Posted on

9 startups aiming for the crown at Vietnam TOP100

Want to compete with these fantastic startups? Sign up today!

Do you want to compete with these excellent companies for a chance to pitch at Echelon 2019? Apply today! The success of the startup scene in Vietnam has been one of best stories of 2019 so far. TOP100 is stoked to visit the country and find the best young startup Vietnam has to offer.

If you want to get an idea of the competition, below is a list of some of the startups that will be competing for the top prize. We can’t wait to see you there!

9 Vietnam TOP100 competitors

Minet Asia

An influencer marketing network, Minet Asia targets Facebook and Instagram (the two most popular social media networks in Vietnam). Its goal is to use AI and machine learning to help brands pick the perfect person for their campaign. Minet Asia claims to have 3000 influencers on its network.

Aversafe

This startup wants to streamline online background checks by using the blockchain to help people build immutable credentials. The goal is to build a network whereby individuals have control over verifying their creditials. The hope is to avoid duplicating their online identity. The blockchain creates an individually unique page that cannot be duplicated.

Compily

A regulatory assistant, Compily wants to help companies quickly and efficiently adapt to regulatory changes. The company uses artificial intelligence to help companies identify a regulatory change, map it to existing policies and monitor its status in a workflow platform.

The platform is called ARIA.

KAMEREO

Kamereo is a B2B restaurant procurement platform for sourcing food and drinks. The platform helps people source for new customers, simplify the ordering process, analyse the orders and track cost control.

The goal is to make the restaurant procurement process more efficient in Vietnam.

Wicare

Wicare is an insurance customer relationship managment (CRM) platform. CRM systems typically help people track leads, nurture potential clients and analyse the results. Most CRMs are global companies so Wicare offers a more localised alternative in Vietnam.

Mosia

Mosia wants to become the go-to platform for professional emotional and mental support. The hope is to use the platform to detect cases and help people get help.

It is working on building a network of professionals to help create a network effect around mental health.

Ferosh

This e-commerce platform sells fashion for women. Based on the pricing, Ferosh sells outfits would fall in the mid-tier range of pricing. A typical dress costs between US$20 and US$50. A quick tour of the website seems to show a smart-casual style for women.

GODY.VN

GODY.VN wants to become the TripAdvisor for Vietnamese travellers. The platform has reviews on hotels, transportation, ticketing and even popular picture-taking spots. It also has a product for people to ask questions and a smart map of different regions in Vietnam.

Buymed

Buymed is a B2B platform for companies to buy medicine, first aide and dispensary items. It advertises itself to mom-and-pop pharmacies that make their living selling over-the-counter drugs to the average person. The platform takes care of every step from purchase to procurement to delivery.

(Get insights from Ankiti Bose and more at Echelon Asia Summit 2019. Happening on May 23-24 at the Singapore Expo. Tickets are now available at US$10 each)

The post 9 startups aiming for the crown at Vietnam TOP100 appeared first on e27.

Posted on

Swiggy close to acquiring Uber Eats India; Oyo in talks to buy FreshMenu

The development is in line with Uber’s global strategy to cut down on losses as it prepares for a possible US$120B IPO

India’s leading food delivery startup Swiggy is in advanced talks to acquire the Indian unit of UberEats, The Economic Times (ET) reports, citing people with the knowledge of the matter.

The deal, which is expected to close by March, will be the Bangalore-headquartered company’s largest acquisition till date, and Uber’s first divestment of its food business globally.

As per the sources, the transaction is likely to be a share swap, which will give Uber around 10 per cent stake in Swiggy, which is currently valued at US$3.3 billion.

As per this report, the development is in line with Uber’s global strategy to cut down on losses as it prepares for a possible US$120 billion public offering.

Founded in 2014, Swiggy has over 50,000 restaurant partners spread across 50-plus cities. Since the last funding round six months ago, Swiggy has expanded to 42 additional cities and doubled in gross merchandise value as it strengthened its leading market share along with industry-best repeat rates and net promoter score.

Last December, Swiggy executed definitive agreements for a US$1 billion Series H round of funding, led by existing investor Naspers, a global internet and entertainment group. In May 2017, Swiggy raised US$80 million led by Naspers, with participation from existing investors Accel India, SAIF Partners India, Bessemer Venture Partners, Harmony Partners and Norwest Venture Partners.

In yet another major consolidation move in the food delivery segment, Oyo is said to be in talks to acquire cloud kitchen startup FreshMenu for US$50-60 million, says another report by ET.

