The Global Founder in a Fragmenting World

The world is deglobalizing—but opportunity isn’t.

As trade wars, tariffs, and political tensions reshape the global landscape, founders face a new challenge: How do you build an international company in a world that seems to be pulling apart?In this interactive roundtable, we’ll explore how forward-thinking founders are navigating these global headwinds and why strategic geographic choices—like Singapore—can unlock access to fast-growing markets while mitigating geopolitical risks.

You’ll leave with:

• A deeper understanding of how the global startup map is shifting
• Tactical ideas for building resilient, cross-border teams
• A fresh perspective on where growth opportunities lie—even in a fractured world

We’ll be joined by Jared Koh, who leads the Economic Development Board for Singapore and will share insights on how the city-state is helping startups scale across APAC in this new era.

About the Speaker:

Jared Koh joined the Singapore Economic Development Board in January 2018, and currently serves as Regional Director, Americas based in San Francisco. He is responsible for facilitating business partnerships and investment promotion activity for the tech sector across the US West Coast.

Previously, Jared was part of Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), a joint office between EDB, Enterprise Singapore (ESG), and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) that was in charged with attracting and fostering globally competitive technology companies to create new products and services from Singapore, for Asia and beyond. Jared was also part of EDB’s Regional Partnerships team, where he had helped to foster collaborations between Singapore and Southeast Asian government leaders and businesses to enable international companies to grow better in the region. Prior to joining EDB, Jared had served as a diplomat under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore.

Jared received a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Distinction) in Psychology from the National University of Singapore in 2016.

Complimentary Ticket:

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About Founders Network:

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