The year 2016 wrapped with a bang: Anacle’s recent IPO, Unity3D’s first VR/AR Summit in China, and the book launch of Mr Philip Yeo, iGlobe’s chairman.
The Chronicles of Philip Yeo
Universe vastness is glimpsed through astronomical lens, boundless as the Galaxies and Stars; and through nanoscopic sight, minuscule as a DNA fragment. Likewise, a nation makes its mark, both macroscopically – through policies, employment rate, standard of living – and microscopically – through the life and belief of individuals.
“Neither Civil nor Servant”, published in October 2016, entails snapshots of Philip Yeo, one of the most well-known government officials in Singapore. The book lends another perspective on the building blocks of Singapore today.
50-year contribution to nation building paints a second-to-none vibrant artwork about the man. He is a maverick, a voracious reader with fervent propensity for actions, and unfazed enthusiasm for insane possibilities. He is the voice, the face and the hand behind the births of Jurong Island and the iconic Biopolis.
Philip Yeo’s achievements today are sequels to his early days’ stories. Raised single-handedly by his mother in a low-income family of three, Mr Yeo relied on self-sufficiency as passport to life. He worked hard where his hands laid, and eventually earned Colombo Plan scholarship for overseas education. The opportunity then steered his life to the path of a “civil servant”.
The five-year government bond turned life-long devotion. The support from LKY, Dr Goh and Howe Yong Chong allowed Mr Yeo to swashbuckle various endeavours in his various positions- from MINDEF, to NCB (now IMDA), EDB, A*STAR and Spring.
Richard Sykes, former GSK head said, “You can have a visionary like Lee Kuan Yew but somebody has to put it into practice. Philip puts things into practice.”
Mr Yeo’s hobby remains reading. His devotion to Singapore never once grows feeble with age. Still on his Nike sneakers, he walks fast, brims with thoughts, and bulldozes his way through red-tape and protocols.
Anacle hit the trading floor
iGlobe’s arrival hall just celebrated the safe landing of Anacle Systems, one of our investee companies. Anacle (08353.HK) has recently arrived the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM), set up by Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE).
The aircraft, ANACLE, took off in 2006. Captain Alex Lau and Charles Ong took the steering wheel, bringing the crew on a quest. They itched to explore new land often overlooked by many. Alex & Charles envisaged smart buildings and businesses, operating efficiently at minimal costs. They envisioned simple, yet sexy asset and energy management solutions powering businesses from within. That vivid picture of the promise land has never left them since.
Soon enough, what seemed like a lonely pilgrimage turned a shared dream. Joining them on the journey of a lifetime was a team of young, talented and shrewd executive team. They were in for a long-haul. Anacle aircraft has always been fuelled with fresh energy, and relentless pursuit for breakthroughs in solutions.
We are now standing with Anacle team at the finish line. There is a sense of achievement, tinted with relief, a tad of pride, entwined with sense of humility and gratitude. There is also a stronger sense of hope for what is to come, as the success of the home-grown Anacle signals the beginning of new breed of Singaporean entrepreneurs- daring and visionary enough to grab hold of the future.
Anacle raised HKD 74M in total amount, at HKD 296M market cap.
The story doesn’t end here. Anacle will sail beyond the shore and establish stronger foothold in China, Hong Kong, South Korea and the Middle East. Doing that requires the company to continue magnetising fresh young talents to the crew. As the company flies high, it stays grounded to its core value to pursue excellence and newness.
Unity leads the AR/VR wave in Asia
There is magic in what Unity is doing, because it inspires and enables creators to dream and realise their dreams. And that magic never fails to unite people – developers, industry leaders, geeks, gamers, designers – all into one space.
This time, Unity brought that magic to China, with Unity Vision VR/ AR Summit. The event took place in Beijing in December 14-15, 2015
Unity Vision Summit held an interesting mix of audience, with heads full of futuristic imaginations, hearts brimming with zest and fervour, and hands ready for the hard graft.
The developer-centric programme, over the span of 2 days, sparked inspiration and quenched the thirst of those who attended. The keynote speakers painted the world of VR/ AR, which is nothing short of revolution. Headgears are not just technological devices, but they also function as pathways to the world, transporting us to multiple frontiers.
In John Riccitiello’s words, VR/ AR is “the promise of decade, the reality of today”. Its comeback after decades marks the emergence of new technologies and integrated nexus of the existing players. Ideas shelved are dusted off and returned to life, supported by the new VR/ AR ecologies.
The event housed some of the coolest names in the industry. Speakers from Google, Unity Technologies, Samsung Gear VR, PTC Vuforia, Sony PlayStation VR and Microsoft Hololens shared their work and perspectives on the future. SooBoon was also part of the panel discussion on VR development.
Exciting journey ahead.