Gone are the days of in-store or online. Retail commerce – even in-store – has transformed almost completely into digital e-commerce, the term used to describe the blend of online and offline commerce that we all enjoy today.

Whether it is the purchases themselves or the payment methods used to facilitate them, digital platforms are now an integral part of the retail experience.

This has empowered brands with global aspirations to scale quickly across regions, reach new markets, and to gain market share. But it goes without saying that this is easier said than done.

In many parts of the world and has been evidenced in growing Southeast Asian markets like Indonesia, digital transformation represents the growth of social economic consumer groups, internet infrastructure, and the prolific usage of smartphones.

However, in more established economies, these factors have enabled a range of transactions and payment methods that we can now recognise as forms of e-commerce– but it has evolved at different stages in different regions, with some markets witnessing a more competitive e-commerce landscape than others.

To take their slice of the pie, businesses of all sizes and industries need to match their payment capabilities to the regions in which they operate, ensuring the solution offered matches the market they are targeting, and is sensitive to its complexities and nuances.

The new commerce, from E to M

There is no longer a distinct line between “traditional” retail and e-commerce. Whether shopping online or in-person, for household supplies or clothing, traditional purchase behaviour tends to be routine and considered (as opposed to a one-off purchase).

And such transactions are always conducted with a preferred payment method, if a preferred payment method is not available, the purchase is unlikely to be completed.

Also Read: 8 mobile e-commerce platforms to help you achieve great prosperity

Apps have enabled pre-programmed transactions with automated payment authorisation. In fact, apps have been found to convert three times better than mobile websites.

For example, the likes of Grab and foodpanda have built their business around this on-demand model powered by apps that function like commerce utilities – these tend to be more spontaneous purchases made whenever the need arises.

Cards? Who needs cards?

While plastic cards may be used like cash in some economies, this payment behaviour is quickly being supplanted in the Asia Pacific region by even more convenient payment methods. For example, payment wallets like Fave or GrabPay and QR code payments are commonly used forms of payment in Singapore.

Such transactions are thought of as “pull” transactions since they pull the necessary funds from a store of value somewhere else. In this case, the web browser serves as the “wallet.”

It’s worth noting that app-based m-commerce is extremely effective in driving conversions because shoppers engage with their phones in such a habitual way: messaging, scrolling through social and news feeds, playing games (which are themselves often a form of m-commerce with their in-app purchases).

This almost reflexive behaviour lowers barriers to purchase, as does complete purchases utilising locally preferred payment methods.

Banks as brands, not places

As electronic platforms continue to enable increasingly efficient commerce, the distinctions between banks and payments companies are beginning to blur, with digital payment platforms beginning to function like banks. The implication for e-commerce and m-commerce is that purchase transaction behaviour will become even more reflected.

This also means the relationships between the local payment methods and the consumers who use them will become more closely aligned. This, in turn, means that merchants conducting cross-border commerce or serving international clientele need to tap into these systems if they are to thrive and grow their customer base.

In fact, the change to more convenient electronic payment methods tends to be driven by habits adopted by youth. This means the move to truly cashless commerce that does not rely on credit cards is inexorable and will accelerate, relying on a growing range of electronic local payment methods.

Retailers looking to succeed in this world will need to look past their websites or even their apps, all the way into their customers’ wallets.

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Southeast Asia’s buzzing tech startup ecosystem is going through a period of spectacular growth, emerging as one of the global hotspots for foreign investment., Despite the impact of the pandemic, startups from the region attracted investments totalling US$8.2 billion in 2020. The region’s digital economy is on track to be worth more than USD 200 billion by 2025, backed by an estimated USD 50 billion in expected funding.

The region’s internet economy is fostering a strong startup sector in several of its fastest-growing markets like Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and in the region’s financial hub, Singapore. Startups within the region are attracting FDI from all over the world as they pursue higher growth, while foreign tech unicorns and venture capitalists are looking to benefit from business opportunities presented by a significant market.

The ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries collectively represent a market equivalent to the fifth largest economy in the world. SEA’s overall economy is expected to grow by over 5 per cent every year, and is also home to a large pool of young talent with more than 30 per cent of the population aged between 15 and 34. By 2030, around 500 million people in Southeast Asia will be of working age.

Given the favourable demographics of a large connected young customer base, it is obvious that a host of high growth startups and tech unicorns from the rest of Asia, the US, and Europe are eyeing the ASEAN market.

SEA: a rapidly maturing digital economy

Southeast Asia’s digital maturity makes it a lucrative proposition for global startups looking for their next big growth market. Both the supply of talent and demand for digital products and services are growing at an incredible rate.

The ASEAN market is also maturing at a rapid rate, with homegrown startups expanding throughout the region and some even venturing beyond. COVID-19 has spurred much higher digital adoption among the population, with 70 per cent of Southeast Asia — 400 million people — now online thanks to the pandemic, according to a report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company.

The number of digital consumers is surging in Southeast Asia, driven by the combination of rising disposable incomes, access to affordable devices, and a large untapped market. Google estimates around 3.8 million new users across Southeast Asia will continue to come online each month.

For startups looking to expand in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is the perfect entry point

Malaysia is currently ranked as the 11th best-emerging startup destination in the world. Startup hotspots include the capital Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Selangor. These tech hubs boast an abundant supply of skilled talent, as well as attractive costs of business operations. Strong government support has helped shape an ecosystem of accelerators and incubators that make Malaysia a highly suitable destination for high growth startups wanting to establish a presence in Southeast Asia.

With a population of 33 million, Malaysia has a well-educated and highly diverse workforce who speak multiple languages. Malaysia has experienced a steady improvement in its business climate for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises, moving up three places to a global rank of 12th out of 190 economies in the latest ease of doing business ranking by the World Bank.

Also read: Fintechs ushering in a new era for a more digital India

Decades of industrial growth and political stability has seen Malaysia become a major tourist destination and a manufacturing powerhouse. Thanks to reliable digital infrastructure, Malaysia is an attractive base for companies in the financial, IT, and logistic sectors. Geographically, Malaysia is located in the heart of the ASEAN region. Its immediate neighbours are three burgeoning growth markets – Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore – making Malaysia a great HQ location for companies involved in cross-country operations.

With its balanced mix of languages, people, and industries, Malaysia is a true microcosm of Southeast Asia. Malaysia’s business-friendly regulatory environment can help startups to leverage the Malaysian market as the perfect entry point to quickly establish a presence in Southeast Asia and to better understand the culture, consumer behaviour, and market dynamics. Startups entering Malaysia will find the ideal launch market where they can refine the business model that will work best for them to achieve success in the wider region.

ServisHero: transforming home services in Southeast Asia

ServisHero is a technology-enabled marketplace for blue-collar workers headquartered in Malaysia with operations in Singapore and Thailand. Karl Loo, Founder and CEO of ServisHero, pursued Southeast Asia as a growth market because he felt with the high adoption of mobile technology, the timing for a services marketplace was right. Launched in 2015 as one of the first regional mobile apps to hire home service providers such as Cleaners, AC Technicians, Plumbers, Electricians etc., the app quickly became popular with Malaysians.

The startup operates under two business models — a consumer-focussed app; and under the sub-brand WorkMagic, it provides large enterprises with flexible teams of blue-collar technicians that can perform tasks such as building maintenance or installation services.

Large enterprises like Samsung and Kimberly Clark work with them to eliminate the operational complexity of managing their own service teams. The software developed by ServisHero allows them to effectively manage worker operations and allow clients to receive real-time updates on task fulfilment.

Loo says that people use our blue-collar service solutions because – “consumers can find and book a reliable home service conveniently from their smartphone; enterprises can offer services to their end-users without having to invest in their own labour infrastructure, and blue-collar workers and partners on our platform (we call them “Heroes”) get a consistent stream of high-value work that offers them enhanced earning potential.“

ServisHero is backed by leading Southeast Asian VC funds including Golden Gate Ventures and Cradle Seed Ventures.

