Grab, gojek close in on terms for merger; They have narrowed their differences of opinion, though some parts of the agreement still need to be negotiated; Under one structure with substantial support, Grab co-founder Anthony Tan would become the CEO of the combined entity, while gojek executives would run the new combined business in Indonesia under the Gojek brand. Bloomberg

Is the future of retail in AI?; Google and Facebook are largely AI machines. On the ad side, both are pushing to give more control to their AI (and out of your hands); Amazon already uses AI to guide their delivery driver routes; And in a world of AI-driven drones and self-driving cars, how far off are we where a customer can get an order in hours without a single human touching it? Inside Retail

The holiday edit: Zalora CMO on how to tap social media to induce consumer shopping behaviour; Jo Bjordal says livestream e-commerce will continue to become a more important sales channel in Southeast Asia as the markets mature; SEA is a mobile-first region, with most countries ranking high in mobile phone ownership ratio and use of mobile in their communications. e27

How Singapore’s Scalo Technologies helps global startups expand into SEA through its unique investment model; More than 500 startups, including companies from the Southeast Asia region, are in Scalo’s funnel and are at different stages of consideration; It has made its maiden investment of US$3M into Russian firm Megarender. e27

N-Squared Ecommerce to expand its footprint across SEA with its Series A; Investors include KKP Capital, Siam Alpha Equity, Chanwanich Group, AHMP and ECG-Research; The Thai firm owns several online D2C brands and an e-commerce distributor for over 130 brands in six countries across the region. e27

Tazapay raises US$3.2M from Sequoia India, Surge, Saison Capital; It is a cloud-based trade management platform for SMEs to safely conduct cross-border commerce; The funds will be used for product development, hiring talent and expansion to new markets in SEA. e27

Otoklix to expand its O2O solutions for automotive aftermarket in Indonesia with US$2M+ financing; Investors include Surge, GK Plug and Play, Founders of Kopi Kenangan; Otoklix is targeting 500 partner workshops, 100K monthly cars serviced, 75% wallet share of partnered workshops total procurement by December 2021. e27

Sembrani Nusantara Fund (SNF) invests US$2M in Indonesia’s made-to-order drinks brand Haus!; Haus! claims it has 100+ outlets across Greater Jakarta and Bandung, and sells 1.5M cups a month; BRI Ventures-backed SNF recently hit the first close at US$10M. e27

Neuroglee bags US$2.3M in pre-seed funding to strengthen fight against Alzheimer’s; Investors include Japan’s Eisai, Biofourmis CEO Kuldeep Singh Rajput; The Singapore startup is building evidence-based, prescription digital therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. e27

Extracurricular activities learning platform Kyt bags US$2.5M; Investors are Surge, Titan Capital, angel investors; Over 1,000 students have taken a course or attended workshops with Kyt; It has 20+ teachers, with plans to increase this to 500 over the next 12 months. e27

How Singapore is cementing its position as SEA’s fintech hub; There are currently 1K+ fintech startups in Singapore, mainly focussing on payment, lending, investment and personal finance; Singapore as a fintech hub has grown thanks to a proactive regulatory framework and policies that promote a sustainable financial services ecosystem. Tech Collective

iMedia acquires Malaysia-based Chinese language portal Moretify; Based on Google Analytics data, from Jan to Oct, Moretify recorded an average of 3.1M page views and acquired over 800K monthly users; Over the past 3+ months, iMedia has acquired OhMedia, Ittify, Goody25 and BeautifulNara. e27

Digital payment firm VNPay becomes Vietnam’s second startup unicorn; VNPay, which manages a network of payment systems using QR codes in major cities, is currently partnering with over 40 banks and 20K companies; It has 15M+ monthly users who access its app to transfer money, pay utility bills and buy bus tickets; Vietnam targets having 5 unicorns by 2025. Retail News Asia

Indonesia’s Pintek secures investment; Investors include Finch Capital (lead), Accion Venture; Pintek provides financial access to all communities and educational institutions and their suppliers; It has partnered with 190+ educational institutions and has distributed credit to customers across more than 26 provinces. e27

Indonesia’s Desty raised seed funding from East Ventures; It provides a single platform for individuals to sell their products; Its Desty Page is a service that creates landing pages optimised for link in bio at social media accounts, while Desty Store allows users to easily create an e-commerce store complimentary to marketplaces. e27

Why SEA desperately needs innovation in HR and how Veremark accelerator is facilitating it; HR Tech has seen investment treble from US$1.8B in 2017 to nearly US$6B in 2019 by VCs globally; However, only a fraction of that comes from SEA as a region despite the fact that exit multiples at 7x sales on average are significantly higher than most marketplaces, content or e-commerce businesses. e27

Addressing the logistics challenges of transporting the COVID-19 vaccines in and out of Asia; To ensure glitch-free vaccine distribution, it is vital to organise all aspects of the process, which is possible with the help of cloud technology and the mobilisation, task management, and people interaction expertise of companies like Salesforce. e27

The 3 questions that will help maximise every entrepreneur’s productivity; For any entrepreneur, growth should be the primary focus and purpose; There are vital decisions to be taken as to how the business can enter and establish a presence in new markets, how the existing product line can be expanded to serve customers better, and also to bring in more revenue. e27

6 ways sentiment analysis is changing the e-commerce experience; How often do you give a thought to the fact that customers love being heard?; You must listen to what they say about your brand; Your customer is not a paid influencer and has got no reason to tell lies; Rather, customers are very objective in their criticisms about a product or service. e27

Grab launches delivery-only supermarket in Malaysia; GrabSupermarket currently services the Klang Valley, delivering over 2,500 products including household goods, pantry essentials, beauty and health essentials, and freshly sourced produce; This new development by the super app comes after the COVID-19 outbreak has fuelled demand for home deliveries. TechInAsia

