As a leading pregnancy and babycare site and app in Southeast Asia (SEA), theAsianparent regularly spends hours in their product team meetings, analysing user behaviour. One time, the team noticed an “odd pattern” where heavy users would suddenly stop using the pregnancy tracker feature on the app.

Initially, they attributed the change to usual stuff such as mothers getting too busy with birth preparations to update the app. But then they uncovered the truth.

“We dug deeper and uncovered the painful truth that it was because they had experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth. And with horror, we realised that we were sending them push notifications about the upcoming arrival of their child when they were already grieving,” explains Roshni Mahtani Cheung, Founder & Group CEO of theAsianparent, in an email to e27.

The findings had led theAsianparent to start Project Sidekicks, a new initiative that aims to tackle the issue of high stillbirth rate in SEA. With the goal to reduce stillbirth rates in the region by 10 per cent over the next three years, there are three directions that the company is taking with its platform:

1. Content
The company aims to raise awareness of stillbirth risks and prevention through articles, videos, and infographics across its platform and partner media.

2. Community
It also provides support to parents who have experienced stillbirth and assist through their recovery process.

3. Tech
And finally, the company launches new functions to help reduce stillbirth: Kick Counter, Professional Advice, and Timely Notifications.

Saving lives

In Southeast Asia, stillbirth rates remain high with countries such as Indonesia having the highest rate. According to statistics, 13 out of 1,000 births in the country are stillbirth.

Also Read: theAsianparent onboards ex-Mumbrella Asia GM Dean Carroll to drive offline initiatives for brands, communities

But the good news is that, according to the WHO, about one-third of these cases are actually preventable. For example, in the third trimester, parents are encouraged to track their child’s movements and seek medical help when they notice anything unusual.

In the platform developed by theAsianparent, this effort is represented through the Kick Counter feature on their app which helps mothers count fetal kicks in a gamified manner.

Other ways to help prevent stillbirths is by having mothers to sleep on their side which theAsianparent encourages through social media campaigns such as #SleeponSide.

The team is also aware that stillbirth is a sensitive topic for discussion.

“theAsianparent approach to tackling any topic, from the most benign to the most taboo, is one that is non-judgemental. We focus on providing information, letting our readers decide what perspective they take,” Cheung explains.

“For this campaign, it was vital that we had medical experts to help us with that information. Mums and dads were able to access them too, through our webinars these past few months, covering topics like mental health during pregnancy and the importance of kick counting,” she continues.

Members of its community also take part by sharing their experiences.

“The project name SideKicks also expresses how theAsianparent is right there with mums and dads in this journey and throughout their parenthood. And the amazing part always is that we create these campaigns for the community, but they’re the ones who grow it and drive it. That really is the beauty of what theAsianparent has become and stands for,” Cheung says.

Also Read: Tickled media’s theAsianparent closes a seven-figure Series C funding to expand its baby products business

What is next

Project Sidekicks was launched in July and theAsianparent continues to work with different partners to promote it.

“With our mission to help 100 million families have healthy pregnancies and families, we find Project Sidekicks at the core of what we’ve set out to do,” Cheung says.

In 2021, at the next phase of the project, the company plans to expand their coverage to include miscarriages and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

“I know that baby loss is such a tough, heavy topic to bring to light and discuss openly. That only means that there are so many questions unasked, stories never told, support never given, advice never heard,” Cheung stresses.

“So we are committing to this cause, with the hope that it makes a difference. Just one life saved through Project Sidekicks will make every second and cent that has gone into the campaign, worth it millions and billions of times over,” she closes.

 

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The Digital Revolution is upon us. It’s changing everything, and it starts with data. It’s changing the world’s economy and bringing new leaders into the light, influencing international relations on a global scale, and creating disputes over data rights. A shift in power and thinking has arrived.

With new data comes new opportunity. When done correctly, this newly-available information architecture can help some of our generation’s brightest minds make an impact that could last lifetimes. That is what is happening in Southeast Asia.

