The Scaling Business
Summit 2026
 
Connecting Europe & Asia
 
 
 
 
 
The Scaling Business
Summit 2026
 
Connecting Europe & Asia
 
 
 
 
 

Feb 2nd - 7th | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

  • DAYS
  • HOURS
  • MINUTES
  • SECONDS

Scaling

Business Conference

$255 $500

 

Group 9740Event Access: Feb 6-7

Group 9739Cultural Immersion Activities

Group 9739Curated Networking Activities

Group 9740Complete Scaling Business Conference Access

Group 9739All Official Summit Events & Receptions

2026 Agenda (Tentative)

Conference Day 1

Amor Resort, 61A Nguyen Van Dau, Ward 5, Binh Thanh, HCMC

09:00 - 10:00

Check-in & networking

10:00 - 10:15

Welcoming Speech

Speaker: Lars Jankowfsky - Founder at Gradion

10:15 - 10:30

Opening Speech

Speaker: Vo Thi Trung Trinh - Director at HCMC Digital Transformation Centre

10:30 - 11:00

Keynote: The Vietnamese Digital Transformation Government Updates

Speaker: Nguyen Thanh Hoa - Vice Director at HCMC Digital Transformation Centre

Learn about the latest government initiatives, policies, and programs driving digital adoption, innovation, and public - private collaboration in Vietnam

11:00 - 12:00

Fireside Talk: The Architect of Access: 25 Years of Opening Vietnam to the World

Speaker: Dr. Oliver Massman - Partner and General Director at Duane Morris Vietnam LLC, Lars Jankowfsky - Founder at Gradion

Dr. Oliver Massman

Lars Jankowfsky

12:00 – 13:30

Lunch break

13:30 - 14:30

Panel Discussion: Building or Buying? The Growth Game in Vietnam

Speaker: Thann Auttanukune - Vice President (President Office) at C.P. Vietnam Corporation, Will Ross - Chief Marketing & Distribution Officer at Dragon Capital, Shehryar Ali Shah - Senior Country Officer & Head of Office, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Moderator: Jorge Martin Martinez - Founder at MD Bull Management Consulting

Explore the strategic choices between organic growth and acquisitions, learning from experts who have navigated scaling businesses in Vietnam’s fast-evolving market

Jorge Martin Martinez

Thann Auttanukune

Will Ross

Shehryar Ali Shah

14:30 - 15:15

Panel Discussion: Aligning European Discipline with Asian Speed

Speaker: Frank Schellenberg - Founder & Chairman at DIGI-TEXX, Peter Kompalla - Chief Representative at AHK Vietnam, Moderator: Roberto Kauffmann - COO at Gradion

Understand how companies bridge operational and cultural differences to combine European rigor with Asia’s pace, improving execution, efficiency, and cross-border collaboration

Frank Schellenberg

Peter Kompalla

Roberto Kauffmann

15:15 – 15:30

Break time

15:30 - 16:15

Fireside Talk: Mega Development in Vietnam's Largest Economic Region

Speaker: Hang Vu - Managing Partner at RSI Consulting Asia, Lach Baniya - Forbes 30 Under 30, Founder at Manal Property Advisory

Hang Vu

Lach Baniya

16:15 - 17:00

Fireside Talk: The Founder's Evolution

Speaker: Nam Nguyen - Founder & CEO at OplaCRM, Phoebe - Founder & Chief Everything Officer at The Village Château Distillery

Nam Nguyen

Phoebe Tran

Conference Day 1

Amor Resort, 61A Nguyen Van Dau, Ward 5, Binh Thanh, HCMC

10:30 - 10:45

Opening from Industry Solutions Department of Gradion

10:45 - 11:15

Keynote: Master the Flow: Optimizing Intralogistics with Fleet Intelligence

Speaker: Dr. Philipp Schäfers - Head of Partnership at SYNAOS

11:15 - 11:45

Keynote: The Robotics Revolution: Vietnam’s Next Industrial Chapter

Speaker: Huynh Phong Phu – General Director at KUKA

11:45 - 12:00

Keynote: Industrial Horizons: Vietnam’s Automation Growth Outlook

Speaker: Kieu Manh Kha – Deputy Director, R&D Institute at Becamex

12:00 - 13:30

Lunch break

13:30 - 13:45

Industry Solutions Introduction

Speaker: Kien Nguyen - Business Development Director at Gradion

13:45 - 14:15

Keynote: Automation, Digitalization & AI, Humanoid in Manufacturing

Speaker: Nguyen Hong Phuc - Director of Digitalization Strategy & Business Development in Operations @Asia Pacific at Schaeffler