Eat Just gets regulatory nod to sell lab-grown chicken meat in Singapore; The company said that its new product meets quality validations and was confirmed to be safe and nutritious for human consumption; Eat Just is the US-based company behind egg alternative Just Egg, which is made with turmeric and mung bean protein. TechInAsia

Restaurant industry has yet to tap full potential of technology, say industry players; Restaurateurs are urged to invest in technology so they can collect, protect and integrate data points from all their systems to derive long-term value for the company. SGSME

NOW inks 5G rollout deal with Nokia in Philippines; NOW Group will adopt Nokia’s 5G standalone tech which provides for overall faster broadband, compared to the 5G non-standalone seen in many countries where radio networks are only overlaid on existing 4G networks; The partnership comes at a time when Philippine telcos are urged to provide better services and faster internet connectivity in the new normal. ABS-CBN

Malaysia’s green energy solutions startup JM Newton secures US$700K+ via ECF Ata Plus; 11 investors participated in the campaign which was oversubscribed by 954%; It claims its eco-friendly and green-qualified systems and solutions have been applied to a range of shopping centres and hypermarket chains in the country. e27

Vietnam reports successful 5G pilot tests; State-run Viettel Group’s Viettel High-Tech Industries Corporation and Vingroup’s VinSmart Research and Manufacture JSC in October agreed to develop a 5G gNodeB base station system; 5G speed on Vsmart smartphones using Sub6 band is ~8x higher than 4G. Open Gov

—

The post Ecosystem Roundup: Grab, gojek reportedly close in on terms for merger; VNPay becomes Vietnam’s 2nd unicorn appeared first on e27.

Since we launched e27 Pro early this year, Connect is one of the most loved features by Pro members.

As the name implies, Connect helps Pro members build their network and connect directly via the e27 platform to investors for fundraising, partnership, and even mentorship opportunities. And allow us to flex a bit: e27 Pro launched with 300 investors who are actively looking for investment opportunities joining Connect, and is yielding a 91 per cent response rate for connections.

The good news is, we have been building upon that initial 300 investors and we’re happy to share this list of the ten latest investors to join Connect. Another good news? This is just the first one.

Ready? Here we go:

Bluechilli
Stages: Seed
Verticals: Finance, Logistics/Supply Chain, Entertainment
Investment range: Not specified
Straight from Bluechilli: BlueChilli helps talented founders build businesses using their purpose-built methodology designed to accelerate a startup’s path to launch, growth and scale. Leveraging the hindsight and experience of serial entrepreneurs, lean startup experts and startup mentors in our program, in addition to selected business tools, BlueChilli helps founders build highly investable, scalable and well-designed businesses that are enabled by technology.
Connect with them

Gemba Capital
Stages: Series A
Verticals: All
Investment range: USD 35K to USD 150K
Straight from Gemba Capital: We believe adoption of technology across all sectors will be led by startups thereby disrupting many industries and creating value for customers and all stakeholders.
Connect with them

Holland Park Capital
Stages: All
Verticals: All
Investment range: USD 100K to USD 5M
Straight from Holland Park Capital: Holland Park Capital is a capital provider and advisor based in London, Amsterdam and Singapore with a focus on hedge funds and scalable fintech platforms.
Connect with them

Also read: Sustainability: the new business reality

Moat Ventures
Stages: Seed, Series A
Verticals: All
Investment range: USD 10K to USD 200K
Straight from Moat Ventures: All of our capital is internal, meaning that we don’t have to raise funds from LP’s. This creates unique opportunities, as it removes the burden of timeframes from our equation. We are focused on the long term, and aim for successful long term partnerships.
Connect with them

nfinitiv Venture Capital
Stages: All
Verticals: All
Investment range: USD 100K to USD 5M
Straight from nfinitiv Venture Capital: Our team comprise of industry experts who have demonstrated outstanding skills and knowledge in their field of expertise. They have been on the front-line of start-ups. In that sense, they immediately understand the challenges and opportunities and provide real added value based on this expertise and experience.
Connect with them

Quest Ventures
Stages: Seed, Series A
Verticals: Automotive, E-commerce, Finance, Mobile, Real Estate, Transportation,
Investment range: Not specified
Straight from Quest Ventures: Quest Ventures is a leading venture fund for technology companies that have scalability and replicability in large internet communities.
Connect with them

Shift Ventures (Thailand)
Stages: Series B and above
Verticals: E-Commerce, Finance, Logistics/Supply Chain, Saas, and more
Investment range: USD 50K to USD 20M
Straight from Shift Ventures: They invest in technology startups and high-growth companies in various industries globally. They always look for great teams with amazing ideas that are disrupting traditional industries with the internet and technologies. They provide hand-on support for all of our portfolio companies from funding, business development to exit planning and execution.
Connect with them

Also read: 500 Startups, Monk’s Hill, others join forces to form Vietnam Venture Capital Alliance

SKTA Innopartners
Stages: All
Verticals: All
Investment range: USD 1M to USD 5M
Straight from SKTA Innopartners: Innopartners’ Accelerator funds and accelerates core technology startups. We focus on helping entrepreneurs with innovative ideas in hardware and enterprise networking. In addition to matching early stage companies with strategic partners, Innopartners will provide the legal and financial support as well as the business tools to ensure that innovative ideas emerge market-ready.
Connect with them

Smile Group
Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
Verticals: Advertising, Consumer, E-Commerce, Gaming, Retail
Investment range: Not specified
Straight from Smile Group: We partner with fast-growing companies for their expansion and invest in disruptive companies.
Connect with them

Startup Big Boss
Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
Verticals: Internet of Things
Investment range: Not specified
Straight from Startup Big Boss: StartUp Big Boss provides customized startup acceleration for big ideas to effectively transform into a real business.
Connect with them

Watch out tomorrow for the second part of this list!

– –

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

The post Building your investor network? Here is the first part of our active investors list in SEA appeared first on e27.

