The startup was previously backed by ESP Capital and Framgia Inc.

Uiza.io, Singapore-grown startup that provides streaming technology to make videos accessible, announced that it has closed US$1.5 million seed round through Surge.

Surge is a Sequoia Capital India’s initiative in a form of a scale-up program that seeks to enable access to capital, talent, network, and decades of company-building knowledge. It targets startups in India and Southeast Asia.

Uiza said that it will use the funding to build its products further.

“We plan to use our latest fund raised to attract talented engineers so we can deploy our proprietary technology globally,” said Uiza CEO Kevin Nguyen.

Using its streaming operation system, Uiza addresses the problem of video delivery, especially in developing countries where infrastructure is fragmented. Uiza offers a hardware-agnostic software coupled with a distributed edge delivery network to help their clients broadcast video contents globally at local cost.

Recent Visual Networking Index research by Cisco showed that video streaming and live streaming will account for 80 per cent and 17 per cent of total Internet traffic by 2022. In the next three years, video streaming will have a compound annual growth rate of 33 per cent and 72.7 per cent for live streaming.

Despite the rapid growth of video, the adoption of both video and live streaming is still challenging due to its complex software development and infrastructure, especially relating to bandwidth to process and deliver.

Also Read: KOKU raises US$2M pre-Series A funding from Tencent’s Jason Zeng

Uiza claimed that its platform leverages machine learning and data science to streamline this workflow and make in-local content delivery routing decisions.

With a simple API, all the complexity in the process is hidden through a hardware-agnostic infrastructure, giving users complete control, availability, and scalability. It translates to the access for developers to add both video and live streaming into their application with a few lines of code.

“At Uiza, we believe that enabling developers, startups, and businesses with video capability is a great way to make positive impacts to the society and to make the world a better place,” said Nguyen.

Its most famous customers is LINE, , which uses Uiza’s platform to stream content that caters to millions of women in Vietnam.

Other customers include e-commerce platforms that allow sellers to demonstrate their products and interact with buyers in real time through livestreaming. It also helps a regional online education company deliver their learning materials to millions of students in Southeast Asia. Finally, an e-sports streaming platform in Indonesia uses the product.

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Image Credit: Uiza

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Asia Cybersecurity Exchange claims that it’s the first cybersecurity accelerator in the country

Asia Cybersecurity Exchange (ASIACYBERX), the cybersecurity platform, has come through with its plan to cultivate and nurture more local cybersecurity talent via a RM200 million (US$48 million) Cybersecurity Accelerator Programme.

ASIACYBERX claimed that the Accelerator Programme is part of its long-term plan to create a broader pool of cybersecurity talent by developing young innovative startups into high-growth potential businesses. It hopes to help boost Malaysia’s overall digital economy.

The Accelerator Programme emphasises active mentorship to help local startups and entrepreneurs commercialise their solutions and products, fine-tuning business models, and secure funding and networking opportunities within its existing network. The network itself comprises of more than 20 mentors, entrepreneurs, and industry experts.

According to the Ministry of Communication and Multimedia, Malaysia is one of the top three ASEAN countries that are expected to contribute 75 per cent of the regional cybersecurity services market share by 2025.

The initiative is already supported by several key government agencies, including Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, National Cyber Security Agency Malaysia (NACSA), Malaysian Multimedia and Communication Commission, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), and Bank Negara Malaysia.

Also Read: KOKU raises US$2M pre-Series A funding from Tencent’s Jason Zeng

ASIACYBERX, the company behind the accelerator program, was launched in April 2018 to “strengthen the country’s growing cybersecurity ecosystem to support Malaysia’s transformation into a world-class cybersecurity resource hub”. It is solely owned by ACE Accelerator Network Sdn Bhd, which was formed following a partnership between LE Global Services Sdn Bhd (LGMS), that holds the majority of professional security testing firms in the country, and the ACE Group, a diversified investment conglomerate.

