We’re excited to announce that Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Alphabet (formerly Google), will open the TechCrunch China event in Beijing, which takes place November 2-3 at the Wukesong Hi-Park in Beijing.
As one of the highest-profile executives in the technology space, Schmidt needs little introduction. He first joined Google in 2001 and served as CEO for a decade, during which time it grew from a startup into a tech giant. Beyond his involvement with Alphabet, Schmidt runs extensive philanthropic efforts, he’s written two New York Times bestselling books and is a member of the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science.
Sarah Lane, TechCrunch’s Executive Producer of Video, will interview Schmidt on the opening day of the event. Google just made a major invest in Chinese natural language firm Mobvoi, the CEO of which is also speaking at the event, and there’s been speculation about its future plans for China, so there’s plenty to discuss.
(Exciting side note: Sarah and her team will file the daily Crunch Report and other video dispatches from China during the first week of November.)
Beyond Schmidt, the schedule for the Beijing event — which is the second event of the year run with our Chinese partner Technode — is packed full of top-notch entrepreneurs, sought-after investors, and other notable tech figures.
You can look through the agenda in full here, but it includes representatives from Twitter, Ninebot, Yota Devices, Y Combinator, Oculus, HTC, Mobvoi, Wandoujia, Rovio and Intel-backed drone company YUNEEC, to name but a few. On the investor side, representatives from GGV, Sequoia, ChinaGrowth Capital are among those taking part in panel discussions and interviews on stage. There will also be a chance to connect with more than 100 VCs — and get a 10 minute pitch — at our Meet-A-VC side event.
In addition to the speaker and panel session line-up, there will be an exhibition hall where more than 150 startups — across fintech, education, enterprise, smart home, VR and other verticals — will show off their products and technology.
Startups are a major focus of our events, and more than 300 teams applied for the startup competition at TechCrunch China Beijing. We’ve whittled that list down to the final 15, each of which will demo their product at the event. The final five contestants will be selected to pitch on the main stage on the second day of the show, aside from the main prize — each finalist is eligible for a ¥1 million ($160,000) convertible loan from VC firm Gobi Ventures.
No TechCrunch event is complete without a hackthon, of course, and we’re excited to see the projects that emerge from the hackathon in Beijing. Ubuntu, Peugeot, Unilver, Getuit.com, and AWS are among the partners lending resources to help those participating get their hack on. At the end of the hackathon, each team will get a three-minute slot in which to wow the judges in the hopes of landing the top prize, which includes a spot at the event show floor, ¥20,000 (around $3,000) in cash, and host of free services.
We’re expecting 8,000 attendees — don’t miss your chance to be among them, get your ticket here.
See you in Beijing!