One of the most notable updates in the Southeast Asian tech startup ecosystem is the number of new funds and upcoming investments being announced throughout November.

On November 26, 37 VC firms announced their commitment to invest more than US$800 million over next three to five years in the Vietnam startup ecosystem, once again securing the country’s position as the next big thing in the region when it comes to tech investment.

Indonesia has been a popular destination for investors, and in November, local VC firms are showing up their teeth with their latest funds. Interestingly, these VCs are those with ties to state-owned enterprises: Telkom’s MDI Ventures returned with their US$40 million fund, the result of its collaboration with Finch Capital while BRI Ventures announced the first close of their US$10 million funds. This one included Southeast Asian tech giant Grab as one of its investors.

November also saw the debut of completely new firms. The-Wolfpack, an early-stage startup fund in the direct-to-consumer (D2C) sector, was launched in Singapore with a US$5 million fund. In addition to them, Singapore-based Beamstart, the company behind global entrepreneurial platform and resource database beamstart.com, is launching a US$10 million digital accelerator fund for Southeast Asia.

Another country that has gathered attention in November was the Philippines. In the past, there had been concerns regarding the country’s ability to produce a unicorn startup like others in the region. But these investors and their focus might provide new hope: New Wave, a subsidiary of Philippines-based IP E-Game Ventures, has signed an agreement with Malaysia’s boutique investment firm Emissary Capital to set up a US$50-million fund for ASEAN startups.

In addition to that, Gobi-Core Philippine Fund also disclosed an investment in local live-streaming startup Kumu. It is also set to invest in a total of seven startups by end-2021.

Also Read: Neuroglee bags US$2.3M in pre-seed funding to strengthen fight against Alzheimer’s

Myanmar also gained attention as Ascent Capital closes its debut Myanmar-focused fund at US$88 million.

Hustle Fund, a US- and Singapore-based pre-seed VC investor, has also hit the first close of its second fund at US$30 million.

Funding history in November

At this rate, we no longer need to be convinced about the ability of Southeast Asian tech startup ecosystem to get through the pandemic; investments continue to trickle into the region despite challenges here and there.

As always, some verticals –such as fintech– were more popular than the rest. A recent Startup Genome report had named Jakarta and Singapore as the top global fintech ecosystem, and this is strengthened by the number and size of deals in the ecosystems.

In November, in addition to a relative newcomer such as Finantier with its undisclosed pre-seed funding round, we witnessed funding announcements from major names such as Kredivo (a US$100 million funding round), Investree (US$15 million) and LinkAja (US$100 million in Series B).

Both companies are aiming to further strengthen their support to local SMEs. This also confirmed various predictions of fintech being one of the most resilient verticals during the pandemic.

Talking about big names, Indonesia-based unicorns such as gojek (with state-owned mobile operator Telkomsel as an investor) and Bukalapak (with Microsoft as an investor) had also been reported to raise funding.

Other popular sectors that had also raised fundings in November included edutech (Kyt, LingoAce, and AOne), logistics (Pickupp, Logisly), proptech (Aqwire), healthtech (Alodokter), and biotech (Krosslinker).

Some of the more unique verticals have also announced funding rounds in November.

There were plenty of investments being made in sectors related to the F&B industries: MadEats (which counted Tinder co-founder as investor), Mangkokku (a US$2 million funding round), Food Market Hub (a US$4 million Series A), and Hi So (which includes an ex-Senator of Japan as an investor).

Also Read: JM Newton secures US$700K+ in crowdfunding to help enterprises save energy using its green-tech solutions

The COVID-19 pandemic itself has been seen as a “wake-up call” for the F&B industry to start adapting and transforming itself digitally. These funding announcements might be an indication of actions taken by both investors and industry players.

Another segment that has gotten popular during the pandemic is media and content. We saw major funding announcements by theAsianparent; there were also announcements from Quintype and Sociabuzz.

—

Image Credit: Chronis Yan on Unsplash

The post In November, debut of new funds and investments in unique verticals are getting us through the rain appeared first on e27.

Habitat for Humanity, an international non-profit focusing on eradicating poverty housing, has unveiled the 10 startups joining its newest accelerator programme in Southeast Asia.

Coined “ShelterTech”, the programme seeks to advance housing solutions for low-income families in the region.

An initiative of Habitat’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, ShelterTech provides mentorship, masterclasses and connections to investors and partners for businesses with the potential to tackle affordable housing challenges.

The regional accelerator — which joins existing ones in India, Kenya, Mexico and the Andean region — will be conducted online, with an increased focus on solutions that work in the context of the current pandemic.

Also Read: How Gaza’s only accelerator nurtures tech startups amid political unrest

Participants will go through an intensive programme comprising technical training, refinement of business models, product demonstrations and personal mentorship from housing sector experts.

Advisors of the ShelterTech accelerator include Steve Melhuish, Co-founder of PropertyGuru; Slater Young, Founder and CEO of Liteblock; and Tean Ly, Managing Partner at Seeva Capital.

Upon graduation from the accelerator, startups will have the opportunity to network with industry players and meet investors for fundraising opportunities.

As per a press note, the programme will be anchored by Villgro Philippines, an early-stage impact investor, in collaboration with Global Urban Village, a Southeast Asia-focused consulting and seed investment company.

Here’s a snapshot of the 10 startups:

AffordAble Abodes

A Malaysian social impact enterprise seeking to promote the construction of affordable and environmentally-sound, low-cost housing.

Billion Bricks

A Singapore startup developing a self-financing solar home solution.

Cubo Modular

A Philippine startup focused on creating a modular housing solution to provide dignified living to low-income workers.

Gradana

An Indonesia-based proptech and fintech platform for property and real estate financing and mortgage.

Also Read: tryb Group invests in Indonesian proptech startup Gradana

My Dream Home

A Cambodian startup which aims to create affordable construction materials for local communities.