LGMS Chief Executive Officer, Fong Choong Fook, will be the lead mentor for the Accelerator Programme.

“In today’s digitised world, cybersecurity is no longer a technology need, but rather a key business enabler. Businesses are increasingly investing in security solutions and services to counter attacks and ensuring their data is secure. Through this programme, ASIACYBERX is happy to play an active role in expanding the local cybersecurity ecosystem by nurturing home-grown talent and competencies,” said Fong.

The program itself will not limit the selection process to pure cybersecurity players; instead it is open to startups in IT security, big data analytics, and cybersecurity-related solutions.

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Image Credit: ASIACYBERX

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But I swear it was for a good reason

Disclaimer: I do not cry very easily. It is actually a Herculean task for me to shed a tear, even when I feel sad.

Back when the movie Titanic (1997) was released, everybody seemed to be lamenting about Rose letting go of Jack and allowing him to drown in the ocean. It was a painfully romantic scene, they all said. But my heart remained unmoved. It was a movie about a sinking boat; if you had to cry, then cry for all the victims and the boat company for allowing this to happen. Not for romance.

But one night, in 2016, I was immediately brought to tears when I ordered dinner through Go-Food, the food delivery service of Indonesian ride-hailing giant Go-Jek.

Nothing remarkable happened when I ordered my food; everything was business as usual. I struggle to remember the menu that I had picked, but it was likely from a nearby Chinese restaurant.

This was why it was such a surprise when the driver took more than an hour to deliver the meal. Just as I was about to complain, the door bell rang. I rushed to the door only to be greeted by not one, but two Go-Jek drivers standing in front of the gate.

I was seeing double. I must have been really hungry.

But when Driver One greeted me, I realised that I was not hallucinating: There were indeed two Go-Jek drivers –which was unusual and unlikely. They both arrived at my place using a single motorbike that belonged to Driver Two.

Also Read: Go-Jek and Jokowi share flatteries before Indonesia election

Before I had the opportunity to ask, Driver One explained that he had to deliver the meal by hitchhiking a ride with the second driver.

After he picked up my meal at the restaurant, Driver One was on his way to deliver when he had a flat tire. In the midst of this catastrophe, Driver Two showed up and offered to help him. He happened to be waiting for an order nearby — I imagined under a tree — and saw the whole incident. His friends, who also happened to be hanging out around the spot, even offered to keep watch of Driver One’s motorbike.

Both drivers were very proud of the fact that they managed to complete this task — together.

Now, I always have respect for people who are committed. Especially those who work really hard to fulfil this commitment.

There could be many reasons why the drivers were so determined to deliver the meal on time. Most likely, it involved money. But in my life, I have seen many instances when people failed to fulfil their commitment and not feel ashamed of it. (Yes, we are supposed to view failure positively but I do not think this is the kind of failure we are talking about.)

Also, it takes a certain level of maturity to be genuinely happy about another’s success, especially when you had nothing to gain from it.

This is why the two Go-Jek drivers made me cry that night. Two honest, hardworking gentlemen exercised great teamwork in order to make sure a task got done. They did this despite the fact that the financial gain can only go the first person, and the second person will get nothing but a smile and a thank you.  (And an op-ed on e27, because you are amazing, sir).

When it was first launched, Go-Jek was seen as the answer to many customer pain points. As the years go by, some of these points may stand while some do not.

There have been criticism against the company for adjusting their tariff and making their driver-partners work harder for less. My blood boils every time I hear of something like this, especially when I think of the two Go-Jek drivers that I met that night.

Also Read: Grab wants to take Indonesia from Go-Jek with US$6.5b funding goal

As customers, I believe that it is within our obligation to ensure that businesses are being run ethically and that it remains true to its vision of society empowerment, starting from those who had made their success possible. It can begin from our willingness to pay for their services just a little bit more, and yes, always tip your drivers especially when they do their job well.

I also believe that at this level, the company can afford to increase their tariff and not losing their customers, as it has become such an integral part of many Indonesians’ lives –like Teh Botol.

