AGN Platinum Fireside Chat The New Rules of Winning in Asia Tech

​In the AI era, “building fast” is no longer the differentiator. The winners in Asia tech will be the teams who can navigate a tougher capital climate, rising compliance expectations, and the realities of cross-border growth in a world where rules and standards increasingly diverge across major markets.  

​In this A*GN Platinum Fireside Chat, Assoc Prof Cyndi Zhang (Academic Director, SMU Chinese EMBA) moderates a candid conversation with Jixun Foo (Senior Managing Partner, Granite Asia) on the new rules of winning: how investors assess “dealability,” how founders design for market access and exits, and what it takes to scale across Asia with real local fluency and trust.  

​Anchored in today’s environment of heightened cross-border scrutiny (discussed operationally, not politically), the session will unpack what still wins across different ecosystems (China, Singapore, and the US) and what Singapore founders can learn and apply immediately. It will also highlight emerging opportunity areas for students and researchers, and the key risks to avoid as AI reshapes industries, careers, and innovation pathways.