As per one of the people who spoke to ET, the move will help Oyo standardise its food experience across hotels, an initiative that has internally been in the works for more than a year.

Launched in 2014, FreshMenu is an online food ordering platform backed by the likes of Lightspeed Venture Partners. Last year there were reports that the startup in in talks to raise up to US$$75 million from TPG, General Atlantic, Temasek Holdings and domestic PE fund Kedaara Capital.

The post Swiggy close to acquiring Uber Eats India; Oyo in talks to buy FreshMenu appeared first on e27.

Posted on

Cradle invests in e-fulfilment solutions provider for online sellers TresGo

TresGo helps SMEs in Malaysia with inventory and deliveries, so businesses can actually focus on product development, marketing and sales


TresGo, a provider of e-fulfilment solutions for online sellers in Malaysia, has received an undisclosed sum in investment from state-owned VC fund Cradle. An unnamed traditional shipping, logistics and warehouse company also co-invested in the round.

The startup will use the money for further development of its cloud-based copyright system, which enables all the operations to be viewed by their merchants in real time, as well as for expansion of the warehouse.

Speaking of the investment, Juliana Jan, Chief Investment Officer of Cradle, said: “We have long believed in the inevitable need for the traditional warehouse management system to be digitised for the optimisation of fulfilment solution. TresGo’s technology, which addressed this exact need, is exactly the reason why we decided to invest in them.”

Also Read: Cradle’s startups attract US$10M commercialisation funding under CIP Catalyst programme

“While TresGo has an attractive scalable business model with compelling market opportunity, the team’s expertise equipped with their strong execution capabilities is what enticed Cradle to invest in them,” she added.

Founded in 2017 by Nadhra Fauzi and Safiyya Azman, TresGo offers three core services — storage, packing and delivery. In other words, it helps smaller-scale sellers with inventory and deliveries, so businesses can actually focus on the important bits like product development, marketing and sales.

TresGo was part of the second cohort of MaGIC’s global accelerator programme in 2018.

Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle) is Malaysia’s early stage startup influencer, incorporated under the Ministry of Finance Malaysia (MOF) in 2003 with a mandate to fund potential and high-calibre tech startups through its Cradle Investment Programme (CIP).

 

The post Cradle invests in e-fulfilment solutions provider for online sellers TresGo appeared first on e27.

Posted on

Gaming giant Razer begins building Southeast Asia headquarters in Singapore

The lifestyle brand gaming company launched its HQ2 at a groundbreaking ceremony today in Singapore

Razer, the gamers’ lifestyle brand has officially started the building of its Singapore-based headquarter in a groundbreaking ceremony celebration located in one-north, a 200-hectare business park. Attending the ceremony was the Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat, the Chairman of Singapore Economic Development Board Dr. Beh Swan Gin, and the CEO of JTC Corporation Ng Lang.

Also Read: 9 startups aiming for the crown at Vietnam TOP100

The 19,300 square metres will be dedicated to office space, R&D labs and design studios spread across seven storeys. It will be one of the two global headquarters of Razer and is expected to be ready for move-in by mid-2020. It will house more than 1,000 employees.

“The growth of gaming and esports across the world has propelled us to become one of the first lifestyle brands for gamers since 15 years ago, and we can’t wait to move into our new home to better serve the 2.3 billion gamers across the world,” said Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, and CEO.

Kiren Kumar, Assistant Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) also expressed its support. “At their new home, Razer will develop and scale new products, services, business models and partnerships, as well as invest in new technologies such as AI, Data Analytics, IoT, and Cloud. These are important drivers for business innovation and will create new-tech jobs and skills for Singaporeans to succeed in the digital economy,” said Kumar.

Razer headquarters’ groundbreaking is also a launching platform for Echo Base, a digital real estate start-up that seeks to incorporate Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and other technologies into real estate development projects.

Echo Base will focus on the development, investment, and management of smart buildings and integrated developments in the Asia Pacific and selected global gateway cities.

Backed by SGX Mainboard-listed Boustead Projects Limited and Moor House Capital Pte Ltd, Echo Base has secured its first smart city project in the region to be developed over the next few years.

The building is said to have the embodiment of Razer’s signature design elements that are dominated with the green and black colour, combined with technology for environmental friendliness, specifically in reducing carbon footprint.