Nay Yar Housing

Pounamu

A Myanmar bamboo design and construction startup committed to the development of the local bamboo industry.

Sampangan

An Indonesian startup which utilises a carbonisation technology unit to convert waste into carbon sustainably.

Social Light

A Philippines-based WiFi monetisation solution provider which aims to expand connectivity to low-income communities.

TapEffect

A social enterprise established to bring clean water to households across Cambodia using piped water networks.

—

Image Credit: Photo by yatharth roy vibhakar on Unsplash

The post Meet the 10 startups selected for Habitat for Humanity’s ShelterTech accelerator appeared first on e27.

Due to today’s unique circumstances, various aspects of real-life activities have been deeply affected by the global health crisis. One particular area that has changed drastically is the sports world. The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo have been postponed to summer of 2021, meanwhile, the NBA has relegated its games to an isolation zone at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, aptly called the “2020 NBA Bubble”. Amidst the myriad of challenges in the sporting world, however, one key area that has seen heightened growth is esports.

Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or an amateur enthusiast enjoying mobile games from the periphery of the competitive gaming world, chances are, you have picked up an esports hobby or two in this lifetime. Recently, the esports world has seen a major spike, skyrocketing to unprecedented heights due to most major economies imposing movement restrictions in 2020, encouraging many mobile users to pick up remote hobbies they can enjoy during their spare time at home.

With the rising interest in esports and gaming, especially during the global lockdown situation, the Esports Players League (ESPL) will be working with HyperX as strategic partners to bring high-quality and exciting competitive gaming to the amateur gamer community of PUBG Mobile. Esports not only has emerged as one of the largest sports genres globally now, but it also has fast become a popular digital entertainment choice for smartphone users.

ESPL, a global esports tournament and platform provider that focuses on creating mobile and online ecosystems for amateur esports communities globally, has partnered with gaming peripherals specialist HyperX to organise a free to register PUBG Mobile tournament.

“At the very core of ESPL, we strive to lay the foundation of amateur esports serving players who are casual all the way to aspiring professional esports athletes. Our mission is very much in-line with HyperX’s focus on serving all gamers. We are excited to bring ESPL’s next big tournament to PUBG Mobile fans.”, commented Michael Broda, CEO of ESPL.

Also read: Building your investor network? Here is the first part of our active investors list in SEA

The HyperX Elite Cup

The online-only esports tournament, HyperX Elite Cup, will be hosted on ESPL’s online platform at espl.gg and will be managed by ESPL. The tournament will have an attractive prize pool worth up to US$6,000 in cash prizes and HyperX products.

HyperX is the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the world’s largest independent memory manufacturer, with the goal of providing gamers, PC builders, PC, console. and mobile power users with high-performance components.

With a presence across Southeast Asia, South Asia, South America, and Europe, ESPL seeks to bring the HyperX Elite Cup to amateur gamers across Southeast Asia.

The game title that the tournament will compete on will be the popular Battle Royale game, PUBG Mobile. PUBG or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is an online multiplayer battle royale game developed and published by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole. The game is based on previous the 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale, and expanded into a standalone game under the creative direction of game designer, Brendan Greene.

By facilitating grassroots participation in what is a rapidly expanding esports market not only in Southeast Asia, South Asia, South America, and Europe, ESPL has direct access and exposure to a large, valuable, and often overlooked segment of the esports market.

With its eyes set on Amateur gamers from across the world, the HyperX Elite Cup is set to bolster and embolden the global esports community by inviting more participants to take on the journey towards competitive and remote gaming experience.

Also read: Fun, games, and health for seniors with Looxid Labs’ LUCY

A formidable team behind a formidable event

With such a pivotal event redefining the global esports landscape, it comes as no surprise that the team behind the HyperX Elite Cup is also represented by the best industry players specifically catering to the best interest of mobile gamers everywhere.

For 16 years, the HyperX mission has been to develop gaming products for all types of gamers — high-speed memory, solid state drives, headsets, keyboards, mice, charging accessories for console players, USB flash drives, and mousepads — to the gaming community and beyond. The award-winning HyperX brand is known for consistently delivering products that deliver superior comfort, aesthetics, performance, and reliability.

HyperX gear is the choice of celebrity ambassadors, pro gamers, tech enthusiasts, and over-clockers worldwide because it meets the most stringent product specifications and is built with best-in-class components. HyperX has shipped over 70 million memory modules, 10 million gaming headsets and one million keyboards worldwide.

On the other hand, global esports tournament organisation ESPL is launching a global footprint across 16 countries in its initial phase, covering Asia, Europe, and the Americas. ESPL’s central focus is on mobile esports, with PC and console-based video games also featured on its diverse network of quality esports content. ESPL is managed by its headquarters in Singapore and regional offices in Cologne and Los Angeles. Currently still in its first phase, ESPL is rapidly expanding its presence into other continents as well.

This partnership calcifies HyperX Elite Cup’s role not only in delivering the best quality esports tournament for all interested participants, but also ensures that the event encompasses a large audience of amateur players from many parts of the world.

How to join HyperX Elite Cup

Tournament registrations for the HyperX Elite Cup – PUBG Mobile is open from the 4^th of December 2020, while the tournament itself is poised to begin on the 28th of December 2020. Both the Semi-Finals & Grand Finals will be live-streamed on ESPL’s & HyperX’s channels in both English and Malay. There will also be other fun exciting activities and giveaways during the period of the tournament so watch out for them on ESPL’s official Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, & Instagram pages.

Interested participants can register for a tournament slot at at ESPL.GG.

The post HyperX Elite Cup esports tournament set to shake the world of competitive mobile gaming appeared first on e27.

Maeko Founder and CEO Chelsea Chee

From Indian to Chinese and Malay to Peranakan, Malaysia has it all when it comes to food cuisines.

