Updates: We have corrected several parts of the article including Philippe Chiu’s surname and Unabiz’s services. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.

Singapore-operated IoT company who specialises in low power wireless network, UnaBiz, is on a fast track.

During a virtual correspondence with Henri Bong (CEO), Davy Lassagne (CFO), and Philippe Chiu (CTO), we were brought into the company’s journey in making the world an energy-conscious place, one step at a time, and convincing investors to invest in its Series B round, shortly after winning a deal with Nippon Gas Co. (Nicigas), the largest Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) operator in Japan.

What the company does

UnaBiz’s IoT solutions are characterised by its simplicity and efficiency because the company said that “the best IoT experience is one that is simple and easy to use”.

“We champion low power consuming wireless products and solutions which translate to years of battery autonomy. Installation is kept simple, with no infrastructure investment, so that projects can be scaled up easily, globally,” said Bong, painting the mental image for what exactly the company offers.

Catering to customers’ unique energy needs

Bong then explained further: “When it comes to customised solutions, we always take our time to understand our clients’ field, before recommending the right solution that is best suited to their requirements.”

Doing this means stripping away unnecessarily complex features and sending small data packages so that less power is used. “Currently, our main focus lies in smart metering, smart parking, asset tracking, and asset management,” he explained.

The deal that took a turn

With what the company offers, in November 2019, Nicigas signed a deal with UnaBiz. It was done shortly after Nicigas announced its plan to digitalise the consumption management of their business.

Bong explained that UnaBiz was chosen because Nicigas had shopped around for several off-the-shelves and custom-build solutions from reputable companies but none of them meet their requirements completely, at the right cost for them to justify their ROI.

Also Read: Six Singapore-based IoT companies sign deal with Thailand’s depa

“We came in at the right time with the right set of skills and expertise to make it happen. Being small and agile allows us to adapt our solutions and processes to meet our customer’s needs in a much faster timeframe compared to bigger players,” Bong said.

The deal would involve UnaBiz as hardware provider and Soracom as IoT platform provider deploying 850,000 smart gas meter readers across the Kanto Region by the end of 2020.

The project was meant to seek to upgrade the energy retailer’s grid into IoT-enabled, digitalised, and data-driven operations are one of the most ambitious IoT projects worldwide.

Bong also recalled that the possible collaboration dated way before the deal is done. “We met Nicigas two years ago in Japan through the introduction of our strategic partner and investor Soracom, part of the KDDI group,” Bong recalled.

Nicigas is now deploying thousands of smart meters per day.

How UnaBiz’s technology changes lives

Household energy-consumption data has traditionally been collected manually by dedicated staff every month. This method is costly, prone to errors, and entirely dependent on a regular workforce which most companies do not have the luxury of currently.

With the new smart meter readers, consumption data can be collected hourly without any manual reading and is sent wirelessly to Nicigas daily. Secondly, more accurate data also translates to optimised gas delivery which reduces stress on logistics.

What this means for the utility company by choosing to collect data in a cost-efficient manner, more regularly, is lower operational cost, and overall better decisions on pricing, logistics, and infrastructure needs.

As for the gas consumers, it means access to accurate billing and a customised service offer that is catered to their lifestyle based on their usage pattern.

In the event of an emergency, such as an earthquake or a gas leak, the meters can automatically shut down the gas valve, which would have been a challenge with restricted movement.

Also Read: IoT company UnaBiz raises US$10M+ Series A funding round

What’s next for the industry

Chiu continued: “We do not believe in the term ‘energy-conserved tech industry. It simply doesn’t make sense to have an industry driven by a single goal of energy conservation.”

The company chose to view energy-saving as one of many ways for companies with tangible assets in the field such as beer kegs, airport ground equipment, utility meters, and so on to become more efficient and economically sustainable.

UnaBiz believes that while some companies rely on these methods to survive and deal with the ever-increasing cost of operations and rarifying resources, some companies may qualify these actions as energy conservation efforts.

Also Read: IoT should be like the air we breathe: UnaBiz on making the technology accessible to everyone

“Once company executives understand that energy conservation is all about business optimisation, we will be here to help them digitalise their business using IoT, which is a mandatory stepping stone toward sustainable business,” Chius said.

Series B financing

Even though it may not appear to be the best timing, UnaBiz confirmed that the Series B fundraising for the company has kicked off. The reasoning behind the fundraising made complete sense.

UnaBiz believes that the fact that the company is already profitable in its third year of operations and their ability to bounce back and remain resilient even with the sudden hit of the COVID-19 pandemic has proven their worth to the investors.

“But all in all, we believe that IoT related tech companies are going to benefit from this growing interest, as the coronavirus has pushed even more corporations to accelerate their digitalisation,” Lassagne emphasised.