14:15 - 14:45

TBU

Speaker: David Will - General Director at Draexlmeier

14:45 - 15:30

Panel Discussion: Man vs. Machine (Robot): The Strategic Reality Check

Speaker: Kien Nguyen - Business Development Director at Gradion, David Will - General Director at Draexlmeier, Nguyen Hong Phuc - Director of Digitalization Strategy & Business Development in Operations @Asia Pacific at Schaeffler, Huynh Phong Phu - General Director at KUKA Vietnam

David Will

Nguyen Hong Phuc

Huynh Phong Phu

Kien Nguyen

15:30 - 15:45

Break time

15:45 - 16:15

Keynote: IoT in Action: Real-Time Supply Chain Visibility for Automation

Speaker: Christoph Dirr - General Manager at Würth Industries Vietnam

16:15 - 16:35

Keynote: Sustaining Digital Change: Culture and Technology in Manufacturing

Speaker: Nguyen Trong Luat - Managing Director at CICOR Vietnam

16:35 - 17:00

Panel Discussion between SAP/Wurth and Special Local Guest

Speaker: TBC

Conference Day 1

Amor Resort, 61A Nguyen Van Dau, Ward 5, Binh Thanh, HCMC

10:30 - 11:00

MOU Signing between Gradion and HCMC Digital Transformation Centre

11:00 - 12:00

Rapid MVP Development

Speaker: Thomas Lohner - Chief Time To First Byte Officer at ScaleCommerce

12:00 - 14:00

Lunch break

14:00 - 15:00

Agentic AI for Automation

Speaker: Dung Nguyen - Director of Technology & Innovation at Gradion

15:00 - 16:00

Demo: How to Develop Software in Enterprise Environment With AI Agents

Speaker: Jan Moser - Principal Technical Architect at Gradion

17:30 - 19:00

Free time

19:00 - 19:30

Check-in: The Riverside Recharge

Villa Song Sai Gon, 197/2 Nguyen Van Huong, Thu Duc, HCMC

19:30 - 22:30

The Riverside Recharge @VILLA SONG

Villa Song Sai Gon, 197/2 Nguyen Van Huong, Thu Duc, HCMC

Dresscode: Business casual

Another night by the river, Villa Song is the break you’ve been waiting for.

The Vibe: French colonial charm meets the Saigon River breeze. We take over the riverside garden. This isn't a ballroom with bad lighting. It's open-air, under the stars, with the water lapping just a few feet away. The city skyline glows in the distance, but here, it’s just us, the cool breeze, and the clinking of glasses.

Deep conversations. Cold drinks. Zero pressure. Let the real bonding begins.

Conference Day 2

Amor Resort, 61A Nguyen Van Dau, Ward 5, Binh Thanh, HCMC

09:00 - 10:00

Check-in & networking

10:00 - 10:30

Keynote: From Hands to Heads to Hearts - Building Leadership That Scales

Speaker: Thijs Van Loon - Founder & Management consultant & Skills Development Facilitator at Betterworks Asia

Learn how to develop leaders who can inspire teams, drive execution, and cultivate influence at every level of a growing organization

10:30 - 11:00

Keynote: Understand the People of Vietnam: Inside the Business Culture

Speaker: Louis Bui - CEO at Luco Travel

Gain actionable insights into Vietnam’s business mindset, negotiation styles, and cultural nuances that impact decision-making and partnerships

11:00 - 11:30

Keynote: Scaling Across Cultures: What Asia Taught Me before Dubai

Speaker: Lach Baniya - Forbes 30 Under 30, Founder & Investor at Icarus Group

Discover practical lessons on navigating cultural differences, building teams, and scaling businesses across diverse Asian markets

