The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated the potential of natural disasters to inflict wide-scale damage to human life and the economy. While the global community attempts to manage the impact of this pandemic, other natural disasters continue to cause damage and further loss of life. Raising awareness and building resilience towards all-natural disasters, that are impacting lives globally, has never been more critical.

The need is particularly great in the Asia Pacific. APAC is located in the most seismically active area worldwide, and almost half of the world’s natural disasters happen in the Asia Pacific. Between 2014 and 2017, natural disasters have impacted 650 million people and taken 33,000 lives in APAC. The economic damage is equally daunting — China, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the top four natural disaster-prone countries in Asia, are expected to lose $380 billion each year between 2016 and 2030 as a result of natural disasters.

How technology can help in natural disasters

Technological innovation has played an increasingly important role in advancing development across a range of industries; FinTech, InsurTech, MedTech among others. Similarly, there is huge potential for innovative technology to have a key role in disaster preparedness; through D-Tech (DisasterTech).

There are five major types of natural disasters, namely geophysical (e.g. earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, and volcanic activity), hydrological (e.g. floods), climatological (e.g. wildfires), meteorological (e.g. cyclones) and biological (e.g. pandemic).

Various tech solutions can help governments, communities, and businesses reduce the impact of these disasters. Early warning systems can provide valuable time to evacuate areas at risk, while maps that render real-time information can help citizens and first responders navigate safely and efficiently.

These innovations can turn the tide for many people in perilous situations. In 1991, poor communications and inadequate preparations left the villagers in Chittagong region of southeastern Bangladesh with no warning of the approaching tropical cyclone. The cyclone killed over 135,000 people and left 10 million homeless.

Almost three decades later, on May 21, 2020, Bangladesh and Eastern India were hit again by the season’s first tropical super cyclone Amphan. The casualties, however, were significantly lower due to a much-improved disaster response strategy, through upscaling of early warning systems, establishing public awareness, and enforcing buildings and shelters. 6 million people were successfully evacuated to shelters and fewer than 100 deaths occurred.

Other tech solutions can be used to prioritize resources and aid, reestablish communication and electricity supply, provide medical assistance, track and trace individuals, and distribute food, water, and sanitation.

More recently, we are seeing the use of tech in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Big data analysis on navigation searches are being used to reveal travel patterns and trends to predict outbreaks, while track and trace phone apps are used to identify individuals that may be infected.

The role of investors

While many view efforts in disaster preparedness as philanthropic in nature, the solutions to disaster resilience will not come entirely from the non-profit sector. The technological innovation that exists in the private sector may already have some of the answers, with a number of companies already generating interest from private investors in this space. Examples include One Concern, an artificial intelligence platform that measures resilience and predicts the impact of disasters, and Shield, creator of an AI-powered robot that is capable of autonomous outdoor and indoor intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. Both companies completed Series B fundraising in 2019.

Like any start-up, tech solutions that deal with disaster preparedness and recovery require scalability, market access, infrastructure spending, and R&D to prosper. VCs and private investors can utilize their expertise and resources to become active partners in developing D-Tech solutions that are both profitable and save lives.

D-Tech Awards to support solutions

Recognising the potential for tech solutions in disaster preparedness, Prudence Foundation created the D-Tech Awards in 2019, in order to identify and support start-ups with scalable solutions that could protect lives before, during, and after natural disasters.

Last year, the competition received around 60 applications representing a wide range of technologies. The winner, who received USD $100k funding, was FieldSight, a digital platform used to monitor the quality of infrastructure projects in remote areas to reduce the risk of destruction when a natural disaster occurs. FieldSight is now used as a tool for meeting the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) project standards globally.

Israel-based SeismicAI, a commercial-grade earthquake early warning system, was the first runner-up. Seismic AI’s goal is to replace outdated seismic models with unique physics and machine learning systems and was selected by Microsoft’s AI for Good accelerator programme in April 2020. These are just some of the promising tech solutions the D-Tech Awards have supported.

With the need for disaster technology solutions being greater than ever, Prudence Foundation, in partnership with e27, AVPN, Antler, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, National Geographic, and others, will be launching the next D-Tech Awards in November 2020 to find and support lifesaving technologies.

