The tech industry does not stand in a silo. In fact, it is integrating seamlessly with various other industries such as art and design, creating a harmonious dance between technology and the human sense of beauty.

The Artling, a Singapore-based art and design consultancy firm, is an example of such a company which business offer the integration between the art and tech world.

Founded in 2013, the company connects buyers with sellers worldwide, assisting users in their art and design needs by enabling their listed creatives to build their own “storefronts” and “shoppable portfolios”.

It highlights the best of contemporary art and design from both emerging and established studios and galleries, offering end-to-end art consultancy services for both private and corporate clients. Its notable clients including Google, Twitter, JLL, the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton, and Swarovski.

The inventory value listed on their platform reached over US$210 million with over 3,000 artists and designers on board, including 300 local Singaporeans.

In addition to its offline services, The Artling also offers their expertise through online platforms. Their use of tech is apparent in their mobile app, where The Artling implements the use of AR to help clients visualise how an art piece would look like in their homes or offices.

Recently, The Artling introduced its latest innovation Artling Projects, a B2B art sourcing concierge for industry professionals, developed in-house by the company.

In this interview with e27, The Artling CTO Martin Brochhaus explains the vision behind Artling Projects, the work process behind the platform, and their ambition for the future.

Also Read: Why the future of AI needs more of diversity and the arts

Making arts happen

The Artling Projects is described as a workflow management system that aims to become the go-to platform for art and design sourcing needs. It includes features such as art sourcing, budgeting, and timeline management that will also enable users to manage various projects simultaneously in one platform. Think Asana, but for art and design projects.

“The Artling now has two key components; the offline advisory business, as well as the online platforms. The offline component developed organically and came after the e-commerce platform gained momentum, thus the demand for advisory services came naturally,” Brochhaus begins.

The CTO continues by explaining that despite their focus in the art and design verticals, The Artling has always been a tech-centred firm. In addition to building its own entire software stack in-house for years, the company also has two e-commerce platforms, two mobile apps, and other tools and dashboards.

“Technology has been prevalent in our day-to-day workflow and has, in turn, created a company culture where the team constantly looks to our developers to use technology to solve any pain-points we experience in our daily work,” Brochhaus elaborates.

“When issues arise, the developers are consulted and we will brainstorm together with the team. We then gauge a feature’s urgency based on current priorities, to see how we can come up with solutions and new tools together. Artling Projects is a direct result of this iterative process, collaboration and company culture,” he continues.

As the number of consultancy projects increased in 2018 and 2019, The Artling began to figure out how to streamline the entire process, leading to the creation of an early version of Artling Projects in late 2019.

Also Read: Lim Jui named CEO of SGInnovate as Steve Leonard departs in May

When asked about the most challenging part of development, Brochhaus says that it is having a full overview of what everyone else in the company is working on.

“For example, if someone in the team creates documents for an advisory project, the development team needs to be aware of it as these documents contain crucial data that could be handled and dissected by our tool, Artling Projects … Given that many of us come from different backgrounds (e.g art history, architecture and technology backgrounds), these sharing sessions provide fresh perspectives on issues and pain points faced by the team,” he points out.

“This creates an amazing feedback loop, and opens a channel where everyone can contribute by giving feedback and suggestions to improve our software development capabilities and automate processes,” the CTO adds.

The future of the arts

When asked about the future potential of Artlings Project and the global art scene, Brochhaus shares some promising statistics.

In Singapore alone, there are over 1,500 interior design firms and more than 700 architecture firms. Globally, in 2019, the global interior design market size was US$135 billion –this number is expected to grow to US$270 billion by the end of 2026.

In the Artlings Project platform itself, the community of artists and designers is said to have grown by 42 per cent with a 62 per cent increase in listings since January 2020.

Artlings Project aims to continue on tapping this opportunity by improving its platform.

“Our machine-learning pipeline is another aspect that we will continue to build upon; we currently have a great model that has a powerful similarity search feature, but we will also use ML for a variety of other tasks, especially for our approval processes and for a recommendation engine that suggests works simultaneously while our users are uploading more project-related information,” Brochhaus elaborates.

He also noted upcoming trends enabled by consumer electronics.

“Lastly, with new iPhones now having Lidar sensors, the influence of AR and VR will only grow in the web-development industry, so we intend to constantly improve graphical tools that Artling Projects already has and make use of the better hardware that will soon be in the hands of millions of users,” Brochhaus notes.

