In today’s increasingly interconnected world, the trend is geared towards global rather than local. Big names in the tech industry have attempted to consolidate everything people need to know all the time and provide that information at their fingertips. At the same time, the information overload tends to become overwhelming, with recommendations, directions, and locations from across the globe conveniently condensed into something as portable as a smartphone.

CiPPo Corporation is one of the startups going against the current. In an interview with e27, CiPPo president Tetsuya Yokoyama lets us in on what sets his company apart. CiPPo’s smartphone app doesn’t aim to capture the largest possible area in its reach; instead, it focuses on connecting small communities. Beyond business, apps and startups like CiPPo inspire community-building in the digital age. Contrary to what has been said about the nature of technological advancement, there are avenues to form genuine connections through tech, and CiPPo might just be one of those avenues.

Localising connections in a globalised world

According to Yokoyama, CiPPo’s app gives clients more information about the specific place where they live, otherwise known as their “local place.” The regional media & SNS application sends information of stores, hospitals, job openings, and other community-related data to users. This makes acquainting clients with their hometown or city much easier. The app also acts as an all-in-one conduit for job seekers and those looking for information on certain establishments nearby, like hospitals, apartment networks, and schools.

Local businesses are matched with potential customers through an in-app search engine. For example, businesses will be immediately notified of any interested customers nearby and vice versa. The app even has push notifications for disaster and crime prevention, allowing its users to send an SOS when necessary. With permission, the app digitises circulation boards for schools and residents’ associations, allowing any publicly available information to be accessed through the app. This makes looking for local establishments easier and less tedious for users who are running on tight schedules. While it might not apply all the time to all establishments, it’s especially helpful for anyone who’s looking for a nearby hospital or parents deciding on the best school for their child.

Also read: Nexmind AI is on a mission to make AI accessible to more companies

Through these features, CiPPo aims to be a centralised system within a vast network of communities that helps bring people together. Though ideally regionalised, the app organises information within the given area for quick access to anyone in close proximity. CiPPo’s creative innovation works because it’s a highly specialised experience for each of its users, and it’s with this intent that the app delivers its services.

The localisation of opportunities both for businesses and individuals sounds ground-breaking at a time when most resources and labour are exported to major cities. It’s written on CiPPo’s website that this is one of the things the app and the company in general tries to address, alongside streamlining communication between people, places, and companies. This is one solution that tries to spur local economies and improve livelihood for people without looking outside where they currently are.

A regional innovation waiting to happen

True to its thrust towards localisation, CiPPo is currently available in 46 regions in Japan, and now it’s seeking to expand to Southeast Asia. With the help of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), CiPPo is looking to fill a gap in the region. Yokoyama tells e27 that the strategy CiPPo will be applying in the Southeast Asian market will largely be franchising. The startup is looking for partner companies that can implement CiPPo in their respective countries and regions, and hopefully specialise the app’s features and contents specifically for its immediate consumers’ needs. These partners will also own their franchise of CiPPo.

For instance, at present several job search websites dominate in Southeast Asia. At the same time, small businesses in the region have their own contact set-ups for customers, which can be a difficult experience for customers who are just looking for a convenient way to connect with their favourite businesses. While having options is good, it would also be great to have a single go-to application that could collect all the information you need within a specific destination, and see what your options are, which is exactly what CiPPo offers.

Also read: Designing the world a century into the future

The Southeast Asian region presents itself as a lucrative consumer base for apps like CiPPo precisely because of its vastly diverse population and interests. As a thriving melting pot of cultures, people, and varying degrees of economic development, Southeast Asia would be an interesting market to explore for the startup. In particular, it would be exciting to see how each country, community, and city in the region would implement its own version of a small community app fostering genuine connections between customers, businesses, and public institutions. With the right partnerships, CiPPo could be a tour de force in the Southeast Asian region, changing the way we look at our communities.