Due to its vast array of cultures, Malaysians have inherited a melting pot of cuisines. Amidst the large amounts of food prepared and consumed locally, a problem of equal scale has emerged.

According to a 2019 report by siliconindia, Malaysia ranks fifth globally for food wastage, with each person wasting up to 560kg of food annually. Furthermore, there is a dearth of awareness campaigns that educate the public on utilising food waste as a resource. This ignorance has led to a chilling statistic.

The Solid Waste Corporation Malaysia shared that food waste amounted to 15,000 tonnes daily, with 20 per cent remaining consumable at the point of disposal.

Also Read: Lumitics raises seed funding to track the food wasted by Singapore’s F&B outlets and restaurants

These figures represented a calling for Chelsea Chee to develop a sustainable food waste management platform to solve this increasingly serious problem.

That led to the creation of Maeko, a startup that utilises composting as a way to turn food waste into nutrient-rich bio-organic fertilisers.

Why composting

“Composting is the most convenient and simplest way to settle the food waste issue. It can be practised on-site from a minimum amount of food waste ranging from household capacity to large amount in commercial and industrial,” said Founder and CEO Chee as she shared on the rationale behind choosing composting as the medium to reduce food wastage.

Furthermore, composting does not generate methane gas. Chee remarks that rotten food waste in landfills releases this potent gas that is reportedly 25x more harmful to global warming than carbon dioxide.

Maeko claims its composters ship with a specially formulated composting enzyme called Speedozyme, which can compost all type of organic waste including garden waste, raw kitchen scraps and even cooked food waste with bones, gravy and sauce.

Upon composting, food waste is turned into nutrient-rich fertiliser. Chee claims it takes 500-1,000 years to form an inch of topsoil. The compost helps restore soil fertility and balance nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) within it in a natural way with activities from the microbe.

Maeko’s composters can compost food waste within 24 hours for its industrial unit and 48 hours for its portable unit.

Changing perceptions

Amidst the panic buying during the lockdowns imposed, there has been an increased focus on food wastage.

“The public is rethinking and throwing less food away and being more hygienic in managing their food waste,” Chee opined.

As movement restrictions continue within the region and remote work remains the default option, more are eating at home and have grown warier of the food waste they are generating, she remarked.

Also Read: Conscious consumption is driving the trend in foodtech: Study

Coupled with families starting to adopt urban farming and gardening as a bonding activity during the lockdown, Chee reported that composting had been well received by the community.

The MunchBot composting unit

Communal composting

Since its incorporation in 2011, Maeko’s composters have mainly served businesses in various industries, ranging from hospitality and manufacturing to retail and healthcare.

However, Chee shared that she had been receiving an increasing number of requests from individuals to tackle food wastage at a community level.

That led to the creation of MunchBot, a communal-sized composter that fits comfortably in homes. Envisioning composting and reducing food wastage to be part of a lifestyle, MunchBot completes Maeko’s range of composters to ensure everyone, from industries to families, have access to one.

In addition to its operating base in Malaysia, Maeko has partnerships in Thailand, The Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Maldives. The startup is looking to partner with more international partners as it seeks to expand globally.

With the global market size of food waste management estimated to hit US$42.4 billion by 2022, there are definitely reasons to be optimistic amidst an increased focus on sustainability.

Maeko is raising up to MYR4,000,000 (close to US$1 million) via equity crowdfunding platform Ata Plus, mainly for production and marketing of the MunchBOT units.

—

Image Credit: Maeko

The post How Maeko aims to reduce communal food waste through composting appeared first on e27.

As many as 17 VC firms have come together to form the Vietnam Venture Capital Alliance (VVCA) to help the local market flourish, as per a press statement.

The VC firms include ThinkZone Ventures, 500 Startups, CyberAgent Capital, Vietnam Investment Group, Openspace Ventures, Access Ventures, Quest Ventures, Genesia Venture, Monk’s Hill Ventures, eWTP Capital, Teko Ventures, VIC Partners, Venturra, Next100, Nextrans, FEBE Ventures and Duane Morris.

Also Read: Peaking in 2019, tech investment in Vietnam drops by 22 per cent in H1 2020 due to COVID-19

VVCA is a non-legal organisation which will cooperate with the government to propose policies that will help the country attract more capital while expanding the legal corridor for startup business models.

The goal is to remove major barriers such as lack of startup investment knowledge and legal barriers for foreign investment funds. 

Its activities will be implemented across three focus areas, which include issuing an annual summary report on investment activities, organising a dialogue with the government on investment for innovative startups and proposing policies to improve the startup investment environment.

Also Read: 37 VCs to invest US$800M+ in Vietnam’s startups over next 3-5 years

Vietnam has been receiving immense attention from investors after the recent volatility in the global trade environment, which has pushed many companies into diversifying their supply chains away from China.

Alongside India, the country is now becoming a leading choice of investment by major companies, especially for manufacturing. Aiding to that the country’s effective containment measures have also sparked investor confidence to further push its growth.

“Up to now, we have not had an organisation that has gathered so many investment funds. VVCA is expected to be a place for investment funds and law firms supporting venture capital deals in Vietnam to give a common voice to find out what is the problem that needs to be solved. Because if it is just an investment fund, a single startup cannot represent all,” Bui Thanh Do, a founding member of VVCA and CEO of ThinkZone Ventures, said.

—

Image Credit: ThinkZone

The post 500 Startups, Monk’s Hill, others join forces to form Vietnam Venture Capital Alliance appeared first on e27.

Consumers in Southeast Asia are now increasingly comfortable with online shopping, with consumption habits reportedly being more digital and home-centric, as they adjust to the impact of lockdowns and social distancing measures.

While consumers are still seen to be shopping, experts however have observed that they are now more cautious with their spending.

A recent report by Facebook and Bain & Company said there has been a shift to value-for-money purchasing across Southeast Asian markets amidst the current climate.

