Insurtech company bolttech today announced that it has added BRV Capital Management as a strategic investor in the company.

This addition followed the company’s Series A funding announcement that it announced earlier this year.

In September, bolttech has also added US$30 million to the US$180 million Series A.

Investors in this funding round included Activant Capital, Tony Fadell (Principal at Future Shape LLC), Alpha Leonis Partners, Dowling Capital Partners, B. Riley Venture Capital, Tarsadia Investments, EDBI Singapore, and Mundi Ventures.

bolttech aims to use the investment proceeds to continue the acceleration of its international growth strategy.

In a press statement, the company said that BRV’s partnership as a strategic investor will help propel its expansion across Asia, particularly in South Korea where bolttech “has achieved rapid growth by delivering innovative and industry-leading device protection solutions to Korea’s tech-savvy consumers.”

Also Read: Why the digital ecosystem is key to transforming the insurance industry

“We have set out to be ambitious in the implementation of our international growth strategy, moving with speed and conviction to make strategic acquisitions and invest in our talent and capabilities. BRV’s investment is further validation of our unique proposition and vision to connect people with more ways to protect the things they value. We are delighted to welcome BRV as a strategic investor and look forward to capturing the commercial opportunities made possible by this partnership,” said Rob Schimek, Group CEO at bolttech.

As an insurtech platform, bolttech connects insurers, distributors, and customers with the goal to make a more efficient and easier transaction.

The company has a footprint in 26 markets in North America, Asia, and Europe, working with more than 150 insurers and 700 distribution partners. It also has US$5 billion premium transacting through its insurance exchange.

BRV is a tech-focused, Asia-based growth equity arm of BlueRun Ventures. It has an active presence across Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Menlo Park.

—

Ready to meet new startups to invest in? We have more than hundreds of startups ready to connect with potential investors on our platform. Create or claim your Investor profile today and turn on e27 Connect to receive requests and fundraising information from them.

Image Credit: bolttech

The post bolttech adds BRV Capital Management as strategic investor to support international growth plan appeared first on e27.

Bulletin Board System (BBS) Network, a decentralised Web3 public network of user-run online message boards, has secured US$1.5 million in a seed funding round led by Binance Labs, the venture capital and incubation arm of Binance.

DCG (Digital Currency Group), Polychain Capital GPs, Node Capital, NFX, and DAO Maker, also co-invested.

The funding will be employed to build and launch new features of BBS Network such as Native App, Search Engine, and Cross-BBS Authentication.

Launched in 2018, Binance Labs focuses on identifying, investing in, and empowering viable blockchain entrepreneurs, startups, and communities.

Also read: The different ways the Web3.0 is enabling marketplaces

BBS Network is a SocialFi project that enables content sharing like a Reddit forum with moderators in a decentralised space. The network, or the collection of all the BBS boards, will reward creators, curators and other stakeholders with its own native token.

As a decentralised social network, every post on BBS will be turned into an NFT that users can create, buy, sell and collect revenue from the ad space on their posts. BBS also leverages an NFT Bidding Model, which enables anyone to purchase the ad space at transparent prices.

Revenue generated by the platform is said to be shared across all BBS ecosystem participants such as publishers, owners, web hosts, developers, in a fully automated, transparent and market-driven manner.

It also claims to be resistant to censorship, which means that all BBS users, content and wallets can always be recovered, and can never be censored, shut down, seized, or altered by anyone, not even BBS.

“The mission of BBS Network is to return control of content and its economic upside back into the hands of social media users,” said Eyal Hertzog, founder and CEO of BBS.

Eyal Hertzog was the founder of Metacafe, Contact Networks and Bancor, one of the first mainstream decentralised trading protocols.

“It is a unique opportunity for us to work with a group as crypto-experienced as Eyal and the BBS team,” said Ken Li, investment director of Binance Labs. “Our team has been deeply exploring the Web 3.0 SocialFi landscape, and we are excited by what decentralisation can do for the creator economy, as well as billions of daily social media users.”

—

Ready to meet new startups to invest in? We have more than hundreds of startups ready to connect with potential investors on our platform. Create or claim your Investor profile today and turn on e27 Connect to receive requests and fundraising information from them.

Image Credit: Binance Labs

 

The post BBS Network, ‘decentralised Reddit forum’, raises US$1.5M seed round led by Binance Labs appeared first on e27.

