BEYOND Expo 2025: Highlights From Asia’s Largest Tech Event
- Kyle Chua
- Jun 5
- 4 min read
BEYOND Expo 2025 is in the books, and what an eventful four days it was.
The fifth edition of Asia’s premiere tech innovations event, held from 21 to 24 May at The Venetian Macao, drew over 800 companies, more than 800 investors, and an estimated 25,000 visitors, creating a dynamic platform for innovation, investment and global collaboration.
With the theme “Unveiling Possibilities,” the event played host to tech and innovation showcases, industry-defining summits, insightful forums and talks, as well as eye-catching exhibitions, among others. These activities once again spanned different sectors of tech, including AI, HealthTech, Robotics, FinTech, SportsTech, and beyond.
Here are the highlights from the event:
Trust and Collaboration
The event’s opening hosted a panel called “What’s Next?”, which brought together Asian tech leaders in a discussion about innovation and global expansion.The panelists included Dr. Jian Wang, President of Zhejiang Lab and Founder of Alibaba Cloud, Carl Pei, Co-founder and CEO of Nothing, Dr. Burt Guo, CEO and Chief Scientist at Sichuan Aerofugia, Zhaopeng Chen, CEO and Founder of Agile Robots SE, and Jingkang Liu, Founder of Insta360.
All the panelists agreed that amid geopolitical tensions between countries, trust is the foundation of long-term collaboration – a sentiment they share with Alibaba Group Chairman Joe Tsai.
“Trust is built up over time. It’s very difficult to establish trust overnight. It’s all about people working together to achieve a goal.” said Tsai in a fireside chat with BEYOND Expo Co-Founder Jason Ho.
Asian Companies Can Expand in Europe
Tsai also said that amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China, Asian companies can look to Europe as a promising destination for expansion. He highlighted how the region’s cultural heritage and nuanced understanding of complexity relates more closely to Asia than the U.S. does.
“I believe that Europeans have a very different cultural mindset when it comes to dealing in Asia,” Tsai said. “I think, you know, Americans tend to be sort of more black and white, whether it’s if it’s not good, then it’s bad. I think Europeans understand nuances better.”
And for Chinese companies entering new markets, he emphasized the use of AI to help overcome language barriers.
New Challenges in AI
Zhang Fan, COO of Zhipu AI, one of the pioneer companies in large language model (LLM) development in China, discussed the direction AI development is heading into in the near future.
In his talk, he outlined the five levels of artificial general intelligence (AGI) capabilities, noting how his company aligns with this roadmap, which starts at dialogue generation in the first stage to collective intelligence in the last. He said that a current shared challenge in the industry is converting intelligence into productivity.
“We’ve turned computing into intelligence,” Mr Fan said, “but the next challenge is how to transform intelligence into scalable production.”
Zhang also noted that there are a lot of unknowns in the field of AI, specifically in the continuously shifting boundaries of model capabilities. “We still don’t know where the boundaries lie,” he said.
Inflated Hype on Humanoid Robots
Fu Sheng, CEO of Cheetah Mobile, a Chinese company specializing in AI-powered robotic solutions, described the hype surrounding humanoid robots as a “bubble” inflated by market expectations and the influence of popular personalities like Elon Musk.
Chiu Chau, Co-Founder of Opentrons, an open-source lab automation company, added that robots need not necessarily follow the form of a human. Instead, they should prioritise function over form.
Both tech leaders agreed that the underlying technologies powering these innovations aren’t ready yet for everyday applications and use, especially with regards to cost, safety and reliability.
They recommend startups to focus development on task-oriented robots that can provide straightforward, real-world value, not turn sci-fi dreams into reality.
The Next Generation of Innovators
BEYOND Expo 2025 also saw the official launch of the BEYOND Founders Club (BFC).
With 30 founding members, this prestigious club connects rising Asian tech entrepreneurs and innovators committed to guiding the next generation together in an effort to support the development of sustainable solutions to global problems.
Launching the BEYOND Founders Club reinforces our belief that tech serves humanity. We are committed to bringing successful visionaries together to inspire others,” said Jason Ho, BEYOND Expo Co-Founder.
Tech Innovations Showcase
Apart from the discussions, BEYOND Expo also hosted showcases for tech innovations that have the potential to transform daily life.
One such innovation is the Zeta Braille display. This tactile, multi-line display allows visually impaired users to read anywhere without having to carry heavy and expensive Braille books. Users just have to upload documents or access an online library; the system then converts those files into Braille and transmits them via Bluetooth to the device.
Another cool innovation at the showfloor is the Xgrids Lixel L2 Pro, a user-friendly, handheld 3D scanner that makes capturing real-world spaces quick and easy. The device is designed for industry professionals in construction, film and gaming, allowing them to walk through a space and build a detailed 3D environment with photorealistic scans.
Other noteworthy innovations include the FocusBuddy, a device designed to help those with ADHD maintain focus and the Cleer Arc 5, a pair of AI-integrated earphones which can answer queries or transcribe your phone calls.
BEYOND Expo 2025 has wrapped, drawing over 800 companies, more than 800 investors, and an estimated 25,000 visitors.
With the theme “Unveiling Possibilities,” the event played host to tech and innovation showcases, industry-defining summits, insightful forums and talks.
Some of the distinguished guests who attended include Alibaba Group Chairman Joe Tsai, CEO of Nothing Carl Pei, and Founder of Insta360 Jingkang Liu, among many others.
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