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

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Bree-Ann Yek, a climate change champion, met Florian Bohnert, who has similar interests, at a venture builder programme at Antler Singapore. The duo wanted to develop a modern tech solution to address this pressing issue and reverse the climate catastrophe, with a heavy focus on Southeast Asia.

“Southeast Asia is a relatively untapped space when it comes to carbon offsetting at a large scale. But it holds a lot of promise in terms of its ability to fight climate change,” says Yek. “We aim to build a win-win solution for maintaining our collective responsibility towards reversing the climate change over the long-term based on this technological spine.”

To achieve their goal, Yek and Bohnert joined hands with Xenon, an experienced techie, to set up Carb0n.fi in 2021.

Carb0n.fi builds an online platform to allow people to put their crypto-assets to work and get rewarded with carbon offset NFTs and its native $ZRO token. It means when you deposit your crypto-assets in Carb0n.fi, you’re empowered to counterbalance the carbon emissions that you create.

Using blockchain to address climate change

In other words, Carb0n.fi is an ASEAN-focused blockchain solution firm aiming to establish a carbon-zero world for the people, by the people. It combines investments, allows its users to reap the benefits from these investments, and at the same time contributes to environmental sustainability all at once.

The world over, people and organisations act in their self-interest. There is a mutually inclusive bridge between intrinsic behaviour and saving the climate, believes Yek. “As our ecosystem grows, our real-world transition will be effected through integration with the EU, the UK, the US and other centralised exchanges to create opportunities for our users to benefit from carbon arbitrage.

Also Read: The Capture app enables you to track, reduce and offset carbon emissions from everyday life

Yek started her career trading bunker fuel before launching startups to recycle plastics. She brings many years of commodities trading, legal, and environmental volunteer experience. The climate champion is also involved in Southeast Asia’s various sustainable growth communities and projects.

Bohnert (CMO), on the other hand, spent 15 years building purpose-driven, environmental and social projects as founder, advisor, mentor, and investor. Xenon (CTO) has experience optimising yields and working on future use cases of DeFi.

According to Yek, there is a perception that NFTs are detrimental to the environment. Carb0n.fi is here to change this. In her view, NFTs can play a significant role in fighting climate change.

“Most carbon offset markets are centralised today, and it is pretty hard to efficiently track the source and avoid double-spending in these markets due to market inefficiencies and technical data protocols. Carbon offset NFTs are 100 per cent transparent, and anyone can track them at any time. We will provide an interface allowing users to track every asset we create and are being transferred at every step of the way,” elaborated Yek, who earlier founded The Verdant Room, an energy management system provider.

“We believe that carbon offset NFTs will better deliver the real-world value of carbon offsets. That’s why our vision is to become a new standard in the industry,” she said.

As for the target userbase, Yek said Carb0n.fi aims to bring carbon offsetting and carbon neutrality to both experienced crypto natives and non-crypto natives. She claimed that the solution is highly scalable since it’s a decentralised software.

The startup boasts of thousands of people in its community from across the world. As the number grows, the company plans to enhance its platform. Carb0n.fi’s technical architecture would allow it to eventually handle trading volumes of millions of units of carbon offset NFTs, she claimed.

“To extend the opportunity of environmental rescue to non-crypto users and corporations, we will also develop a mobile app to allow users to invest in carbon offsets affordably and seamlessly. The app will enable real-world companies to offset their carbon emissions and allow carbon offset projects to tokenise their carbon offsetting activities. This will allow us to reach everyone globally and integrate everyone into a larger climate movement. After all, climate change is an issue everyone faces,” Yek elaborated.

The company’s ultimate goal is to partner with centralised actors and establish national carbon exchanges.

Catering to both B2B and B2C

Carb0n.fi caters to both B2B and B2C clients. It charges a small fee on the transactions on its carbon offset exchange. It will focus on individuals within the crypto world in the short term and target companies that are familiar with crypto and have crypto on their balance sheets.