For many of these drivers, companies such as Go-Jek have made their life better than before. We need them to remain that way.

 

The post This is the story of how two Go-Jek drivers once made me cry appeared first on e27.

Once you have basic stuff, you can start developing additional features and functionalities

Deciding on the right tech stack is one of the key steps to successfully going live. However, this step is also one of the most difficult steps in software development.

Choosing the wrong tools or frameworks can lead to delays in project implementation, increased costs, and significant changes in the entire SDLC.

In this article, you will learn how to act when you want to start developing a project. This step-by-step guide is a good read for startups, beginners to software development, young entrepreneurs, and those who want to refresh their management skills.

Step 1 – Start with a simple landing page.

Take your time, and first off, build a simple landing page. Let it tell your potential customers what actually your project is about. This way, you’ll be able to explore if your product or service is interesting to people.

You can learn what kind of audience could buy or use your product, and how many people show an interest in it.

As soon as you understand that your product is workable, you can start developing it. Firstly, you can get an MVP done. Secondly, you can start building a feature by feature. This approach is good because you see the real-time situation and make any changes needed on time.

Step 2 – Make a list of requirements.

Before starting any project, you should know well what you want to get from it. Defining the problems you would like to solve is one of the most crucial things to consider first.

The next thing to pay attention to is your users. You should take into account what kind of people will use your application, website, or system. What devices do these people prefer to use? What type of Internet connection, what browsers do they use?

Also Read: Listen to these expert speakers at Echelon to know whether blockchain is just a hype or not

Performance, speed, flexibility, and scalability are also very important factors affecting the choice of a technology stack. You need to think of these things beforehand if you want, for example, to scale up your system with the growth of users number.

Check out what types of data you want to migrate if you’re migrating to the cloud, for example. And, the last but not the least, – think about the security issues your product may face.

Once you know this, you’ll be able to decide on how you will secure your product.

Step 3 – Choose the right people and the right tools.

Before starting to build your project, check what specialists and instruments stand behind the technology you selected.

GitHub, for example, offers a perfect way to find out what you actually need by consulting a list of platforms, back-end technologies, front-end technologies, databases, and lots of other stuff.

Step 4 – Check out open source.

Don’t want to start everything afresh? Check out open source solutions. OS technologies work well when you need to consult some software geeks. Consulting open source communities can significantly save your time and efforts.

If you deal with open source, you need to know a few important things such as follows:

• What type of license open source technology has?
• Are you able to build the required functionalities with a given technology?
• How many tech geeks are there in the community?
• Do you easily understand the source code?
• Will you have access to the documentation?

Step 5 – Check the latest technology trends.

The evolution of technology brings lots of innovative tools, frameworks, and other stuff. Have we ever thought of having smart houses or wearables? The use of artificial intelligence, neural networks, machine learning, and other smart things facilitates effective working processes.

Isn’t it awesome that manual humans’ work can be replaced with machines?

Once you’ve decided to build something new, check out the trends. It can help you make the data-driven decision when you choose a technology stack for your project.

Step 6 – Pick up a trusted vendor.

First off, you should choose between in-house developers and outsourcing. The first way is good if you are 100 per cent sure that your engineers have all the required skills and knowledge to complete the project.

The second way is better if you plan a long-term project requiring specific skills and competencies. Besides, outsourcing can significantly save your costs, time, and efforts.

On this stage, you will also need to undertake some research on software development rates, deadlines, terms and conditions, etc. It will take some time but it’s worth your efforts.

Finding the right vendor means finding a reliable one. Oftentimes, customers are deceived with unfair providers. Thus, you must be very careful when choosing a company.

To find a trusted partner, check their reputation online. There are many websites such as Clutch or Good Firms where you can find reviews on the company of your choosing. Moreover, you can read there some feedback and look through portfolios.

Step 7 – Think about the future of your project.