In 2017, ServisHero participated in the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre’s (MaGIC) programme, Distro Camp, to help them expand to other countries in Southeast Asia, and to form partnerships with many of the region’s leading companies. ”MaGIC has been incredibly supportive with our goals to grow and scale our business. In particular, MaGIC has provided us access to digital marketing training for staff, as well as support to recruit local talent through their career fairs,” shared Karl Loo, Founder and CEO of ServisHero.

Also read: Going Global: Malaysia’s homegrown fintechs take on the world

Loo feels that apart from Malaysia’s strategic geographical location, “the key factors that make Malaysia a great place as a launchpad for start businesses, include: a) focused government support for startups; b) talented and young workforce that is keen to work in startup environments; c) relatively low costs to run a business.”

During the pandemic, ServisHero mobilised its network of workers to provide disinfection and sanitisation services to businesses and consumers under the brand Disinfection2U.com – this unit quickly became one of the largest COVID-19 disinfection companies in the region. “ServisHero is committed to creating work opportunities for the underserved, and we work closely with various government agencies to provide earning opportunities for Malaysia’s B40,” adds Loo.

Helping Samsung service customers during COVID-19

In 2020 during the pandemic, Samsung was looking for a better customer experience for people ordering appliances online.  Samsung wanted a trusted partner with nationwide installation capability and selected ServisHero as their installation service provider for appliances purchased directly from Samsung’s online channels across Malaysia.

ServisHero leverages its platform to provide a flexible team of installers for Samsung reducing operational complexity for Samsung and increasing online sales conversions.

Loo says having spent several years operating in the region, they understand Southeast Asian users and can deliver extremely relevant services for them. He hopes to offer their “blue-collar workforce in the cloud” to more enterprises, as well as continue to serve their loyal B2C user-base.

MaGIC: empowering entrepreneurs since 2014

Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre’s (MaGIC) is the agency under the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) on a mission to develop a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem in Malaysia. They empower technology startups and innovators through a series of mentorship, training, and development programmes, aimed at Early Stage, Mid Stage and Late Stage startups.

For late-stage global startups who want to expand into the region, MaGIC offers a Virtual Global Market-Fit Programme (GMP), a platform for high growth innovative startups to explore cultures, understand ways of business and gain international market access in countries beyond ASEAN. MaGIC also periodically opens applications to MyStartupHub (MSH), a soft-landing program for innovative global startups from all over the world to establish a business hub in Malaysia. Collaborating with Malaysian ministries and agencies, MyStartup Hub provides assistance in company incorporation, local talent acquisition, and Malaysia’s market access.

Also read: How these four India-based startups are impacting the earth

Through this programme, MaGIC will assist startups in business set-up, talent recruitment, and vertical-specific market access via their network of partners including government agencies, corporates, and universities. In exchange, startups are required to hire at least 3-5 local talents to help run operations in Malaysia.

MSH seeks to instil the exchange of knowledge between local and international startups to be more forward-thinking and relevant to industrial revolution 4.0. It also aims to provide global startups entry into Malaysia as the testbed and gateway to the larger ASEAN market. Moreover, the programme is designed to leverage Malaysia’s strong positioning in the regional ecosystem for local and international startups.

For more information, visit MaGIC’s official website at https://www.mymagic.my.

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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by MaGIC

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.

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On this National Day, despite everything that Singapore has to go through during the pandemic, there are still reasons to celebrate. One of them being the local tech startups that have made notable achievements and milestones this year.

These achievements and milestones range from securing unicorn status, confirming plans to go public, and raising more than US$15 million in a single funding round.

For your reading convenience, we have gone through our news coverage of the Singapore startup ecosystem this year and compiled the top 27 for you.