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Images Credit: The Artlings

 

 

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Feeling burned out is something no one should ever have to experience, so in today’s episode, KC and I talk about:

• What experiencing burnout feels like
• Understanding when you have burnout
• How to start developing a self-care routine
• Meditation, nutrition, exercise
• And more!

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

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This article was first published on We Live To Build.

Image Credit: Michal Czyz on Unsplash

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Sure, photography is a honed skill but does everybody sit and learn to develop a film or just use an iPhone camera? In the same way, coding is a honed skill until no-code came to be. No-code for startups is the iPhone of coding.

Coding is a tedious task that has been reserved for professional developers for too long; but what is life without innovation? Boring. Monotonous. Rigid. And who wants that, right?

Keep reading to learn more about how no-code for startups has truly been the start of something new for a generation of quick and agile businesses.

No-code development

With the advent of no-code, digital transformation has accelerated greatly in businesses all over the world that leverage this type of development. It is the future of work.

One of the most basic aspects to understand in economics is that “human wants are unlimited.” Customer needs grow and the resources to attend to those needs are scarce.

No-code facilitates the fast development of solutions for business processes to meet these unending customer needs faster than it would take a professional coder to do. Moreover, constant changes and updates are enabled as the speed, agility, and adaptability that no-code can provide is unmatched in the business world.

Basically, the biggest problem is the massive gap between IT and the demands of the business. And no-code helps fill this gap by providing the means to rapid application development.

Why no-code instead of traditional coding?

The bittersweet truth of the world today is that everybody wants everything but does not have the time or patience to have it procured. That is where solutions like no-code play a huge part in not disappointing the requirements of the business.

Sure, it’s not the same as professional development and may not achieve the sort of advanced customisation that you would with traditional coding but it is much easier to make, manage, and maintain.

Plus, everyone can do it. It broadens the spectrum of coding to a huge extent. Even professional coders like to use no-code here and there to save their time.

Workflow automation

Workflow automation in a business is extremely essential to achieve organisational objectives effectively. Why? Because automating workflow that can be well, automated, gives the employees of the organisation more time to be productive in matters that are critical.

With the highly time-consuming business processes in an organisation, it is the need of the hour to reduce operational costs and work on gaining more ROI. The key to achieving this is by automating workflow.

Workflow automation, thus, becomes an invaluable asset to your business. It enables saving thousands of hours of work. This is just one of the many benefits a business can avail of with workflow automation, so why should you not automate your processes?

No-code facilitates this by building applications quickly and easily that enable automation of workflow.

No-code for startups

Let’s face it. If a new business in the competitive market structure of today is not fast and agile, it would not be surprising if it failed. Startup ideas are in abundance but only a few of them make a mark. These are the ones that are groundbreaking in their execution.

Also read: Businesses are learning to code without coding

The whole point of coding is for it to be a learned skill, one that has to be mastered to be meaningfully useful. No-code takes that concept and inverts it completely.

Emmanuel Straschnov, Cofounder of Bubble, said “coding sucks… I mean, I code. But it’s tedious. I feel like it’s not reasonable to expect, you know, the vast majority of the population to be careful with their commas.”

No-code for startups poses a few challenges such as:

• perhaps you build an idea as an application with the help of no-code for the initial stages, you lock your platform in that form. However, later on, in the critical stages, you realise you have to completely redevelop your application professionally. This is definitely a limitation.
• There are more security risks and higher vulnerability with no-code.

While there are always two sides to a coin and the penny of no-code for startups is no exception to that principle, there are a whole lot of benefits as well.

Benefits of no-code for startups

To understand it more objectively, here are some benefits of no-code for startups.

• You can create a tangible and functional form to your startup idea in lesser time than you would take to even hire a professional developer.
• Initial usage and testing are easily enabled.
• Product development can be facilitated by creating prototypes with the help of Machine Learning and AI.
• You can lure early adopters by generating excitement among the beta version of the app to test it further.
• The business model is much more flexible and can be shifted if needed; this is because the amount of time and monetary investment, not to mention skills, are significantly lesser than that of professional development.

No-code platforms

There are many no-code platforms that can aid the furthering of your business processes efficiently and effectively.

Here are some no-code platforms that can be helpful for your business.