The D-Tech Awards aims to support solutions for disaster resilience, whether through a private-sector tech start-up or a not-for-profit social enterprise. Recognising the different aims and revenue models of these companies, the D-Tech Awards will offer two categories for application (profit and not-for-profit) and judge in accordance with these objectives. If you are interested in the potential of D-Tech or would like to find out how you can contribute to this growing space, please take a few minutes to provide your insights here.

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Every month, the team at e27 runs the Startup of the Month poll where we pick promising startups to give the extra coverage and attention that it deserves.

We are excited to announce Indonesia’s Soul Parking as the winner for Startup of the Month for June.

The unaddressed problem

Sometimes, the most innovative ideas come out of the frustration of founders who had to deal with the problem themselves. In the case of Soul Parking, that problem involves motorcycle parking in a country with a heavy traffic congestion problem.

As known by many, Indonesia is one of the most rapid-growing economies which also has the maximum land area, compared to its Southeast Asian counterparts. But major cities in the country have long been suffering from congestion problems due to its growing density, along with an increase of vehicles in the country.

About 82 per cent of the total vehicle in the region consist of motorcycles. The growth of motorcycle ownership has increased by about six per cent, in comparison to the growth of additional roads which is only 0.1 per cent per year.

This creates an imbalance and a situation where motorcycles significantly outgrowth the availability of roads.

There has also been a trend of mindless use of public space for parking which has further contributed towards the issue. The founders believe that this is a consequence of Indonesia’s narrow roads which has come from smaller cities to bigger cities.

Soul Parking CBO Andru Wijaya describes to e27 how the situation is like on the ground.

“Motorcycles are parked illegally everywhere. They are parked on the road, on the side of the road … They even use the bridge. That’s the consequence of having a small area of roads in Indonesia. Then it goes around to the big roads as well … it costs big time and adds to congestions,” says Wijaya.

“As Indonesian citizens, we want to make a change. We want to provide solutions that can have an impact on society,” he continues.

Behind the team

Soul Parking consists of brothers Kemas Ilham Akbar (CEO) and Kemas Riza Aulya (COO), who are joined by former high school friends Andru Wijaya (CBO) and Bahagia Waluyo (CPO).

The idea for the startup came early last year when the four were casually discussing some of the business prospects in  Indonesia related to traffic jams.

Before that, the brothers were working in the parking industry for around 10 years while Wijaya and Waluyo were business partners for a construction business.

Also Read: Indonesian smart motorcycle storage startup Soul Parking raises seed funding co-led by AC Ventures, Agaeti

“We simply came with the solutions that we believed was going to be good at tackling Indonesia’s traffic and parking problems. From that point on, we engaged more and spoke more in details. That’s basically how we started the company,” says Wijaya.

The Compact Motorcycle System

To tackle the challenges, Soul Parking builds a Compact Motorcycle System (CMS) which has been patented by the company.

As pictured above, the compact system allows motorcycle drivers to easily park their vehicles vertically, in an organised way. As of end-February, the company has opened its first location in Jakarta at Kebon Kacang area, right across Plaza Indonesia and Hotel Keraton. They intend to continue growing it.

The happy users have even expressed their satisfaction with the product on Instagram, raving the comfort that they receive and also the protection for their motorcycles from bad weather.

Some of the extra features of the CMS is added security which includes insurance coverage and CCTV installation.

In June, the startup announced an undisclosed seed funding round from co-led by AC Ventures and Agaeti Ventures, with the participation of strategic angel investors.

With the fresh funding, Soul Parking aims to build 10 CMSes this year. It also plans to develop a mobile app that includes features such as parking discovery, booking, and payments.

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Image Credit: Soul Parking, Fikri Rasyid

 

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Payfazz, an agency-based financial services platform for the underbanked in Indonesia, has raised US$53 million in Series B funding round, led by B Capital and Insignia Ventures Partners.

Tiger Global, Y Combinator and ACE & Company, also joined the round.

The fintech startup will use the money to strengthen its services and explore new possibilities across Southeast Asia.

As of today, the company has raised more than US$74 million.

Started in 2016, Payfazz offers a solution to people, especially those who do not have a bank account, to carry out financial transactions and digital payments easily and quickly.

Payfazz does so by making use of a network of financial agents, who work as middlemen between the bank and customers. These agents are located across multiple small stores and receive cash from users who wish to deposit their money.

