​Compliance isn't a cost. It is a boarding pass. 🎫

​Every founder heading for global markets hits the same first barrier: compliance. Legal structure, data, cloud, payments, market access — the things that never make the pitch deck but stop expansion cold.

​During WAIC week in Shanghai, BLOCK71 and WAVE bring that barrier into one room with the people who actually solve it — landing platform, cloud, law firm, capital, payments, and collaboration partners — alongside founders who are mid-crossing right now.

​The format is simple: those on the ship ask; those on the shore answer.

​Founders bring real, unsolved problems from their global-growth phase. Partners respond live. One question, one crossing — you leave with executable next steps, not slides.

​​✨ On the shore

• ​BLOCK71 — landing and localization across Singapore and beyond

• ​WAVE — how global ecosystems open up: what summits, governments, and local networks actually look for

• ​Microsoft — cloud, data compliance, global market access

• ​Gunderson Dettmer 高锐律师事务所 — entity structuring, cross-border data, IP, labor law

• ​I&R Capital 一苇资本 — how compliance and structure shape fundraising, valuation, and deal certainty

• ​StepFun 阶跃星辰 — a frontier AI company's view from global markets

• ​Helix Robotics — embodied AI: taking humanoid robots and intelligent hardware to global markets

• ​Gamercury AI — AI-native games and the AI World Engine, scaling from Shanghai to players worldwide

• ​Cross-border payments partner — settlement and payment compliance

• ​Global VC partner — global capital's perspective on cross-border growth & compliance

​👥 Who should attend

​AI and tech founders scaling globally (or preparing to), plus investors and ecosystem partners focused on cross-border growth. A curated, invitation-based room with genuine need, short decision chains, real depth. Quality over volume.

​🔔 Agenda

• ​14:00–14:30 - Welcome & Networking

• ​14:30–14:45 - Opening Remarks

• ​14:45–15:05 - Keynote #1

  • ​Steve Leong, Marketing Manager of BLOCK71

• ​15:05–15:20 - Keynote #2 (TBC)

• ​15:20–15:40 - Keynote #3 (TBC)

• ​15:40–16:20 - Core Roundtable1 · Ship and Shore, Same Room

  • ​Gail Yang (COO of Helix Robotics, ex-Microsoft Program Manager & Shanghai AI Lab Lead), Moderator

  • ​Machel Zhu (Co-Founder of Gamercury AI, ex-VP of Shanda Games)

  • ​Frank Li (Head of DevRel, StepFun)

  • ​A Global VC Partner (to be announced)

• ​16:20–17:00 - Core Roundtable2 · Ship and Shore, Same Room

  • ​Joyce Hu, Of Counsel of Gunderson Dettmer

  • ​I&R Capital

  • ​A Cross-border Payment Partner (to be announced)

• ​17:00–18:00 - Open Networking

​💡 Event Details

• ​Date: 20 July 2026

• ​Time: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

• ​Venue: Microsoft's Office, Shanghai

​Co-hosted by BLOCK71 and WAVE, and supported by Microsoft, I&R Capital, StepFun, Cobay, Gunderson Dettmer, cross-border payments partners and global vc partners.

​BLOCK71 is a global network of innovation hubs and startup communities, backed by National University of Singapore (NUS Enterprise). Across 11 cities in 6 countries—Singapore, Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Saigon, Nagoya, Tokyo, Suzhou, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Silicon Valley—BLOCK71 supports entrepreneurs with the space, resources, and connections they need to succeed. Learn more at block71.co.

​WAVE is an international innovation ecosystem for the AI era, headquartered in Singapore with a regional hub in Beijing. Spanning Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Africa, WAVE connects the summits, governments, capital, universities, talent, and startups shaping what comes next—helping innovators move across borders and markets from day one. Where the world's unseen possibilities meet. See the Unseen, Let the World Redraw Its Map. Learn more at waveworld.org.