“These companies can allocate a part of their assets to be deposited into our platform, and for that, they will receive carbon offset NFTs. Finally, our app will enable non-crypto-savvy companies to benefit from the same platform and services in a traditional interface,” Yek noted.

As Carb0n.fi builds the product and keeps the community updated and engaged, it faces the challenges of meeting the demand. “Our community is looking forward to the release of our platform. It takes a well-experienced team distributed worldwide to answer all the questions they have. Thankfully we have a great team and partners as well as suppliers that aid us in doing just that.”

Early last month, Carb0n.fi announced a US$600,000 seed financing led by cryptocurrency VC firm Owl Ventures, with participation from Blockseed Ventures, Lancer Capital, and Antler Singapore, among others

The round also included an angel consortium of 13 fintech and crypto individuals, including Byron Grigoratos.

The round was completed in the lead-up to its initial dex offering (IDO) on the CardStarter launchpad (scheduled for January 19th, 2022) and TruePnl. The firm has no immediate plans to go to the market for a follow-on round.

“Our ultimate motivation is not only to fight climate change but also to empower the masses to take their future into their own hands and create a better world that our children will one day inherit. We work with the future in mind,” Yek concluded.

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Indonesia’s AC Ventures names ex-Qiming exec as Venture Partner

AC Ventures, an early-stage VC firm focusing on Indonesian startups, has appointed Helen Wong as its new venture partner and senior advisor.

Wong has over two decades of experience in China and Southeast Asia and worked with GGV Capital and Qiming Venture Partners. She also served on the boards of high-profile Chinese internet companies, including Tudou/Youku and Mobike.

She has expertise in strategy/development, team training, investments, and portfolio support.

“The challenge for Southeast Asia has always been the fragmented nature of the market,” said Wong. “This means that focusing on Indonesia, the biggest market to test out your product-market-fit, and then expanding out to different countries later is often a good strategy.”

Last December, AC Venture raised US$205 million in committed capital for its oversubscribed Fund III, backing early-stage local technology startups, mainly in the pre-Series A stage.

With over 35 investments completed in Fund III thus far, AC Ventures will double down on deepening their investment team and value creation teams with a plan to expand total team size by over 50 per cent this year.

Also read: Finance your startup: 10 types of investors you should know

Susli Lie joins Monk’s Hill to support its Indonesia business and ESG programme

Monk’s Hill Ventures today announced the appointment of Susli Lie as Partner, who will be responsible for building the Indonesia business, spearheading its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) programme, and supporting portfolio companies on the ground.

Lie first joined MHV as a Venture Partner. Prior to MHV, she co-founded ErudiFi, a tech-enabled education financing company in Southeast Asia (backed by MHV and Y Combinator in its early days).

In addition, MHV has also promoted Eunice Wong to Principal in Singapore and Natasha Gunawan to Senior Investment Analyst based in Indonesia.

Also read: Introducing the Individual Investor Profiles on e27

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Image Credit: AC Ventures, Monk’s Hill Ventures

 

 

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Ever since the events of the 2016 United States presidential elections, the term ‘fake news’ has seen common usage amongst the media, governments and the general public.

Fast forward to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now in the midst of what some experts call an ‘infodemic’, which describes an excessive amount of information about a problem that is typically unreliable and spreads rapidly.

There are many associated and commonly-confused terms around what we can collectively call ‘information disorders’. It is helpful to know the differences between them to combat these phenomena.

The Council of Europe’s 2017 report on the subject sets out three categories of information disorders, whose definitions are adapted here as follows:

• Dis-information: False information deliberately created or shared to cause harm.
• Mis-information: False information – but not created or shared to cause harm.
• Mal-information: Real information shared to cause harm.

Knowing the different types of information disorders will help organisations and individuals recognise and guard against them. We should also be cognisant that what starts as one category of information disorder can morph into another.

One example of this took place in 2007, when an image of Hillary Clinton was doctored to show her meeting and shaking hands with Osama bin Laden in the White House for a Photoshop contest.

