This article is published as a part of a partnership with Future Food Asia. Iamus is one of the 10 finalists of the US$100,000 Future Food Asia (FFA) 2021 Award to be hosted from June 7-11.

Over the past few years, robots have found a home in the agriculture industry. Their inclusion comes as no surprise as they manage time-consuming and repetitive tasks on the farm. They may not fill the shoes of our perception built on fan favourites such as R2D2 in Star Wars, but robots are making food production more efficient.

The poultry industry is no different, and robots in the coop are helping boost food security, improve animal health and welfare as well as contribute to better labour conditions and farm profits. But can these robots go from task based work to providing predictive insights?

 From Filipino small-holders to Irish large-scale processors

Six years ago Shane Kiernan cofounded a business in the Philippines that provides outsourced manpower solutions to the poultry industry – from cleaning poultry sheds to vaccinating baby chicks they did it all. In the course of this business they observed all the challenges and opportunities in poultry production and were particularly curious to understand the drivers behind the wide degree of variability seen in the performance of poultry growers.

One question stuck with Kiernan: why was it that the same tiny proportion of farmers typically outperformed their cohort despite having older equipment or buildings? Fortunately his curiosity carried him to a conversation with Manor Farm, the largest poultry processor in Ireland.

A series of meetings followed where my curiosity validated farm variability is a US$9 billion annual problem for the poultry industry– an industry where low margins and animal welfare pressures abound.

Globally with over 350,000 poultry sheds raising 60 billion birds annually for protein consumption the market was massive but what was the solution to the challenges?

Also Read: This robotic machine can detect, locate and pick the harvestable crops from your farm and store them in a bin

Gallus: A chicken’s best friend

With investment from the family behind Manor Farm and others involved in animal feed milling, Kiernan started Iamus in 2018. Since then Iamus have developed their “Gallus” solution.

An integrated solution that acquires proprietary data from a mesh of static sensors and an autonomous robot that results in predictive recommendations to the customer that lead to improved margins and better animal welfare outcomes.

This year the team is undertaking extensive customer validation trials in Ireland and Thailand.

The company has invested their time and capital on building the hardware and software components of their. Last year they developed a machine vision capability in their robot. Up to this point our robot relied on non-visual sensors to navigate the poultry shed environment and detect the birds.

“There was a further benefit to machine vision – we could see the birds! In fact we could do more than just see the birds, we could categorise them based on established animal welfare indicators. The possible outcomes that arise from this capability was huge and is our biggest achievement to date allowing us to provide predictive interventions that create enormous value for our customers.” said Kiernan.

Tackling welfare and wastage

The mission at Iamus is to minimise waste in poultry through real-time animal welfare solutions. Gallus aims to change production outcomes by offering predictive insight to poultry producers so they can make necessary and timely interventions that lead to improved margins and better animal welfare outcomes.

Both in Asia and Europe, the robot solution is in great demand, yet they remain constrained by capital and resources to install Gallus. “The Future Food Asia Award Finals is a tremendous opportunity for us to spread our message, share our vision, engage new stakeholders and hopefully make the world a better place” says Kiernan.

Poultry, specifically chicken, is an already efficient source of protein that is the choice of billons of people around the world. Yet wasted opportunities to further optimise production interventions are missed that negatively impact on the carbon footprint and bottom of the line.

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Despite a successful career as a woman in the field of science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM), like many other women, I did not have it easy when I first started out as an ambitious graduate in the construction industry.

When it came to deciding where I should apply for my first job, my parents were very hesitant that the construction sector was the right field for a young woman. The industry had long been seen as a male-dominated sector that was labour intensive and had an expectation of long working hours.

Nonetheless, in spite of my parents’ recommendations I was drawn to the technical side of construction, and what I saw as the inherent beauty of the underlying calculations, and so was determined to challenge the stereotype.

Take the first step

From my beginnings as a junior architectural technician, I have gone on to diversify my experience and build up considerable knowledge in construction projects.

I am proud to be continuing to pursue my passion for numbers and engineering as the leading senior female asset valuer at my current employer, where I conduct site inspections and collect and analyse data to assess replacement costs for different types of buildings.

It is also exciting to be a senior member of a cutting-edge team using new cloud and analytics technologies and data to build models that automate valuations for large projects.

But like so many other women in STEM will have experienced, my career has been one full of challenges as I faced numerous cultural and workplace hurdles.

Also Read: Check out this comprehensive list of 46 startup resources and opportunities for women

Despite the industry’s best efforts, women remain under-represented and I think now is the right moment for a new push to encourage female talent into roles including surveying and asset valuation– a career path too many women are still unaware of.

