While I still feel like a young man (on most days), I’m old enough to remember the emergence of the public internet as we know it, and with it the emergence of it, the search engines. I was a kid in Germany and still remember using Altavista and Yahoo! Search in the early days, and this new strange thing called the internet my father was talking about.

Then Google came.

Everyone started to search with Google and got Gmail accounts. I kept my Yahoo! email and it haunts me to this day with security issues and spoof mails, pretending to be me, marketing health supplements to my friends and colleagues.

But it just feels too hard to change it, so I’ve kept my Yahoo handle to this day. Largely, it does what it should for me and it’s free.

Fast forward two decades, I’ve now been working in the Internet industry for over 10 years. The landscape has developed immensely. A key issue of recent times, US and European anti-trust laws are looking to take apart major business units of Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Google (a space to watch).

Much closer to home, Australia has in February passed the News Media Bargaining Code – legislation that forces Google and Facebook to negotiate rates with news companies and pay them for content.

Or failing to come to terms, platforms could be forced to have a price set by independent arbitrators. And ripples are starting to be felt across the world all the way to the US, who might follow suit.

This was a world-first move by a federal government to protect the revenues of independent news organisations via legislation, which aims to force tech giants to pay up for what comes up in their search feeds. Will the trend of platform-based distribution prevail nonetheless, and are a few million dollars in “news fees” in one market or the other no more than the water of a duck’s back?

Or is the challenge Australia is putting to Google and Facebook on a legislative level a sentiment that is here to stay and may even meet us in Southeast Asia sooner or later?

Also Read: Ecosystem Roundup: Will Ovo complicate a gojek-Tokopedia merger?; Singapore faces talent crunch as tech giants scale up

Two sides of a coin

What felt like a very short time after the first time using Yahoo! Search, I started using Google products almost every day. For looking up facts, searching news on stocks and industries, using G-Suite for work and not to forget – Google Maps (which I’m personally a huge fan of).

Admittedly, like most people, I don’t use any other search engine than Chrome. And it serves me well. Working in the media industry, mostly with independent publishers, I have at worst considered Google as a frenemy for publishers.

Their ads suite, lead by AdSense/AdX and GAM (Google Ads Manager), have become almost irreplaceable tools for publishers’ advertising monetisation. Facebook is another story, but it also enabled a lot of publishers, i.e. gaming companies, content plays and more.

Until recently I have not given much thought to what search and social mean for media publishers and how heavy their dependence is on them.

Since listening to Pivot, a podcast by Kara Swisher and Professor Scott Gallaway, that has changed. My understanding of the role search and social plays for independent publishers, has deepened. And most importantly I’ve learned that publishers they’re not very independent at all.

In the world of media, the duopoly of Google and Facebook is not just a story of incredible success, but also a notorious one. Ultimately marketers have always used the most efficient tools available to them to reach their desired audiences at scale.

While historically, this was only achievable through a mix of TV, outdoor, newspapers and magazines – the internet and with it social media and search, engines have provided a platform to reach audiences much more efficiently.

And with eyeballs shifting heavily towards platforms, it’s only natural that independent publishers have followed to make use of the platforms to get their content in front of people.

The platforms’ arguments boiled down, are that they are simply facilitating the intention of the open internet, and as such, the consequences for news companies are a natural progression to be accepted. Vague and self-serving, yet still somewhat logical at face value.

Naturally, large independent news publishing companies may not share the same view, and with their PR and lobbying machines in play, have started to rethink their positions. This topic has long been a prominent one in Europe and the US.

Also Read: Who will benefit from America’s attacks on Chinese tech giants?

The pushback comes in many forms: lobbying government bodies, launching subscriptions and paywalls (a topic that deserves a separate article), in-housing video delivery tools (moving away from YouTube) and in some cases even boycotting Google’s ad infrastructure almost completely by working only with independent ad servers and ad tech platforms.

(I say “almost” as in the world of ad tech, it is indeed difficult to completely cut out Google as there are many layers in the buying process and Google plays a major part in each.)

Axel Springer of Germany is an example of a leading publisher that’s been cutting down on its dependence on walled gardens for quite some time.

The “grey-zones”

Let’s consider how we get our news in the first place? There are numerous studies that show that over two-thirds of the US population get their news from social, undoubtedly with Facebook and Instagram leading the charge.