Nium

Nium, which offers cross-border payment services in multiple countries around the world, has become Southeast Asia’s latest tech company to get the unicorn status, following a US$200 million Series D investment round led by US-based Riverwood Capital.

Temasek, Visa, Vertex Ventures, Atinum Group of Funds, Beacon Venture Capital, and Rocket Capital Investment also joined the round. Notable angels such as DoorDash executive Gokul Rajaram, FIS’s CPO Vicky Bindra, and Tribe Capital co-founder Arjun Sethi also participated.

PropertyGuru

PropertyGuru has
announced that it will merge with Bridgetown 2 Holdings, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) formed by Pacific Century Group and Peter Thiel’s Thiel Capital, to go public in New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The combined entity will have an enterprise valuation of approximately US$1.35 billion and an equity value of approximately US$1.78 billion at closing, according to a statement.

Syfe

Syfe, a Singapore-headquartered digital wealth management company, announced that it has closed its Series B funding round of SG$40 million (US$30 million) led by Valar Ventures, the US-based VC firm co-founded by Peter Thiel. Existing investors Presight Capital (US) and Unbound also participated.

This capital injection comes just nine months after Syfe’s US$18.6 million Series A round led by Valar Ventures in September 2020.

NextGen

Plant-based foodtech startup Next Gen Foods has extended its seed financing round by raising US$20 million afresh.

This comes less than five months after it raised US$10 million from a host of investors, including Temasek and K3 Ventures — bringing the total funds raised from this round to US$30 million.

SCI Ecommerce

Cross-border e-commerce enabler SCI Ecommerce announced the final close of its ongoing fundraising, bringing the total capital raised from this round to approximately S$88 million (US$65.4 million).

The first tranche of this round worth US$38 million, announced on May 3, 2021, was led by Asia Partners.

Also Read: Lucy, a Singaporean neobank focused on women entrepreneurs, bags seed funding

Cialfo

Cialfo, a startup in the international student mobility space, raised US$15 million in an extension of its Series A round co-led by new investors SIG and Vulcan Capital. Backers also include January Capital, Bisk Ventures, Patrick Walujo and Teik Ngan Loy.

Cialfo will use the new capital for product innovation as well as expansion to India, China and Southeast Asia.

Endowus

Endowus.com, a MAS-licensed digital wealth platform, announced that it has received investments from strategic investors, including UBS, Samsung Ventures, and Singtel Innov8. Lightspeed Venture Partners and SoftBank Ventures Asia also joined the round.

The strategic investors will play a critical role in Endowus’s growth and ambition to become a leading robo-advisor and digital wealth manager in Singapore and Asia.

Zenyum

Zenyum, a direct-to-consumer dental products startup, raised a US$40 million Series B funding round led by L Catterton, a global consumer-focused private equity firm. L Catterton invested US$25 million into the startup in this funding round.

Existing Zenyum investors including Sequoia Capital India, RTP Global, Partech, TNB Aura, Seeds Capital, and FEBE Ventures also participated in this funding round.

MatchMove

US-based tech company Nityo Infotech invested US$100 million in embedded finance company MatchMove Pay in return for a significant equity stake. With this investment, Nityo will become the largest shareholder in MatchMove.

Together, the two companies aim to empower clients to embed own-brand digital financial services in their own platforms and apps.

Osome

Osome, a startup that has developed an accounting and corporate compliance app for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), secured US$16 million in Series A funding. Investors are Target Global (Berlin), AltaIR Capital, Phystech Ventures, and S16VC, besides Peng T. Ong, Managing Partner of Monk’s Hill Ventures.

The fresh capital will be used for international expansion and to fuel product integrations.

Pace

Pace Enterprise, a ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) startup owned by Spacemob founder Turochas “T” Fuad, secured an ‘eight-figure USD’ debt financing round led by Genesis Alternative Ventures.

The fintech startup will use the cash to grow its business in Southeast Asia.

