For the first time, close to 100 entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders from around the globe are gathered in Thimphu as part of a global startup programme, EASY Residency. Organised by YZi Labs, a global investment company, the event supports early-stage founders through access to peers, mentors, investors and a global founder network.
Entrepreneurs, investors, and institutional leaders have gathered in the capital for the second and final phase of the incubation program. Called ‘The Convergence,’ the flagship gathering will see companies present their business ideas to investors, along with leadership sessions and closed-door discussions. The conversations focus on the future of cross-border payments, financial technology, and artificial intelligence.
“The series of events will have Demo Day to showcase all 30 projects, and then there’s a panel discussion by different leaders to share insights. Tomorrow, there will be a roundtable where we’ll have a very dedicated group to focus on an intimate discussion. So among the 30 companies we incubated, more than half of the companies are focused on stablecoin and the payment stack. They are from LATAM, they are building some payment applications in India, and they’re solving payment problems in Africa,” said Ella Zhang, Managing Partner, YZi Labs.
According to YZi Labs, the programme runs for 10 weeks. The first half is online, and the second half as a residency program in Bhutan, where the ideas will take shape.
“The company incorporated here in Bhutan will continue to grow. They may hire people here and work with the students to offer future jobs here. And also, there will be more partnerships happening around the different payment stack. We’re also working with GMC around the data centre, which is a very important infrastructure for AI and for the future agentic trading area. The conversation will continue, and potentially the business will be brought into Bhutan,” added Ella Zhang, Managing Partner, YZi Labs.
Earlier known as Binance Labs, YZi Labs has supported over 300 projects in more than twenty-five countries.
According to a press release from the Gelephu Mindfulness City Authority, the Residency comes at a time when Bhutan, through the GMC, is building new platforms to connect its economy with global capital, technology, entrepreneurship and talent.
“We realised that Bhutan represents something increasingly rare in the new digital world: the courage to build for the long term, the openness to build new systems, and also the wisdom to measure success by the impact on people and society,” said Ella Zhang, Managing Partner, YZi Labs.
The Covergence, which began yesterday, will conclude on Friday.
Events like The Convergence reflect Bhutan’s growing engagement with the global technology and investment world, as the country positions itself for a new chapter of technology-driven growth, one it hopes to build on its own terms, grounded in Bhutanese values.
Namgay Wangdi
Edited by Sonam Wangdi
