The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted just about every industry, but those in travel, hospitality, food and beverage, as well as attraction and entertainment had it particularly bad.

I have been active in the family entertainment centre (FEC) industry for the past 20 years, so it pains me to see these operators struggling to stay afloat as the crisis extends.

Many of them did not make it, but fortunately, several hang on to the present recovery phase. From this point on, the survivors must quickly come to terms with how much the world has changed in the last couple of years and get themselves ready to thrive in the post COVID-19 world.

So, what can operators do to meet the demands of the new normal, reinvent and rejuvenate their businesses post COVID-19, and how can they prime themselves to effectively leverage the changes so that they can quickly take advantage of emergent opportunities?

Digital transformation to ensure success

As the CEO of Embed, I partner with FEC operators and propel their businesses to become FECs of the future.

Just like how manufacturers make use of cross-disciplinary technologies to enable smart manufacturing, or financial institutions to tap on fintech services to offer smart banking, we help FEC businesses take advantage of digital platforms to create an integrated, future-proof and sustainable smart FEC operation.

Digital transformation is needed to break the fences of conventional systems and boost legacy business operations as the world heads towards recovery. Surviving operators must understand the extent of consumer behaviour evolution and adjust their operations accordingly to ensure business continuity and future-proofing.

First, operators need to use a platform that integrates workflow and streamlines processes. Several platforms offer this opportunity to digitalise.

For example, there are ten modules of tools on the Embed platform, each dedicated to a specific operational function: Operations, Head Management Office, Customer Sales Channels, eCommerce Management, and Distribution Management.

Also Read: How Asia’s entertainment industry can adapt to changing dynamics amid a global calamity

By facilitating digital continuity and integration across the different functions, FECs can be much more efficient in centralising data, reports, and operations management.

Cashless solutions for a post COVID-19 world

Secondly, FECs should explore the adoption and integration of cashless solutions into existing systems. Today, consumer spending and payment habits have permanently changed, thanks to social distancing, safety protocols, and remote working.

After two years of increasing exposure to e-wallets and cashless payment systems, it is reasonable for consumers to expect a similar convenience at entertainment venues.

Mobile wallets are becoming commonplace, with mobile wallets reaching 2.6 billion users in the Asia Pacific by 2025, according to Boku. Coupled with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, there are increased expectations that consumers need to get to their desired game or attraction quickly, without the encumberment of cash, tickets, or tokens.

Customers will enjoy increased convenience by eliminating contact with tokens, coins, and tickets; allowing them to stay in the zone and do reloads and purchases at any time without the risk of losing a game card.

Mobile wallets also hold several advantages for operators. It reduces operating costs (no coins, tickets, and game cards to process and maintain, and zero cost from downtime or unplanned maintenance), as well as the assurance of repeat business.

Beyond cashless technology, RFID technology also extends the customer experience. New tap cards and wristbands make it easy for hyper-personalisation, with membership details, balance, and reward tickets available in a pinch.

With software and hardware solutions, FEC operators can digitally deliver a superior guest experience, available on-premises and in the cloud, to best integrate the operator’s legacy systems.

The sky’s the limit for FECs of the future

Digitalisation is the key to success, and FECs need digital transformation to welcome tomorrow’s consumers. From cashless systems that allow operators to take their digital transformation enterprise-wide to ever-changing technology that caters to consumer preferences, the future is bright for FECs.

FECs should take a leaf from the Golden Age of Arcades and get creative in the way they embrace digital transformation and a platform strategy for success.

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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

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There are many ways to define and showcase a city’s startup and innovation ecosystem. But regardless of which frameworks you’re leaning on, you cannot leave out the crucial elements that remain constant: culture, corporate, capital, and community.

In the first of a two-part series, I’ll be sharing an overview of Tokyo’s startup and innovation ecosystem by introducing one organisation representing each of the four elements. These organisations are key stakeholders that you’d want to know about and connect with if you’re thinking about expanding your business there.

But first, why Tokyo?

Tokyo’s city GDP at US$965.4 billion ranks number one in the world, with a population of close to 14 million and seven unicorns birthed to date.

The country’s e-commerce, logistics, and fintech industries boast a combined market size of more than US$375 billion, while technologies like AI, AR/VR, and blockchain are fast emerging with expected CAGRs between 45 per cent and 110 per cent year-on-year.