Japan is home to some of the most cutting-edge innovations in the world, having spent decades pioneering many feats across different industries including robotics, automobile, and hardware manufacturing, among many others. 

The country landed the 13th spot in the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s Global Innovation Index 2021, which evaluated 132 economies based on 81 indicators that measure their innovative capacity and output. This means that according to key factors, Japan is among the world’s most competitive players in terms of innovation.

In order to further embolden the country’s top innovators to take on the broader global stage and pursue growth on a much larger platform, the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) is spearheading initiatives that aim to guide and bolster Japanese startups towards greater growth.

Taking the world by storm

One of these JETRO-led initiatives poised to help Japanese startups reach ultimate success is the “Startup City Acceleration Program”, an online programme in partnership with the Cabinet Office of Japan that runs from October 2021 to March 2022.

In this programme, JETRO collaborates with six major accelerators to cultivate overall growth across the Japanese startup ecosystem, serving as an entry for some of the best Japanese startups to take on the global market. Through the programme, startups will receive first-hand mentorship, matching opportunities with foreign investors, and new business partnerships, among many other exciting opportunities.

Also read: Leave a Nest takes innovation from research to market

This year, JETRO selects 100 of the country’s top startups from innovation hubs across Japan. The organisation will support their global expansion by providing specific courses in specialised areas such as B2B, bio-healthcare, Climate/Cleantech, and University-based deep tech. Each course will be administered by a top accelerator that specialises in each area. 

An introductory boot camp followed by weeks of in-depth sessions will also culminate in a demo day where each startup gets to showcase what they have built in front of a global audience of investors.

The Founder Catalyst programme by top accelerator, Techstars

One of the key features of the event is The Founder Catalyst Programme to be led by Techstars. As a worldwide network that aims to help entrepreneurs grow and succeed, Techstars is one of the major accelerators working with JETRO for this project. Through the programme, the group has selected two cohorts consisting of 15 startups each for their Founders Catalyst programme.

“Today’s global environment has become a source of demand for new ideas and progress toward innovation across everything from healthcare to climate change, but at the same has restricted the collaboration and resources needed to propel promising innovations toward success,” said Maelle Gavet, chief executive officer at Techstars.

We’re thrilled for the opportunity to support these startup ecosystems and help entrepreneurs make the connections they need to advance their businesses,” added Gavet.

Techstars’ participation in JETRO’s Startup City Acceleration Programme is a major step as the group is known for being a rapidly-growing global investment and accelerator network that helps entrepreneurs across different aspects of business growth. Taking place from October 2021 to February 2022, the 18-week programme marks Techstars’ commitment to producing the best and the brightest startups powered with the most cutting edge innovations today. This commitment is further crystalised with the group’s partnership with JETRO and other reputable organisations such as the Japan Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI).

Also read: How this global IoT and connected transportation leader will transform APAC

Past Founder Catalyst programmes by Techstars have resulted in hundreds of business and investor connections, seeding countless relationships between participants and mentors. By providing introductions to world-class resources and education, Techstars has helped participants hone their skills, develop their ideas, and engage wider networks that have resulted in many business successes not only in Japan but across the world.

The tools, insights, and strategies offered by Techstars through its programmes and services are based on the experience of operating nearly 50 accelerators around the world, having invested in more than 2,500 companies to date. Collectively, the Techstars portfolio has raised more than $15.7 billion from investors and is worth more than $220 billion today.

The two cohorts under the Founder Catalyst Programme

With all the unique technologies and solutions available in the market, the Founder Catalyst Programme will be focusing on two cohorts: General Cohort and Cleantech Cohort.

The General Cohort will be sector agnostic and will feature a wide range of startups from various verticals and stages. This cohort will be run by Techstars and will include a variety of innovators such as retail platform Vox Japan, machine learning company Citadel AI inc., and sports tech provider RUN.EDGE Limited.

On the other hand, the Cleantech Cohort will be comprised of startups engaging in the verticals relating to Climate Tech, Cleantech, energy, green-tech, materials, and sustainability. This cohort will also be run by Techstars, who have been focusing on Cleantech and sustainability with their own new programme and initiatives. Some of the startups featured in this cohort are Aonbarr Inc., Fermenstation, and Welltree inc., all of which propose sustainability innovations in various industries.

