{"id":30781,"date":"2015-09-16T10:15:51","date_gmt":"2015-09-16T08:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/?p=30781"},"modified":"2015-09-16T10:15:51","modified_gmt":"2015-09-16T08:15:51","slug":"tia-tokyo2015-leads-the-way-in-connecting-asias-ecosystem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/2015\/09\/tia-tokyo2015-leads-the-way-in-connecting-asias-ecosystem\/","title":{"rendered":"TIA Tokyo2015, leads the way in connecting Asia's ecosystem"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"tia1\"
\nI had the fortunate opportunity to attend TIA Tokyo 2015 last week. \u00a0Organized by Asia’s tech media powerhouse TechinAsia, TIA Tokyo 2015 not only turned out Japan’s burgeoning tech ecosystem, but also brought out a strong contingent from around\u00a0Asia and further afield. \u00a0Here were some big takeaways and highlights for me from this year’s edition:
\nInterested in Asia? \u00a0TIA’s events are well-worth the investment\u00a0<\/strong>
\nOne thing that is impressive about their events is how international\u00a0they are.\u00a0As such, their conferences (they do 4 editions across the region each year) continue to be great events for local and international startups and other attendees to connect with investors, potential partners and media. This means that those from further afield who are interested in entering multiple markets in Asia, can make solid contacts from across the region.
\nMany entrepreneurs in France and elsewhere in Europe continue to debate whether they should take a leap of faith and expand into Asia. Attending a couple of these types events, especially in markets that are brand new to you, are a smart and fairly inexpensive way to get immediate feedback and make invaluable contacts. As the leading pan-Asian tech news source,\u00a0TechInAsia’s\u00a0events (of which Tokyo is only one of three) are a great place to start, although there are several others as well that have descended on the region (SLUSH Asia, Web Summit’s RISE, E27’s Echelon, etc).
\n\"TIABen Horowitz and The Hard Thing about Hard Things<\/strong>
\nWithout a doubt, the big highlight of this year’s edition was an\u00a0hour long\u00a0one-on-one talk with Ben Horowitz. \u00a0TIA scored a big coup in getting him on-board to speak this year. \u00a0His book ‘The Hard Thing About Hard Things’ has also been a big hit in Japan and elsewhere across Asia, so it goes without saying that he spoke to a very packed house. While he spoke quite a bit about his experiences as an entrepreneur and, particularly, the fall-out of and eventual redemption from\u00a0Loudcloud’s\u00a0‘IPO from hell’<\/a>, much of his talk centered on his invaluable tips for entrepreneurs and how he approaches his job as a VC. \u00a0Here are some of his most memorable words of wisdom and quips:<\/p>\n