Solve a problem and fix it. In the simplest sense, that’s what it comes down to. When brilliant minds sit around a table, talk on the phone, or ideate a business idea from across the globe, the inevitable beginning includes one straightforward question: What’s the problem in my neighbourhood, city, or country, and how can I fix it?

Make money, and you’ve answered the question correctly. Make money and improve your neighbourhood, city, country, or planet while you do it, and you’re using the Digital Revolution to change your world for the better.

Here are six Asian startups that are doing it right.

The R Collective, Hong Kong

Born from Redress, a charity founded in Hong Kong in 2007 to battle waste in the fashion industry, The R Collective employs sustainability-minded producers, designers, and marketers to create fresh clothing and fashion designs using end-of-life upcycled materials.

The R Collective rescues fabric and other materials close to destruction, reuses even the smallest scraps that don’t make it into specific designs in other projects, and reimagines fashion processes to give its clientele a new outlook on the industry with creativity and innovation.

The result is a 15 per cent decrease in fabric cutting waste when compared to traditional practices.

Also Read: How social good can target business challenges

The fashion and textile industry is the second-largest polluter globally and produced 2.1 million tons of CO2 in 2018, approximately four per cent of the planet’s emissions.

By pursuing a dedicated and driven approach to waste reduction in the fashion industry, The R Collective is doing its part to drive the industry as a whole toward circular fashion, a bold initiative championed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Design Strategies.

Freedom Cups, Singapore

There are 1.2 billion women worldwide who do not have access to or cannot afford necessary feminine hygiene products. Freedom Cups, a revolutionary company founded by three sisters, seeks to end the period problem worldwide by selling Freedom Cups to women who can afford them and giving them to women who can’t.

The business model is simple: for every one Freedom Cup purchased, one is donated to a person in need.

In addition to providing a humanitarian solution to a global problem, Freedom Cups also make a sizable difference in waste reduction. The cups are reusable, can be used for up to 12 hours at a time, last up to 10 years, are relatively inexpensive, and consist of medical-grade silicone. One Freedom Cup equals approximately 5,000 regular pads or tampons per woman. That’s a lot of saved waste.

Freedom Cups are available in single cups or a package of three. The company also offers a variety of other cleansing products, such as liquid soap and wipes.

Freedom Cups have partnered with women organisations around Africa and Asia to give back to low-income communities.

Impact Terra, Myanmar

Founded in 2016 by Erwin Sikma, Impact Terra provides data-based services to Myanmar’s farmers in a way never done before.

Also Read: Southeast Asia is in plastic waste crisis, and these 16 sustainable startups strive to turn things around

Over 70 per cent of Myanmar’s population is directly or indirectly affected by the agriculture industry. Now, with Impact Terra’s Golden Paddy Platform, farmers can get customised and real-time updates about weather patterns and local crop prices, as well as access to favourable and formal financing opportunities at reasonable rates.

Based on where a user lives, Golden Paddy will give actionable suggestions about market changes, updated farming best practices, and tips on overcoming climate change in the region.

Impact Terra’s mission is to digitally empower smallholder farmers worldwide by offering their data services to all corners of the country. Approximately 80 per cent of Burmese farmers have an internet connection on their phones, giving them up-to-the-minute status updates.

Impact Terra’s impact goes deeper than merely giving information to farmers. The benefits are far-reaching and wide-ranging in a country that saw nearly 25 per cent of its population living at or below the poverty line as recently as 2017. The Golden Paddy Platform lifts people out of poverty by reducing crop and food waste with its information architecture and availability.

It eliminates hunger by increasing food availability and informing about sustainable food production. It empowers thousands of women by allowing them access to the same information as men farmers. It creates climate awareness through its market research, financing opportunities, crop recommendations, and weather updates.

Lumitics, Singapore

Lumitics aims to reduce food waste by up to 30 per cent, cut yearly food costs up to eight per cent, and drastically lower users’ environmental footprint with its seamless food waste solution: Insight.