How much of the remainder would be driven by Google Search is almost academic. So in terms of Search, I find this poses an interesting question – where will this go?

Facebook and Google benefit from platform users using their channels for news curation, by being able to show ads at various stages in the process. But so do the publishers, at least when the user clicks through to their pages via a web browser, AMP (accelerated mobile pages) and FBIA (Facebook Instant Articles). The devil, as usual, is in the details, so let’s go a little more micro here:

How much preview content other than headlines and images should the platforms be able to show, and at what point should they be asked to pay for showing news content? And let’s not confuse “should” with “will”. Beyond what’s perceived to be right or wrong, I believe the answer lies in assessing the leverage.

Platforms provide huge leverage for publishers and the same is true vice versa. The question is if the effort/benefit calculation can still make sense, and to what extent governments will play the role of the equaliser. Let’s not forget that Facebook and Google do not produce news, they merely act as aggregators and curation platforms, and in some cases enablers for political agendas, as we’ve seen with the Cambridge Analytica scandal that made headlines in 2018.

Such events may strengthen the argument to call for governments to intervene and protect independent journalism at its core.

Also Read: Today’s top tech news, March 22: Tech giants express concern over Singapore plan to fight fake news

So where to next …

Consumers will go where they can access their content most easily, or simply continue to do what they’re used to. Most will continue to get their news via Social or Search. However just as I’m still using my Yahoo! email handle, there are still people reading newspapers (physical or via publishers’ apps or quick links).

Undoubtedly, platforms will continue to play a major role in content distribution. And with the rise of podcasts, CTV and new platforms such as Substack, we will continue to see changes in where and how we choose to consume content.

One thing’s for sure though: quality independent news content is here to stay. And when and where publishers suffer enough financially and realise they may have recourse, they will likely push back – and government bodies will rally behind them to the extent that they can continue to exist and tell the stories of today.

Personally I find it reassuring to see awareness around this topic growing around the world. And as someone who has lived in New Zealand for over 10 years, I can comfortably give credit to the Australian government for making a bold first move.

–

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing contributions from the community. This season we are seeking op-eds, analysis and articles on food tech and sustainability. Share your opinion and earn a byline by submitting a post.

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community or like the e27 Facebook page

Image Credit: Milan Reinartz

The post The news wars: Will tech giants soon be coughing up big bucks for media content? appeared first on e27.

With 250 million motorbikes, Southeast Asia has the highest density of motorbikes globally. Of these, half are in Indonesia and a quarter in Vietnam, the third and forth largest markets in the world.

Motorcycles also constitute 85 per cent of vehicle population in the region and a significant contributor to pollution.

The advent of electric motorbikes has started changing things for the better. However, they account for just 0.1 per cent of the total two-wheeler population in the region.

Mass production/usage of e-motorbikes is still years away, thanks to their higher costs than internal combustion engine (ICE) bikes. Plus, the region lacks the infrastructure such as charging stations to support e-vehicles.

Three years ago, Jinsi Lee and his team sniffed an opportunity here and came up with a unique idea. In May 2018, they launched a startup, called Oyika, out of Singapore to provide a power subscription plan bundled with e-motorbike.

“Our mission is to lower the barriers to e-vehicle adoption in developing countries,” Lee said in an interview with e27.

Also Read: ‘Singapore isn’t ready for mass adoption of EVs yet; hybrid may be better for the present’

The brains behind Oyika are the ones who built Postkid, an online education startup of the early 2000s, which was sold it to Mainboard-listed Horizon Education and Technologies. Lee previously worked for the Sunseap Group and championed a 10-megawatt solar farm in Cambodia and a 140-megawatt solar farm in India.

The grand plan

As for its power subscription plan, Oyika works with existing e-motorbike/scooter manufacturers and transforms their ICE models into smart bikes by bundling them with its portable swap batteries, network of swap stations and mobile app.

“Our subscription plan is akin to a telecom plan in Singapore. You get a data plan that comes with a mobile phone — you can’t have a mobile phone without a data plan, or a data plan without a mobile phone,” he explained.

As per this, a rider with a pay-per-use,  prepaid weekly, or postpaid monthly plan can swap his/her depleted battery for a fully-charged one at an Oyika swap station within a minute.

“The process is faster than the conventional charging of an e-motorbike via a home power outlet, which could take up to eight hours to fully charge,” claims Lee.