The doctored image was subsequently repurposed and circulated by pro-Kremlin Twitter accounts in 2016 during the US presidential elections, showing how false information may be created without any intent to harm, but ends up being distributed by bad actors with malicious intent.

A reverse example of this could be false information created by bad actors with malicious intent, which is then proliferated by people acting in good faith, thinking that the information they are spreading is accurate.

We witness this sometimes in those ‘viral’ messages spread amongst family and friends on instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, containing anything from false news of government regulations – to supposedly-legitimate medical advice and information.

Also Read: There is a concerning lack of cybersecurity talent. Here’s how to tackle it

This can often be a source of anxiety, confusion and fear, especially when faced with concerning or fear-mongering information.

Impact on business

Information disorders not only affect our psyche but in the long run and with widespread impact, can also take a toll on business productivity and resilience.

The International SOS Risk Outlook 2022 predicts that the brewing infodemic will pose new threats to organisations this year – challenging team member safety, team member expectations, and regulatory compliance.

There are many ways in which information disorders such as an infodemic can affect business. Employees may not dare to enter their office building if they have been erroneously informed of a critical structural integrity issue.

They may fear going to work if they have received false news that their workplace has become a hotspot for COVID-19 infections. They may be hesitant to get vaccinated against the virus if they have been exposed to unverified information regarding the safety of the vaccines.

Even internal business communications can become lost or twisted in translation – employees may lose faith in their employers’ capability to manage incidents and crises like natural disasters, workplace violence and epidemics if the proverbial grapevine distorts the original intent and content of the official message.

This challenge is exacerbated by the advent of social media and instant messaging tools and the speed at which information can be proliferated on these platforms.

False information can spread just as fast and far, if not even faster and further than, real information. Cognitive bias can also result in the information received first – even if proven false later on – affecting our psyche.

The magnitude and persistence of information disorders can also lead to acute or chronic feelings of mental stress, highlighting the mental health dimension in workforce resilience.

It is mentally taxing to be constantly bombarded with, and to have to process, a large volume of information, not just for their content, but also for their intent and veracity.

Combatting information disorders

So how can businesses combat information disorders to promote organisational and workforce resilience?

Also Read: How to tackle employee mental health to build a resilient workforce

There are many ways to do so, and a combination of these is likely to yield better outcomes than the pursuit of anyone on its own:

• Comprehensive communications strategy: Businesses should consider sharing information through a combination of channels such as the company webpage, a company newsletter, official emails, etc. Communications sessions can further bolster these, whether one-on-one or in small or large groups (depending on the company structure and culture), helmed by managers to clarify the information and intent behind any company plans and policies.Technology can be leveraged when information must be shared urgently outside of office hours, such as through virtual calls and conferencing, work chats on instant messaging platforms, etc. Two-way communication is also crucial for employees to clarify doubts and challenge information that has been shared constructively – the possibility of this information is false or becoming obsolete cannot be ruled out.
• Robust information sourcing and verification process: Businesses should identify and rely on credible sources of information such as official government channels. In addition to this, partnering with established providers like International SOS can give businesses access to health and security subject matter experts who are well-placed to provide and verify the information and offer assessments and advice.For instance, International SOS can help guide your workforce health and safety agenda and posture in response to relevant developments or in anticipation of projected ones.

  Businesses should also be cognizant of the fluid nature of information, and build and maintain a process that continually sources and verifies relevant information, whether in-house or contracted to third-party providers, or through a combination thereof.

• Build a structure and culture of openness and trust: The effect of business strategies and processes is often determined by the structure they are built on and the culture they operate within. Managers and leaders should model openness to gain their employees’ trust. Trust is often lost or damaged when employees perceive that material information is being withheld.One thing to remember is that employees and managers can have very different perspectives on the relevance of information; sometimes, well-meaning managers risk losing the trust of their teams when they do not share information that their employees feel is relevant.