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Image Credit: UnaBiz

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In order to help the frontline healthcare workers and government to fight the COVID-19 pandemic better, Singapore-based startup Solubots unveiled today a self-cleansing disinfecting robot (SDR).

Solubots, a subsidiary of Solustar, said in a statement that SDRs can clean facilities while maintaining social distancing. The robot will be capable of cleaning areas the size of a hospital room in less than 30 minutes, it claims.

The machine shoots strong jets of disinfecting solution carrying either chlorine or hydrogen peroxide out of its nozzle to clean spaces.

Also Read: Watch how these robots have invaded into the mainstream Asian market

SDRs can either be controlled by operators using a remote control device, or they can utilise their autonomous navigation mode for general disinfecting where they operate entirely on their own.

Still in the trial stage, the products will be distributed locally, as well as in the  Southeast Asia region.

Louis Loo, CEO of Solustar, believes that by utilising SDRs, the problem of human resources can be lessened while decreasing the dangers of being exposed to the virus.

“Our immediate priority is to work with hospitals, the government, commercial offices, public space operators, and other organisations to deploy the robot to make a difference in Singapore’s fight against COVID-19. SDRs can also be rolled out in trains, airports and hotel lobbies to safeguard the interest of our population,” he said.

Another local startup, SESTO Robotics, had also launched a dual-function autonomous mobile disinfectant robot, called the SESTO HealthGUARD, earlier this month.

Down south, in India, a Delhi-based startup PerSapien has developed Minus Corona UV Bot, an ultraviolet light-based robot, which enables sterilisation of hospital corridors, wards, ICUs and patient rooms without exposing anybody to the contaminated environment.

This machine comprises a UV-C lamp, mounted on a wheeled robotic platform, that is operated (front-back, left-right) with remote control. It is also equipped with a camera that gives the perspective from the driver’s seat onto a digital screen to remotely control the UV robot and avoid any obstacles.

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Seekmi partners Tokopedia, Lazada to launch on-demand disinfectant service

Seekmi, Indonesia’s blue-collar services startup, announced a partnership with e-commerce players Tokopedia and Lazada to launch disinfecting services.

Both e-commerce companies have chosen to work with Seekmi to launch disinfection services, which is currently in high demand as businesses begin to reopen and they need a way to regain the trust of their customers and employees. Seekmi’s disinfection service is called the Advanced Disinfection Service, which is a way to prevent the spread of the serious illness that has crippled the country.

Through the partnerships, customers of Tokopedia and Lazada can easily order disinfection services on their respective platforms through the Seekmi Official Store as well as track the order progress and review the service right on Tokopedia and Lazada.

NEXEA, MDEC collaborates to launch Entrepreneurs Programme for local tech entrepreneurs

NEXEA Angels has collaborated with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to launch the Entrepreneurs Programme, an exclusive private forum for CEOs of local startup companies to learn and grow together. It offers peer-to-peer learning to help startup CEOs to find a solution to their business issues and providing experienced mentors as well as an exclusive monthly full-day meeting.

NEXEA’s Entrepreneurs Programme complements MDEC’s #DIGITALvsCOVID movement, which aims to harness digital technologies to support the public, entrepreneurs, and businesses to tide the economic challenges caused by the pandemic.

Also Read: Entrepreneur First unveils the 12 startups of its inaugural Singapore cohort

Tech analyst Benedict Evans joins global talent investor Entrepreneur First

Entrepreneur First (EF)​, the global talent investor, has appointed Silicon Valley tech analyst ​Benedict Evans​, as Venture Partner. ​Evans’ appointment becomes the latest in a series of high-profile hires for EF, which has added several new members to the global team in the last 12 months.

Evans will be providing game-changing analysis, insight, and recommendations for new technologies and markets that offer opportunities for the EF model and future cohorts. He will also work with the Executive Committee on strategy and portfolio composition direction.

With over 15 years of experience in the tech and media industries, he comes on board as an advisor to EF’s global portfolio and will be supporting the current and upcoming cohorts at Investment Committee, including the ongoing Asia 7 cohort which will be unveiled in July later this year. For the last six years, he was based in San Francisco where he was a partner at Andreessen Horowitz.

Alongside Evans’, the global talent investor has recently welcomed Sam Barnett as President, Bernadette Cho as General Manager of EF Singapore, Philipp Herkelmann as General Manager of EF Berlin, and Andy Young as Vice President of Growth.

FOX-TECH partners WhatsHalal to traceability across the supply chain for Southeast Asian Islamic community

FOX-TECH, data-based operation monitoring startup, announced its partnership with blockchain-based app catering to Muslim community’s needs, WhatsHalal, providing a solution to enhance the perishable goods value chain’s risk management and policy compliance practises through WhatsHalal for the Islamic community in Southeast Asia.