The battery is brand-agnostic and works with most e-motorbike brands and models in Southeast Asia. The battery is Internet of Things-enabled, so it can be monitored remotely for optimal performance and safety. A stolen e-motorbike can be tracked and remotely switched off, effectively making it theft proof.

The system is entirely operated through Oyika’s mobile app that enables riders to locate a nearby swap station to exchange their depleted battery for a fully charged one.

Lee said that the company is in talks with seven major motorcycle brands in Indonesia to launch its subscription service. However, he didn’t share the names.

Oyika has successfully trialled its battery-swap service in Cambodia and Indonesia via flexible power subscription plans bundled with an e-motorbike.

In Indonesia, the company has installed 16 swap stations so far, and plans to set up another 1,000 by the end of the year.

“In Indonesia, we work with the likes of Grab riders and gojek riders. In this market, most riders own their own bikes and they are contracted on a part time basis to run for these delivery companies. It is a massive opportunity,” he noted.

The startup also has plans to broaden its customer base to include students, office workers and corporate customers, he shared. “In the meanwhile, we need to fulfil our order book of 30,000 power subscription plans, including for union members from the Indonesian cooperative, Friends of the Indonesian Police.”

The subscription plans start at US$72 per month, which Lee says is a cheaper alternative to the traditional bank instalment plans. “Oyika’s innovative business model and power subscription plans allow it to be price- competitive even in Indonesia where petrol prices are subsidised.

Also Read: Scooterson launches light-weight foldable smart e-scooter

Plus, each ICE motorbike on the road replaced by an e-motorbike saves about one tonne of CO2e a year, equivalent to planting 16.5 trees over 10 years, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency,” he said.

Energy-share service for rural Indonesia

In Indonesia, the company is also innovating another energy-share service in rural communities. This is aimed at bringing electricity to households that do not have access to the national grid. These households lack the very basics — such as lights, fans, fridges, or the ability to charge a mobile phone.

“Providing electricity isn’t just about making people’s lives more comfortable. It’s economically transformative in assisting off-grid communities to run small businesses that require electricity to operate, for example, a sewing machine or a sugar cane juicer,” Lee elucidated.

The startup is conducting trials in remote Indonesia where the same portable batteries provide electricity to off-grid households. Under this plan, getting electricity at home will simply involve placing the battery into an Oyika home docking system and connecting electrical appliances to it.

There are 30 million people with no access to electricity in Southeast Asia, according to the World Bank.

“It’s an exciting proposition to have the same battery lighting up homes as well as powering transportation. It has taken many years for battery prices to fall to a point where they can electrify rural communities and improve millions of people’s lives. And this is just the beginning,” Lee pointed out.

Vietnam expansion

Oyika’s other plans include expanding in Vietnam later this year. It also plans to bid for a contract to build and install charging stations for e-vehicles in Singapore, which plans to phase out cars that run on petrol by 2040.

The cleantech company is backed by Sunseap co- founders — CEO Frank Phuan, and President Lawrence Wu. Phuan invested in his personal capacity, while Lawrence invested through TRIREC, an investment firm with a focus on renewable energy and clean technology projects.

Oyika is currently in talks to raise US$100 million, which will be used to roll out the battery-swap service in Indonesia.

“It is very difficult for a rider to secure bank loans for e-motorbikes. So the money we raise will be used to provide financing services to riders. We are talking to several VCs and corporate investors, some of whom are in the oil & gas sector, who desperately want to do something in the clean space or offset the carbon,” he concluded.

—

Image Credit: Oyika

The post How Oyika helps tackle global warming through its power subscription plan bundled with e-motorbike appeared first on e27.

Unbox Robotics bags US$1.2M pre-Series A funding

Investors: Beenext, Karthik Bhat (Founder of Ubiquity), WEH Ventures, and Redstart Labs participated in the round alongside existing backers Arali Ventures, SOSV (and its accelerator HAX), and Entrepreneur First.

About Unbox Robotics: Unbox Robotics offers “software-defined” robotics solutions that help logistics players automate and improve their on-demand operations. The India-based company plans to use the fresh funds to help onboard new clients and develop its platform.

Also Read: Teleoperation: It’s here to revolutionise the logistics and supply chain industry

“Currently, we are closely working with six e-commerce and logistics enterprises in India, Southeast Asia, and the US to deploy our solution in the next twelve months and earn seven-figure revenue figures,” said Pramod Ghadge, CEO of Unbox Robotics.

