GoTo may raise up to US$2B in IPO at US$31-42.7B valuation
In a document, GoTo said it expects significant growth from 2022 to 2024 in terms of GTV; All eyes are on GoTo’s proposed listing after e-commerce giant Bukalapak became the first unicorn to make its public market debut on the local stock exchange last year.

Singapore’s Insider turns unicorn after US$121M funding
Qatar Investment Authority committed US$100M to the round; Insider enables brands to predict customer behaviour using AI and deliver personalised experience across multiple devices and channels.

CTO Corp, Bukalapak to launch US$69.7M e-commerce grocery JV
Bukalapak is understood to have about a 35% stake in the venture AlloFresh; AlloFresh is understood to have secured a US$20M investment from Growtheum Capital in exchange for a 10% stake.

SPH to sell SgCarMart for US$118M to Toyota consortium
The report comes days after SPH Media Trust, which was spun off from SPH in 2021 as a nonprofit, said it will get funding of up to US$132M from the Singapore government annually for the next five years.

Indonesian agritech startup TaniHub closes 2 warehouses, lays off employees
The company has decided to focus on its B2B segment, which includes hotels, restaurants, and modern trade retailers; It has also stopped selling fresh produce directly to customers.

Animoca invests in Hong Kong NFT platform UCOLLEX’s US$10M Series A
MCP IPX One Fund also co-invested; The UCOLLEX platform caters to the next-generation creators by making their NFT artwork available to toy and pop culture collectors; It also enables creators to build their fanbase economy.

Singapore DeFi startup DeZy raises US$2.2M pre-Series A funding round
Investors are Leo Capital, Iterative Capital, and angels; DeZy enables users to convert their cash into dollar-denominated stable coins, which are deposited across a range of DeFi protocols.

SpaceAge Labs nets US$1.25M to take its remote monitoring, IoT solutions to Aus, US
Investors are Silicon Solution Partners (lead) and SEEDS Capital; SpaceAge Labs carries out operations and maintenance of remote and distributed assets by collecting asset data using low power, long-range wireless IoT devices

Singapore ideal hub for expansion of Southeast Asian tech
The nation acts as ideal for cross-regional expansion because of its international reputation and government initiatives to cultivate investment, talent, and connections; It is home to over 600 investors and 200 accelerators and incubators.

DOST, Digital Pilipinas (DP) to build decentralised innovation centres
The agreement came a month after DP sealed a tripartite collaboration with Mapúa University and the DOST-PCIEERD to launch the Think and Tinker Laboratory – Technology Business Incubation (TBI) programme in promoting academe-industry-government collaboration.

TikTok Shop enters Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia
TikTok Shop allows locally based consumers to buy a wide array of goods while also offering businesses more opportunities to make sales via the app; TikTok also performed A/B testing in Indonesia earlier this month.

YGG SEA enters Vietnam, plans more offices in region
The sub-decentralised autonomous organisation has already set up shops in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia; The guild said that YGG SEA participates in more than 30 games, including Axie Infinity and Starsharks.

Fast-growing e-commerce fuels delivery service boom in Vietnam
The pandemic has given a remarkable push for the revolution of e-commerce, with 4 leading online marketplaces reportedly expanding around 8-50% last year; There was a significant surge in the number of orders on e-commerce sites between June-September.

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The post Ecosystem Roundup: GoTo may raise up to US$2B in IPO, Singapore’s Insider turns unicorn appeared first on e27.

As an ecosystem platform designed the strengthen the global startup community through networks, fundraising, and awareness, e27 is dedicated to helping today’s innovators become tomorrow’s global powerhouses. We have spent 15 years doing this through a range of services: from providing access to tools and insights that empower founders to forging connections that enable partnerships between stakeholders, and even to driving up content to help effectively engage audiences.

With the Asia Pacific throbbing at the heart of e27’s vast global network, it is important for us to highlight and provide access to opportunities for entrepreneurs from the region and beyond. As such, we are proud to announce the latest feature that we believe can help entrepreneurs amp up their startups to get that much-needed boost: e27 PRO+!