In the fast-paced digital world, technologies change rapidly. You should keep this in mind and prepare for possible changes. Flexibility is one of the major things you need to discuss with a potential vendor. You can tell about your plans for the future for the vendor to offer you the best options possible.

Step 8 – Build basic things.

To test the team of your choosing, you can have an MVP done first. In such a way, your potential users can test the system and send some feedback. The team, in their turn, will learn what changes they need to make to improve performance and user experience.

Once you have basic stuff, you can start developing additional features and functionalities.

Step 9 – Be prepared to go live.

While your team is working, you need to craft an effective marketing strategy and prepare to go live. Having the right marketing kit is as equally important as having the right technology stack. If you don’t know what to do with the ready product, you will easily fail.

Also Read: 10 startups shine at The Start’s pre-accelerator Demo Day stage

To make your final product successful, you should hire professional and highly motivated management staff. These people will help you choose the right marketing tools and promote awareness about your product or services.

To make the long story short, choosing a stack is half the battle. You must create a step-by-step strategy to develop a project of high quality. You have to hire reliable people.

And finally, you should always double-check everything, learn about new trends, obtain new skills, and motivate your team to successfully launch the project.

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e27 publishes relevant guest contributions from the community. Share your honest opinions and expert knowledge by submitting your content here.

The post Selecting the best technology stacks for your project in 9 steps appeared first on e27.

By mixing the real with the virtual worlds, AR is creating immersive experiences that allow users to feel that they are interacting personally with their digital environment

Augmented reality is the integration of game visual and audio content with a user environment in real time, unlike virtual reality which creates completely an artificial environment. Augmented reality in the gaming industry uses the existing environment and creates a playing field within it. AR games can be played on smartphones, tablets, and portable gaming system. It is the integration of digital information and overlays new information on top of it.

The first commercial application of AR technology was the yellow “first down” line that began appearing the football games in 1998.

AR technology in the gaming industry provides with an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are augmented. This revolutionary technology makes a greater impact on gaming while covering other industries like healthcare, e-commerce, retail, marketing, education, military, automotive and much more. This advanced technology is rapidly changing the way the gaming industry works and contributing a lot towards it.

The value of the augmented reality gaming is expected to reach almost $285 billion by 2023

Let’s find out how augmented reality is redefining the gaming industry and making it revolutionary.

1. Rapid Growth of Gaming

Augmented reality is bridging the gap between the users and game developers. This technology has gone beyond face filters and widely adopted by the organisation to provide the user with the ultimate gaming experience.  It incorporates advanced features which make games extremely addictive and leverage developers while encouraging them to enhance their skills. The rapid growth of augmented reality game development helps in developing engaging games and grow the overall gaming market.

2. Make Appealing Games

Augmented reality in gaming industry creates an immersive experience for the users and allow them to feel that they are interacting personally with their digital environment. AR layers digital improvement to provide an existing real-life setting by appealing to the senses. This advanced technology helps to drive the attention of millions of obsessive gamers and deliver an unforgettable experience. It uses computer-generated objects and implements them in real life to convert an engaging and thrilling experience.

Also read: Beyond gaming, these are 6 potentially disruptive uses of augmented reality

3. Better Consoles

Choosing the greatest console is a lot harder than your imagination due to the exceptional gaming market. Augmented Reality in-game development, bringing new opportunities for developers and providing them with advanced technological solutions. For obsessive gamers and developers, there are multiple options available, using that they can make your vision and imagination advance than ever before.

4. Replacing Traditional Gaming

Augmented reality creates endless possibilities in gaming while considering recent trends accurately. It enhances the working of enterprises by providing them with numerous benefits.  It has replaced all the traditional gaming system like Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation with new techniques and trends. Its bringing revolution in the gaming industry and introducing new innovations and creativity. These apps are written in special 3D programs which allow users to play level up animation and provides with transforming transactions.

Change of Perspective

AR adds digital representation and data of supplement views of the real world giving user outstanding games. Augmented Reality in Game Development constantly uses smart glasses support, 3D tracking, geolocation and much more to bring innovation and exclusive games. AR core is used to change users view with animated 3D content. Its creative design has more potential than any other technology.