According to Gen Uehara, Head of Asia Pacific at Symphony, there is a significant digitalisation opportunity explained by the gap between the city’s GDP ranking number one in the world, vis-a-vis its digital competitiveness ranking coming in at number 23 globally.

Symphony, a fintech company headquartered in New York, decided to capitalise on this opportunity by entering the market amid the global pandemic. With Uehara-san’s leadership and hustle, they managed to onboard two of the largest financial institutions in Japan as its first investor and client locally.

Yusuke Suzuki, Partner from Global Brain, also shared that the SaaS market in Japan is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13 per cent from 2019 and is expected to reach US$9.6 billion by 2024. There is huge confidence that the local enterprises’ need for B2B solutions and digitalisation is large enough for startups to grow in the domestic market alone.

Also Read: How this Tokyo-based startup is revolutionising the restaurant industry with AI and big data

Masaru Nagura, General Manager from Cambridge Innovation Centre (CIC) Japan, added that there’s never been a better time to enter Tokyo; with the ecosystem flourishing, activity and support from all fronts including the government, corporates, ecosystem builders, venture capitals, universities, event organisers, media.

Culture: Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG)

The saying goes that culture must start from the top in any organisation. In the context of a city striving to be a startup and innovation hub, the direction is fuelled by the government.

In March 2021, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) announced its Future Tokyo strategy, signalling a strong intent to continue fostering a culture of startups and innovation with an inspiring vision that is accompanied by clear objectives and KPIs to strive for in the mid to long-term.

This culture is propagated through the Tokyo Consortium, consisting of 218 member organisations (and growing), and Invest Tokyo’s comprehensive range of programmes and initiatives that run locally and internationally throughout the year. 

The Business Development Centre Tokyo (BDCT) provides free consultation on in-market business development activities such as market analysis, go-to-market strategy, and business matching for select startups looking to enter the market.

The Tokyo One-Stop Business Establishment Centre (TOSBEC) also provides foreign companies with market setup related services, such as incorporation, business compliance, and taxes.

Corporate: NEC Corporation (NEC)

A global leader in integrating IT and network technologies, NEC plays a crucial role in Tokyo’s startup and innovation ecosystem, with a multi-prong approach towards corporate innovation.

The technology giant has its internal R&D ecosystem and capabilities focused on developing its core product and technologies in AI, network (5G), and security (biometrics).

But they are also actively engaging startups through its open innovation platform in areas beyond its core expertise.

Also Read: How can corporate executives, startups, and VCs stay ahead of the innovation curve?

Some examples include their JV with US-based Vista Equity Partners to develop enterprise software solutions for the Japanese market and strategic collaboration with France-based Transgene to develop a new solution in cancer immunotherapy.

Launched by NEC in 2018, NEC X is a corporate accelerator programme located in Silicon Valley that aims to accelerate the generation of new startups and spinoffs.

Each programme is run in batches of anywhere between six to nine months, matching cutting-edge technologies developed by their labs, together with entrepreneurs-in-residence and investors brought in externally from the larger Silicon Valley ecosystem, to incubate new ideas commercialise new businesses.

Capital: Global Brain

One of the leading VCs from Japan, Global Brain has a rich history and proven track record of more than 20 years of investing in early-stage startups. Even amid the global pandemic, the fund invested in 103 deals in 2020 alone and boasted an 80 per cent coverage of the Series A rounds covered in Japan.

Global Brain is unique in that they manage eight corporate venture capital funds. At the same time, their milestones to date currently boast 77 exits (M&As/IPOs) and eight regional offices set up across the world.

Their investment areas include AI, AR/VR, blockchain, climate, cybersecurity, fintech, and Saas, to name a few. The fund has industry and technology experts in all areas they invest in. They also have a dedicated business team to support portfolio companies with business development, human resource, and intellectual property related functions.

Some of the overseas portfolio companies that they’ve successfully facilitated market entry into Japan include the likes of IoT service provider, Unabiz, and cybersecurity solution, Source Defence. 

Community: Cambridge Innovation Centre (CIC) Tokyo

CIC is a global innovation community that aims to support impactful entrepreneurs to fix the world. Founded in 1999 in Boston, United States, the community has a total leased area of 1.23 million square feet across nine cities globally and more than 7,400 member companies since its inception.