Also Read: Singapore’s INKR bags US$3.1M led by Monk’s Hill to make digital comics universally accessible

Carousell

Leading online classifieds company Carousell is mulling public listing in the US via merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), says a Bloomberg report, citing undisclosed sources.

The transaction could value the tech company at about US$1.5 billion. It is already working with an adviser on the potential deal.

Engine Biosciences

Engine Biosciences, a Singapore- and US-based drug discovery company, raised close to US$42 million (S$57 million) in Series A financing from a slew of investors. Led by Polaris Partner, the round was also joined by Invus, 6 Dimensions Capital, WuXi AppTec, DHVC, EDBI, Baidu Ventures, Vectr Ventures, Goodman Capital, WI Harper, and Nest.Bio.

This comes after over three years after it raised US$10 million in seed funding from leading US, Singapore and China-based VCs and multi-stage investors.

Hummingbird Bioscience

Clinical-stage biotech company Hummingbird Bioscience announced the close of its US$125 million Series C financing round, led by Novo Holdings.

The round also saw participation from new investors including Frazier Healthcare Partners, Octagon Capital, EDBI, AMGEN Ventures, DROIA Ventures, Morningside Ventures, Pureos Bioventures, Polaris Partners, Affinity Asset Advisors, Ally Bridge Group and Altrium Capital Management.

MVLLabs

MVLLabs, a mobility blockchain company, raised US$15 million in a Series B funding round led by Korean automotive parts manufacturer CENTRAL. Singapore-headquartered TRIVE Ventures also participated in the round.

MVL will channel these funds towards expanding its mobility offerings – beginning with the launch of its first electric vehicle (EV), the ONiON T1.

Rainforest

Rainforest, an e-commerce brand aggregator, announced its launch with a seed financing round of US$36 million. The funding round consisted of US$6.5 million in equity financing, led by Nordstar, with participation from Insignia Venture Partners, and a US$30 million debt facility from an undisclosed US-based debt fund.

Rainforest will use the funds to acquire promising Amazon FBA (Fulfilment by Amazon) brands, invest in technology, and hire top talent to join their Singapore-headquartered and globally distributed team.

Glints

Glints, a Southeast Asia-focused online platform for career development and recruitment, raised US$22.5 million in a Series C funding round led by Tokyo-listed PERSOL Holdings.

Returning investors, including Monk’s Hill Ventures, Fresco Capital, Mindworks Ventures and Wavemaker Partners, besides angels such as Binny Bansal (co-founder of Flipkart) and Xiaoyin Zhang (former Head and Partner at Goldman Sachs TMT China) also participated in the round.

Also Read: Monk’s Hill Ventures head of talent’s guide to startup jobs search in Singapore

Trax

Trax secured US$640 million in a Series E financing round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and technology-focused funds managed by existing investor BlackRock. This round of primary and secondary capital financing also saw participation from new investors including Canadian pension fund OMERS and Sony Innovation Fund.

The blockbuster Series E round is more than double what the company raised in the past decade. To date, the firm has raised US$1.03 billion in investments and is understood to be valued at over US$2 billion

Grab

Grab confirmed its plans to go public in the US in partnership with Altimeter Growth, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The company expects it to be the largest-ever US equity offering by a Southeast Asian company.

The combined entity expects its securities will be traded on NASDAQ under the symbol GRAB in the “coming months.”

The proposed transactions value Grab at an initial pro-forma equity value of approximately US$39.6 billion at a PIPE size of more than US$4 billion.

Austrianova

Biotech company Austrianova signed an agreement with Luxembourg-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.

StashAway

StashAway, a robo-advisor for both retail and accredited investors, raised US$25 million in its Series D funding round led by Sequoia Capital India.

Existing investors, including Eight Roads Ventures (the global investment firm backed by Fidelity International and early investor in Alibaba), and Australian VC firm Square Peg also participated in the round.

Patsnap

PatSnap, a provider of R&D intelligence and IP intelligence platforms for brands and enterprises, secured US$300 million in Series E financing round, led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Tencent Investment.

