iWEECARE has developed Temp Pal, a wireless body temperature-tracking solution that offers real-time monitoring combined with smart alerts

Taiwanese healthtech startup iWEECARE announced today it has secured US$1 million in pre-Series A round of investment, led by Singapore’s Verge HealthTech Fund.

Taiwan- and US-based Translink Capital and Darwin Venture also joined this round.

Additionally, iWEECARE has received regulatory approval to market its product Temp Pal, which it claims to be the world’s smallest smart thermometer, in both the European Union and Taiwan.

Temp Pal is a wireless body temperature-tracking solution that offers real-time monitoring combined with smart alerts. It is a patented stamp-sized soft patch that packs a temperature sensor, customised thin battery that lasts two to three days, and a Bluetooth radio.

Also Read: Tricella’s smart pillbox sends you notifications if your loved ones forget to take pills

The small patch transmits body data to a secure cloud via its own mobile app, generating real-time charts and alerts as needed. The wearable solution can also be applied in hospitals and clinics as it offers centralised tracking and analytics from multiple devices.

Temp Pal seeks to disrupt a market forecast to reach US$1.5 billion by 2025 currently dominated by digital pen and in-ear thermometers.

“It is also crucial to real-time continuous monitor body temperature for infants, patients and couples who plan to be pregnant. Traditional thermometers rely on human behavior and efforts to test periodically, resulting in interruptions of quality of life and ambiguous health care decisions. Our company hope to address the issues with a friendly and comfortable solution,” said Glen Tseng, CEO of iWEECARE.

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The social trading platform allows users to discuss strategies and share information with each other and leverage the collective wisdom to make informed decisions

The Philippines stock market has been struggling for the past few years while many of its neighbours in Southeast Asia registered huge growth. The country was one of the worst performing in the entire the region in 2018.

Although it has shown some positive signs in the early part of 2019, the stock market’s performance has been far from being impressive. Moreover, traders wishing to take advantage of the downtrend have very few opportunities to short the market.

A fintech company is determined to turn things around for the Philippines, with its social trading platform. eToro, a heavily-funded firm, has evolved from providing only foreign currency trading on its platform to providing multi-asset trading today, serving over 10 million users in 140 countries worldwide.

The company has offices in the UK, the US, Australia and Cyprus.

The Inception

eToro was founded in 2007 by Yoni Assia (CEO), with Ronen Assia (Co-founder and CPO). The company’s vision from day one has been to open the global markets for everyone to trade and invest in a simple and transparent way.

“Our platform solves the mental stress of entering a new and unknown territory, which most investors experience when having a first look at some other trading platforms,” Paul Familiaran, Head of Southeast Asia Business of eToro, tells e27. “As part of our constant efforts to accomplish our visions, we have introduced several features that are unique to eToro promoting accessibility and inclusiveness.

The company’s social trading platform allows users to discuss strategies, comment as well as to share information with each other and leverage the collective wisdom to make more informed investment decisions. “To be social about trading means to improve skills faster, compare strategies, share advice, ask questions with other traders and to know early on if you are doing well or not with your trades,” he says.

The other key feature is CopyTrading, which allows users to copy multiple investors with the click of a button. When a user opens the platform, he or she sees profiles of millions of traders. Every trader’s activity and history is automatically published. Users can simply copy the top investors.

Also Read: Thai fintech startup StockRadars allows users to duplicate trades executed by expert crypto traders; to raise US$12M via ICO

eToro’s clients can also gain access to peers’ Risk Score, gain, track record, portfolio composition and a variety of relevant information. It also offers many other programmes, such as Popular Investors, which enables top traders to earn a second income from being copied by others, and CopyPortfolios, which offers ready-made, long-term investment strategies.

Currently, eToro offers over 1,300 stocks, 83 exchange-traded funds (ETFs), 30 CopyPortfolios, six Commodities, 47 currencies, 13 indices and 14 cryptocurrencies.

“Our diverse product offerings have allowed us to tap into multiple investor segments. Our ever-expanding offerings and entry in the cryptocurrency trading domain have been well received in Southeast Asia that has seen a huge influx of investors,” Familiaran says.

According to him eToro now offers Filipino traders, who currently struggle thanks to the state of the local stock market, an opportunity to embrace a more diversified portfolio approach by investing in global markets and hedging their risk with a variety of investment instruments and in-depth analysis tools.

“As a new wave of cryptomania sweeps through the region, a new generation of investors has emerged. As per our data, more than 80 per cent of newly registered users on the platform from Southeast Asia invested in cryptocurrencies and then moved on to invest in other financial products. Given our rich product offering, we are convinced that it can attract more Filipino investors from across the spectrum,” he exudes confidence.

