A legacy of innovation

It is wonderful for the government to seek ways to support digital technology, cloud computing, and a mobile-first environment.
But in my view, the seeds for Thailand 4.0 were planted long ago when a young King, determined to help farmers, set about making inventions that ended up improving rice yields, and making the Thai rice industry the envy of the region.  But even more, this young King set an example for others, to go out and create new ideas and to work hard to invent a product that would end up helping people.
It is worthwhile for those of us in the digital innovation industries to pause, and take stock of the spirit for invention held by His Majesty, who was the only Thai monarch to hold patents.  He obtained one for a wastewater aerator and several patents on rainmaking – all of the patents were created with the objective of helping Thailand.
The late Thai King’s patents demonstrated a clear ambition to make things better, and to find new ways of doing things.  In this case, The King’s ambitions for innovation were centered on agriculture.  But, I would say that this same spirit for innovation and invention is thriving in Thailand today.
In our business, we meet a lot of people who spend their days thinking about how technology can make life better.
All one has to do is pay a visit to Bangkok’s AIA Capital Center on Ratchadaphisek Road, and it is clear that Thai innovators are building big products, with big ambitions that go far beyond the borders of the Kingdom.
Take, for example, Ascend Group, on the 18th floor of the AIA Capital Center. Ascend Group was founded on principles that would have pleased His Majesty’s appreciation for innovation and his commitment to help the less fortunate.
Ascend Group uses cloud computing technology to accelerate digital transformation to give more people ubiquitous access to all the things needed to engage in today’s digital world.  Ascend Group has rolled out WeLoveShopping.com entirely on AWS Cloud to help small, rural sellers to access a wider audience of customers.  Ascend Group has also rolled out TrueMoney Transfer to give the unbanked migrant workers the opportunity to send money to loved ones back home cheaply and safely.  Ascend Group has taken this ambition for innovation to expand across the borders of the Kingdom, setting up companies in Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines – with plans for more new businesses and more locations coming soon.
“What really drives us is the vision we have of a small shop owner somewhere upcountry who has an amazing product but cannot do business when it’s raining or when it’s low season or faces some other challenge that brick-and-mortar businesses face,” says Punnamas Vichitkulwongsa, CEO of Ascend Group.  “But with digital technology and e-commerce, we can give people deep in the countryside connections to a world of customers and access to tools for business 24 hours a day. This is the vision that drives us to innovate every day.”
Two floors down from Ascend Group in the AIA building is another stellar example of Thai innovation.
Eko Communications, founded by Korawad Chearavanont when he was only 17 years old, is aiming to change the way business communicates. Korawad and his colleagues say their ultimate goal is to eliminate a technology that seems to be the very foundation of business communications today.  He built his entire Eko business by using cloud computing and is growing rapidly.
“We aim to replace all use of email in business,” says the now 21-year-old Eko founder, who has teamed up with a former Nasa scientist and a large crew of young Thai and international tech leaders to make Bangkok the global home of the revolution by installing the Eko app as the go-to solution for enhancing business productivity.  Already companies in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and throughout the Middle East are using the Eko app – and thousands of employees in Asia are embracing Eko as a modern, mobile-first, collaborative app for business.
It is an honour for Amazon Web Services to work in the Kingdom of Thailand, to engage with the country’s best young innovators, and to provide the cloud computing power behind the next chapter in Thailand’s story.
We observe the high calibre of the entrepreneurs we meet in Thailand every day.  We see their eagerness to find new and better ways of doing things through innovation and technology.  We see their openness to experimentation.  We see their social conscience in making things that help empower the less fortunate.  Because of this, we are certain that this story will eventually have an ending worthy of the legacy of innovation left by His Majesty the King.
 
Nick Walton is the Head of Asean, Amazon Web Services.