Technologies Used to Build Augmented Reality Games

Mid-generation advancement and technology rise has taken AR game development on another level. For gamers and developers, there are multiple options available, using that they can make your vision and imagination unbeatable. There are incredible game development companies who have started using augmented reality keeping the latest trends in mind all over the world. Discover the mysterious gaming world and indulge yourself in the most exciting play using these technologies:

• Unity 5
• ARPA
• XCode 7
• Wikitude
• Vuforia

AR games are designed for multiple platforms. It has blurred the line between what is real and what is computer generated by adding special effects and advanced tools. Not just that It’s changing the forever way of people use and interact with technology. It has taken over the gaming industry by bringing new trends and technology while enhancing user experience.

Also read: Augmented Reality is creating an enormous opportunity for retail businesses, and here are 5 ways online and offline platforms can benefit

Augmented Reality is The Future of Gaming

Every time this advance technology has exceeded the expectations and beaten the estimates of the market by coming up with something really great. It’s a groundbreaking technology which really brings something innovative and creative in the market every single time. Pokemon Go is one of the most loved games of augmented reality. Due to its reputation and marvelous gaming experience it has won the heart of millions. It is favoured with a vision-based algorithm that gives exceptional clarity to object, graphics, and sounds while grabbing the attention of millions.

Augmented Reality is one of the successful technology, which brings digital creation to life. For developers around the world, it’s creating immense opportunities while promising pathbreaking carrier with a course of learning. It has a great contribution towards increasing computing capabilities of our smartphone. It’s an incredible technology, capable of providing a great experience converting a field into a battlefield.

This prominent technology allows gamers to interact with the real world in digital form while experiencing a real-life environment. Technology is changing the world at a rapid phase whole giving gamers a great experience and greater innovations.

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e27 publishes relevant guest contributions from the community. Share your honest opinions and expert knowledge by submitting your content here.

Photo by Andreas Kind on Unsplash

The post 5 ways Augmented Reality is redefining the gaming industry appeared first on e27.

Don’t miss the second set of companies who will be gracing the halls and showcasing their work at the Echelon Asia Summit 2019

There are lots of great reasons for you to come to Echelon Asia Summit 2019! With more than 15,000 people attending from over 30 countries, the Echelon Asia Summit brings together a full-range of personalities across the field of tech: from tech enthusiasts, to up-and-coming startup founders, and even to leaders and experts! This makes Echelon Asia Summit 2019 the perfect opportunity for you to brush elbows with potential future partners, investors, colleagues, or other like-minded people who might appreciate your ideas!

More than 120 speakers will also be sharing key insights on emerging trends and disruptive technologies across four key stages, namely: Founder stage, Future stage, Capital stage, and the top 100 stage—where 100 of the most promising startups will be pitching live!

Also read: Check this out: first 23 exhibitors for Echelon Asia Summit 2019—announced!

And finally, one of the key features of Echelon Asia Summit 2019 is how it will showcase some of the most brilliant startup products in the region. With 300 exhibitors that will sprawl all over Singapore Expo, participants can witness firsthand how these companies are changing the world.

So without further ado, here is the first set of Echelon Asia Summit 2019 exhibitors!

 

Sneakest

 

Sneakest is every Sneakerhead’s go-to place for all things sneaker related.

 


Sportlyze Sport & eSport Entertainment

 

Sportlyze Sport & eSport Entertainment is a one stop portal for sports and eSport entertainment.

 

fewStones

 

fewStones enables you to personalise videos that can help improve conversion of your sales funnel.

 

White Labs

 

White Labs product Travelstop is a revolutionary platform aimed at modernising and simplifying business travel

 

FS Capital

 

Funding Societies | Modalku is the largest digital P2P lending platform in Southeast Asia, backed by SoftBank Ventures Asia, Sequoia Capital, Golden Gate Ventures and many more.

