Back in 2018, aiming to deepen cross-border commercial ties between China and the global market, TechNode Global was set up with the commitment to better serve the Asia tech community and forge a closer bond between the different regions. Since then, TechNode Global has followed Asia tech innovations and trends closely, hosting regional events in multiple Asian cities, and co-launched a 2019 Southeast Asia Internet Trends Report

And now here comes our inaugural ORIGIN Innovation Awards, which celebrates the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship across Asia.

Explaining the genesis of the awards, Dr. Gang Lu, founder and CEO of TechNode said: “We are excited and fortunate to be part of the region’s growth. With the launch of ORIGIN Innovation Awards, we seek to recognise the brightest and outstanding ones in Asia across fields as diverse as artificial intelligence, food and agri, fintech, supply chain and new retail, and ecommerce, among others.”

He added: “TechNode has been organizing the annual ChinaBang Awards since 2012. Over the past few years, we have witnessed a large number of emerging Chinese startups grow into unicorns. I believe TechNode Global can build on TechNode’s expertise in this area to better serve the Asia tech community with ORIGIN Innovation Awards” 

ORIGIN Innovation Awards 2020 invites everyone in the Asia tech community to submit nominations for the four main categories: Startup Awards, Digital Transformation Award, Ecosystem Enabler Awards, and Movers & Shakers Awards. 

Acknowledging that Asia’s thriving tech startup ecosystem did not happen overnight nor by chance, we’d like to pay tribute to the efforts of ecosystem enablers who keep the wheels spinning. Asia’s success also owes a lot to the role of pioneers who are quick in grabbing opportunities and keen to embark on a technology revolution. These movers and shakers, the rainmakers, the go-getters, bring about positive influence who are driving the growth and development.

As the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds, many key decisions and risks were made to respond swiftly to the challenges. In light of the significant impact on businesses and the economy during this crisis, a special Resilience Award will be given out to acknowledge solutions which are proven capable of fighting the pandemic

Nominations for the ORIGIN Innovation Awards are open from now till 2359hrs (GMT+8) on Aug 31, 2020 and can be submitted online at technode.global/origin/innovation-awards.

There are a total of four main categories and 19 sub-categories.

Digital Transformation Award

  • Best Digital Transformation

Startup Awards

  1. Artificial Intelligence
  2. Fintech
  3. IoT
  4. HealthTech
  5. Logistics and LMF
  6. Ecommerce
  7. Food and AgriTech
  8. Media and Entertainment
  9. Supply Chain and New Retail
  10. EduTech
  11. Internet Solutions (aaS)

Ecosystem Enabler Awards

  1. People’s Choice VCs
  2. Community Builder Award 

Movers & Shakers Awards

  1. Outstanding Female VC
  2. Promising Female Founder
  3. Founder of the Year
  4. Best Sustainable Solution
  5. Resilience Award (Pandemic-related)
     

Following the nomination process, the best from each sub-category will be selected by a subject matter expert advisory committee, made up of media, VCs, PEs, and corporate executives from the APAC region. They will join us to score and review each entry before determining the winners.

We sincerely invite you to be a part of our journey to celebrate the spirit of innovation and resilience in the APAC region, and together we will walk the path to the new normal. 

How you can be involved

The ORIGIN Innovation Awards is open for both public nominations and self-nominations. We are looking for outstanding innovators in each category who meet the following criteria:

General qualifying criteria for Startup Awards category:

  • The nominee must be based or operating in APAC
  • The nominee should have a commercialized product 
  • The nominee’s funding round must not exceed series B (i.e. company in seed to series B stage is eligible)

General qualifying criteria for Digital Transformation Award category:

  • The nominee should have a physical office presence in APAC
  • The nominated project or initiative should have gone live and be at the execution stage or should have been initiated between January 2017 and April 2020. (Within 3 years)

General qualifying criteria for Ecosystem Enabler Awards category:

  • The nominee must be based or operating in APAC

General qualifying criteria  for Movers & Shakers Awards category:

  • The nominee should be based in APAC 

Timeline

  • Public nomination and self-nomination: June 1 – Aug 31
  • Advisory Committee review: Sept 1 – Oct 31
  • ORIGIN Summit x ORIGIN Innovation Awards: Dec 2020 – Jan 2021

 

For more information about ORIGIN Innovation Awards, please visit: technode.global/origin/innovation-awards