CIC Tokyo was established in October 2020 as the largest innovation centre in the city, with a combination of hardware and software focussing on four key areas: energy and environment, life science and healthcare, edutech, smart city.

Its hardware has a capacity of 100 coworking desks, 160 private office rooms, conference rooms, and access to amenities like a kitchen, nap rooms, massage rooms, and nursery rooms. Its software includes a local and international community of 150 residents and over 220 programmes/events hosted. 

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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

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So far in this series, we have established that thought leadership articles are a great way to stand out in the competition and reach out to audiences but, if done right, these articles can also be excellent for brand building.

In fact, a 2020 survey conducted by Edelman and LinkedIn found that nearly half of B2B decision-makers believe thought leadership influences their purchase decisions. However, it is important to remember that there is a fine line between brand building and hard selling. 

Here’s how you can leverage the e27 Contributor Programme for free to use well-written thought leadership articles for brand building without sounding like a salesman on the door from the 90s.

Pick stories that will help establish and strengthen your brand

Thought leadership allows you to utilise your trailblazing ideas to position your brand as an authority but knowing what stories can help establish and strengthen your brand value is important.

Luckily, there is no dearth of choices for writing thought leadership articles for the e27 Contributor Programme.

You can write about almost anything that is of importance to your brand: your founding journey, the challenges you faced, how you overcame those challenges, your main inspirations, a new product launch and the story behind its inception and so on.  

You can also share lessons that you may have learnt in your entrepreneurial or investment career so far, team management techniques, recruitment tips, fundraising dos and don’ts, productivity hacks and even your opinions on any ongoing current trends in the Southeast Asian startup ecosystem.

By giving your audience an insight into how your brand has evolved in line with a specific topic through thought leadership, you add a layer of credibility, which is often hard to achieve any other way.

Also Read: How to become a thought leader with the e27 Contributor Programme

Thus, any story that establishes and reinforces the ethos of your company while engaging and informing readers is not only a great thought leadership piece but also an excellent way for brand building. 

Hard selling will not help your brand

Another key thing to remember when approaching thought leadership with the intent of brand building is to stray away from hard selling. Thought leadership articles are about value-add (the reader and the writer) on both sides and not about aggressive selling.

It is very important to be careful with how you present your story. For example,  if you are talking about a product, focus on aspects like what went behind the ideation and development of the product or what are some of the key challenges that it helps address; you can also share some use cases to show how the said product has helped a client address the gaps and succeed; instead of simply listing the product features. 

Remember, thought leadership articles help you establish yourself as a subject matter expert and people continue to read your contributions 

• to learn from your experience
• to understand your brand and product better
• to solve their problems 

If you try to make your readers clients before you have had a chance to develop a relationship with them in which they have come to trust you and consider you an expert in your industry, the chances of that relationship lasting are way too slim.

Building credibility is critical to the long term success of your business, and you can easily do that through well-written thought leadership articles that do not focus on selling but on connecting.

Use the company profile page for branding

The e27 Contributor Programme has a range of tools and features that help authors establish themselves as industry thought leaders. One such feature is the company profile page and author profile page.

These are effective branding tools that essentially provide you with the scope and space to tell the audience more about your company.

You can give audiences an insight into your interests and experiences by utilising the author profile page, they can see how active you publish plus your key areas of interest; and with the company page, you can tell them what your tech startup or business is about, what solutions do you offer to what industries, investment stages and more.

The best part, once you create a company page on e27, it will always appear alongside your contributed article thus providing additional visibility for your brand.

Also Read: Write, connect, grow: What motivates us to run the e27 Contributor Programme

Here’s some inspiration to get you started

From a great hire to a public mistake and an unexpected IPO to a regional expansion, use the contributor programme to share your growth story without bragging. The key rule to keep in mind is ‘show, don’t tell’. Show the ready how you did it, why you did it, what you learned, etc. instead of simply saying you expanded to a new market.

For example, in this thought leadership article on FastCompany, Stu Sjouwerman illustrates his personal experience of hiring an infamous hacker and how that went for his company.