Taking Pro a notch higher

e27 PRO+ operates under three fundamental areas:

• Branding and Awareness
• Lead Generation
• Fundraising 

With its regional network spanning across the Asia Pacific and beyond, e27 has firmly cemented its position as a community builder in the global tech startup ecosystem. Furthermore, the organisation has built partnerships with some of the most reputable brands including VISA, ADB Ventures, SMU, MDEC, Enterprise Singapore, ICMG, and many more.

In the past two years, the team successfully launched the e27 Pro programme, a networking platform designed to help connect startups and investors for more meaningful business partnerships amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Providing access to top investors around the world, the e27 Pro programme now boasts as many as 140 diverse global startups ranging from e-commerce to healthtech.

Also read: Sagri: Bringing agriculture to the future and sustainability to the forefront with satellite data, AI, and GRID

Through Startup Connect, e27 has facilitated almost 10,000 connections between startups and investors, with two startups being able to bag multi-million dollar funding, namely logistics and supply chain company, iStore iSend, and SaaS recruitment solutions provider, X0PA. On one hand, iStore iSend raised US$5.5M in a Series B round, co-led by EasyParcel and Gobi Partners, while X0PA raised US$4.2M in a Series A round with XCEL NEXT Ventures.

They’re not the only ones enjoying this new platform. Travis Teo of Adzymic shared, “My cofounder and I really love this initiative, allowing us to connect with investors whom we had difficulty reaching. The connect rate is also more than our expectation, especially during this period.” Similar sentiments were echoed by Workbean’s Neil Rojas who explained, “The platform makes it easier to identify which investors to reach out to because data is presented in a way where we can easily filter things such as funding stage, markets, funding amount. The ease of reaching out to start a conversation is very valuable for us.”

While this endeavour has been a real game-changer, the e27 team believes that with access to extra tools, there is still so much more that can be accomplished.

What is e27 PRO+

More than the already proven fundraising feature that has helped startups connect, gain feedback, and discuss potential investment opportunities, e27 PRO+’ slew of new tools are here to help bolster companies beyond their fundraising journeys.

The new programme comes with a branding and awareness boost that helps shine a spotlight on the brand and amplify its presence in the startup ecosystem. e27 PRO+ achieves this by positioning startup founders as thought leaders, as a go-to entity in their respective verticals, and generally raise brand awareness.

This is packaged through e27’s media arm — connecting companies to relevant audiences and allowing them to discuss matters that they find most important. This media feature is broadcasted across e27’s 750,000 average monthly sessions, 150,000 registered users, and 71,000 newsletter subscribers. The team will also be featuring brand content across all relevant social media platforms such as Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

Also read: Sagri: Bringing agriculture to the future and sustainability to the forefront with satellite data, AI, and GRID

Moreover, e27 PRO+ also helps companies improve lead generation by facilitating engagements and bridging the gaps between the parties — to educate, establish a foundation of trust, and nurture a pipeline for potential business opportunities. Apart from the newsletter banner ad placement and the social media feature, e27 PRO+ achieves this by highlighting brands through a special widget featured on the e27 website as by hosting a full webinar session dedicated to that company and its expertise.

As for fundraising, e27 PRO+ enables startup founders to build comprehensive startup profiles on the e27 platform, coupled with the connection dashboard to manage conversations with active investors. Not only does this help both startups and investors reach each other more efficiently, but it also streamlines the process of going back and forth to learn about each other’s important fundraising details (e.g. fundraising stage).

These are only some of the amazing and exclusive improvements that come with the e27 PRO+. 

How e27 PRO+ can amp up your startup journey

All these things sound great. But how can these exclusive e27 PRO+ features truly and tangibly impact your startup growth? For starters, the platform caters to your startup needs on an end to end basis. From building brand awareness to establish your presence in the ecosystem, to generating leads that can help you meet and sustain your business goals, to fundraising that can help your company grow and scale globally.

Also read: Sagri: Bringing agriculture to the future and sustainability to the forefront with satellite data, AI, and GRID

Of course, founders can go about these three crucial aspects of a startup journey on their own, but what e27 PRO+ does is collate them under one convenient platform. Through this, startups are able to save important time and resources that may as well go to day to day operations.

With e27’s mission to become a catalyst for a stronger and more vibrant startup ecosystem not only in APAC but across the world, e27 PRO+ is further strengthens the team’s commitment to its mission. If you are a startup that believes in the same values of enriching connections and building partnerships, visit us at e27.co.

