora

Amy Brinker

Sustainability Manager, Kamehameha Schools

Keoni Lee

CEO, Hawaii Investment Ready

Chris Hemmeter

Managing Director, Thayer Ventures

Carman Chan

Founder & Managing Partner, Click Ventures

Edith Yeung

General Partner, Race Capital

Meli James

Co-Founder, Mana Up; President, HVCA

EAST MEETS WEST 2021 EVENT SCHEDULE

NOTE: All listed times are in Hawaii Standard Time (HST)

Day 1 (2/24)

2:00PM - 2:15PM – Networking

2:15PM - 2:45PM — Opening Session: "Coming Back Stronger"

Topic: Remote Work's Impact on Economy and Society
Format: Panel Discussion
Moderator: Chenoa Farnsworth (Blue Startups)
Participants:
- Michele Kauinui (ALTRES)
- Liza Rodewald (Instant Teams)
- Nicole Lim (Movers and Shakas)

2:45PM - 3:35PM — Roundtables/Sponsors/Pitch a VC

3:35PM - 4:00PM — Closing Session: "No Borders, No Barriers"

Topic: Climate Change & Social Equality
Format: Fireside Chat
Participants:
- Henk Rogers, (Blue Planet Software, Blue Planet Foundation)
- Dawn Lippert (Elemental Excelerator)

4:00PM - 5:00PM — Open Networking

5:00PM - 6:00PM — Pau Hana

Day 2 (2/25)

2:00PM - 2:15PM – Networking

2:15PM - 2:45PM — Opening Session: "Coming Back Stronger"

Topic: Technology Connecting the Future
Format: Panel Discussion
Moderator: Casey Lau (RISE)
Participants:
- Stefan Opsal (RendezView)
- Ashwani Jain (Airmeet)
- Sam Liang (Otter.ai)

2:45PM - 3:35PM — Roundtables/Sponsors/Pitch a VC

3:35PM - 4:00PM — Closing Session: "No Borders, No Barriers"

Topic: Volta Industries Exit, SPACS and IPOs in 2021
Format: Fireside Chat
Participants:
- Chenoa Farnsworth (Blue Startups)
- Greg Gaug (Ulupono Initiative)

4:00PM - 5:00PM — Open Networking

5:00PM - 6:00PM — Pau Hana

Day 3 (2/26)

2:00PM - 2:15PM – Networking

2:15PM - 2:45PM — Opening Session: "Coming Back Stronger"

Topic: Bringing Tourism Back Responsibly
Format: Panel Discussion
Moderator: Maya Rogers-Kiyomura (Tetris, Blue Planet Software)
Participants:
- Kalani L. Ka‘anā‘anā (Hawaii Tourism Authority)
- Chris Hemmeter (Thayer Ventures)
- Jessica Blotter (Kind Traveler)

2:45PM - 3:35PM — Roundtables/Sponsors/Pitch a VC

3:35PM - 4:00PM — Closing Session: "No Borders, No Barriers"

Topic: Best of the Pitch - 3 Pitches Nominated by Participating VCs
Moderators:
- Casey Lau (RISE)
- Chenoa Farnsworth (Blue Startups)

4:00PM - 5:00PM — Open Networking

5:00PM - 6:00PM — Pau Hana

ROUNDTABLE TOPICS

Finding A Co-Founder (Kyle Corbitt, YC Startup School)
Prepping Your Seed Raise (Aubrie Pagano, Corigin Ventures)
Hawaii As A Remote Work Paradise? (Clint Chao, Moment Ventures)
Pandemic Opportunities (Carman Chan, Click Ventures)
The Future of Seed Funds in the Era of Mega Rounds (Stephen Forte, Fresco Capital)
2021 Investment Trends (Edith Yeung, Race Capital)
Raising Money: Series A and Series Seed Factors (Chris Hemmeter, Thayer Ventures)
Emerging Market Investing (Jeffrey Paine, Golden Gate Ventures)
Strategies for the Japanese Market (Takaho Iwasaki, MajiConnection)
Smart Batteries for Micromobility (Terry Hsiao)
Scaling Your Sustainability Story (Amy Brinker, Kamehameha Schools)
Creating Your Narrative (Meli James, Mana Up)
Digitization in Healthcare (Lu Zhang, Fusion Fund)
Transmedia, Digital Lifestyle, and the Metaverse (Ryan Wang, Outpost VC)
Launching a Startup in Asia (Gene Soo, StartupsHK)
Startup Opportunities in the Greater Bay Area (Ben Wong, Eureka Nova)
Agriculture is the Answer (Danya Hakeem)
Innovations and Investments in H2O: Why Water? Why Now? (Kim Baker)
Exposed: How COVID is Accelerating the Equitable Development of Smart Cities (Nneka Uzoh)
…Plus more to be announced!