The building will feature greeneries, solar power, and batteries for clean energy. It will have sky terraces with communal spaces and public pedestrian walkways to facilitate social interactions and public events. The building hopes to transform the bicycle to the main mode of transportation in the headquarters as the company seeks to support the country’s car-lite initiative with the parking space, locker room, and shower facilities.

Also Read: Cradle invests in e-fulfillment solutions provider for online sellers TresGo

The next step for Razer is to continue the growth in gaming industry and esports community through investments. By adding talents to its 400 staff in Singapore office alone, Razer is looking at expansion of existing business units and in emerging new business areas by 2020.

Image Credit: RazerTM

The post Gaming giant Razer begins building Southeast Asia headquarters in Singapore appeared first on e27.

Posted on

Meet 9 of the fantastic judges for TOP100 2019

TOP100 companies routinely raise follow-on funding and find success later in their entrepreneurial journey!

Want to get your startup in front of these fantastic judges? Make sure to apply to TOP100 today!

This year, our TOP100 competition wants to create a deep connection between the startups and investors. This is why we will be hosting the pitching competition in private. The goal is to dig deep into your startup so that the judges have an in-depth understanding about your future plans.

More of the judges that will be involved in the competition can be found here and here.

Let’s take a look at 9 more!

The TOP100 Judges

Thoa Nguyen — 500 Startups

Nguyen is part of the investment team at 500 Startups Vietnam. The fund has about US$14 million and is hoping to invest in 80-100 Vietnam-connected startups by 2020.

Prior to joining 500 Startups, Nguyen was the Deputy Director of Group Financing at Topica Group.

Eugene Kim — SparksLab

As a Partner at SparksLab Kim manages the day-to-day operations of the accelerator program. Prior to joining SparksLab, he was the Director of Global Business Development at Tencent Korea. He has a long career in business development as well as sourcing and publishing properties within a given market.

Tina Jabeen — Startup Bangladesh

As an Investment Advisor for Startup Bangladesh, under the Bangladesh ICT Ministry, Jabeen has a keen understanding of the relationship between the Bangladesh government and the startup community. She also is deeply embedded in early-stage startups, leading the investment and accelerator program for Startup Bangladesh.

Jabeen has a CPA and has worked in the investment industry for over 25 years. Before her current job she was a Director of Finance and Tax at Horsely Bridge Partner, a fund of funds.

Shpangental Golan — Anemone Ventures

Golan is the Co-founder and CEO of Anemone Ventures, a Taiwanese firm that aims to help corporates and startups work closely with one another. Shpangental has a 20-year history of starting businesses and rolling them out across Asia.

She is an active member of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce and works to bring the international community to the island.

Sia Zong Xi — Cocoon Capital

Sia is an Associate for Cocoon Capital, an early-stage investment company focussed on Southeast Asia. They provide a unique strategy of capping the amount of investments made annually in an effort to help Founders spend more time with the VC.

Sia graduated from King’s College in London. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and graduated with honours.

Booway Balhaajav — Boston Champions

Balhaajav is the Founder and CEO of Boston Champions, a consulting and development firm based in Mongolia. The company has a diverse set of clients, ranging from mining companies, finance firms and tech startups.

Prior to starting Boston Champions, Balhaajav was the President and CEO of Naran Trade Group.

Elen Goel — Singapore University of Social Science

Goal is the Head of the Entrepreneurship Programme at the Singapore University of Social Science (SUSS). She has years of experience helping connect corporate programmes (Like Alibaba’s Entrepreneurship Certificate) to budding entrepreneurs in the region.

Prior to joining SUSS, Goel was Founder of 22 Experience, an online discovery platform and event management company supporting by the Singapore Tourism Board.

Azman Hood — Cradle Fund

Azman Hood is the Vice President of Investments for Cradle Fund. In his job, he helps lead the direction of one of Malaysia’s most important early-stage investment firms. Hood was previously a Senior Investment Manager at Cradle and has been with the company since 2010.

He is an avid fisherman who has a fantastic quote on his biography: “The key to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that is much worse.”

Jason Pard — Monk’s Hill Ventures

Pard is an Investment Analyst at Monk’s Hill Ventures. His job duties include deal sourcing, investment analysis, portfolio management, community building and research.

During his time at the University of Illinois, he was the President of Illini EcoConcept, an organisation that designs and builds a hydrogen-fuelled concept car.

The post Meet 9 of the fantastic judges for TOP100 2019 appeared first on e27.