A Massive Opportunity

Online trading, in general, is a growing sector in the Philippines. While the demand for local shares (PSE) trading has steadily grown over the years, it has been seeing a sharp increase in demand for global assets.

Local traders are starting to realise that opportunities are not only limited to the PSE market. Well- educated traders are also seeing a big advantage in maintaining a well-balanced portfolio — one that has both local and international exposure.

“As for digital asset trading/investing, specifically in crypto-assets, we do see a sharp pick-up in recent months. While on other platforms one needs to open a crypto wallet, deal with different crypto exchanges and learn the technical complexities of doing a transaction, at eToro, buying a Bitcoin (BTC) is no different than buying an Apple (APPL) share,” Familiaran claims

Since inception, eToro has raised total of US$162 million in over eight funding rounds. Its investors include China Minsheng Finance, SBI Group, Korea Investment Partners, the World-Wide Investment Company Limited, Ping An Ventures, SBT Venture Capital (a fintech-focused fund whose main partner is Russia’s Sberbank), Spark Capital, BRM Group, and Commerzbank.

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MyInfo aims to provide a secure and convenient way to share personal information, thus avoiding unnecessary data entry

When it comes to dealing with customers and partners, many small businesses are still relying on paperwork in their daily operations today. Even for companies that have gone online, dealing with digital paperwork still remains as a common gripe. According to usability studies, the average online checkout form includes 14.88 fields. For an e-commerce business, this could potentially lead to cart abandonment and overall opportunity loss. Other businesses still struggle with manual data entry and lengthy back-end processing, especially when document submission is involved.

Building a Smart Nation

In 2014, the Singapore Government established the Smart Nation initiative, with a core focus on improving the lives of Singaporeans through technology. The Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) –responsible for implementing whole-of-government digital transformation – introduced initiatives to foster the development of electronic payments, digital services and secure digital identities for citizens, among others.

One of the basic tenets of building a Smart Nation is to make digital transactions user-friendly and seamless. While digital transactions become more popular and ubiquitous, it is imperative to ensure these transactions are secure, seamless, and convenient for both businesses and citizens.

This is where services like MyInfo step in. As a secure gateway for authentication and data retrieval, MyInfo, with users’ consent, promises a hassle-free experience when dealing with transactions that require personal data. The service also helps businesses to speed up processes and provide better customer experiences with automatically filled forms and instantly verified data.

Creating a National Digital Identity

MyInfo is one part of a larger government initiative to create a National Digital Identity for citizens and businesses. Launched initially in 2016 with selected government services, MyInfo later opened its doors to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In November 2017, the National Digital Identity (NDI) Developer and Partner Portal went live, allowing private companies to integrate MyInfo into their own business solutions via API access.

The use of secured, public APIs enables developers to experiment, build, and test a wide range of possible applications quickly and securely, with a range of NDI solutions at their disposal – these can range from basic services such as authentication, to additional value-added services like digital signing, identify verification via facial recognition, and more.

With this secure API, businesses can now easily acquire authenticated data on Singaporean Citizens and Permanent Residents, at their consent, without the need for form-filling and document submission when performing online transactions. The data is securely and automatically acquired from government agencies through a multi-tiered access model ensuring that only required information is provided.

Doing business in minutes

In practical terms, MyInfo can reduce time spent in verifying user information to a mere few seconds.

For example, opening a bank account with DBS used to require several documents (like a scanned copy of an identity card and bill). Bank employees would then manually assess and contact customers for clarifications. The back-and-forth process would have taken days. However with MyInfo, DBS is now able to streamline its processes and deliver services faster with the pre-filling of user information.

The real estate industry also benefits from MyInfo. Streetsine Technology Group, a digital property company, has already automated many of the processes involved in acquiring property, thanks to the NDI Developer and Partner Portal.

“Since MyInfo data is already in a common digital format, with permission given by the user, the information can be shared by banks to provide other relevant services, such as mortgage underwriting,” says Jeremy Lee, director and co-founder of StreetSine.

With verified information obtained from government sources, users can check their eligibility for home loans directly from any of the banks listed on the SRX site. Forms are populated automatically, and users can authorise the release of income information to apply for a loan.

The benefits of MyInfo also go beyond our Singaporean shores. Take the case of popular UK-based money transfer service TransferWise, for example. The company leveraged the NDI Developer and Partner Portal sandbox in integrating authentication and signature verification into its platform – making it easier for Singaporean citizens and residents to transfer funds to other TransferWise users across the globe.