In the region, 57 per cent have cited “value” as one of their top three purchasing considerations, while approximately 70 per cent of consumers in Singapore and Thailand have placed it at the top of their list.

With a good enough 11.11 and 12.12 coming up, how can e-commerce players continue to win over the region’s cautious online shoppers?

Experts are now positing that e-commerce firms can generate a much bigger impact if more time was set aside to promote shopping campaigns. According to a Facebook meta-analysis of 2019 mega-sale days in Asia Pacific, brands get clear advantages by extending their marketing campaigns by another three to four weeks.

Zalora is one company which has been actively carrying out marketing campaigns to gain an edge over others, and it was recently shortlisted as one of the finalists in Marketing’s Mob-Ex Awards 2020.

e27 recently had a chat with Zalora’s CMO Jo Bjordal to learn more on how e-commerce players are making the most out of major shopping events by leveraging campaigns and marketing strategies.

Jo Bjordal, CMO, Zalora

He has been with Zalora since 2015, leading a team of over 100 people and used his steadfastness to navigate changing consumer habits in the new normal.

How did ZALORA fare on 11.11? How does it compare to pre-COVID-19 years?

Year on year, Singles’ Day keeps growing for most shopping websites, and we too had a strong performance this year.

In fact, to date, it has been our biggest sales day in Zalora history — with significant improvements in profitability, marketing efficiency and growth in our customer base.

We have also observed interesting shifts and trends in this year’s 11.11 across categories, with standout growth in beauty and luxury, which constituted almost one-third of our sales, taking a bite from the traditionally strong apparel category.

We also saw changes in shopping behaviour, where we observed more scattered peaks within the day compared to well-established peaks during pre-COVID-19 days. This included spikes during the first and last hour of the sales and during lunch time.

As more people are working from home, the lunch spike has flattened, and it contributed to a more distributed sales during the daytime.

What did you do differently this year?

This year, we looked at the data and took note of the growing interest in our new categories — beauty, lifestyle (including home and living), luxury, and kids, and focused on growing these categories during the major sales season including 11.11.

We have rolled out a few consumer-friendly initiatives that continue to make us a platform of choice for online shoppers. One of these initiatives is our cashback programme, which was introduced in July this year and has helped us improve on shopping frequency and customer reactivation.

With a hyper focus on value, most consumers find this new feature exciting. We have also launched new payment methods in the region, such as OVO in Indonesia, a few days before 11.11, making it easier for shoppers to purchase their favourite items and brands on our app/website.

We have also relooked at how we traditionally roll out marketing initiatives across our markets and significantly expanded both our digital and offline reach by diversifying our marketing media mix with new channels, embracing a more holistic 360-degree approach.

Finally, we invested in implementing and applying a new best-in-class marketing technology stack which not only improves the deliverability, cross-channel orchestration and timeliness of customer communication, but it has also enabled new personalisation capabilities that allows us to better segment and relate to our users.

As e-commerce grows in a COVID-19-struck world, how is Zalora fighting competition to stay on top of consumers’ mind?

We are committed to continuously improving our customer experience and our offerings to maintain our strong position as the top-of-mind fashion and lifestyle destination in Southeast Asia.

As an e-commerce player with a strong regional presence, it is important for us to be agile and to respond to changes in customer trends and preferences swiftly.

To date, we have done this by using data to track where these movements are, then tweaking our strategies and strengthening categories that were anticipated to grow in demand because of the pandemic.

Also read: Infographic: 21 e-commerce marketing tips to consider before starting

For example, we noticed that consumers were purchasing more leisurewear and sportswear, as they were spending more time at home.

We also saw an increase in consumer searches for daily essentials and personal hygiene products, such as food, hand wash and masks, which also led us to introduce an ‘essentials’ category on our platform.

We have made significant progress this year in introducing new categories, including ‘home and living’ and our ‘Earth Edit’ for sustainable shopping — a first of its kind for a major Southeast Asian online retailer.

We are also constantly rolling out exciting new features and experiences to ensure we offer fans and customers a more seamless shopping experience.

One of our recent launches is the ‘Get The Look’ feature, which in brief connects the Zalora app with fresh looks from local influencers and celebrities from Instagram so our customers can shop the look of their favourite influencers straight from the app.

This complements our earlier visual-based features, such as ‘Complete the Look’ shopping and our visual search on the app, making it easier for fashion shoppers to achieve their gram-friendly outfits and looks.

We are also now rolling out a community influencer programme, which allows literally everyone to become a Zalora influencer and earn a commission for every successful sale they refer through their social media accounts.

Is there a shift in your marketing strategies in the new normal? What are the major changes?

COVID-19 has pushed a lot of people — and more importantly, communications — online. Being connected to the internet has, as a result, become quite noisy, and breaking through that noise as a brand has become much harder.

Customers are not triggered as easily by each individual customer relationship management (CRM) communication, so we as marketers are required to think more creatively and be more clever and interesting in our messaging to attract the users’ attention to avoid spamming customers with too many interactions. We focus on the quality of interactions.

Media asset prices have also fluctuated a lot because of advertisers reducing spend primarily offline and moving more digital. We are constantly optimising our media investments by efficient KPIs and as a result, we have been very active in reallocating spend to the most lucrative channels.

COVID-19 has also contributed to the surge of new online users and new e-commerce customers, which required us to explore new channels to ensure we can reach these users.

In summary, the need to be more creative and dynamic in our approach remains to be our main strategy.

Is it any different for the marketing for new users?

Yes, we engage them differently. Thanks to the time and budget invested in rebuilding our marketing technology stack, we have unlocked far better capabilities in identifying new users and tailoring their on boarding journey with more relevant communication and offers.

Our performance marketing campaigns are intuitively also segmented by customer activity levels, ensuring optimised engagement with our users.

What are the various online channels used and which ones worked well for you in Southeast Asia?

