KMITL EXPO 2026 ‘Mentoring and Partnership’: Driving Thai Research into the Real Capital Market

Bangkok: KMITL EXPO 2026 'Ladkrabang Exhibition' opens the International Business Matching - Investor Day, elevating investors to 'mentor and partner' roles to propel Thai research into the real capital market. King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) is contributing to a significant turning point for Thailand's innovation industry at KMITL EXPO 2026, "Ladkrabang Exhibition," celebrating its 66th anniversary. This was achieved through the organization of International Business Matching and Investor Day under the theme "From Lab to Life," shifting the role of leading funds and investors from merely scouting for startups to becoming involved in providing in-depth information and acting as mentors, directly connecting businesses with stakeholders. This aims to enhance the readiness of startups and university research to successfully enter the capital market. According to Thai News Agency, KMITL EXPO 2026 presented intensive knowledge through five panel discussions covering the dimensions of Ven ture Capital (VC), Venture Builder, government, and financial experts. It began with '5 Things that Prevent VC from Investing in You,' presented by Lakshman Saraya (TOP Ventures), who analyzed five pitfalls that lead to investor rejection: Exit Path, Business Model, Founder Profile, Communication, and Capital Efficiency. He emphasized that 'good technology is not the same as being investable,' and that capital isn't the starting point, but rather a catalyst for growth after the technology has proven to solve problems and people are willing to pay for it. Next up is an in-depth panel discussion, 'Engineering Startups from Scratch,' moderated by Kantapon Manasapol (KMITL Holding), along with top executives from Inmspace, Expresso NB, TOP Ventures, Innopower, and the National Innovation Agency (NIA). They will highlight the turning point: businesses should start with customer problems rather than technology, and answer the question of when to stop development and start selling. During the "Financial Products a nd Investment Management for Companies" session, Mr. Atsapon Dhanarak (TCCI) introduced a framework for managing capital at each stage, from personal funds and funding to prove projects, to investments for creating Product-Market Fit, and to integrating loans for efficient cost management. The event concluded with scaling up sessions in 'Bridging the University Spin-Offs' by Teerathat Bannasartrakul (Origgin Venture), opening doors for Thai innovation to the Southeast Asian (SEA) market, and 'How We Shape the Energy Transition Journey' by Than Liangpaiboon (Innopower), comprehensively revealing the direction of future energy innovation. Another key highlight of this year's Ladkrabang Exhibition 2026 was the Business Matching zone, a one-on-one consultation clinic bringing together leading investors and fund representatives from various strategic industries. These included early-stage investors from Singapore, such as Origin Ventures, known for its experience in connecting technology with universities; major players in energy, petrochemicals, software, clean energy, carbon credits; and biotech and venture building. All investors acted as mentors, analyzing business readiness, developing fundraising strategies, and introducing targeted networks to startups and researchers on a company-by-company basis. Furthermore, an Investor Day was held, resulting in 25 waiting lists and 19 successful business matching sessions between participating startups, researchers, investors, and funds. Business Matching was a key part of the grand KMITL EXPO 2026, with each day covering major global development themes including ESG, Health and Creative Economy, DeepTech, Smart Infrastructure and Digital Transformation, culminating in a Startup Playbook Workshop. The week-long event was vibrant with researchers, startups, and interested individuals seeking to exchange knowledge, reflecting KMITL's commitment to bridging the gap between laboratory knowledge and tangible innovations that create real value for the economy and society.