The “seven digits” US Dollar Series A round funding is led by Investidea Ventures

Indonesia-based online language learning platform Squline announced that it has raised Series A round of funding from Investidea Ventures with participation from several undisclosed investors.

In its official statement, Squline shared that the funds will be directed towards supporting technology development, acquiring new talents, and product expansion in 2019.

Furthermore, Squline plans to cement its position as a leader in live language tutoring industry in Indonesia.

Squline was founded in 2014 and it started with the launch of Mandarin course, followed by English Course and Japanese course in the following years.

Also Read: Malaysia’s clinical communication app MedPlanner raises US$240K in equity crowdfunding

Just two years ago, the company provided Indonesian course targeting expats in Indonesia and overseas market.

It works by connecting local students with professional teachers based in China, Japan, Philippines, and Indonesia to learn and improve foreign language skills via a live video call and text conversation anywhere and anytime.

This year, Squline managed to nab the title of the Next Dev Evangelist of 2018 in a programme by local mobile operator Telkomsel. This allowed the startup to represent Indonesia in Future Makers event in Sydney in the same year.

“The product innovation that we have for 2019 will focus more on an affordable solution and an effective way to learn language online. This will also drive market expansion to Indonesia’s B and C level of audience and upgrade their competitiveness level,” said Squline co-founder and CEO Tomy Yunus.

Also Read: Brunei’s legacy planning startup Memori raises US$100K funding

Down the road, Squline has mentioned that it aims for an overall bigger social impact by providing a credible educational product that is available and accessible for everyone in Indonesia.
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Clockster provides time and attendance solutions that is completed with biometric authentication technology

Kazakhstan-based human resource management platform Clockster today announced that it has raised a seed funding round from ABC-I2BF Seed Fund, angel investor and Paladigm Capital CEO Olzhas Zhiyenkulov, and one of the founders of the startup itself.

Though the exact amount of the funding round is undisclosed, Clockster said that it has raised US$350,000 in funding by far.

The startup provides a cloud-based time and attendance solution, in the form of biometric-based clock-in device with an “easy, do-it-yourself” set-up.

The platform aims to reduce human error and “buddy punching” to get the most reliable time-tracking data, empowering businesses with a transparent tool to calculate work hours.

Clockster wants to use the funding to expand to Southeast Asian markets and for R&D purposes.

Also Read: Why a Singapore coding school founder is funding a startup in Kazakhstan

“Currently we’re developing and implementing a solution for facial recognition to replace fingerprints in the future, as well as developing sophisticated payroll systems,” said Clockster Co-Founder and CEO Yerzhan Ryskaliyev in a press statement.

“In terms of expansion to other markets, in the beginning of 2019 we will start selling Clockster in the Philippines as a first step, and after that we want to launch first sales in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore,” the CEO continued.

The company named KFC, Costa Coffee, and Pizza Hut chains as their users in Kazakhstan.

Their investors ABC-I2BF Seed Fund was established this year by the country’s leading higher education institution Nazarbayev University and New York City-based venture capital (VC) firm I2BF Global Ventures, while Paladigm Capital is a Singapore-based liquid assets, portfolio and VC investment company aimed at late stage companies.

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Image Credit: LYCS LYCS on Unsplash

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Contemi, which provides innovative solutions for insurance companies in Asia and Scandinavia, expanded to Vietnam in 2011

Singapore-based Triple P Capital, an impact investor focussed on non-banking financial services investments in Southeast Asia, announced today it has fully acquired the Contemi Group, which provides tech solution for insurance companies.

Transaction details were not disclosed.

According to Allan Pedersen, Partner of Triple P Capital, the most successful insurers today are consistently expanding their investments in IT, particularly around middle and front-end solutions and customised developments.

“These increased investments are vital for insurers to be able to take advantage of all the exciting new business, partnership and efficiency opportunities, new technology and changing customer habits are enabling. We found that Contemi has outstanding solutions and services for participating in this growth market for both Europe and Asia,” he added.

Also Read: The 10 most-read e27 Community articles of 2018

Founded in 2001 in Norway and the UK, Contemi provides innovative solutions for insurance companies in Asia and Scandinavia. Over the years, Contemi has developed solutions for leading players like Trygg-Hansa, RSA, Codan, Vardia, WaterCircles, Gjensidige, Gabler, Singapore Life and many others.

In 2011, Contemi expanded to Vietnam.

“Today’s modern insurers are adopting Open Source in their IT architecture at rapid pace and we think the industry is ready to see the benefits of a proper Open Source Core Policy System and willing to deploy it,” said Karl Morten Busk, CEO of Contemi.

“In Contemi, we see a company that combines high-quality insurance solutions with the capacity to provide fast solution designs and implementations. In addition to those, Contemi has a robust set of clients in both Europe and Asia, making them a leading IT insurance firm that is ready to shoulder the challenges of digitalisation in the insurance sector – particularly in Asia where many emerging markets still need to ramp up financial inclusion and literacy,” added Pedersen.