We continue to diversify our media mix to avoid high dependency on any specific platform. This allows us to be early adopters of new channels and we set aside a budget for experimentation every month for us to test the efficacy of these new channels.

It is difficult to say which ones work best since each channel usually has very specific characteristics which make them strong in either customer acquisition, such as Facebook and app installs like Google Universal App Campaigns (UAC), or Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) such as Google Shopping.

How has social media marketing changed in the light of the pandemic?

Social media has certainly become more important during the pandemic as users have used the platform to stay connected, express themselves and be entertained.

The emergence of new social media phenomena has unlikely ever been faster than during the last eight months, with adoption rates soaring and content from across age groups increasing significantly.

Social media has given normal people an opportunity to build their own brand through stimulating content and engagement. These new influencers are more relatable than traditional celebrities. About 71 per cent of consumers are more likely to make a product or service purchase online based on social media referrals.

Understanding the role of social media in capturing attention and engaging with our audience, we rolled out our Get the Look feature together with our partner influencers. We are also introducing our Community Influencers initiative soon to create communities of social media ambassadors for the brand.

Staying ahead of the curve on these trends are important to remain relevant to our audience. Online users also expect brands to communicate more emphatically and be sensitive to what is happening around us.

And what about livestream e-commerce? Is it here to stay?

Yes, I believe social commerce, including livestream e-commerce, will continue to become a more important sales channel in Southeast Asia as the markets mature. SEA is a mobile-first region, with most countries ranking high in mobile phone ownership ratio and use of mobile in their communications.

Also read: The 6 Cs of e-commerce marketing

As much as 63 per cent of the region’s population are invested in social media; it is no wonder why Southeast Asians are considered “the most engaged mobile internet users in the world”.

This thriving melting pot of digital activity also creates myriad opportunities for retailers to not only reach online shoppers but also entice offline shoppers at the same time.

China is a prime example of where the phenomenon has been around for a while already and it continues to grow in adoption.

So is there any value in outdoor advertising and others now that we are all socially distancing?

Currently, with the multiple movement restrictions in place, there are less people outdoors in most countries, so the number of impressions captured by the same placement has decreased for most assets.

However, the asset prices offline seem to have decreased at a higher rate as more traditional offline retailers and businesses who were historically heavy on offline marketing have reduced spending.

This created opportunities for some players to invest more in offline or outdoor advertising, and diversify their advertising mix. I do think there is still merit in doing so, but the challenge for brand marketers is to create impactful offline ads that captures attention and encourages interaction with the brand.

What are the other shopping events you are working on this year?

For all our six markets, the remaining key shopping events are Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and 12.12, which is still the biggest sales event of the year in markets like Indonesia.

We would then have the festive season of Christmas, which is largely celebrated in the Philippines, before we enter the Chinese New Year sales season – an event that is traditionally strong for markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

—

Image credit: Karolina Grabowska from Pexels and Zalora

The post The holiday edit: Zalora CMO on how to tap social media to induce consumer shopping behaviour appeared first on e27.

JM Newton Energy, a Malaysian green-tech services provider specialising in energy management, announced today it has raised MYR2.9 million (US$711,000) through equity crowdfunding (ECF) platform Ata Plus.

As many as 11 investors (of which three are female) participated in the campaign, which, as per a press statement, was oversubscribed by 954 per cent.

Approximately 60 per cent of the funds raised will be invested in JM Newton’s working capital to accommodate the increasing demand for its products and services. The remainder will be channelled towards furthering R&D to strengthen product efficiency and expand the team. 

Also Read: Digital green economy: How technology can help save the planet

JM Newton started its operations in 2019 as a one-stop integrated total energy management solutions provider, focused on the development of energy efficiency enhancement technology using green technology applications.

JM Newton provides turn-key technological solutions for shopping malls and hypermarkets, aimed at promoting energy savings without additional cost or risks.

It claims its eco-friendly and green-qualified patented systems and solutions have been applied to a range of shopping centres and hypermarket chains in the country. It will continue to apply the solutions through the energy management contracts which it has secured over the next five to 10 years. 

“We took special care in designing the investment offering to ensure that the terms are fair and favourable to the investors. The high oversubscription shows the level of confidence the investors have in our business,” said Nicole J Szeto, Executive Director of JM Newton.

“Our unique solutions and our zero CAPEX business model should reach out to most business owners during these times. Moving ahead, we look forward to taking the step in realising our company’s growth potential,” she added. 

Also Read: How the tech industry can become friendlier for women

“It is heartening to see more women coming together to support women-led businesses. Moving forward, Ata Plus would like to encourage more female investors to participate in our campaigns. Currently, only 26 per cent of the investors who have participated in the ECF campaigns on our platform have been women,” said Kyri Andreou, Co-founder and Director of Ata Plus.

—

Image Credit: Photo by RawFilm on Unsplash

The post JM Newton secures US$700K+ in crowdfunding to help enterprises save energy using its green-tech solutions appeared first on e27.

Environmental and social sustainability are coming of age in the APAC region and around the globe and are quickly becoming integral aspects of successful businesses. According to a global survey conducted by GlobalScan earlier this year, around half of the world’s consumers prefer products and services that are better for both people and the environment. A 2020 research report by Kantar suggests that over 90% of consumers in the APAC region want brands to stand for something. In Singapore alone, six in ten consumers prefer eco-friendly brands.

Worsening typhoons and tsunamis, as well as increasing air and water pollution, are more pronounced in the APAC, and the impact of failing to take sustainability into account is evident. Because businesses are traditionally driven by their bottom line — the consumers — there is an increasing need to support businesses that are not just commercially viable and profitable, but also have real and meaningful social impact. A 2019 study suggests that more than 50% of private equity deals back business models that contribute to environmental and social progress in Southeast Asia.

Also read:

With VCs and consumers backing sustainable businesses, startups are realising why it is important to build a socially responsible business. However, to be able to do so, they need a collaborative environment where they are encouraged and nurtured from the idea stage.

