CP3201—Industry Seminar

Mobile Computing—Trends and Challenges



News

Next talk: to be announced

Module Calendar

Industry Seminar Presentations


Colin Miles: The M-factor: Why Mobile Owns YOUR Future!

Speaker: Colin JG Miles, Chair MEF Asia & EVP, InternetQ South Asia Pte Ltd

Time: 12noon to 1pm

Slides: in PDF

Abstract: 0) Intro: Welcome to the old new world in 2054?
1) Mobile First: the facts and the fantasy.
2) Augmented Humanity: contiguous ideas.
3) Hey, we've been living in the Cloud since 1997...
4) Social everything: why you are now a graph!
5) Your Mobile Future: What's in it for us.
6) Summary: Blink, Blur, Blah...

Speaker's profile: Colin has been living and working in Singapore (and traveling widely across Southeast Asia) for some 18 years now. He is an Internet and Mobile Entrepreneur stretching back to 1995 -- although he only got hold of his first mobile device in 1997 (Nokia!). That said, he has been fully mobile interactive since 2000, with his third start-up company called i-POP Networks being formally launched in 2002.

Possible student topic: Browser-resident apps (HTML5) and how they will accelerate IT integration


Tom Clayton: Mobile Social Media and the Burgeoning Mobile App Space Across Asia

Speaker: Tom Clayton, CEO & President, Bubble Motion

Time: 12noon to 1pm

Slides: in PPTX and in PDF

Abstract: Social Media is a global phenomenon. If Facebook were a country, it would have the 3rd largest population in the world. Mobile Apps are also a growing phenomenon. And in Asia, the two are growing in a perfect storm together. However, with so many different cultures, consumers, and economies, there are many differences, and yet similarities, in the mobile social media growth throughout the region. This session will be exploring what is going on across the region with mobile social media and diving deeper into a few select countries in the region. We'll look into key issues around the degree of localization required, various monetization models, and some unique strategies for success in Asia.

Speaker's profile: Tom is a Silicon Valley veteran having started or worked at six different Valley startups. Prior to Bubble Motion, Tom was the GM of the Worldwide Telecom Business at BEA Systems, an infrastructure software company acquired by Oracle for $8.5B. Before BEA, Tom's startups varied quite a bit, from another Sequoia Capital and Goldman Sachs backed networking software company, Bang Networks, to an ecommerce-focused systems integrator that was ultimately acquired, to a high-end audio manufacturer that is still a successful independent business today. He also worked as an economic policy consultant to The White House, where he drafted the U.S. High-Tech and Telecommunications Economic Stimulus Policy for building out nationwide ubiquitous broadband access. Tom is also on the Board of several venture-backed startups in Asia and Silicon Valley as well. Tom holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and a BS degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to Tom's professional career, he was a boxer and won the Bronze Medal at the U.S. National Championships.

Possible student topic: Trends on specific countries, or specific technologies (e.g. feature phones); much of the data can be googled; Tom has many reports and presentations. We can approach him when we have decided which direction to go into.


Deepak Natarajan: Embracing the Consumerization of Information Technology

Speaker: Deepak Natarajan, Director, Intel Capital, SEA, Australia, and NZ

Time: 12noon to 1pm

Slides: in PPTX and in PDF

Abstract: The Consumerization of Technology is changing the IT operational model and delivering significant business value to enterprises.
The rapid adoption of social media and cloud computing has led to more nimble enterprises that deliver services much faster and much more seamlessly to customers, partners, and employees.
What are the key factors that need to be considered to support this transition from an IT organization’s perspective?
How can the IT organization deliver that flexibility through standard platform technologies?
Are the changes at a technical level and more at the business process level?
How do you enable flexibility and versatility inside the organization without mushrooming support costs and compromising security?

Speaker's profile: Deepak joined Intel Capital in Singapore in July 2008 and covers Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. He is a Board Observer at Packet-1 Networks, Select TV Solutions, Dealmates, and Reebonz. Prior to Intel Capital, Deepak was Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at Roamware Inc. in San Jose, California, a provider of voice and data roaming solutions to mobile operators. Prior to Roamware, Deepak worked in Silicon Valley for 25 years as a venture capitalist, and as a marketing executive at Sun Microsystems, Autodesk, and Seeker Software. Deepak also worked at Intel and SGI earlier in his career. Deepak has an MBA and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle.

Possible student topic: Intel's strategy in the unfolding consumerization of IT (if there is interest, Deepak can find sources within intel for this line of investigation)


Esther Nguyen: Silicon Valley to HCMC and Abroad: Building a Media / Mobile Gaming Company in an Emerging Market

Speaker: Esther Nguyen

Time: 6/2, 12noon to 1pm

Abstract: Esther Nguyen will share her story of how she started a Media and Mobile Gaming company in Vietnam. Key points will be about starting a company in a developing country, building products for a highly dynamic market and how to leverage to global market.