A just cause for Singapore to champion

Although more women are pursuing degrees in STEM courses at Singapore universities, there is still a leaky pipeline of talent in related jobs, as noted in a recent study by the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

In fact, only 58 per cent of women with STEM qualifications continued to work in related jobs after graduation compared with 70 per cent for men– a phenomenon that is true globally.

Data from UNESCO, meanwhile, showed that only 33 per cent of researchers are women though they represent 45 per cent of students at the Bachelor’s level of study.

The same study from NTU found that women leave STEM careers, not because of a lack of interest or confidence, but because they encounter barriers of diversity and inclusion.

Women often feel marginalised at work as their male counterparts are more likely to be employed and make career progress than they are.

A US$13T opportunity hiding in plain sight

While fortunately, this has not happened to me personally, many women do face discrimination as colleagues question or do things that do not respect them and undermine their authority in the workplace.

Unfortunately, it remains the case that many parents still think that STEM fields are more suitable for men rather than for women, an attitude that can strongly influence the psychology of developing young minds.

Also Read: Building the rainbow bridge: How businesses can foster Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace

These gender biases lead too many women to feel as if they do not belong in their jobs, even as the under-representation of women remains concerning and has real economic consequences.

According to the McKinsey Global Institute, the global GDP could increase as much as $13 trillion in 2030 if we took action now to close the gender gap.

Women are important contributors to the discovery and development of new technologies in jobs such as architecture, real estate, information technology, and the natural physical and mathematical sciences that are central to innovation and economic growth.

My position is clear: more can and must be done to balance gender equality in STEM in Singapore and elsewhere.

Closing the STEM gap

My advice to talented young women looking to develop a fulfilling career in STEM may seem obvious but it is nonetheless important to reiterate – you must be willing to follow your passions and put in the hard work.

Closing the gender gap will take more than grit and an individual’s initiative; it requires the collective action of the industry as a whole to deliver real and lasting change.

Employers are central to helping tackle negative stereotypes at the workplace by listening more to women and encouraging equality and diversity in their hiring practices.

By encouraging regular discussions on gender inequity and proactively putting systems and practices in place that recognise and remove conscious and implicit bias, they can begin to shift cultural norms and help promote careers that talented female graduates will be drawn to.

Men must also act as compelling catalysts for other men in positions of power to engage in equitable workplace practices that support women through recognition and promotion where earned.

Also Read: Singapore faces talent crunch for engineering and product manager roles: Report

Seizing this moment of global transformation

Various programmes in the industry, including here in Singapore, are already helping to create a supportive ecosystem that empowers women to pursue their dreams in this exciting field that I am so thrilled to work in.

These initiatives create awareness around the importance of inclusivity and representation, while also providing inspiring role models and networking opportunities for young women.

Gender bias is a systemic issue that will take time to change, but I am optimistic now is the right moment to redouble our efforts as the world starts afresh after a deadly pandemic.

So much of our old thinking has already been challenged and gone out the window; so much of the way we work and assumptions we held just twelve months ago will never be the same again.

Getting more women into STEM is a just cause for Singapore and other leading innovation hubs to champion – I hope only to serve as a reminder to the Class of 2021 that it is possible.

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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: Christina Morillo from Pexels

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Kumu, a live-streaming app based in the Philippines, today announced that it has raised an undisclosed Series B funding round co-led by SIG, who is also a shareholder in ByteDance, and Openspace Ventures.

The funding round included existing investors Summit Media, Kickstart Ventures, Foxmont Capital Partners, and Gobi-Core Philippine Fund.

It also introduced new investors Gentree Fund, the venture vehicle of HM Investment Management, and Endeavor Catalyst Fund by the global non-profit Endeavor.

In a press statement, Kumu stated that it will use the new funding to scale its current operations. The startup said that it has experienced “tremendous growth” over the past year when it topped the Google Play rankings in the Philippines, with users spending almost an hour per day on the app.

“Our success lies in our ability to focus on Kumu partners and users, connecting them in creative ways,” says Angelo Mendez, Chief of Content and Co-Founder of Kumu.

Also Read: Philippines-based livestream mobile app Kumu raises US$1.2M seed funding

In April 2020, Kumu announced its Series A funding round. This funding round included an investment from Gobi-Core Philippine Fund (GCPF), a US$10 million fund jointly formed by Gobi Partners and Philippine VC firm Core Capital.

