The fifth edition of Beyond Expo, one of Asia’s top technology and innovation conferences, wrapped up on Saturday afternoon at the Parisian Theatre, in Cotai. Alibaba Group chairman Joe Tsai headlined the closing ceremony, following four marathon days of exhibitions, talks and events at the Venetian’s Convention and Exhibition Centre.
In a wide-ranging fireside chat with Beyond co-founder Jason Ho, Tsai – who owns an NBA team, the Brooklyn Nets – shared personal and professional insights spanning business strategy, global expansion, sports entertainment and resilience in the face of setbacks.
Ho began by asking Tsai about the key to successful business partnerships. “It’s all about people working together to achieve a common goal,” Tsai replied. He noted that his company’s overarching mission to “make it easy to do business anywhere” had remained constant over 26 years.
Tsai also highlighted the importance of trust: “If people don’t trust each other, it’s very difficult to actually achieve something together because you’re always second guessing,” he said.
Asked how companies should go about navigating trade tensions and shifting geopolitical dynamics, Tsai stressed that “communication and achieving understanding [was] the most important thing.” He advised against passivity and urged businesses to proactively reach out to policymakers to explain exactly how they were being impacted by changes. Tsai described the current tariff fluctuations between the US and China as a new paradigm in which companies were “still learning to learn how to cope.”
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In the context of rising Sino-US tensions, Tsai also pointed out that “Europe was still an incredible opportunity for Asian companies.” He maintained that “Europeans understand nuances better” due to their older culture and cultural parallels with Asia in certain areas, unlike Americans, whom he said “tend to be sort of more black and white.”
With respect to opportunities in Asia, Tsai said that there was currently a tremendous amount of inter-Asia activity, as exemplified by China’s trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The bloc remained China’s biggest trade partner in the first quarter of this year, a title it had held for several years running.
Ho also asked Tsai about his experience taking Alibaba global. The businessman was candid. “We’re not perfect,” he admitted, noting that the company had experienced both successes and what he described as “spectacular failures” in new markets. What Tsai said had worked well was localisation: “The combination of China technology [and] local people … is a very good combination for expanding overseas.”
Language barriers remained a challenge for Chinese firms expanding into new markets, but Tsai expressed optimism that AI would help overcome these hurdles.
Held from 21 to 24 May, the 2025 edition of Beyond Expo marked its fifth year running. The event has grown in scope and scale, with this year featuring 1,200 exhibitors and 30,000 attendees.
Beyond Expo’s Fund at First Pitch
The closing ceremony also featured the finale of Beyond Expo’s Fund at First Pitch event, where selected entrepreneurs presented their business ideas in hopes of securing funding from potential investors.
The final round was moderated by James Kwan, executive chairman of Jumpstart Media, and judged by former NBA player Metta Sandiford-Artest (also known as Metta World Peace), managing partner of Tru Skye Ventures; Thomas G. Tsao, co-founder of Gobi Partners; and Morgan Samet, the managing partner and co-head of Lingotto Innovation.
Five startups from the fields of ClimateTech, ConsumerTech, and Healthcare – each of which had received strong support during the preliminary pitch sessions over the previous two days – competed in the finale. There was no “winner” declared at the event – instead, participants were hoping to arrange follow up meetings with potential partners and investors.
The first pitch came from Shenzhen-based Algreen Limited, valued at US$25 million. The company’s CEO and co-founder, ‘Zee’, introduced innovative polyurethane products designed to reduce carbon emissions, including a biodegradable sequin dress, an eco-friendly aerosol, and a recyclable bio-based foam.
Next was Kangfen Ecolution Biology and Technology, represented by CEO Xu Li. Based in Shanghai and valued at US$130 million, the company specializes in upcycling biowaste. Using a proprietary bioreactor, they extract nutrients to produce fertilizers for sustainable agriculture.
Healytec’s founder ‘Hassan’ made the third presentation, showcasing the Hybrid Knee – a sports recovery device that delivers both hot and cold therapy to aid in recovery and blood circulation. Healytec is currently valued at US$2 million.
The penultimate pitch was delivered by Victor Zhou, co-founder of Ai4C Technology, a US$40 million firm that develops AI agents to help traditional businesses integrate artificial intelligence into their operations.
Closing the session was Richard Zhao of 11Talk, a US$15 million company developing an AI-powered language learning app. “We’re not building an AI chatbot, we’re building a full AI teaching system,” Zhao explained. He said that the platform provided real-time feedback to users, giving it an edge over “last-generation” competitors like Duolingo.