 

Doropu pte ltd

 

D
oropu pte ltd provides retail sales via internet

 

Collab Partnership

 

Collab is a AI-powered co-founder matching platform that aims to bring together highly compatible founders in a team.

 

InstaREM

 

InstaREM is an international payments platform that aims at making overseas money transfers cost-efficient for individuals & businesses alike.

 

SOCXO

 

SOCXO Solutions (SOCXO) is a leading Advocacy Platform that enables brands to transform their stakeholders into brand advocates.

 

Chainstack

 

Chainstack is the Ultimate Blockchain Control Panel for Business

 

Where to get tickets for Echelon Asia Summit 2019?

 

Catch this stunning set of companies showcase their brilliant work and more at the Echelon Asia Summit 2019! The event is happening from 23 – 24 May, at Hall 3A, Singapore Expo, 1 Expo Drive, Singapore. We don’t want you and your team to miss out on the important insights that will be shared by our speakers there, so get your Echelon Tickets today!

The post We’re revealing 10 more exhibitors for Echelon Asia Summit 2019! appeared first on e27.

As per iResearch Global, Alibaba’s Tmall marketplace and JD.com controlled 82 per cent of the Chinese e-commerce market last year

Amazon, facing entrenched rivals, says to shut China online store [Reuters]

Amazon.com said it will shut its China online store by July 18, as the US e-commerce giant focuses on the lucrative businesses of selling overseas goods and cloud services in the world’s most populous nation.

The move underscores how entrenched, home-grown e-commerce rivals have made it difficult for Amazon’s marketplace to gain traction in China. Consumer research firm iResearch Global said Alibaba Group’s Tmall marketplace and JD.com controlled 82 per cent of the Chinese e-commerce market last year.

An Amazon spokeswoman told Reuters on Thursday that it is notifying sellers that it will no longer operate a marketplace, nor provide seller services on Amazon.cn.

OYO China fires 25 employees for unethical practices and misconduct [The Economic Times]

OYO Jiudian, the Chinese subsidiary of SoftBank-backed hospitality chain OYO Hotels & Homes, has fired 25 employees, and issued warnings to over 100 more, as the Gurgaon-headquartered company sought to crack down on what it has described as “unethical practices”.

In a statement sent out on Wednesday, the hospitality company, which commanded a valuation of US$5 billion in its Series E funding round, said it had also formed an integrity committee to weed out instances of misconduct and unethical practices, while continuing to double down on corporate governance and ensuring compliance across levels.

Australian VC Square Peg Capital leads US$27M in healthcare startup Aidoc [DealStreetAsia]

Israeli artificial intellegence healthcare startup Aidoc has closed a US$27 million Series B led by Australian venture capital firm Square Peg Capital, it said in an announcement on Wednesday.

The latest Series B round brings Aidoc’s total funding to US$40 million.

The fresh capital raised will be used to grow Aidoc’s technology and go-to-market team to support the demand for its products.

Founded in 2016, Aidoc provides imaging solutions for radiologists to enhance their diagnosis by flagging acute anomalies in real-time. Its solutions are currently deployed at over 100 medical centers and has reviewed a total of 1 million patients – the largest number of images analysed by an AI tool, the startup claims.

Videoconferencing company Zoom prices IPO at US$36 per share [CNBC]

Videoconferencing company Zoom priced its IPO at US$36 per share, above of its already-increased range. That values the business at US$9.2 billion.

Zoom, which is slated to start trading on Thursday on the Nasdaq, had originally given a pricing range of US$28 to US$32, but investor demand was so high for the profitable, fast-growing company, that the offering ended up well above that mark. CNBC had reported earlier on Wednesday that the company would price at the top end of the increased range — US$33 to US$35 — and possibly above it.

The post Today’s top tech news, April 18: Amazon to shut China online store; OYO fires 25 staffers for misconduct appeared first on e27.