Japan’s incredible history of innovation

“We believe that great ideas can come from anywhere and we are committed to driving greater diversity in the technology and investment sectors outside of Silicon Valley. Japan has an incredible history of innovation with strong potential for growth and transformation. The Startup City Accelerator Program will be one of the most innovative and interesting programs we have run to date, and we look forward to helping unlock its potential,” shared Gavet.

Also read: Finnoventure Fund 1: Helping the Thai startup ecosystem thrive through innovation

Techstars’ isn’t alone in this belief. Time and again, Japan has proven to be a force when it comes to creative and innovative developments. As the world gears for stronger and smarter solutions especially in the sustainability space, the role of Japanese startups is likely to experience increasing importance.

With all these exciting new innovations rendered by one of the world’s most competitive tech ecosystems, we can only expect great things from JETRO’s Startup City Acceleration Programme and Techstars’ The Founder Catalyst Programme working hand in hand to showcase the best of Japan to the rest of the world.

– –

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

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.

– –

Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

The post Techstars and JETRO to help 26 Japanese startups go global appeared first on e27.

Join us as we speak with Israel Bimpe, head of Africa Go-To-Market for Zipline, a drone delivery company focused on building the world’s fastest and most reliable delivery drone and logistics network to ensure every person on the planet can have instant access to vital medical supplies.

In our conversation, we discuss how emerging markets are leapfrogging mature markets in a number of key areas, the benefits of cultural diversity and valuing the voice of teams in local markets when scaling a business globally and how Zipline is building strong teams in the markets they are expanding into.

This episode is sponsored by our partner, ZEDRA. Learn more about how the ZEDRA team can support you in expanding to new markets.

If you are international business leader looking to connect with others leading global expansion, join the Global Class Community. More info here.

—

This article was first published on Global Class.

Image Credit: Global Class

The post How Zipline builds strong teams in the markets they are expanding to appeared first on e27.

“Fortune favours the brave.” These are the words spoken by Matt Damon as he peers into the vast unknowns of our cosmos.

Just months before, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) ordered the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange platform, Binance.com, to stop its services in the sunny island state.

Now, as we prepare to usher in the new year with enigmatic crypto adverts playing in the background, it sure looks as if Singapore has switched sides and is finally ready to be seen as a global cryptocurrency hub.

What changed?

The short answer is, nothing much. For years, Singapore has consistently worked to establish itself as the fintech hub of the world. Results thus far have been promising.

Since 2016, MAS has repeatedly hosted the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF), the largest fintech festival in the world attracting participants from over 140 countries.

This year, for the first time since its founding, a crypto company, ShuttleOne, clinched first place under the ASEAN FinTech award category.

To many fintech observers, this development is actually not a surprise at all. Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, the fintech industry, along with other brick and mortar businesses, have seen tremendous improvements in the areas of cost-cutting, digitisation, and efficiency.

Also Read: 5 reasons why crypto exchanges need to be decentralized

The recently concluded UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) has also sparked calls for greater transparency in the way people and businesses work. This point was repeatedly hammered by Kimbal Musk, billionaire Tesla board member and brother of Elon Musk, who has set up a decentralised autonomous organisation (DAO) focusing on food justice.

Speaking on this issue, Musk said that one of the goals of this charity is to revolutionise the philanthropy industry using blockchain, a move that he believes will remove inefficiencies and increase public trust in charitable organisations.

Such ideas are no longer radical. Today, e-governance leaders such as Estonia advocate for the use of blockchain to provide secure services to citizens. Thailand has also laid out future plans to attract “crypto tourists” to uplift the tourism sector.

In Singapore, despite the lack of “flashy” announcements, local government-linked organisations have been secretly working behind the scenes with crypto companies to improve their offerings.

For example, at the beginning of this year, we saw how ShuttleOne helped finance the first batch of electric vehicles to replace the entire taxi fleet for commercial use in Singapore by 2026 — an early indication of Singapore’s careful but eager adoption of decentralised finance to fund public projects.

The ever-changing nature of the global fintech ecosystem spells massive opportunities for the relatively nascent universe of blockchain.

As the world gradually warms up to the idea of decentralised finance, Singapore must continuously stay ahead or risk being left behind in this global race into the cryptoverse and beyond.

It is not wrong to say that fortune favours the brave. But we forget that fortune also favours those who can see things for what they are truly worth.

–

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic

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

Image credit: peshkova

The post ICYMI: Singapore just gave a nod of confidence to cryptocurrency appeared first on e27.