  Be aware and beware of unofficial internal channels of information that run parallel to and can undermine official communications.

  It is vital to allow and encourage employees to engage with and be constructively critical of information that affects them – the morale of an organisation and its workforce can be rapidly eroded by employees who feel like they are pure ‘price-takers’.

Particularly in managing COVID-19-related complexities, offering third-party platforms for employees to speak to medical professionals, or organising forums/webinars to clarify information can also alleviate fears, and build trust within the organisation.

Also Read: How behavioural science is transforming corporate learning

It is important to remember here that the goal of these platforms and exercises is not to mandate any personal medical decisions but to encourage and educate employees.

Proactively offering opportunities for Q&A with healthcare professionals, or conducting educational webinars, will help to instil confidence and trust in employees so that they are less susceptible to false claims, and also allow them to share their concerns and hesitations. So they can make informed decisions about their health.

On a tangentially-related note, with the string of high-profile corporate whistleblowing cases in recent years, businesses should operate on the assumption that even highly-confidential information can be publicised.

While the loss of a competitive edge from the leak of technical information may be impossible to salvage, the loss of reputation from the disclosure of business strategies and practices can be mitigated, or even eliminated, by corporate ethics and responsibility. In this regard, the ‘front page test’ is an excellent internal gatekeeper with which to interrogate business decision-making.

Information will only grow more abundant, adding further complexity to business operations and the management of employee wellbeing.

Businesses need to evolve their information management mechanisms to not just survive, but thrive, in the ever-changing information landscape, much as they adjust and align their business models and processes to navigate market dynamics.

Building a strong culture of openness, having access to trusted sources of information and maintaining robust communications with employees will help businesses adapt to evolving circumstances, and allay fears and anxieties that may arise amidst an infodemic.

Success will pay dividends and failure may not be countenanced by an increasingly interwoven world.

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Image Credit: Elnur

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ProfilePrint, a Singapore-based AI-powered food fingerprint platform, has announced the closing of its Series A funding round.

Investors include food ingredient conglomerates, namely Louis Dreyfus Company (Netherlands), Olam Food Ingredients (an operating group of Olam International Limited, Singapore), and Sucafina (Switzerland), a Southeast Asian agrifood conglomerate (Indonesia). Greenwillow Capital Management (Singapore) and Real Tech Global Fund (Japan) also co-invested.

The deal details remain undisclosed. However, this round was closed at a valuation over 3x its pre-series A raised last year from Glocalink Singapore, Leave-a-Nest, and Seeds Capital.

ProfilePrint plans to use the capital to expand the team, invest in R&D, and ramp up its international expansion. It will leverage the investors’ extensive networks to widen and deepen its product offering, according to Founder and CEO Alan Lai.

Also Read: ProfilePrint’s AI tool predicts quality profile of a food sample “within seconds”, raises funding

A food ingredient search engine, ProfilePrint claims it can predict the quality and profile of a food sample “within seconds”. With 5g of the sample, the analyser acquires the unique fingerprint without destroying the samples. Sellers and buyers can objectively ascertain the agreed quality of a food ingredient in an online transaction.

Instead of packaging labels, reports or QR codes, ProfilePrint analyses the samples directly at the molecular level and can be used by stakeholders in the supply chain, retrieving real-time results from anywhere.

The startup first unveiled its fingerprint prediction technology in June 2021 in the Singapore Coffee Association auction, where it predicted the Q-grading score, taste parameters and critical attributes such as moisture and density for all the auctioned coffee beans.

Vivek Verma, CEO of the coffee business at Olam Food, said: “ProfilePrint’s technology could significantly expedite the quality assessment process to benefit the entire value chain — from farmers to roasters. We also see the potential of deploying this solution beyond coffee and into other differentiated food ingredients of cocoa, nuts, spices and dairy.”

ProfilePrint has deployed its solution globally to Europe, Africa, Latin America, China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

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