The Singapore-based fintech works with non-bank financial institutions and liquidity providers to allows its technology assisting on faster and cheaper digital money transfer

KOKU, Singapore-based fintech that focusses on foreign currency exchange, announced that it has raised a US$2 million pre-Series A funding led by Jason Zeng, the co-founder of Tencent Holdings who also founded China-based angel investment company Decent Capital.

The funding will be focussed on KOKU’s product development and regional expansion to neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

With the funding, KOKU said that it will pull its resources to expand and grow FX TechUP Suite. It will offer artificial intelligence technology and machine learning to utilise data for users in the ecosystem.

The immediate plan to execute, the company said, would be improving the technology for non-bank remittance and liquidity providers that it believes will push their business further for the next six months.

KOKU works with non-bank financial institutions including non-bank remittance companies in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, and liquidity providers. KOKU’s technology allows these institutions to have a faster, more affordable, digital remittance for their customers.

Also Read: LINE’s Managing Director for Thailand is stepping down

The company said it will also increase its employees to 30 per cent for the next six months to increase the transaction volume from US$10 million per day to US$30 million.

The World Bank’s recent report showcased that remittance sector in 2019 will grow to 4.2 per cent from US$142 billion value estimation in 2018 in East Asia and Asia Pacific alone. KOKU wants to ride on the opportunity to increase the cross-country transaction, digital money transfer, and the overall financial inclusion.

“We are aware that the non-bank remittance and liquidity provider service is a complex business model that requires hard work. But it will be rewarding if we can provide the same facility to these underserved groups and help them in their operation,” said Calvin Goh, founder and CEO KOKU.

KOKU targets to close the Series A round at US$10 million in its first semester this year.
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Image Credit: KOKU

The post KOKU raises US$2M pre-Series A funding from Tencent’s Jason Zeng appeared first on e27.

Indonesia’s up-and-coming halal certification law means that there are 1.5 million businesses scrambling for a certification in the market

Indonesia is set to implement a new regulation on halal certification for various consumer products, from food to cosmetics to pharmacy, by the end of 2019.

Under this new regulation, businesses in the world’s largest Muslim population are required to undergo a certification process and secure a halal label with a grace period of three years. Failure to comply to this new regulation will result in administrative penalties.

With the up-and-coming regulation, there are 1.5 million businesses in the market scrambling for a halal stamp on their products –and this is the opportunity that Singapore-based blockchain startup WhatsHalal is aiming to seize.

In an interview with e27, the company’s director of business development Muhammad Hadi Bin Rahmad explains the two challenges that businesses and governments are facing in the implementing halal certification:

First, there is the lack of a unifying platform that brings together all the stakeholders in the whole supply chain together, from farmers, manufacturers, merchants, to consumers.

Second, there is also the administrative roadblock. “Every single stakeholder in the supply chain have different process and system. It is also very manual and manpower-driven,” the director says.

Also Read: A blessed opportunity: Your guide in understanding SEA’s rising halal tech industry

In the case of Indonesia and its upcoming halal certification regulation, businesses and government are facing a new and unique challenge.

There are currently 17,000 companies that have been certified halal in the market, and the country needs to increase this number to one to five million within the next five years.

WhatsHalal CEO Azman Ivan Tan elaborates the process that companies had to go through in order to secure a halal certification, and how WhatsHalal platform can help ease this process.

First, businesses need to decide on what kind of certification (by which institution) that they want to use. Then they will need to make sure that all of their ingredients come from halal sources; they will also need to understand the ruling and assurance system.

“Normally, these companies would bring on a consultant. After the audit process, in which they may pass or fail, they would feel the need to go back and see the changes that they have to make [before they can get certified],” he explains.

With WhatsHalal, companies begin their journey in using the platform by choosing the market that they wish to operate in. The platform will show to them if they are able to undergo the audit process by themselves, or if they would need a consultant in doing it.

“If it’s too tedious for you, the system will assign a consultant for you. If you’re happy with the consultant, you pay the fee, and the consultant will take over from there. They will upload the ingredients and the blockchain will assist in verifying whether they are halal to begin with,” Tan says.