• Webflow can help you create a CMS-driven site
• Shopify can help you create an e-commerce shop
• Quixy can help you with application development and workflow automation
• Thunkable can help you create a mobile application
• Substack can help you create a paid newsletter
• Readymag can help you host an online magazine
• Sheet2Site can help you turn a google sheet into a website

The critics point of view

While no-code for startups is looked down upon in some traditional mindsets, it is important to understand that most applications are developed to achieve very simple tasks. If one could achieve that in much less time with no coding knowledge whatsoever and still get their desired results, why wouldn’t they go for it?

Change is inevitable and it’s better to welcome it than resist it. After all, I’m typing this article on a laptop and not a typewriter based on the same principle.

All in all, no-code for startups makes a whole lot of sense, especially taking into consideration the amount of investment of time and money that would have had to be pumped in a decade ago before this revelation.

Everyone can become a maker. Everyone can build applications. Everyone can take their startup idea and execute it without traditional constraints.

Sometimes a window can open without a door closing. No-code is that window for startups.

So tell me, do you have a startup idea?

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Image credit: Alex Knight on Unsplash

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Singapore’s state-run Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Wednesday that it would add S$30 million (US$22 million) more to its 5G Innovation grant announced last year.

The grant aims to fuel commercial adoption of 5G networks that will, in turn, help local firms leverage on the fifth-generation cellular network that promises data transfer 10x faster than the 4G.

The fund will also support solution providers and technology developers commercialising 5G solutions in making it accessible to more companies.

To apply for the grant, applicants need to indicate a significant value and impact that their product will provide to the enterprises and industry.

They will also need to be a Singaporean registered company and share a report of their operationalisation plan, commercialisation plan and business model.

Approved projects will then have 70 per cent of the qualifying costs of the project fully paid by the government.

Also Read: How 5G will empower startups and SMEs in the new normal

“With the previous fund, we wanted to be an early adopter (of 5G) and kickstart small-scale pilots. But now that 5G is in the process of rolling out, the emphasis is on driving commercial adoption by actual companies in actual use cases,” IMDA chief executive Lew Chuen Hong said.

This is not IMDA’s first attempt to champion initiatives that drive the adoption of 5G.

IMDA has advocated several initiatives in a bid to spur innovation and adoption of 5G in Singapore, which was largely focused on six key verticals, such as smart estates, urban mobility, maritime, robotics and more.

On April last year, it awarded Singtel and a joint venture between StarHub Mobile and M1 with licenses to build two nationwide standalone (SA) 5G networks in Singapore, which is currently available in key town centres of the region.

SEA’s progress on 5G

When it comes to the mass adoption of 5G, by most measures, China has largely been the global frontrunner.

According to a report by WallStreetJournal, China has not only more 5G smartphones for sale at lower prices but it also has more-widespread 5G coverage than the rest of the world.

Connections in China are also on average faster than in the U.S., as per the report.

In the SEA region, however, Singapore is leading for 5G adoption, followed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand, according to research by AT Kearney.

Thailand is seeking to pioneer the deployment of 5G and aims to begin commercial 5G service in 2021.

Also Read:  Transcelestial aims to help telcos roll out 5G rapidly and cost effectively in SEA

Indonesia launched trials for its own 5G network in Jakarta and Palembang during the 2018 Asian Game, while Malaysia has started conducting tests with different technology partners, although it has been said that the network won’t be available until 2020.

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Image Credit:  engin akyurt

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Indonesia’s Warung Pintar, a micro-retail tech startup, announced today it has launched an online platform for owners of mom-and-pop stores or warungs, to conduct bulk shopping from distributors for supplies.

Termed “Grosir Pintar”, the startup claims the platform allows warung owners to select products from over 200 distributor partners and goods can be sent within three hours.

“This service can also help them to fulfil emergency grocery needs, making it easier for warung owners with limited cash flow,” said Agung Bezharie Hadinegoro, CEO and Co-Founder of Warung Pintar.

As per a press note, warung owners on the platform will only need 43 minutes to order goods, compared to one hour through conventional means. They would need only 14 hours to wait for supplies to come in, with same-day services enabling delivery within 2.5 hours.

Also Read: Warung Pintar CEO: How my grandmother inspired our vision for Indonesian mom-and-pop shops

According to an internal survey by Warung Pintar, during the pandemic, warung owners experience up to 28 per cent decrease in revenue due to lockdown measures. Warungs that are located near crowded places such as schools experienced a more drastic slump at 80 per cent.

