Tech leaders and investors gather at Startup Grind

Global Business

This year’s Startup Grind Global Conference kicked off with tech leaders and investors converging on Silicon Valley.

They showed off the latest in innovation and shared advice on how to get startups up and running in a global tech economy.

CGTN’s Mark Niu reports.

Startups at Startup Grind Global are showcasing what they believe is the next big thing.

“We’ve invented the smallest in the world security GPS tracker which you can use for kids, seniors, pets and valuables,” Nataliya Stelmakh, the CEO and Founder of  Polaris said.

“We are making 3D printed houses which are absolutely all green” Julia Gerbut, co-founder of PassivDom said. “Made of carbon and fiber glass, doesn’t contain any wood or steel, materials that would rot or rust, so our house will last forever.”

On stage, startups face-off in pitch competitions, vying for the attention of investors.

Helping fill the seats at Startup Grind were tech industry superstars like the founder of Waze, Noam Bardin, who sold his popular crowdsourcing navigation app to Google for $1.1 billion.

He was there to shed light on Waze’s new feature – Carpool – designed to create low-cost rides and reduce traffic.

Amid the hustle and bustle of Startup Grind, China’s startup ecosystem is also finding its way into topics of discussion. In fact, one speaker is asking the question, can you afford not to be in China?

Cyril Ebersweiler is the founder of Hax, the largest hardware accelerator in the world, which began in Shenzhen, China.

“How fast can you prototype and how can you reduce the time so that you have more money available to actually finance your operations.  It starts here,” Ebersweiler said.

In what he describes as a grim climate for hardware startups, Ebersweiler said Shenzhen is a prototyping superpower that innovators must explore.

Cyril Ebersweiler talks about hardware startups

For more on the global hardware startup market, Mark Niu spoke with Cyril Ebersweiler, founder of HAX.


Cyril Ebersweiler discusses the global hardware startup market

For more on the global hardware startup market, Mark Niu spoke with Cyril Ebersweiler, the founder of HAX. who explained that they have two programs for entrepreneurs.