This is where spaces like The Greenhouse at SMU Connexion — an innovation facility that supports the SMU Business Innovations Generator (BIG) incubation programme, can step in to provide founders with the right kind of collaborative environment they need, coupled with that mentorship and training that the programme provides.

Started in 2009, BIG is a world-class university incubation programme managed by the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) at the Singapore Management University (SMU). It is designed to help early-stage founders validate their product and get ready for seed investment.

Putting sustainability at the heart of businesses

Having accepted over 263 SMU-affiliated and non-SMU affiliated startups as of November 2020, BIG is an industry-agnostic incubator, and therefore is open to applications for startups from diverse spheres.

Sustainability, therefore, takes on two fundamental roles: as a core value that promotes ethical ventures, and as a key mentorship focus geared towards nurturing sustainable, successful business models.

The SMU Connexion is the newly built addition to the SMU campus, a five-storey zero-energy building in the heart of the city, designed to support the University’s innovative pedagogy, as well as cultivate innovation and entrepreneurship. In February 2020, they launched The Greenhouse, a 700sqm downtown innovation facility, that has quickly become a seeding ground for innovative ideas and entrepreneurial leadership. Housed over two floors in an iconic sky bridge connecting SMU School of Law and SMU Connexion, The Greenhouse offers a conducive space to learn, network, and grow for BIG’s startups, faculty and student entrepreneurs.

Also read: 500 Startups, Monk’s Hill, others join forces to form Vietnam Venture Capital Alliance

A true marker of this endeavour is how many social impact startups have been a part of the BIG incubation Programme. One such startup is TurtleTree Labs. Dedicated to bringing clean milk with their proprietary cell-based processes that completely bypass environmental degradation and animal welfare issues of industrial dairy, TurtleTree Labs is focused on building the circular economy while reducing environmental, social, and economic stressors.

Launched in 2017, TreeDots is yet another such startup funded by the BIG incubator. TreeDots is a food supplies redistributor with a core goal of reducing food wastage. Other sustainable businesses that have been a part of the BIG cohort include UglyGood, a startup that harvests fruit waste and transforms it into valuable resources through waste valorisation; Alterpacks, a company that upcycles food waste to create products of value with zero waste solutions; and Anzene — a company that works towards standardising smart IOT & recyclable battery packs to power e-mobility & electronics on/off-grid sustainably with renewable energy.

Recently, TurtleTree Labs and Alterpacks were awarded at the Liveability Challenge — a global platform, which calls for companies to create innovative ideas for sustainability in South East Asian cities. TurtleTree Labs brought home the top prize and Alterpacks bagged a spot in the TXG Sustainability Business Accelerator Programme and a mentorship with Closed Loop Partners through a collaboration with Nanyang Technological University.

As part of SMU’s efforts to reinforce the importance of sustainability, the Lee Kuan Yew Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC) Changemakers Conversation: Urban Sustainability will be held on 9 Dec 2020. Panellists include start-up founders who are developing innovative sustainable solutions: our very own Lin Fengru, CEO of TurtleTree Labs; Nick Halla, SVP International of Impossible Foods; and Paul Gabie, CEO of ecoSPIRITS.

Together with two extremely dynamic moderators, Prof Winston Chow (Associate Professor, SMU School of Social Sciences) and Paul Santos (Managing Partner, Wavemaker Partners), participants can expect a down-to-earth discussion about sustainable food innovations, the green revolution and the circular economy. It will be an invaluable session for the entrepreneurship community to learn from the panellists experiences and pull back the curtain on the realities of building a sustainable future.

Nurturing leaders of tomorrow

SMU has partnered with corporates that are aligned on the vision of sustainability.  For example, in 2019 and 2020, HSBC offered the HSBC-SMU Sustainability & Innovation Grant to support sustainability-related startups from SMU with seed funding and masterclasses that will empower these founders to create an impact in the sustainability space.

“The HSBC grant has helped us to continue to develop our products further for market validation. Running a sustainability-based startup focused on building products for a circular economy can be challenging and requires a level of research and development. The HSBC grant has been hugely beneficial in this area as it allowed us to successfully bring our products to market,” shared Jeremy Lee from UglyGood who was a recipient.

Also read: Where is the investment scene in Hong Kong and the APAC headed?

Apart from supporting startups financially to build their sustainable business, IIE also spearheads educational initiatives in sustainability. The Institute’s flagship programme, Protege Ventures, will be incorporating impact investing as a component in its curriculum. Case studies on related startups are currently being developed for this purpose. The Institute also organizes several masterclasses with sustainability focus throughout the year and targets entrepreneurial-minded students as well as startups founders.  Between the years 2016 and 2019, BIG startups have collectively raised more than S$129.4 million (excluding grants), with 2019 alone accounting for more than S$54 million. BIG startups like Tech In Asia, Homage and Moovaz have garnered massive commercial success.

This intensive, four-month equity-free programme offers early-stage startups and student founders the opportunity to validate their business plans and refine their product. The programme offers a comprehensive support system so that founders can focus on what matters: building and scaling a great product.

How to apply

BIG is open to ALL, startups can be SMU affiliated or non-SMU affiliated. Growth-oriented founders with a validated idea/MVP are given preference. This is a highly selective programme with an acceptance rate of around 15%.

With the current economic climate and the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the BIG incubation programme application comes at the right time bringing an opportunity for early-stage startup founders to get access to mentorship and training from industry leaders as well as funding for the growth of their businesses.

Startups in the early stage that are interested in the programme can apply now to join the Jan ’21 cohort before 13 December 2020 or reach out to the team at BIG at incubation@smu.edu.sg for queries.

– –

This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by 
the SMU Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

We can share your story at e27, too. Engage the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem by bringing your story to the world. Visit us at e27.co/advertise to get started.

The post Sustainability: the new business reality appeared first on e27.