Speaker's profile: Esther has founded a number of successful startups, and first started working in Vietnam in 2004, with her first touch-down in Vietnam in 1994. Her latest venture started in 2007 where she founded POPS Worldwide, a leader in digital media and game development in Vietnam. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and her Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate University School of Law. Esther is a member of the California State Bar.

Possible student topic: not yet available


Ray Wu: Computing Everywhere

Speaker: Ray Wu

Time: 13/2, 12noon to 1pm

Slides: in PDF

Webcast: see IVLE

Abstract: As computing evolves from Mainframe to PC to Web to Mobile, each wave creates a new paradigm, new business model, millions of more users, commoditization of existing businesses and birth of new dominant players: IBM (Mainframe), Microsoft (PC), AOL/Yahoo/Google (Internet), Apple/Google (Mobile). The next phase of computing evolution is the integration between physical and virtual world. We see that in cell phone as the first computing device that people bring everywhere, iphone is not a phone, it is a simplified PC. The next generation of computing will extend the paradigm even more into all aspects of our lives from home automation and smart grid to online/offline integrated commerce and autonomous car where a car drives itself. No longer people see computing as computing, they see an integrated life application that is real to their day to day physical environment.

Speaker's profile: Mr. Wu has more than 20 years of diversified working experience in new business creation, venture investment, and product management. Ray is the managing partner of Boundary Free Ventures, a global venture advisory firm concentrating on cross border investments and incubation between US and China. Ray is also an angel investor, founder of several startups, and advisor of 2 global venture funds with several successful exits. Prior to this, Mr. Wu was the managing director of HP's new business ventures that is responsible for startup technology evaluation, new business incubation, VC relationships and minority investments. Prior to HP, Mr. Wu spent more than six years with Cisco Systems, and held several senior positions leading investment, M&A and internal incubation. Before that, Mr. Wu was a managing partner of a leading Internet consulting firm working with fortune 1000 companies across US and Canada, with clients such as IBM, Medtronic, National Life, Prudential Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, and Digital Equipment. Mr. Wu has a dual M.B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Science from University of Toronto.

Possible student topic: not yet available


Karthee Madasamy: What you look for in mobile startups in Asia from an investment perspective

Speaker: Karthee Madasamy

Time: 15/2, 12noon to 1pm

Slides: in PDF

Webcast: see IVLE

Speaker's profile: Karthee is Managing Director, India and Israel for Qualcomm Ventures and is based in Bangalore, India. Karthee has over 17 years of experience in the wireless and multimedia industries and has worked in product development and management roles at various semiconductor startups. Prior to his current role, he worked as a management consulting intern at Boston Consulting Group and as an associate at the venture capital firm, JK&B Capital.

Karthee currently manages and actively serves as a board observer for Qualcomm Ventures investments in Apalya, Kirusa, Tessolve Onward Mobility and Waze and is a Board Director at MapMyIndia and Zeebo Interactive India Ltd. Karthee holds an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago and an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Possible student topic: not yet available


Salil Pradhan

Speaker: Salil Pradhan

Time: 29/2, 12noon to 1pm

Speaker's profile: Salil is a Venture Partner with DFJ-JAIC, an advisor to a number of private & public companies and has served on a number of academic boards including UCLA's WINMEC and UCSD's center for wireless communications. In his previous life, Salil was the founder and Chief Technology Officer for HP's Enterprise RFID efforts, focused on retail and healthcare. A recognized thought leader, Salil is the founder of two startups and has been issued 43 US patents. Salil has a Masters in Computer Science from Northeastern University and Bachelors in Engineering from the University of Poona.

Possible student topic: not yet available


Student Presentations

Each student is expected to prepare one seminar presentation, in a group of two to three students. The presentations will be 45 minutes each, followed by Q&A. The content is to be determined; each student presentation will follow up on one of the topics covered by the industry speakers. Student presentations will not be advertised school-wide.

Other Course Information

Mounting Information
Elective module for undergraduate students of the School of Computing
2 MCs; pass/fail
Prerequisites
70 MCs completed
Module coordinators
Arvind Venkateswaran and Martin Henz .
Seminar presentations
13 sessions, 2 hrs/wk, time: Mondays or Wednesdays 12 noon–2 pm, place: COM1, Video Conference Room.
first presentation: TBA, see module calendar and official NUS Academic Calendar
Assessment
The students are required to attend all seminar sessions (Industry Seminars and student presentations), and to present a student presentation to the satisfaction of the lecturers. More detailed assessment criteria will be announced.
Discussion group
IVLE discussion forum has been set up for CP3201.
Announcements
Announcements are distributed using the IVLE Announcement feature.


Arvind Venkateswaran and Martin Henz