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For iflix, the sale is part of its effort to re-strengthen focus on Southeast Asian market

Southeast Asian video streaming platform iflix confirmed the sale of the rest of its African business unit Kwesé iflix to Econet Global Limited, a pan-African broadcasting company.

Following the sale, iflix will continue to provide technical support to Econet, in order to maintain viewer experience quality.

The Malaysia-based startup first announced its entry to sub-Saharan African market in June 2017.

Eight months later, Econet acquired a “significant” stake in the business unit, which was then rebranded from iflix Africa to Kwesé iflix.

The service expanded to East and Southern Africa, offering a combination of live sport, entertainment, as well as local and international series and movies.

Also Read: iFlix Malaysia launches 24-hour live news hub, with aim to fight fake news

“It has been an incredible journey and learning experience, launching our service in Africa. The acquisition by the Econet Group, our regional partner and Africa’s leading broadcast network, is a significant milestone for the African business, and further reinforces iflix’s commitment to our core markets in Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines which continue to grow from strength to strength,” iflix Co-Founder and CEO Mark Britt said in a press statement.

For Econet, the acquisition is part of its business strategy to “de-emphasise” its direct-to-home service in order to refocus on digital platforms.

Econet CEO Hardy Pemhiwa dubbed mobile connected services as the “future of broadcasting” in the continent.

iflix is currently available to consumers in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, Vietnam, the Maldives, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Cambodia, Nigeria, Nepal, Bangladesh and Morocco.

Kwesé iflix recently won the Best Innovation in Digital Entertainment award at AfricaCom 2018, leading telco, media, and tech event in the continent.

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Image Credit: iflix

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In addition to UNICEF, we also have updates from Facebook, Clockster, Triple P Capital, and iflix

UNICEF successfully delivers vaccine using drone for the first time – The Jakarta Post

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced that it has successfully delivered vaccines via drone for the first time, The Jakarta Post wrote.

In a project in Vanuatu, the vaccine delivery drone covered almost 40 kilometers of mountainous terrain on one of the roughly 80 islands in the country. Many areas in the country is only accessible by foot or small boats; the vaccines themselves have to be carried at specific temperatures.

The vaccines delivered through the drone was used for a community with 13 children and five pregnant women.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore dubbed the initiative as “game-changing” in a press statement.

Facebook reportedly develops cryptocurrency for Whatsapp transfer – Bloomberg

Social media giant Facebook is said to be working on a cryptocurrency project that will enable users to transfer money on Whatsapp messenger app, anonymous sources told Bloomberg.

The company is developing a stablecoin and is currently working on strategy, including a plan for custody assets.

The project is said to be focussing on remittances market in India.

Facebook has been expected to enter the financial services industry following the appointment of former PayPal President David Marcus as head of its blockchain initiatives.

The company’s blockchain initiatives have not been publicly discussed, yet it has been on a hiring spree.

Also Read: Championing Southeast Asia tourism, Vynn Capital partners with the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations

Kazakhstan’s Clockster raises seed funding round – e27

Kazakhstan-based human resource management platform Clockster raised an undisclosed seed funding round from ABC-I2BF Seed Fund, angel investor and Paladigm Capital CEO Olzhas Zhiyenkulov, and one of the founders of the startup itself.

The startup provides a cloud-based time and attendance solution, in the form of biometric-based clock-in device with an “easy, do-it-yourself” set-up.

Clockster wants to use the funding to expand to Southeast Asian markets, starting with the Philippines in 2019, and for R&D purposes.

Impact investor Triple P Capital acquires insurance solutions provider Contemi – e27

Singapore-based Triple P Capital, an impact investor with a focus on non-banking financial services investments in Southeast Asia, has fully acquired European insurtech solutions provider Contemi Group for an undisclosed sum.

Triple P Capital Partner Allan Pedersen said that the most successful insurers today are consistently expanding their investments in IT, particularly around middle and front-end solutions and customised developments.

“These increased investments are vital for insurers to be able to take advantage of all the exciting new business, partnership and efficiency opportunities, new technology and changing customer habits are enabling. We found that Contemi has outstanding solutions and services for participating in this growth market for both Europe and Asia,” he said.

Also Read: Umitron gets US$2M funding to provide its AI fish feeding tech to farmers in Peru’s Lake Titicaca

iflix confirms sale of African business unit to Econet – e27

Southeast Asian video streaming platform iflix confirmed the sale of the rest of its African business unit Kwesé iflix to Econet Global Limited, a pan-African broadcasting company.

The Malaysia-based startup first announced its entry to sub-Saharan African market in June 2017.

Eight months later, Econet acquired a “significant” stake in the business unit, which was then rebranded from iflix Africa to Kwesé iflix.

Following the acquisition, iflix aims to strengthen its focus in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

It will also continue to provide technical support to Econet.

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Image Credit: Kendal James on Unsplash

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