The post Feeling the pressure to boost your startup? Let e27 PRO+ help you appeared first on e27.

VUCA leadership for your business has become more vital than ever before. The past few years have allowed us to witness how volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous running a business can be. Further emphasised by today’s changing environment and mobility restrictions, many businesses have unfortunately not weathered through this ordeal.

The shift to taking businesses online becomes ever more imminent. Doing this shift well in a way that continues to provide that personalised experience to customers is key in order to set your business apart.

Small and medium businesses (SMEs) are considered the backbone of Southeast Asia’s economy, representing 97% of overall business in SEA. Unfortunately, market volatilities brought about by the ongoing pandemic have caused over half of SMEs to close in several SEA countries. Given changing market trends, technology adoption becomes imperative for businesses to adapt, survive, and thrive. Particularly, enabling great customer service in this shift is vital.

Also read: Sagri: Bringing agriculture to the future and sustainability to the forefront with satellite data, AI, and GRID

As businesses transition from offering their services from an offline to an online environment, it is important to know the opportunities that come with providing seamless customer experiences. It’s good to keep customers engaged, and give them the information that they need when they need it to keep them satisfied.

CM.com brings conversational commerce best practices to Southeast Asia

Enter CM.com (AMS: CMCOM), the global leader in cloud software for conversational commerce that enables businesses to deliver a superior customer experience. Headquartered in the Netherlands and being in business for over 20 years, its customers include big brands such as Coca Cola and the BMW Group, in addition to thousands of medium and small-sized businesses. As the number 1 software suite for Conversational Commerce, CM.com is at the forefront of this field with vast experience across industries and has been duly recognised and accredited by reputable organisations like the GSMA, European Commission, and PCI DSS.

CM.com evangelist Michiel Gaasterland shares that their award-winning Mobile Service Cloud platform handles over 50 million human messages annually. When asked about emerging trends in the e-commerce marketing space, Michiel shares, “The overarching trend is rising customer expectations. Customers now expect you to be available when they need you. They want to use the channel they prefer. And they want to speak to a friendly, knowledgeable agent, capable of solving their problem in one interaction.”

CM.com’s solutions enable more seamless experiences for your customers, setting your business further ahead. They have various customer touchpoint modules including customer engagement, audience reach, customer contact automation, message personalisation and conversation monetisation. They also have multi-channel solutions, via SMS, voice and online chat, providing personalised service experiences for customers through AI-powered contextual conversations. Seamless and customised mobile marketing experiences are also achieved based on unique customer preferences, thereby optimising customer touchpoints for monetisation.

Delivering relevant solutions to the hyper-empowered consumer in the realm of digital becomes more competitive than ever. Staying ahead through impeccable customer experience from engagement to retention can be streamlined through CM.com’s Mobile Service Cloud and Mobile Marketing Cloud solutions. Mobile Service Cloud is an all-in-one customer service solution for customer service teams to maintain full visibility of all support engagements in one place.

Also read: Sagri: Bringing agriculture to the future and sustainability to the forefront with satellite data, AI, and GRID

Mobile Service Cloud addresses various customer service challenges. Michiel elaborates how CM.com’s solutions solve these, Mobile Service Cloud offers a truly channel-agnostic customer service solution: all core functionality works out of the box for all service channels, as well as providing easy access to all these channels such as e-mail, live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram DM, Twitter DM, Apple Messages for Business, as well as third party VoIP systems — and just released: native Voice capabilities. Mobile Service Cloud also adapts ‘conversations’ as the currency of the system, and not ’tickets’. Old school helpdesk systems turn questions into tickets and people into numbers.”

Michiel added, “We believe customer service is a conversation. Not a chess game that carries on for days. At CM.com, we like to say: ‘No queues, no tickets, no dramas.’ Old school ticketing systems all work with a queue. Since the queue is not owned by anyone, customers are left unattended. It also causes agents to cherry-pick the easy questions first, and leave the difficult ones for later. Lastly, queues create a cluttered overview because all support requests (with different statuses) remain in the queue until final issue resolution. In short: conventional ticketing systems are focused on the internal process, not on the customer. We solve this completely differently with a user interface that allows agents to put the customer back on #1.”

