About this Event
Each year, our series “Entrepreneurship in Asian High-Tech Industries” surveys the most recent trends, patterns, and challenges of entrepreneurship in Asia and their relevance to Silicon Valley and the U.S. This week, Sega Cheng, CEO and Co-Founder of iKala, shares his journey from Google engineer to AI founder, insights on scaling AI solutions across Asia, and his vision for Taiwan’s role in the global AI landscape.
The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Richard Dasher, Director of the US-Asia Technology Management Center.
About Sega Cheng, Co-Founder & Chairman, iKala
Sega Cheng was born in Taipei, Taiwan, to a family of entrepreneurs spanning three generations. His maternal grandfather, Lin Zhong-Li, was the founder of the SPIL Group. His father, Mr. Cheng Wen-Lung, retired as a senior vice president from CTBC Group and later became an angel investor and co-founder of several tech groups.
Sega holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and has 20 years of AI research and practical experience. He formerly worked as a software engineer at Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters, where he was among the first engineers to integrate AI into Google’s search engine and helped build the popular Google Transit product. Before leaving Google, he managed the multimedia framework of the Android operating system and became the first engineering speaker from Taiwan at the global Google I/O Developers Conference.
In 2012, Sega co-founded iKala and now serves as the Group Chairman. Powered by data analysis, iKala provides “AI Adoption” and “AI Marketing” solutions. Today, over 1,000 enterprises use its AI implementation solutions, while its AI marketing technology serves over 50,000 brands and Fortune 500 companies. iKala’s Kolr search engine continuously tracks over 300 million influencers worldwide. Recently, iKala has been pioneering the shift toward GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and partnering with Taiwan’s hardware ecosystem to export a “Sovereign AI” super business model globally.
Sega is highly influential in driving the global digital economy. He is a 2026 Eisenhower Global Fellow and serves as Chairman of TiEA, Independent Director of ADLINK, and Board Director of Rayark and Cresclab (having previously served as AAMA Director and Gamania Supervisor). He received the 2015 “Pan Wen-Yuan Award” and the 2023 “Global Views Young Entrepreneur Award.” Under his leadership, iKala was selected as Taiwan’s NEXT BIG national team. His bestselling book, The Underlying Logic and Survival Rules of the AI World, has been published in 5 languages.
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To attend in-person, please register over Eventbrite.
To attend by Zoom, please register here.
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Parking options:
- Memorial Way, Stanford, CA 94305 [Google Map]
- Lasuen St. and Roth Way, Stanford, CA 94305 [Google Map]
- Please check parking signs carefully to ensure that permitted parking (A or C) and metered spaces are free after 4:00 pm. Paid parking is enforced around The Oval until 6:00 pm.
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Our series on "Entrepreneurship in Asian High-Tech Industries" begins March 31 and continues until June 2, 2026.
For our schedule of speakers, please visit our event page here.
Session Recordings are typically posted within 3 business days after each session on our .
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Stanford University, Bishop Auditorium, Stanford, United States
USD 0.00