This round puts PatSnap into the unicorn club.

Ryde

Ryde, a mobility app company, announced that it is preparing for an IPO launch on the Catalist board of the Singapore Exchange (SGX), according to a press statement.

The IPO is slated for 2022 at a S$200 million (US$148 million) valuation.

Also Read: Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures leads Singapore wealthtech startup Syfe’s US$30M Series B round

Grab Financial Group

Grab Financial Group (GFG), the fintech arm of the Southeast Asian ride-hailing giant, announced an over US$300 million Series A funding. The round was led by Korean asset management company Hanwha Asset Management, with other investors such as K3 Ventures, GGV Capital, Arbor Ventures and Flourish Ventures, joining.

The fresh funds will go towards expanding its team and increasing “more affordable, convenient and transparent” financial solutions in the region, the company said in a statement.

iSTOX

iSTOX, a Singapore Exchange (SGX)-backed digital securities platform, announced a US$50 million Series A funding round, as two Japanese government-backed investors joined the round. The VC arm of Japan Investment Corporation, JIC Venture Growth Investments (JIC-VGI) and government-owned Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) joined other new investors including Japan’s Juroku Bank and Mobile Internet Capital (MIC) in the latest round of financing.

Existing investors SGX, Japan’s Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings and Korea’s Hanwha Asset Management also made fresh investments.

BlueSG

Goldbell, a Singapore-based transport and engineering group, confirmed the acquisition of local electric car-sharing startup BlueSG in February.

The group expects the acquisition to be completed before August 2021 and claims it will help accelerate BlueSG’s development and expand its operations to other smart cities across the Asia Pacific region.

RWDC Industries

RWDC Industries secured nearly US$168 million over its six years of existence from renowned VCs such as Vickers Venture Partners as well as the ‘Iron Man’ star Robert Downey Jr.

RWDC Industries is one such startup that has long been working on developing a biodegradable alternative. It produces medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) biopolymers that are designed for use across a broad range of applications.

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Remote working is nothing new. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, companies have been doing some variation of remote working depending on circumstances. For example, companies who have just expanded to another country or market where setting up a full office is not feasible yet, or companies hiring freelancers, companies with sales teams covering a vast geographical territory, or even companies who simply offer remote working several days a month as an added benefit.

It was during 2020’s global lockdowns, though, that really brought the conversation about remote working forward as big and small companies start adapting to this shift — a shift that is looking to be a norm as more and more employers. and employees realise the benefits of remote teams, such as no geographical constraints in finding talent, no hefty office space rentals, easy accessibility to teams across international borders, and flexible working hours.

The big question is: how does one go about hiring remote employees?

Helping founders build just the right remote team for business growth and scalability

To empower startup founders and entrepreneurs with the right knowledge to hire the right team members for their remote teams, Deel recently conducted a one-hour webinar featuring AI and cloud service company CloudMile and chat & messaging company Sendbird to delve deeper into the topic of building remote teams for startup scalability and growth in Southeast Asia.

The topic of the session was “Scaling your startup across borders: A closer look at building your local entity and remote team” and was held virtually on 6th July. The main focus of the webinar was building a remote team and practical things founders need to know in choosing the new members of their team. It features a panel that includes Abhinav Krishna, Head of Expansion APAC of Deel; Dara Lee, HR Manager at CloudMile; and Sanghee Lee, Country Manager for Korea, Sendbird; in a session moderated by Meltem Kuran, Head of Growth at Deel.

Leveraging relevant industry experiences to understand the nuances of remote teams

The panellists and the moderator of the webinar brought in decades of relevant industry experience and leveraged their knowledge to explain the nuances of hiring the best team member for a remote team.

An NUS graduate, Deel’s Abhinav comes with elaborate experience in entrepreneurship and handling business across international borders. Prior to working at Deel, Abhinav founded an Enterprise Healthcare platform OurHealthMate where he went on to work with clients like Airbus, Colgate and Sony among others for eight years. His time at OurHealthMate gave him insights into the struggles of working with remote teams.