The company raised its US$1.2 million seed funding round in 2018. The funding was led by Summit Media, with a personal angel investment from the company’s president and CEO Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng.

Kumu has recently made announcements of high-profile hires in the company. On June 8, the startup announced the appointment of Crystal Widjaja as its new Chief Product Officer. Widjaja is known as the Chief of Staff and SVP of Growth at Gojek, in addition to being Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Silicon Valley growth school Reforge.

In May, the company also announced the appointment of Chief Growth Officer Alex Tshering, former SVP of newly listed apparel brand FIGS.

Mark Velasquez, former Director at ING Philippines and Vice President at Credit Suisse, was named as CFO in April.

Live streaming continues to gain traction in various markets around the world, including Southeast Asia. In this contributed post to e27, Kay Banzon wrote that a Market Research Future report projected that the live streaming market will be valued at US$247.3 billion by 2027.

“This expansion is attributed to the rise of various social media platforms and the growing interest and involvement of content producers and consumers worldwide,” she said.

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Image Credit: Kumu

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The Founder on Founder Podcast series is a weekly podcast hosted by Olivier Raussin, Managing Partner at FEBE Ventures, featuring tech entrepreneurs with a focus on Southeast Asia’s innovation business and tech landscape.

Featured in this episode is Thomas Miklavec, a serial French entrepreneur and founder of POC Pharma, a B2B service platform connecting the pharmaceutical world.

Before starting his career as a serial entrepreneur in emerging markets in the pharmacy space, Miklavec took some initiatives for NGO work during his undergraduate, working on HIV/AIDS programmes mostly in Africa. He supported companies to build plans, prevent and provide care and treatment for HIV/AIDS patients.

He then pursued an MBA from Harvard Business School and spent a few years at McKinsey as a consultant in strategy. With a plan to build the most scalable and sustainable venture that can be replicated from one country to another, Miklavec built Sanisphere.

Sanisphere is a data company that supports pharmaceutical companies and has expanded in over 20 countries in Asia and Africa. 

After that, Miklavec went on and built POC Pharma with takeaways on what he has learned from Sanisphere.

Based in Hong Kong with a Southeast Asia regional play starting with the Vietnam market, POC Pharma is a SaaS company helping the stakeholders in the Pharmacy Channel (drug manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, pharmacies, payers …) to digitally manage their interactions and collaborative workflows. 

Also Read: Early-stage learnings from former Grab employee on building a startup to help labour in Indonesia

When working in a highly regulated sector such as pharmaceuticals, Miklavec advised on being very aware of the framework that you are working in and adapt your product to the market.

With POC Pharma being VC-backed, it has given him more opportunities to invest in his product better than he did as a bootstrap entrepreneur when building Sanisphere.

When asked about fundraising, he said: “Have a very clear vision about how you define success. What do you want to do when you launch this venture? What are your objectives? Think twice about your aspiration and ambition to define what you really need. From then you can consider bootstrapping, small funding, or even very big funding.” 

Like all other entrepreneurs, founders are often overwhelmed with many projects and responsibilities and often struggle between the ‘dreamy’ essence of being an entrepreneur to dealing with concrete things on a day to day basis.

It is recommended to have this agility, swinging from ‘dreaming’ to doing concrete tasks and being focused on execution and gaining more focus. The technique he uses to leverage these priorities is taken from what he learned when at McKinsey is, “Zoom in, zoom out”. 

“Try to regularly find some topics where you want to zoom in and go very deep from time to time and up to when things are under control, and zooming out.

So after you have done that. take a step back and think how does it fit into the big picture, and what is the purpose that I am trying to serve here? If you zoom out too much, you have a big risk of getting disconnected and not knowing the direction or even what the daily tasks that you are executing.”

The final and simple takeaway that Thomas would like share at the end of the day is, 

“Be proud of what you do, be proud of who you are and how you behave as these are what is left when things are over.”

Listen to the full podcast episode here.

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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

The post Pharma entrepreneur Thomas Miklavec shares his journey on expanding his startup across SEA appeared first on e27.

Ever considered filing patents for the tech solutions that you have built? What are the benefits of having your patents filed? What kind of preparation do you need to make? Is the process going to be difficult? What are the Do’s and Don’ts?

Meet Dr D’vorah Graeser, who helps founders successfully navigate the world of patents. Dr Graeser and I break down everything so you can walk away as an expert in patents –just like her.

If you don’t see the player above, click on the link below to listen directly!

Acast

Apple

Spotify

Stitcher

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This article was first published on We Live To Build.

Image Credit: Michal Czyz on Unsplash

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