Also Read: How unique lending platforms boost small businesses in Southeast Asia

Customers can purchase credit and electricity tokens and make payments for utilities, social security, and multifinance bills.

A large percentage of Indonesians still do not use digital banking services and this process will make it easy for people to engage in various financial transactions and understand the process better.

The landscape of the urban areas is also such that local shops that sell food and other necessities are easier to access than banks and ATMs.

Apart from that, the platform also helps agents earn an extra income by giving them the freedom to set margins for transactions which usually range from five to nine per cent.

The app was originally built to help people buy pre-paid phone credit and pay for electricity bills. However, it has now extended its services to offering loans and payments for offline retailers.

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Image Credit:  Hobi industri

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Impact Partners invests US$1.1M in Bangladeshi solar energy marketplace SOLshare

Bangladesh-based off-grid solar energy marketplace firm SOLshare has closed a US$1.1 million financing round led by IIX Impact Partners, a debt and equity crowdfunding platform for impact investing.

Current investors such as innogy New Ventures, the VC investment arm of German utility firm innogy SE, and the investment arm of Portugal-based utility firm EDP Ventures, are also part of the round. It also includes new angel investors from around the world.

Funding will be used to bring smart solar microgrids to off-grid, underserved communities in Bangladesh, putting SOLshare on track to positively impact 2.5 million people by 2023.

SOLshare describes its company as “the AirBnB of the energy access space that works toward an energy future fueled not by fossil fuels but by democratisation, decentralisation, and decarbonisation.”

To date, the Bangladeshi company has set up 30 peer-to-peer solar electricity trading grids in Bangladesh and India empowering remote communities by allowing them to share electricity seamlessly and fully embedded in a mobile money platform.

CARRO launches certified pre-owned automall in Indonesia

CARRO, Southeast Asian automotive marketplace, today launches Indonesia’s certified pre-owned automall. Located in Bekasi, the 5,000 square meters, two-storey building will house more than 250 super quality used cars.

CARRO said that even in today’s digital era where customers seek convenience through technology-based services, buying a new or used car is still an activity that customers want to experience first-hand before making the final purchase.

Also Read: Between data and gut feeling, which one do Singaporean customers trust to make decisions?

“CARRO certified pre-owned automall is creating a place for Indonesians to buy a used car. This follows through with our 5S promise: safety, smart savings, standardisation, super quality, and style, which addresses common pain points of buying used cars and redefines the entire customer experience. The CARRO Automall empowers customers with data-enabled information, complete transparency, and reduces the time taken to purchase a certified pre-owned car,” said Aditya Lesmana, Co-founder of CARRO.

Offering a fully integrated online to offline experience, buyers can inspect high-quality images from the comfort of their home and schedule a visit to CARRO Automall at their most convenient time. All cars are equipped with a unique QR code, which customers can scan to view details such as pricing information, financing options, features and history – providing a touchless inspection experience.

Hong Kong-based fintech company Reap raises seed funding, expanding to Malaysia

Reap, a fintech company with a mission to upgrade small businesses’ capabilities, announced the completion of its seed funding for US$5 million from investors such as Global Founders Capital, Bertelsmann Asia Investments, Index Venture, Fresco Capital, and Hustle Fund.

Reap wants to use the funding to widen its products and services. It will also expand across Asia, especially to Malaysia and South Korea.

Also Read: How fintech is disrupting the Southeast Asian payments market

Reap currently provides digital credit payment processing and revenue collection services in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vietnam. It provides corporate payment solutions that enable businesses to pay expenses and collect revenue via credit card.

The company enables small businesses to use their credit cards as a rolling credit source.

Singapore’s blockchain ecosystem shows growth in 2020: OpenNodes

According to the Singapore Blockchain Landscape Map 2020, a report by OpenNodes, Singapore’s blockchain ecosystem has seen substantial growth since 2019.

Supported by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the map includes a new industry segment –Decentralised Finance– a notable area for 2020 that has seen new companies emerge, as well as incumbents extending their services into various areas.

There has been an increased activity due to numerous globally recognised projects, such as the collaboration between Temasek and Facebook-backed Libra Association as its first Asian member. There has also been spun off of several subsidiaries, focusing on blockchain applications including digital identity and trade finance.