In October 2020, the Indonesian-based startup partnered with local fintech firm BukuWarung to develop digital solutions that can accommodate the specific needs of the country’s MSMEs, beginning with digital bookkeeping and stock fulfilment facilities.

The Indonesian government has set a target to help 10 million MSMEs go digital by the end of 2020 as it looks to jumpstart digital adoption amid the country’s booming digital economy, which is expected to reach US$150 billion by 2025.

Indonesian MSMEs are looking to jumpstart digital adoption amid the country’s booming digital economy, which is expected to reach US$150 billion by 2025.

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Image Credit: Warung Pintar

 

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In the summer of 2004, while spending time with his family in Pakistan, Professor James Trevelyan experienced a temperature of about 46°C and up to 80 per cent humidity.

Regular power outages had just started. It left him without air conditioning, with the indoor temperature hovering around 40°C after midnight.

This was when he decided there must be a “cooler” way to keep oneself cool.

In 2007, he invented a personal air conditioner, which he claims to provide environmentally-friendly cooling solutions that are less-power consuming and less-emitting.

“Our mission is to provide affordable and efficient cooling to everyone who needs it without compromising sustainability,” Trevelyan says, as he narrates the story that led him to build Close Comfort.

Also Read: Indian IoT startup Clairco can convert your AC unit into a smart air purifier

His startup journey, however, was far from smooth and it took him many years to turn Close Comfort to a “saleable” product.

For about six years, from 2007 to 2014, the professor worked with his engineering students at the University of Western Australia to develop the product and realise his dream.

By 2013, he developed a prototype, and in summer, he arrived at the foot of the Himalayas to conduct tests in some of the hottest areas of Pakistan. To his surprise, the results exceeded his expectations. This was despite the nightly indoor temperatures reaching 41°C (with 70-80 per cent humidity).

“After two further years of market research and testing in different countries and climatic conditions, the first Close Comfort units went on sale to customers in Pakistan in 2016,” he shares.

How it keeps you cool

Close Comfort is a tiny, light-weight, portable refrigerator with a fan inside that blows a gentle stream of cool air to create sufficient comfort for one or more people, close together.

A key feature, according to the professor, is that it “never” needs recharging and adjusts automatically to work harder in high humidity. No installation is required as it needs no water or exhaust hoses. This means you can be cool and comfortable wherever you are, even outside in sheltered places.

“Since it uses compressor refrigeration, you feel that refreshing crisp air straight away, gently blowing away all the discomfort from heat and humidity,” the professor says.

Additionally, he claims, the units consume very little power that you will barely notice it on your electricity bill. The device releases only 300 Watts. It directs its warm air exhaust to the ceiling where the heat is absorbed, just like the warmth from your fridge which you don’t notice. “Any excess finds its way out of open windows or doors,” he shares.

The Igloo tent

Close Comfort also has an Igloo tent on offer. If the temperature inside your bedroom regularly exceeds 28°C at night, this tent can provide extra cooling to keep you comfortable. It also doubles up as a chemical-free mosquito protection.

Igloo also reduces the air conditioner power consumption to about 180 Watts, on an average, which is valuable saving for off-grid battery installations.

Also Read: Indian students develop an innovative billboard that purifies air

The professor recommends that we keep the device near you, no more than 1 or 2 metres away, for optimal cooling.

With offices in Singapore and Australia, Cool Comfort is also available for sale in Indonesia and Pakistan. The product — priced at US$649 — can be purchased through leading e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada in addition to its own site.

Cool Comfort is manufactured in China under Australian supervision by a Taiwanese-owned factory specialising in high-quality appliance manufacture.

Expansion on the anvil

The professor is now looking to expand his business into new countries. “The world is warming and cities are warming even faster. Billions of people need energy-efficient air conditioning now, even more in future,” he says.

Although the business saw steady growth in the recent years, the growth came with many challenges. “The biggest challenge was learning to market it effectively and helping customers understand that we don’t need to cool a whole room or building for them to feel comfortable,” admits the founder.

“The concept is so simple: it cools people, not buildings. But a century of room air conditioning has ‘conditioned’ people’s minds as well. It’s hard to think of something completely different, especially for engineers,” he says.