11:30 - 12:00

TBU

12:00 - 13:45

Lunch break

13:45 - 14:30

Fireside talk: 5 Strategic Lessons in Building Brands That Scale and Last

Speaker: Dominic Mason - Managing Director at Sedgwick Richardson SEA, Jessie Nguyen - Brand Manager at Gradion

Dominic Mason

Jessie Nguyen

14:30 - 14:45

Break time

14:45 - 15:15

Fireside talk: 5 Lessons To Scale Your Innovative Start-up in Asia (TBC)

Speaker: Truong Ly Hoang Phi - Shark Tank Vietnam, Founder at Business Startup Support Centre (BSSC), Vanessa Phan - Founder & CEO at Anatics

Truong Ly Hoang Phi

Vanessa Phan

15:15 - 16:00

Live Podcast: 5 things I wish I knew before I was 20

Speaker: Lars Jankowfsky - Founder at Gradion, Joel Kaczmarek - Founder & CEO at digital kompakt

Lars Jankowfsky

Joel Kaczmarek

Conference Day 2

Amor Resort, 61A Nguyen Van Dau, Ward 5, Binh Thanh, HCMC

10:00 - 10:30

Keynote: [Chapter 2] From Innovation to Singularity: The Future of Human-Machine Intelligence

Speaker: Lars Jankowfsky - Founder at Gradion

Explore the cutting-edge of human-machine interaction, understanding how exponential technologies will redefine intelligence, decision-making, and business strategy

10:30 - 11:00

Fireside Talk: Doomsday or Turnaround: Can German Automotive Still Transform in Time?

Speaker: Lars Jankowfsky - Founder at Gradion, Philip Raasch - Founder at Autopreneur

Lars Jankowfsky

Philip Raasch

11:00 - 12:00

Panel Discussion: Asia's Future of IOT

Speaker: Emre Sigura - Chief Operating Officer at AirCity, Dr. Quang Hanh Le - Chairman & CEO at Baumarkt JSC, Moderator: Dru Nguyen - Managing Partner of Tictag

Dive into the evolving Internet of Things ecosystem in Asia, learning how connected devices, data, and networks are shaping industry, urban life, and consumer experiences

Emre Sigura

Dr. Quang Hanh Le

Dru Nguyen

12:00 - 13:30

Lunch break

13:30 - 14:00

Keynote: Solving Business Problems with Community-based Marketing & AI-powered Technology

Speaker: Bui Quang Tinh Tu - Founder of Envision Nexus

14:00 - 14:30

Keynote: AI Community Engine - Data Built For People, By People

Speaker: Dru Nguyen - Managing Partner of Tictag

Discover how AI-driven platforms turn community data into actionable insights, enabling smarter connections, engagement, and value creation

14:30 - 14:45

Break time

14:45 - 15:15

TBC

15:10 - 15:45

Keynote: [VIE] Ho Chi Minh City: A Strategic Destination for the Global Esports Industry, 2026-2030

Speaker: Mr. Le Cao Sy - Communication Technology Division at HCMC Department of Information and Communications

Conference Day 2

Amor Resort, 61A Nguyen Van Dau, Ward 5, Binh Thanh, HCMC

11:30 - 12:00

Preparing the Ground for AI: Clean Data Strategy on SAP and Azure

Speaker: Stergios Gaidatzis - Owner & CEO, SAP on Azure Consultant at loud motion GmbH

Learn how to structure and cleanse enterprise data on SAP and Azure, ensuring AI projects run reliably and deliver actionable insights

12:00 - 13:30

Lunch break

13:30 - 14:30

Scalable Business Model Affected By Data-driven Decision Making

Speaker: Vanessa Phan - Founder & CEO at Anatics

14:30 - 15:30

Where Southeast Asia Is Heading Next: A Founder’s Guide to Expansion

Speaker: Paul Meyers - Head Coach at Asia Founder Coaching

16:00 - 19:00

Free time

19:00 - 19:30

Check-in Gradion Year End Party

CINÉ Saigon, 148 Cong Quynh, Ben Thanh, HCMC

19:00 - 22:30

Grachella - Gradion Year End Party

CINÉ Saigon, 148 Cong Quynh, Ben Thanh, HCMC

Dresscode: Coachella

Join the Gradion community for a lively year-end celebration

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