Sustaining service standards

More benefits to your business can be realised through CM.com’s solutions. While simple customer queries can be addressed through AI automation, more complex queries need human support. CM.com enables your team to deliver an experience to your clients where there is no drop in terms of service standards in the transition, as all conversations are appropriately tracked and documented.

Your business can also cut back on typical response times. CM.com’s Mobile Service Cloud solution consolidates information across multiple sources from the customer relationship management (CRM) software, the customer data platform (CDP), and the enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Rather than having customer service agents dig for the relevant information across platforms, CM.com enables a streamlined experience for customer service support to efficiently solve customer concerns). The solution also enables your customer service team to effectively engage with your clients through their most preferred channels.

Also read: Sagri: Bringing agriculture to the future and sustainability to the forefront with satellite data, AI, and GRID

With respect to engaging with businesses in Southeast Asia, CM.com has not only considered globally renowned customer touchpoint channels to be integrated into their system but also provides channel integration of those dominantly used in Southeast Asia like Viber and Instagram — providing more options beyond the typical choices of just email and phone. 

Mobile Service Cloud integrates conversations of customers across the multiple channels they may be using, making it more efficient to solve customer concerns. With CM.com’s Mobile Service Cloud solution, your customer service representatives no longer operate in silos, but as a collective unit providing the best possible customer experience. Michiel further notes, “We offer advanced analytics that allows our customers to analyse and optimise their service performance. By automatically tagging all service conversations, customers can learn from their conversations and optimise the parts of the journey that contain friction. By connecting your Mobile Service Cloud to CM.com Customer Data Platform, you can truly integrate Service into your overall Engagement plan. Because who still sends a customer a marketing message one the same day they filed a complaint with your service department? Not CM.com customers.”

CM.com’s Mobile Service Cloud enables this synergy through a technology solution that is intuitive, easy to use, and adaptable.

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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by CM.com

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.

The post CM.com enables growth for Southeast Asian businesses and beyond appeared first on e27.

Singapore-headquartered community-driven neobank IN Financial Technology (INFT) has fully acquired MyCash, an international money transfer company focused on migrant workers.

The size of the deal has not been disclosed.

As per a press note, the deal will enable INFT to take advantage of MyCash’s consumer remittance business. At the same time, Singapore-based MyCash will expand geographically into other Asian markets, including Malaysia and Indonesia.

Post-deal, MyCash leadership will continue to work with IN Financial Technology. MyCash Founder and CEO Mehedi Hasan will retain his position while helping the neobank expand in emerging markets.

IN Financial Technology is a one-stop employer-to-employee fintech platform. It aims to empower micro and small businesses in Asia to transform their business banking processes from traditional to digital. Its solutions include an online business account, virtual debit card, spend management tools, and business cash line.

Also Read: MyCash raises funding from 500 Startups; to take its financial services platform for unbanked migrant workers into new markets

Started its operation in Singapore last year, IN Financial Technology has also established its operations in Malaysia and Indonesia. It has already secured a lending license in Malaysia and is in the process of securing an e-wallet license in Indonesia. It plans to extend its network to seven markets in Asia, including Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

“The expanded demand for cross-border B2B remittance will continue to drive further growth for both companies,” said Eldwin Wong, CEO and Founder of INFT Group. Last month, INFT said it was rolling out a buy now, pay later feature, called INFT BNPL, to help customers grow their businesses.

MyCash Founder and CEO Mehedi Hasan said the acquisition amplified the value of its offerings to its shareholders and stakeholders with the strategically-planned growth trajectory to strengthen its position further. “Additionally, INFT’s business banking platform will enhance MyCash’s efforts to drive expansion for its B2B and B2C remittance solutions.”

Mehedi said he is currently working on a new SME buy-now-pay-later business in Bangladesh.

Launched in 2016, MyCash provides a tailor-made platform for the unbanked migrant population. It enables migrants to purchase products and services online without using bank accounts, credit cards or prepaid cards. Its services include mobile top-up, internet recharging, online insurance, e-commerce payments, and cross-border remittance. Users can pay bills and buy bus tickets through MyCash.

In 2019, MyCash secured an undisclosed amount in financing from 500 Startups and Malaysian architect Ng Sek San. A year earlier, MyCash raised RM500,000 (US$120,000 then) through equity crowd-funding platform pitchIN. 

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The post Singapore neobank IN Financial Technology acquires 500 Global-backed MyCash appeared first on e27.