Recent studies by Deloitte Global Blockchain Survey 2019 and 2020 have also shown that more organisations are recruiting blockchain experts globally. The use of blockchain solutions can be increasingly seen in various live projects and particularly applicable amidst the various COVID-19 scenarios and the new normal, moving forward.

For a full view of the Singapore Blockchain Landscape Map 2020, click here.

Qlik, GovTech partners to deepen data science capabilities in public sector as part of Smart Nation initiative

Qlik and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) have signed a three-year Memorandum of Intent (MOI) to deepen public sector officers’ expertise and capabilities in the field of data science.

Both parties will build capabilities within the public sector in data discovery and visual analytics to meet the demands of a growing digital economy, in line with the country’s Smart Nation initiative.

Also Read: Singapore is the most data literate nation globally, according to new report

The strategic collaboration between Qlik and GovTech will offer public officers access to learning resources, industry best practices and the latest development tools to enhance their skillsets in data literacy and visual analytics.

Qlik will also be a part of the Data Arcade Tournament – GovTech’s annual visual analytics competition, providing a platform for public officers to create innovative, data-driven solutions to solve real-world challenges.

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Image Credit: SOLshare

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As the global health crisis hits the travel and tourism industries hard, travels have become driven more and more by necessity –instead of pleasure. With this as a background, travel tech giant Traveloka believes that more people are changing their behaviour due to the “hygiene factor.”

The Indonesian unicorn says that getting tested before moving locations and being mindful of hygiene are the most important things that one can do if they must travel during COVID-19.

Identifying this pattern, the company launched a new feature within its current app where users can book and schedule rapid COVID-19 tests. The idea is that receiving easy access to COVID-19 tests will become extremely crucial in the future for travel companies.

This feature is located in the Traveloka experience page, under the travel essentials. It showcases a range of prices available depending on the kind of service required, which varies from blood tests to swab tests.

Currently, it has partnered with four clinics and hospitals and has made its service available to 44 cities and regencies across Indonesia. Without any subjection, the service is currently not just subjected to travellers but has also been made available to the general public.

Also Read: Ecosystem Roundup: Traveloka reportedly close to raising US$100M; Cradle allocates US$6.2M for 2 startup schemes; Bukalapak’s Fajrin Rasyid joins Telkom

This is one of the ways that Traveloka has made a pivot ever since COVID-19 has hit the industry.

Travel trends

Despite having the new service on board, it does not mean that Traveloka is shifting its focus from travel and tourism to healthcare services. This step is taken as an innovation in a time of crisis.

In an interview with e27, Traveloka Head of Marketing Andhini Putri says that despite the impact caused by the virus, it is always important to identify customer pain points and try to solve them.

Domestic travel in Indonesia has already resumed and the company’s goal is to seize this opportunity even further –by providing ease and convenience of access to the mandatory travel requirements set by the government.

“We are very optimistic and we believe that overall the travel industry naturally is very resilient. We are certain that it’s going to bounce back and bounce back even stronger,” she stresses.

“While we are waiting on this situation to recover, our focus is really to work together with the government and all stakeholders in supporting the recovery of this industry.”

According to Putri, Traveloka has already seen a demand for travel and staycation from countries that have ended their lockdown. Even though the industry is far from total recovery, revival is slowly crawling up.

Also Read: KiotViet gets US$6M Series A funding from Jungle Ventures, Traveloka, eyeing expansion

“In Bangkok, people have already started to go on vacation to nearby areas such as Pattaya which are around two to three hours distance from Bangkok. We have also seen a demand for staycation where people are staying in hotels in their city for two to three days in some regions across Southeast Asia.”

Doubling down on these trends, Putri said that the company is offering “clean badges” to hotels and flight partners who they believe are meeting the cleanliness standards. This step is also taken to ensure Traveloka users that safety standards are met by travel and tourism services on the Traveloka platform.

They are also offering customers the option of flexible travel where they can cancel their trip or booking anytime they want.

It is important to note that even while some seem to be celebrating the re-opening of lockdowns, most are still wary of it.

“Right now, a predication cannot exactly be made on when the industry will completely recover. However, from my perspective, travel companies are still doing better than hospitality companies,” she concludes.

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Image Credit: Traveloka

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