Minor Group, Disrupt Technology Venture and 500 TukTuks join hands to organize “Minor Tasting The Future – Hackathon 2018”

Minor Group, together with Disrupt Technology Venture and 500 TukTuks are organizing business and technology Hackathon under the theme “Minor Tasting The Future”, to jump start food and dining tech ecosystem, aspiring to create the first start-up unicorn of Thailand, positioning the Kingdom as food tech center of Southeast Asia, inviting innovators, startup founders, and disruptors around Thailand to reimagine the future of food retail service and casual dining to serve the evolving demands of over 70 million Thai consumers in the next 50 years.

Minor Group, the leading international innovator and pioneer in hospitality and food retail service in Thailand, has just celebrated its 50th anniversary and is now on the path to scale its new heights of success in the next 50 years, with a vision to transform food retail service in Thailand and Southeast Asia.  The group joins hands with Disrupt Technology Venture and 500 TukTuks, Thailand’s leading innovation factory and venture capital fund of Southeast Asia.

Mr. William E. Heinecke, Founder and Group CEO of Minor International commented, “The business environment has changed more in the last 5 years than it has in the last 50 years, and that pace of change will continue to accelerate. We have to be prepared for potential disruptors to our business to make sure we are investing in the right places and products.  Innovation and disruption go hand-in-hand. It is time to find new ways of thinking and new pathways to growth and to create value.

Today’s world moves fast and the choice is stark; you either disrupt or wait to be disrupted. New technologies and innovations are quickly changing the way people do business, the way our customers shop, and the ways they share their opinions and experiences. It is no longer just company versus company, but also competing in platforms and ecosystems.  Only the fastest, most innovative, most adaptive companies will thrive. Therefore, it is incumbent on us to look forward to the way things will be, so we can stay two steps ahead of the competition.

In order to continue to succeed in the next 50 years, Minor must open up to new partners, namely innovators and disruptors. These are the guys with fresh perspectives, unconventional ideas, and the courage to pursue their visions.  We want to stand with them, shoulder-to-shoulder on the forefront of the creative economy. What we offer is the support and legitimacy that can accelerate new ideas into sustainable reality. Our vast and intricate business presents invaluable opportunities to test and implement new ideas.  Likewise, we stand to learn and benefit from their mindset of innovation. Ultimately, I believe that the marriage of corporate power and startup agility will prove to be a win-win for all involved. Let us work together to truly shape and impact our shared future.”

“The world of technology is currently transitioning from the era of digital disruption towards deep tech disruption, where it will be seamlessly integrated into our daily lives. In the deep tech ecosystem, food tech is one of the most exciting areas, where the market size is expected to be worth over USD 250 billion by 2022. This rapid transition will evolutionalise and disrupt the whole value chain from suppliers to consumers (“farm-to-fork”). This represents a huge opportunity for Thailand. Being reputable as ‘kitchen of the world’, Thailand can become the center of innovation in food and food retail sectors in Southeast Asia. This sector has a strong potential to create the first start-up unicorn of Thailand. We are excited to partner with Minor Group to kick start the creation of food and food retail innovation ecosystem in Thailand via this Hackathon with sustainable and ongoing support in terms of funding, strategic partnerships and scaling”, stated Krating Poonpol, Managing Partner of 500 TukTuks and Founder of Disrupt Technology Venture.

This Hackathon welcomes startup founders who are interested in food, food retail ecosystem, food enthusiasts, retail technologists and innovators who share the passion to transform the food retail service and casual dining sector.  This goes along with those who want to scale their idea regionally with strong support from Minor Group, Disrupt Technology Venture, and 500 TukTuks. Participants will get to create the future under the following topics; “The Future of Food Retail Service”, “The Future of Franchise”, “The Future of Dining for Aging Society”,  “Digitization of Restaurant”, “Dining for the Hyper Millennials” and “Delivery 4.0 and Beyond”.

Participants will be mentored by leading business executives and entrepreneurs such as Mr. William E. Heinecke, Founder and Group CEO of Minor International, Krating Poonpol, Managing Partner of 500 Tuktuks, Yod Chinsupakul, CEO of Wongnai, Natavudh Pungcharoenpong, CEO of Ookbee and many other leading mentors of Thailand and South East Asia with exclusive content and training. The Minor Hackathon is not to be missed for those aspiring to be at the forefront of food tech and food retail innovation.

Awards for winners.

• The winner team THB 100,000 cash award
• First runner-up THB 70,000
• Second runner-up THB 50,000
• Application starts from October 19, 2018 to November 9, 2018.  More information can be found at https://www.disruptignite.com/tasting-the-future-hackathon, https://www.facebook.com/DisruptUniversity/ or Line : @disruptignite
• Only 100 people from 20 teams will be selected to participate in the Minor Hackathon which will take place on December 1 and December 2, 2018.
• Finalists will be announced via fb.com/disruptuniverity and fb.com/minor on November 16, 2018.
• “I would like to personally welcome all participants in the Hackathon and I am very excited to personally work with all the talented innovators from all over Thailand to shape the future of the food retail in Thailand.  Hopefully, the first start-up unicorn of Thailand might come out of this Hackathon”, said Mr. William E. Heinecke, Founder and Group CEO of Minor International.