Also Read: Meet the Southeast Asian startups participating at the Sydney Landing Pad programme

FOX-TECH empowers business owners to improve their operations through monitoring using data analytics, and maintain the perfect cold chain for perishable goods. By partnering with WhatsHalal, they wish to expand their reach to the Islamic community in Southeast Asia, providing a holistic solution to Halal providers.

“We believe that through our services, not only can we ensure the integrity of the products, but also provide a quicker approach to Halal certification, enabling businesses across Southeast Asia to offer their products across the region,” said Yadia Colindres, Chief Operating Officer of FOX-TECH.

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Image Credit: Seekmi

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Shipper, an Indonesia-based logistics aggregator, has reportedly raised US$20 million in Series A funding led by Naspers.

Also participated in the round are AC Ventures, Insignia Ventures Partners, and Lightspeed Venture Partners, says a DailySocial report.

Neither Shipper nor the investors have confirmed this development to the publication.

Shipper was established in 2017 by co-founders Budi Handoko and Phil Opamuratawongse.

It offers a dashboard to help sellers on e-commerce platforms to manage the delivery of their customers. The dashboard allows sellers to get recommendations on the most efficient logistic services, including for courier pickup and integrated reports.

Shipper’s technology can be used to predict the best shipping routes and consolidate packages headed in the same direction. It also provides a multi-carrier API that allows sellers to manage orders, print shipping labels, and get tracking information from multiple providers on their phones.

The company targets to have at least 1,000 micro-hubs to facilitate pickups and 20 logistics centres.

Shipper also gears up for regional expansion to markets, such as Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Also Read: E-commerce logistics Shipper secures US$5M from Lightspeed Ventures, Floodgate Ventures, Insignia Ventures Partners, Y Combinator

Shipper claims to have around 2,500 logistics providers in Indonesia operating under its platform and 25,000 online sellers.

In September 2019, the company closed US$5 million in funding from Lightspeed, Floodgate Ventures, Insignia, Convergence Ventures, and Y Combinator.

Shipper was part of Y Combinator’s Winter 2019 batch.

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Photo by Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition on Unsplash

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Vickers Venture seeking investment from Korean investors for its US$500M fund VI

Singapore-based Vickers Venture Partners is reportedly in talks to attract South Korea-based institutional investors to invest in the second round of its sixth fund worth US$500 million, according to a report by Korean Investors.

The VC firm is aggressively marketing the fund to domestic institutions investing in overseas venture capital funds.

Vickers recently submitted an investment proposal to a fund of funds manager investing in startups and small businesses, Korea Growth Investment Corp.

Besides the aforementioned funds’ manager, the VC firm has successfully had Korea Venture Investment Corporation to commit US$16 million in the first round of fundraising, making up a total of US$200 million.

With its sixth fund, Vickers has already made follow-up investments in six companies, including US life science company Samumed, biodegradable plastic startup RWDC Industries, and Singapore’s financial technology firm Matchmove Pay.

Also Read: Vickers Venture Partners leads US$34M funding round for US-based Lumitron

MyCash Online obtains MAS licence, ties up with bKash

Malaysia-based cross-border remittance startup MyCash Online announced today it has obtained the Standard Payment Institutes (SPI) license by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

This enables the fintech startup to provide account issuance, cross-border money transfer, and e-money issuance in Singapore.

Simultaneously, the company announced a partnership with bKash Wallet to introduce wallet-to-wallet remittance services from Singapore to Bangladesh.

This integration enables migrant workers in the isolation areas of Singapore to transfer real-time money directly to any bKash wallet account in Bangladesh using the MyCash Wallet app and website.

MyCash Group CEO Mehedi Hasan said: “Over 100,000 Bangladeshis are currently working in Singapore and most of them are now living inside isolated dormitories. To make their life easy and help them and their families to enjoy the upcoming Eid, we have brought this service to them.”

“With more than 30 million registered users and over 300,000 agents across Bangladesh, we are excited to welcome bKash as our preferred partner to make the remittance services more accessible to our customers,” he added.

Vietnam’s skill-sharing marketplace Vibeji raises US$70K from Reapra

Singapore-based venture builder Reapra has invested US$70,000 in Vietnamese skill-sharing marketplace Vibeji, as reported by DealStreetAsia.

Operated in Ho Chi Minh City, Vibeji was founded in 2018 to allow users to offer and book activities online.

Vibeji said that its business model “encourages young people to commit to social distancing without fully giving up on entertainment, meeting people, and other experiences”.

It also provides a second source of income for those who lost their full-time jobs or are suffering from unpaid job termination.

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Photo by Yeo Khee on Unsplash

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