Intended for restaurants, hotels, casinos, cruise ships, and airliners, Insight offers data analysis with the push of a button to optimise production, preserve yield rates, engineer menus and provide a complete outline for smarter purchasing.

Also Read: Taipei to host global entrepreneurs’ conference exploring use of AI, IoT for social good

It’s simple: attach Insight to any rubbish bin in the kitchen, toss leftover food inside, press the button, and Insight tracks, identifies, measures, and quantifies the amount and type of food waste.

Co-founder and CEO Rayner Loi said the team has partnered with some of the world’s largest hotel chains and hopes to expand its reach quickly to maximise food waste reduction.

Over 1.6 billion tons of food is wasted each year globally, including just over 763,000 tons in Singapore alone. That equals to approximately six per cent of all emitted greenhouses gases during a calendar year.

More data gives business owners and corporations the tools necessary to make environmentally-friendly and cost-effective food waste decisions.

BukuWarung – Indonesia

BukuWarung gives the power back to the people. For the estimated 60 million micro-merchants dotting Indonesian cities, towns, and villages, BukuWarung allows small businesses to use digital and straightforward bookkeeping services.

Because many small business owners throughout Indonesia use low-end smartphones and flip phones, the app is ultra-lightweight to allow online and offline ledger editing.

Also Read: 6 social enterprises that want to change the world

Since BukuWarung’s initial launch, co-founders Chinmay Chauhan and Abhinay Peddisetty say the business has more than 200,000 active monthly users.

But BukuWarung has loftier goals set for the near future, including a full suite of financial services. As COVID-19 ravages the world, Indonesian consumers continue to demand contactless payments and instant payouts to optimise comfort during financial transactions. Investors believe BukuWarung fills this financial service need for the country.

On September 29, the company secured an investment round led by several prominent angel investors such as Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen and Uber CPO Scott Belsky.

BukuWarung hopes that it will reach all 60 million businesses across the country and become an all-in-one solution for business financial needs in time. So far, the company has 600,000 registered merchants across 750 cities, towns, and villages.

iHandal Energy Solutions, Malaysia

iHandal CEO Aaron Patel came up with the idea for his energy solutions business when he found the potential to save over 90 per cent of thermal emissions as a 15-year-old boy in high school. The idea came out of necessity after his dad suffered a stroke, and the boy had to help make money for the family.

iHandal offers arecyclable energy solution that takes wasted energy from businesses, hotels, and corporations and turns it into sustainable heating and cooling.

Also Read: For social enterprise, how to balance social good with the realities of business?</a>

iHandal captures excess energy and wasted heat, compresses it with its heat fuse technology, and channels it back into the building to different processes, saving money and reducing emissions.

The Malaysian-based company will first complete an energy audit for potential clients for free and offer a guaranteed amount of savings. The system will then run until it reaches the agreed-upon thermal energy cost savings.

iHandal’s vision is to develop innovative solutions to create a better environment for future generations. It aims to save 200 million tons of emissions by 2030, the rough equivalent of 42 million passenger vehicles per year.

The company has partnered with the Ritz Carlton Millenia in Singapore, the Tune Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, and the Equatorial Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, among others. The company has a 60 per cent market share in Malaysia and has contracts in Australia, Germany, Denmark, Austria, and the US.

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Our modern routine is full of tasks, obligations, calls, and overall a huge amount of distractions.

How do some people handle stress and stay more productive than others? The answer is deep work – a process of focusing on one thing without distraction.

A popular book called Deep work: Rules for focused success in a distracted world, written by Georgetown University professor Cal Newport unpacks the methods to develop a set of skills essential for achieving great exceptional results of work through the deep work phenomenon.

The origins of methodology

Newport defines deep work as “Professional activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that pushes your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.”

The author’s central principle – the deep work, is the kind of research you will need to develop to succeed in your career. He outlines the key reasons why deep work matters:

• The speed of change is accelerating. The hard skills we have today may be useless in five years. Deep work gives us a practical method to continuously learn and reinvent ourselves.
• Secondly, deep work helps you produce original work of higher quality. Mediocracy simply doesn’t cut it in a world where you compete in a global playing field.