AfterShip snags US$66M in Series B funding led by Tiger Global

Investors: Hillhouse Capital’s venture arm GL Ventures joined Tiger Global in the fundraise.

About AfterShip: The Hong Kong-based company offers a suite of automation tools to help businesses with sales, marketing, order management, and shipment tracking. AfterShip said it will channel the fresh funds to expanding its team, develop new e-commerce products, and continue its expansion into the US market.

Currencycloud sets up APAC headquarters in Singapore

The story: Located in downtown Raffles Quay, the new office will serve as a hub to drive the London-based fintech’s expansion throughout the wider region. Currencycloud also expects to hire a “double-digit” number of employees by the end of 2021 and is applying for a license with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

About Currencycloud: The company provides B2B embedded cross-border solutions and currently works with fintech companies including NIUM and Wallex. Currencycloud claims it processes over US$3 billion in international payments each month.

 

—

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community or like the e27 Facebook page

Image Credit: Unsplash

The post In brief: Beenext invests in India’s Unbox Robotics; AfterShip snags US$66M appeared first on e27.

Mercular, a Thailand-based e-commerce company targeting hobbyists, has raised US$3 million in Series A funding led by Kairous Capital.

Cyber Agent, 500 Startups, N-Vest Venture and Premier Advisory Group also participated in the round.

As per a press note, the fresh funds will go towards improving its platform and expanding the products and categories carried, starting with gaming gear.

Mercular claims it is the first Thai e-commerce startup to receive funding from foreign investors.

Based out of Bangkok, Mercular specifically targets those who are into hobby lifestyles. Having started out selling audio gadgets, the company has since expanded its product line to include sporting goods, cameras and collectable figures, among others.

Also Read: 3 top trends to impact e-commerce startups in ASEAN in 2021

The e-commerce startup noted it distinguishes itself from other platforms by providing pre and post-sales services for sellers — from providing content reviews to handling customer claims.

“The demand for hobbies products are rising rapidly since the millennials and younger generations are looking for alternatives in their recreation. While the typical e-commerce platform in SEA regions focus mainly on price competition,” noted Woragun, founder and CEO of Mercular.

“The pandemic has expedited the consumer’s habits of purchasing online by several years. While we believe that e-commerce market places will continue to be the mainstream players, we also see consumers turning sophisticated and demanding more by transacting via vertical e-commerce and social commerce platform,” commented Joseph Lee, Managing Partner at Kairous Capital.

—

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community or like the e27 Facebook page

Image Credit: Mercular

The post Mercular raises US$3M Series A to expand its hobby e-commerce platform in Thailand appeared first on e27.

Austrianova, a Singapore-based biotech company, has signed an agreement with Luxumbourg-based private alternative investment group GEM Global Yield to provide it with a share subscription facility of up to US$100 million for a 36-month term, following a public listing.

The deal will allow Austrianova to draw down funds by issuing shares of common stock to GEM.

Austrianova will control the timing and the maximum size of such drawdowns.

With the new funding, Austrianova aims to increase the growth of its production capacity to meet the demand for its cell encapsulation technology.

Founded in 2001, Austrianova develops cell therapy to protect, shield, and extend the life of living cells. Its two main flagship products are Cell-In-A-Box and Bac-In-A-Box.

As per the company website, Cell-In-A-Box is a means to protect, isolate, store and transport human and animal cells to provide increased immuno-protection. 

Also Read: Ageing gracefully: Why GERO is optimistic about its chance in the race for anti-ageing drug

On the other hand, Bac-In-A-Box is a Bac-In-A-Box is a means to protect, isolate, store and transport living bacteria and yeast for stomach acid protection.

“We believe that this is the largest share subscription facility to date for an Asian-based biotech company,” said co-founder of Austrianova, Brian Salmons.

“With the certainty of capital upon listing on a national public stock exchange, Austrianova is now well-positioned as the company enters its next stage of development. We believe that this is the largest share subscription facility for an Asian-based biotech company,” Salmons added.

“This agreement with GEM helps secure funding for continued growth and development of Austrianova as we continue to expand the number of partners using our Cell-in-a-Box and Bac-in-a-Box technologies,” shared Walter H Gunzburg, Chairman of Austrianova.

—

Image Credit:  National Cancer Institute

The post Singapore biotech firm Austrianova secures US$100M investment appeared first on e27.