Also read: Scaling your startup: A closer look at building your local entity and remote teams

Dara from CloudMile is a cross-field HR with a financial background. With more than five years of experience in the HR industry, she once served as a recruiter for a large foreign bank and also has experience in recruiting for a startup company. With a keen focus on the execution of HR strategy for startups to assist in business growth rapidly, she sees value in remote teams and has hands-on experience in hiring remote teams.

The third panellist, Sanghee from SendBird- the world’s leading chat & messaging platform as a service in addition to voice and video, comes with a lot of industry knowledge and expertise, too. This former McKinsey and Ticket Monster business strategist has helped Sendbird grow from a revenue of $59 into millions with $120 million of funding from the top Silicon Valley VCs (up to Series B).

Moderator Meltem Kuran has been a part of Deel for over a year now. She specializes in digital marketing and business development and brings over nine years of industry experience to the table.

Where to start: Setting up a manpower plan for remote teams

Unlike many global companies with regional operations, SendBird first started its business in Korea and later opened its US headquarters. So, their regional offices don’t just have sales offices but a suite of functionalities, such as designs, HR, finance and engineering among others. This helps foster a robust team on the ground in all regions. Sanghee believes that it is important to have constant feedback between global headquarters and local executives.

CloudMile’s Dara believes that HR planning is mainly about finding the right people at the right time and for the right position. These people should be able to meet the specific business needs of each market. So, when creating a manpower plan, the company needs to look at the local market, and come up with unique hiring plans for each market.

Deel’s Abhinav shares that another key element to look at is the size of the company and knowing how many people the business is looking to hire. He added that companies, especially, startups need to ask the following questions:

1. Do we meet all compliance needs?
2. How do we hire and where do we hire from?
3. Which team are we looking to hire and what is our priority list: for example, a tech startup can be a tech team followed by DevOps, then customer success and eventually content teams.

Successful hires: What to look for in a remote team member?

Sanghee shares that some of SendBird’s first few successful remote hires were from Singapore, Bengaluru (India), and the UK. “Our rationale behind this decision was approximated around customers. Sendbird has customers all over the world in over 150 different countries and customer support is one of our main focus areas. So, we first decided to create customer success, account management and sales teams in remote locations.” He added, “Self-motivated and self-fulfilling people make up the best remote employees because they have to be driven.”

Also read: Fintechs ushering in a new era for a more digital India

Speaking on remote teams’ significance in the post-pandemic world, Dara shared that over 48 per cent of the global workforce will continue to work from home or remotely even after things open up. CloudMile looks at traits like professional competence, agility, team spirit and self-motivation when hiring remote team members. “Work is nor more a place, it is the team”, said Dara

To this point, Abhinav added that he goes for people who have ambitions and zero ego can contribute to healthy and constructive company culture and that’s what Deel goes for when creating a roadmap for new hires.

Leveraging technology for solving conflicts in remote teams

Given people are not physically together, office politics has been eliminated in the remote working scene. Plus, there is the advantage of digital trails. Abhinav feels that acknowledgement and appreciation go a long way. Leveraging tech solutions like Slack to foster better communication is vital when handling remote teams.

Dara believes that conflict can have a big impact on the work culture. And this is where technology solutions like Google workspace, more collaboration at work is a possibility even with remote teams. Meltem also emphasises the importance of clear communication.

With remote teams increasingly becoming the norm, startups, SMEs and big enterprises must have the tools and solutions to be ready to hire the workforce of tomorrow. This is where Deel is stepping up – a newly-crowned unicorn startup helping companies with international payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance in some 150 countries. With their Series C of $156 million raised, Deel’s valuation has reached $1.25 billion in just under 24 months.

Also read: How Malaysia’s ServisHero transforms Southeast Asia’s home service market

Interested to take the jump and scale beyond borders? Learn more about Deel their official page. If you are an e27 member, get special discounts with Deel. Visit https://e27.co.