“MyInfo solved a major pain point for TransferWise Singapore: it made verification instant and convenient for our users,” says TransferWise Senior Product Engineer Timothee Ledure. The company was able to cut verification costs for its Singaporean users by 30 percent through the platform.

The path ahead

GovTech’s main goal is to “harness the best info-communications technologies to make a difference to the everyday lives of people in Singapore.” As part of the National Digital Identity initiative, the MyInfo platform is an anchor service in the grander plan, to empower users and businesses, through collaboration and focus on delivering citizen-centric user experiences.

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The companies all follow a similar theme

The Singaporean taxi company ComfortDelGro has announced the first three investments of its new venture fund. It included a public and private transportation management systems and an autonomous vehicle safety solution.

The investments were made from the company’s US$100 million venture fund set up in November.

The three companies all operate under the theory that the future of transportation is going to be centralised. They work to find-and-fix inefficiencies (or improve safety). Assuming a central transportation network, the three startups are making a play to be leaders in their given lane.

Let’s take a look at the companies.

SWAT

SWAT is essentially a fleet management service for city planning. The company uses algorithms to try and optimise transportation routes and theoretically save everybody some money.

The technology takes into consideration constraints, estimated-time-of-arrival updates and other data to rank the ideal routes for the vehicle.

Also Read: From space stations to crime scenes: The remote AR revolution

The company has launched an on-demand bus system in Sydney, Australia. The launch was facilitated via ComfortDelGro’s Australian subsidiary, which makes sense given the investment.

Haulio

Haulio is Singapore’s startup answer to the hauling industry (think large 16-wheelers). In Singapore, it is impossible to call them long-haul logistics providers, but that is the industry they are attacking.

The logic behind Haulio is that by pooling jobs the industry can find the most efficient way to transport goods across the city-state.

ComfortDelGro invested in the company because it saw synergies between the technology that matches long-haul vehicles and how it could be implemented into the taxi industry.

Fortellix

The third company is out of Israel and it wants to improve the vehicle testing standards of the autonomous industry.

Fortellix wants to help take autonomous vehicle testing to the standards that will be necessary in the future. The startup assumes that today’s standards are fine, but will soon be insufficient when driverless cars become the core form of transportation. Fortellix wants to help take that industry to where it will inevitably find itself.

“Even as we continue to look at ways to grow our existing businesses, we are pursuing strategic investments in new and emerging technology start-ups which bridge the gap between what is, and what could be,” said Yang Ban Seng, the managing director and CEO of ComfortDelGro.

Also Read: eToro aims to make buying Bitcoin as easy as buying an Apple share

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Becoming a location independent professional is a major shift in life, and preparing for it can take years

When it comes to digital nomadism, people don’t just abscond from boring offices to settle down somewhere in Southeast Asia with a laptop. In this article, we’ve collected advice from people who are successfully managing work and traveling.

The main rule here is to have a detailed plan. It should start on day one when you decide that the path of digital nomadism is what you want: once you’re determined to make it a reality, it’s time to stop dreaming and take action.

Step 1: Reduce location ties

It’s hard to leave your familiar environment because too many things tie you to a specific location. Identify these ties and figure out how to make them looser. For some of us, it is the property that we cannot leave unattended, some cannot afford to travel or leave their home place until they pay down their loan, the list goes on

When preparing for your digital nomad’s career, identify things that you won’t need with your new lifestyle. Consider selling things that you own but don’t actually use, canceling your subscriptions or gym memberships, and make sure to free up some money for eliminating any debts you may have – otherwise, high-interest rates will inevitably threaten your wellbeing during traveling.

Step 2: Decide how you’ll be making money

It’s not uncommon for people to become digital nomads when they are already freelancing. However, any office worker can master a skill that would allow them to be location independent and still have a decent income.

Try to identify skills that you can develop, learn and later monetize online when working from abroad. If you already have a side hustle or a hobby that you can use to earn money, start increasing its share in your daily schedule until it becomes a reliable source of income.

When you feel ready to take on some “real” work that would require your skill, try finding a remote project or engaging in a freelance gig. This will give you the experience of remote work and teach you how to fix issues that you may encounter when working online. It will also help you start building your customer base so that you don’t need to hustle around after you relocate.

Also Read: Blockchain in the energy sector: Technology promised and this is what it has delivered

This step can be easier if you are a business owner. It might seem tricky because owning a business can be one of the things that tie you to your current location, but if moving it online is an option, the transition to digital nomadism can be really smooth.