Also Read: From halal fashion to food, there is a mushrooming number of Islamic startups in Southeast Asia

The main issue that the company aims to tackle is the uncertainty about a particular food product’s halal status.

“In the past, we tend to take the attitude of ‘everything is halal unless otherwise stated’ but then I realised that [customers] do not have a clear understanding of what is halal or not, as not everything that is manufactured today have full ingredients disclosure. You cannot see where the source is,” Tan stresses.

In addition to the halal certification process, WhatsHalal also provides other services such as on-demand food delivery service.

The startup expands this service through the acquisition of HalalOnClick in 2018.

In the future, it also aims to introduce a halal scanner for end-customers, leveraging on the wealth of data that the startup has acquired and their ability to track a product down to its source.

“The halal certification platform is just the first [of the technology that we are working on]. The second part of the technology is the traceability – it is what set us apart from other companies who are talking about blockchain. We are looking at devices such as IoTs, RFIDs … that we will be putting in places in the supply chain,” Rahmad explains.

Also Read: A Prudential director wants to make Singapore a halal e-commerce hub

“The value of wagyu beef in Japan is that high because of the details available in its certificate,” he adds.

WhatsHalal is currently run by a team of 21 in its offices in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Jogjakarta.

In Indonesia, it has secured a partnership with Sucofindo, a joint venture between the Indonesian government and SGS, a Geneva-based inspection giant.

Currently internally funded, Tan hints that there are already some external parties expressing their interest in investing in the company.

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Image Credit: WhatsHalal

The post How this startup uses blockchain to simplify the halal certification process appeared first on e27.

Our Sarawak winner was Ravenry, a company that wants to connect researchers and companies needing information

Already excited for Echelon? Buy your tickets here! Enter promo code ECHELONFUTURE for free tickets!

When e27 started the TOP100 competition this year, the goal was to find the best young startups Asia has to offer. While this means it is important to visit hubs like Seoul, Bangkok and Jakarta it is equally important to visit the less famous locations.

Startups can come out of anywhere, and one such place is Sarawak, in the Malaysia portion of Borneo. This year’s TOP100 competition proved this statement true as six startups qualified to compete for the overall championship at Echelon Asia Summit 2019.

This year’s winner was Ravenry, a startup that wants to make it easier for regular people to connect with quality researchers.

The pain-point Ravenry is trying to solve is that when an individual or company performs a general search for useful information, it is often inadequate or overly broad. So, the startup wants to become a matching service for the supply and demand side of the industry.

Users send research requests to Ravenry, where the team connects their requests to relevant researchers who provide results within a 48 hour window.

As the winner, Ravenry will be presented with a free booth at e27’s Echelon Asia Summit from May 23-24, 2019. But while they have won the battle, the war is not over. At Echelon, they will be but one of many competitors pitching for over S$100,000 worth of prizes.

Also Read: Listen to these expert speakers at Echelon to know whether blockchain is just a hype or not 

TOP100 is not completely over! We still have one more online pitching competition that will feature startups from places we could not visit this year — including Japan, India and Bangladesh.

The qualifiers

Five other startups have qualified for TOP100 in Singapore!

They qualify for discounted rates for Exhibition booth space in the TOP100 Zone at Echelon Asia Summit 2019 (Offer ends by end of the event day).

Once a qualified startup has purchased the TOP100 booth, they are then also entitled to:

• A Pitching slot on the TOP100 stage on day 1 of Echelon
• Intimate investor meetings and inclusion to Corporate business matching
• 5 Starter Tickets to Echelon Asia Summit
• Access to the TOP100 Tour in Singapore

The qualifiers are as follows:

• Trasso
• Sixteen Resources & Consultancy
• HQ EZFOOD DELIVERY
• E POST WORLDWIDE
• Solaku

See you in Singapore!

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Photo by Deva Darshan on Unsplash

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