This session followed the first webinar in this series where the main focus was on knowing when to grow your remote team, whether to hire a local team or a contractor, and factors to consider when building your team. Watch out for the upcoming third and final episode, which you can sign up for here.

The post From the experts: How to hire the right members for your startup appeared first on e27.

Demand for tech talents and digital skills in Singapore has grown rapidly in recent years due to greater consumer use of technology in our day-to-day activities and an increasingly digitalised economy. Moreover, the pandemic accelerated digital transformation across industries, which drove the immediate need for talent by tech companies.

Landing a job in a tech company does not necessitate knowing how to code or proficiency in computer science, as companies also want to tap on the experience and knowledge of specific industries and sectors. There are roles in these companies that span different departments, each playing an integral part for the organisation to thrive. In fact, by 2025, Singapore will need 1.2 million workers trained in digital skills across all functions.

At Twitter’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore, we are looking for technical talents covering product and software engineering, data science, data engineering and machine learning; and non-technical talents such as professionals in the fields of sales and marketing, public policy and operations.

Whether you want to work with a fintech, e-commerce or tech hardware company, the first step is standing out from a sea of applicants so recruiters can invite you to interview for the job.

Before you worry about updating your CV or creating a new one from scratch, determine if you are suitable for the role. If there is no clear indication of what the role entails, request a job description from the recruiter.

Also Read: Vietnam’s JobHopin nabs US$2.45M Series A to make recruitment easier in Southeast Asia

These are my five tips on creating a CV that could guarantee an interview:

1. Keep it short and concise. Summarise your qualifications succinctly in two or three pages, with the most impressive or relevant experience right on top. If you wish to include testimonials or a portfolio, use a hyperlink instead.
2. Add a personal profile. In no more than five sentences, tell us about yourself and why you will be a great fit for the company and the role you are applying for. This is your elevator pitch to catch recruiters’ attention.
3. Show genuine interest. First, tailor your application to the company and role you are applying for. Use keywords and phrases listed in the job description – this also optimizes your CV in applicant tracking systems. Next, demonstrate strong interest in the company or understanding of its product(s). For example, our purpose at Twitter is to serve the public conversation. Applicants who are passionate about this mission tend to be shortlisted for an interview.
4. Keep it real. Never lie about your qualifications. If you do not have any relevant experiences to share, show your willingness to learn and highlight functional skills such as leadership, teamwork and public speaking.
5. Don’t do too much. There is no need for fancy templates unless you are applying for a designer role. Avoid using pictures, including too many links, or adding irrelevant details.

At Twitter, our available roles can be viewed at careers.twitter.com. The job description and qualifications are listed clearly so applicants know what they are signing up for. As many teams at Twitter work cross-functionally, we place high importance on transferable skills like communication, project management and problem-solving.

For fresh graduates or applicants looking for a career change, compensate for the lack of relevant work experience with knowledge gained from courses, projects and training, as well as highlight achievements. We had an applicant who was interested in a public policy role and although he had no relevant experience, he grabbed our attention with his accomplished volunteer work and commentary on what freedom of speech meant to him and his community.

We also look for candidates who are excited about creating a culture that is supportive, respectful and honest. Twitter (the service) is home to a world of diverse people, perspectives, ideas and information so as an employer, we are committed to building an inclusive and diverse place where anyone, anywhere can belong.

Tech companies are critical in a digital economy and will pave the way for new opportunities – and with it, more competition – in the job market. Hence, Singapore is encouraging its local workforce to upskill and reskill, through government initiatives such as SkillsFuture and collaborations with companies such as Twitter, so that they are equipped with sought-after digital capabilities.

Interested in learning more about making the switch to a career in tech? Sign-up for the Twitter Career Roadshow, hosted in collaboration with SkillsFuture, happening August 11, 2.30 PM –5.30 PM!

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