A family-financed startup, Close Comfort will in the future look to raise venture funding to scale production, marketing and sales for the vast global market.

“With thousands of units sold, mainly online, glowing five-star reviews from users, and low distribution costs demonstrated in attractive markets, the company is ready for outside investors,” he concludes.

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Image Credit: Close Comfort

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Singapore Exchange (SGX) and Temasek today announced the formation of a joint venture (JV) that is set to become Asia Pacific’s first exchange-led digital asset venture focused on capital markets workflows through smart contracts, ledger and tokenisation technologies.

The JV will look to partner with fixed income issuance platforms to connect to its post-trade and asset servicing infrastructure, providing issuers, arranger banks, lawyers, investors and paying agents with a comprehensive, issuance-to-settlement network for Asia bonds. Concurrently, the JV will focus on other existing and emerging asset classes that have seen growing market demand, including funds and sustainable finance.

According to a press statement, the partnership was built on the previous collaboration between SGX, Temasek and HSBC which culminated with the issuance of Asia’s first public syndicated digital bond for Olam International in August 2020. In all, SGX’s digital asset issuance, depository and servicing platform was used to issue four digital bonds by several issuers, with a total size of over S$1 billion (US$752 million).

Also Read: Ecosystem Roundup: Nanofilm plans to raise up to US$375M via IPO on SGX; Singapore’s face scan plan sparks privacy fears

“The early success in our digital bond issuance platform has paved the way for SGX to make a larger move into digital assets, and we are very excited to take our digital asset business to the next level in partnership with Temasek. Together, we will capitalise on digitalisation trends that continue to shape global capital markets, and advance the development of capital markets infrastructure in Asia,” said Lee Beng Hong, Senior Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities (FICC), SGX.

The partnership between SGX and Temasek combines SGX’s multi-asset experience and strengths in operating market infrastructure to the highest regulatory standards, together with Temasek’s expertise in blockchain technology and ecosystem connectivity.

“We have been tracking the evolution of financial market systems and the opportunities for development of digital infrastructure that will transform how financial transactions are conducted. We are pleased to partner SGX in this effort towards the continual improvement of capital markets through the development of innovative end-to-end digital asset solutions,” added Pradyumna Agrawal, Managing Director, Blockchain@Temasek.

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Image Credit: SGX, Temasek

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Several senior executives of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) resigned or tendered their resignations over the past few months, a well-placed source told e27.

Those who have left or tendered their resignations include COO Datuk Ng Wan Peng, CFO Nor Faizah Othman, CIO Abdul Malick Aboobakar, Investment Development Vice-President Wee Choong Hew, Creative Multimedia Director Hasnul Samsudin, Growth Ecosystem Development Vice-President Norhizam Kadir, Human Capital Director Suzana Nawardin, and Sharing Economy Ecosystem director Darzy Norhalim.

The news was first reported by The Vibes. As per this report, the government agency is split into two camps — under Chairman Raise Hussin and CEO Surina Shukri. However, e27‘s source dismissed this claim as baseless and unfounded.

Also Read: MDEC spearheads alternative funding to help Malaysian startups thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic

“MDEC needs to change and institute change with the changes in the system, especially with the onset of the pandemic. There have been resignations over the the course of 2020, with some leaving as early as mid-2020. However, there has been no mass exodus so to speak,” the person quoted above revealed.

“The truth is that they all left for varying reasons — some for personal, some for better opportunity, some unable to align with the new direction of the agency, who prefer exploring something else in their lives,” the person disclosed.

According to another credible source, there have been some concerns among the employees about MDEC’s vision and direction.

Following the reports of resignations, MDEC Chairman Rais Hussin came out to issue a statement saying it was normal for people to resign at the end of the year and refuted claims of a crisis within the agency, according to a Free Malaysia Today report. He remarked that when change is pushed, staff may either embrace the change, adjust or disagree by moving on.

As per another report, fresh faces have already been brought into the agency, including Nora Junita Mohd Hussaini, who has been appointed as CFO with immediate effect.

The organisation said Nora Junita will contribute to business strategy and financial leadership alongside programmes that are aligned with MDEC’s overall national strategic objectives.

MDEC is an agency under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia and is tasked with spearheading the development of the country’s digital economy.

(Sainul Abudheen K also contributed to this report)

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Image Credit: Unsplash

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