Also Read: How gamification is increasing productivity during COVID-19

He highlights major benefits to establish a deep work practice:

• It’s valuable as it enables us to learn new skills more quickly, as well as leverage our existing skillset.
• It’s differentiated because as the world becomes full of distractions, fewer people are able to go deep.
• It’s meaningful because we get more meaning and fulfilment out of being focused in our daily work.

Newport divides work into two categories:

Shallow work: Tasks that are logistical or non-cognitive. They are easy to replicate and are often performed in a state of distraction.

Deep work: Tasks that are generating new value and are not subject to replication. They push cognitive capabilities to their limit and are expected to be performed in a distraction-free environment.

Deep work vs distraction

Deep work is not something the majority of people are able to practise. To become successful in doing deep work, you have to practice a lot.

Unfortunately, in the modern world, there are a lot of barriers preventing the typical employee from practicing deep work. Firstly, we’re supposed to be constantly online. Email and corporate apps, messengers make the instant communication, sometimes out of working hours, a regular thing.

There are other distractions that chase us throughout the whole day. Social media is always attracting us with something new and wasting our valuable time, colleagues invite us for an online chat, and eventually, you get calls from friends and family.

Also Read: 5 common productivity challenges affecting remote worker and how to overcome them

Below are a few steps to help you achieve deep work.

Ritualise it

Our brain likes it when we establish a routine. To integrate deep work into your workday helps to identify the principles of dedication in advance.

The following rituals can help:

• Become very good at agenda management: you need to structure things like the space and the duration of the work you are willing to do. It is crucial to know in advance what exactly you are going to do during your deep work time. With an agenda in mind, you would stay concentrated and proceed to the predefined assignment.
• Finding a place where none and nothing will distract you is essential, as this will help you to stay focused.
• Finally, make sure you have all the tools you need to help you throughout your deep work time. Books, equipment, food, and anything else that might make you happy.

Execute like a business

Thanks to its effectiveness, deep work allows you to concentrate on the most important: a limited set of goals that optimise your deep efforts. Those targets will demand and inspire you to dig further.

In accordance with this approach, organisations use key performance indicators (KPIs), the main metrics for efficiency. This theory can also be used in your deep work routine as well to help monitor self-productivity.

Also Read: Why remote working is the future for startups

Being online

Being always online is a constant habit in today’s digital world. Very often the internet distracts us while doing an important task so minimising and controlling when and how long we can access it, can create magic. You should identify a time period when the Internet is allowed. This helps to prioritise critical tasks and get everything done on time.

Quit social media

Many of us spend a solid amount of time daily on just scrolling down our Facebook or Instagram. Try to stop that habit and instead devote that time to deep work. Whether you are not sure if you need to quit social media at all or partially, just be honest with yourself and ask if spending time on social networks really gives you a sense of fulfilment. If not, then you will for sure find something more exciting and useful.

Plan your day by minutes

Part of the reason why distraction is so easy is that we don’t have a day structure. The absence of deadlines and restrictions makes us hop from one task to another, without understanding that the result is not satisfying at all.

By planning our day in advance, we need to split it into smaller segments and decide the amount of time each task requires. If there are any unexpected things arising, you can always adjust them to your daily schedule. The schedule planned in advance allows you to value your time and find the right work/life balance.

Become hard to reach

Being accessible 24/7 is not always as comfortable as the risk of getting distracted is absolutely high. Try to become inaccessible while you are in the deep work sessions. Switch off your phone, your internet, and concentrate on the moment.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing contributions from the community. Become a thought leader in the community and share your opinions or ideas and earn a byline by submitting a post.

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Codemi, a Jakarta-based startup providing cloud-based learning management system for corporations, has secured an undisclosed sum in funding from Init 6.

