Tech MVP 2021: Edison Lim, Aqilliz

Edison Lim

Head of engineering and research
Aqilliz
Singapore

A summa cum laude graduate of Singapore Management University’s bachelor’s degree in information systems, and a recipient of the country’s National Infocomm Scholarship, Edison Lim has always been a standout in emerging technology. His further tertiary education at Carnegie Mellon University, in one of the world’s most reputable computing programmes, shows the rigour of his training and specialisation in breakthrough applications.

Lim’s first major role in the blockchain industry was at Zilliqa, a homegrown Singapore-based blockchain platform born out of academic research conducted at the National University of Singapore. Throughout his time at Zilliqa, Lim has played a pivotal role in leading the development of the platform and launch of the mainnet, and was involved in some of the project’s most well-known use cases across traditional finance and digital advertising.

Today, as head of engineering and research at Aqilliz, Lim plays a critical role in bridging the technological jargon and commercial outcomes that brands and partners require in order to choose the company as their vendor of choice. Most notably, Lim has been responsible for leading all the research, development and testing activities of Aqilliz’s main solution called Atom, a patent-pending first-of-its-kind architecture that incorporates hybrid blockchain technology, specifically designed for the advertising and marketing industry.

With a strong understanding of the industry’s most pressing pain points, Lim has consistently encouraged ongoing upskilling for his tech team—inspiring them to continuously learn about new technologies that can one day be part of Aqilliz’s product offerings. He has consistently made diverse hires leading to a tech team of diverse geographies, backgrounds and genders. In addition, he has opted for a more open, mentoring-style of management that encourages collaboration, input and feedback for growth and improvement.

With his keen awareness of the constantly evolving tech trends as well as knowledge of pressing issues in the adtech ecosystem, Lim effectively bridges ideation and product development to implementation. Throughout his career, he has played a central role in growing technological capabilities which ultimately translate to better business outcomes for clients and partners. Tech MVP jury members praised Lim's strength in product innovation within the blockchain space.