A less viable but still likely option is convincing your current boss to allow you to work remotely. If this is a possible scenario, you might want to start off by proving that you can successfully work from home and then negotiating a full-time remote schedule.

Step 3: Make savings and cut your expenses

Whether you are new to location independent work or are an experienced freelancer, unexpected things at your new place cannot be completely ruled out. For example, a poor Internet connection, a common issue for places where digital nomads prefer to reside, can put your regular income at risk. That’s why you need an emergency fund for a rainy day, so start saving money in advance.

A good strategy for saving money is to cancel regular expenses that you won’t need to have in your journey (for example gym membership). Also, make sure you’re mindful about how you’re spending.

Be aware of the accumulated impact of seemingly small expenses: a US$5 Starbucks coffee cup a day amounts to $150 per month and $1825 a year. Don’t immediately spend money that you free up by selling stuff – instead, save it for the time when you might need it in your travels.

Step 4: Prepare all necessary paperwork

A not-so-romantic but an indispensable step of your preparation for digital nomadism is making sure you have all the necessary documents at hand and have a legitimate way of accepting payments for your work.

Different countries have different rules for freelancers and solo entrepreneurs regarding how much they can make before taxes apply. Explore law requirements for digital nomad income and taxes in the countries you’re intending to visit, and make sure you’re complying with them.

Also, don’t overlook insurance when planning your travel while hoping for the best, remember that the costs of medical services in most countries can deplete your savings. So don’t leave it to chance and buy insurance that will cover your costs in case of a medical emergency.

If you’re planning to work online for clients located in other parts of the world, finding appropriate bank solutions is a must. Sign up for a credit card, create a PayPal account, or consider using such services as Transferwise – depending on your needs. Of course, this can be done while you’re already abroad, but it’s better to set this up while you’re still in your home country.

Step 5: Stay connected with the outside world

The “outside world” is, first of all, your current employers and potential clients. They are the ones on whom your income depends, so it’s your responsibility to organize reliable ways for them to communicate with you. Get a local number/ VoIP and find a reliable Internet provider, and inform your employers immediately if your contact number changes.

Speaking of switching phone numbers, it’s sometimes tempting to optimize costs by changing plans and providers. However, don’t do it if it means frequently changing your number. Reliability is what matters the most when you’re working remotely, so make sure you’re always reachable for work-related issues and new orders.

Step 6: Create a plan and stick to it

You’ve been planning your digital nomad’s career with an intent to see places, right? So you don’t want to get stuck in one location just because you don’t know where to go next, or you can’t afford to move somewhere else because you’ve already spent too much. Sticking to a previously created plan helps to avoid this.

Also Read: The holy trinity of resources a founder should have

Planning is not only about your routes. Before moving to another location, explore the cost of living there, and see if your income allows you to visit. Calculate and plan your costs, and do your best to stay within your budget so that you don’t have to put a hand into your emergency pocket every once in a while.

…And some advice on how to organize your life at a remote location

First things first, don’t forget about your goals, plans and work commitments. You’re not on vacation even if it sometimes feels so. Stay organized and get the job done, even if the beach and the sun are tempting you to toss work aside for an hour or two.

Being reliable means having a stable income and getting paid well – so stay committed to your work.

This doesn’t mean that you only have to work during your trips. Only consider digital nomadism if you can afford to work a maximum of 40 hours a week. Otherwise, what’s the point of going to a tropical paradise if the only thing you see there is the screen of your laptop?

While working hard and delivering your work on time, don’t forget about seeing interesting places in each location you visit. Be a wise time manager and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Don’t agree to take on assignments beyond your reasonable workload, and plan your daily routine in advance to both accomplish your tasks and go sightseeing.

Be ready that you’ll be getting tired and disconnected sometimes. Whatever you may think and anticipate while staying in your home country, travels can be exhausting. Frequently changing locations, handling accommodation issues, dealing with long-distance flights is not what most of us are used to, so it will take time before it stops sucking your energy.

Spend your money mindfully, especially in the early stages. Resisting the temptation of buying everything you like is not always easy, but the feeling of financial stability is worth it.

When looking for cheaper transportation and accommodation options, don’t ignore the importance of the balance between economy and comfort: the final goal of digital nomadism is a better quality of life, so do your best to achieve it.

As hard and unrealistic as it can seem, becoming a digital nomad is a real-life opportunity to get the most value of your time. Preparing for it may take significant time, but the result will be worth it if you’re determined to make this lifestyle your reality. Follow your dream, plan everything mindfully and thoroughly – and enjoy a better life.

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Photo by Trinity Treft on Unsplash

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