Init 6 is an early-stage VC firm launched in April this year by Bukalapak co-founders Achmad Zaky and Nugroho Herucahyono.

The edutech startup will use the fresh capital for product development and security enhancement, it said in a statement.

Also Read: Bukalapak co-founders launch Init 6 to back early-stage startups in Indonesia

Along with this announcement, Codemi has also appointed Zaky as Commissioner.

Launched in 2013, Codemi helps companies overcome problems in conducting training programmes, such as limited trainers and space that hinder the delivery of training materials, difficulties in measuring the development, and learning outcomes of each employee and the high distribution of training materials, especially for companies with branches in various locations.

The platform enables participants to take classes, exams and discuss their classes. As for administrators, they will be able to manage the programme and content, while checking on reports and analyse them.

The firm has launched three new products — instructor-led learning, collaborative learning, and on-the-job learning.

Codemi earns revenue through subscriptions.

Also Read: Bukalapak names Rachmat Kaimuddin as new CEO, replacing Achmad Zaky

Its clients include Frisian Flag, Manulife, Ranch Market, and OK Bank.

Zaki Falimbany, Founder and CEO, Codemi, said: “The pandemic has greatly impacted how learnings are being conducted in corporations…we continuously work on our products so that they can facilitate easier learnings for employees and partners.”

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Singapore-based Intelligent Video Solutions (iVS), which was until recently known as iVideoSmart, has announced the launch of its programmatic in-stream video advertising marketplace in Southeast Asia.

The marketplace provides advertisers with a single point of access to in-stream video inventory across premium publishers in the region, whereas publishers get a platform with hosting, transcoding and streaming capabilities.

Also Read: 4 tips for creating highly engaging video advertisements

“We have a unique opportunity to develop the leading programmatic marketplace for in-stream video advertising in Southeast Asia, which is an unprecedented offering to the market. Building out the demand side function of the business is no small task, so we are primarily looking at getting the right mix of talent and technology in place as we ramp up the operation,” said Milan Reinartz, CEO of iVS.

Established in 2016, iVS is a video advertising platform for both publishers and advertisers in Southeast Asia. The platform uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to enable better monetisation opportunities and consumer engagement.

iVS aims to disrupt the video content industry by increasing video inventory available to online publishers, as well as improving viewer experience and video ads’ effectiveness through the use of embedded (non-invasive) and engaging ads targeted at individual viewer preference.

Today, iVS has over 150 publisher partners across the region, including Kompas Gramedia, Brilio, Tempo, Detik, Kaskus and several others of the Kapanlagi group in Indonesia; GMA, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Summit Media, ABS-CBN, Manila Times, Bohol Chronicle in the Philippines; TantanNews, Sinchew and PocketTimes in Malaysia; and AsiaOne and Mothership in Singapore.

iVS claims it currently serves over 120 million users across over 1.2 billion pages each month and operates in six markets, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and the US.

In March 2019, iVS announced a US$4.5 million Series A+ funding from a host of investors, including Kickstart Ventures (lead), Darwin Ventures, SGInnovate, Monk’s Hill Ventures and EE Capital.

On-boarding new CRO, CTO

As part of its expansion in the region, iVS has also announced the appointment of Hari Shankar as Chief Revenue Officer and Joc Cing Tay as Chief Technology Officer.

Also Read: Why every startup needs to embrace video marketing in 2020

Shankar previously held the roles of CEO at Singapore Media Exchange (SMX), Managing Director at Ecselis (Havas Media Group) and Head of Digital Acquisition (APAC) at PayPal.

Shankar will be responsible for acquiring new publishers and advertisers onto the platform.

“Despite the challenging environment, particularly for advertisers who saw budget cuts earlier this year due to Covid-19, we are seeing a strong rebound in demand for a solution that effectively engages consumers for advertisers and increases video inventory for online publishers,” said Shankar.

Tay was previously VP of Engineering at Appier in Taiwan, leading a team of over 100 engineers.

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Image Credit: iVS

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