This is a thought-provoking, interesting piece for the audience that basically discusses why hiring a hacker might be a good idea for a business but also touches on second chances and redemption. 

Another excellent example of thought leadership is this e27 article by Rajesh Jain where he discusses his founding journey while sharing his failures and explaining how they’ve been an integral part of where he is today.

This is an engaging article that teaches audiences about the struggles of a founder and his journey as a leader. These personal insights allow readers to see beyond the surface. It humanises the brand thus fostering a deep relationship of the readers with the company.

If you are a startup founder, VC, journalist, entrepreneur, industry expert, government official, student and/or anyone with a relevant story looking to stand out and build a brand through thought leadership articles, get started on your first draft and submit it here.

Through the e27 Contributor Programme, you get a chance to be featured on e27.co and noticed by more than two million readers and 50k+ newsletter subscribers in the region. So, get started today!

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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: Canva Pro

The post How to leverage the e27 Contributor Programme for brand building appeared first on e27.

OpenSea raises US$110M for second Web3-focused fund
gumi Cryptos Capital will invest in early-stage companies that build solutions in blockchain infrastructure, developer tools, gaming, DeFi, metaverse, DAOs, and Web3 apps; It aims to back 50 companies, with a ticket size between US$500K to US$5M.

Indonesia’s Quick commerce startup Astro finalises US$60M Series B round
Accel Partners and Tiger Global are said to be leading the round; The firm raised US$27M in Series A ed by Accel and Sequoia India in February; Astro offers 1,000 products and promises 15-minute delivery.

Insitor completes US$42M first close of Fund II, strengthens gender lens focus
It has a target to reach US$70M by the end of 2022; It plans to make 12-15 investments in high-growth and scalable ventures better health, sustainable living, and economic growth; It has already backed three companies in India and Pakistan.

GoTo begins US$1.1B IPO process
The amount is lower than the company’s initial plan to raise a maximum of US$1.4B; The final process, which has been approved by Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority, will catapult the company’s valuation to US$27.9B.

Axie Infinity side chain loses US$620M in possible largest-ever crypto heist
Ronin Network suffered a security breach, resulting in the theft of 173,600 ether and about US$25.5M in USDC stable coins; The attacker used hacked private keys in order to forge fake withdrawals.

Animoca backs US$10M round of metaverse-bound healthtech firm GOQii
GOQii has also partnered with Animoca to develop a health-focused metaverse ecosystem with a new virtual token program called Token; GOQii’s metaverse foray builds on GOQii Cash, a virtual rewards program that launched in 2018.

Ampverse nets US$12M Series A to grow its e-sports platform in Indonesia, Philippines
Investors include Falcon Capital, Vulpes, Gandel Invest, and gaming, media, sports and e-sports industries veterans
Ampverse will also look to acquire play-to-earn guilds it moves into the P2E space to complement its existing e-sports IP pillar.

Mighty Jaxx closes Series A+ round to take its phygital collectibles to China
Investors are iDreamSky Technology and an undisclosed tech firm; This deal comes days after Mighty Jaxx announced the first close of a US$20M Series A extension led by East Ventures (Growth Fund).

Pace acquires Polaris-backed buy-now-pay-later pioneer Rely
The acquisition will enable consumers to use Pace’s alternative payment solutions across a wider network of brands in Singapore and Malaysia; Pace operates has built 5,000+ POSes across Singapore, Malaysia, HK, Thailand, and Japan.

Japanese HR firm Mynavi buys East Ventures-backed design marketplace Sribu
Sribu connects companies who are looking for branding and marketing solutions to freelancers that can answer these needs; It has helped 15K+ small businesses and corporations, including Telkomsel, Pertamina, and Baidu.

TipTip raises US$10M in seed funding
Investors are Vertex Ventures, EMTEK, SMDV, and family offices; TipTip enables content creators to monetise through personalised video sessions, the sale of premium digital contents, and direct interaction opportunities with their followers.

Akulaku raises US$10M in debt funding from Lend East
The firm plans to use the funds to build and enhance its lending portfolio in its key operating markets in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand; The startup offers services including digital banking, consumer credit, digital investment, and insurance brokerage

The Assembly Place (TAP) to buy co-living peer Libeto
The acquisition would involve Libeto Commontown’s head leases and sub-leases totaling around 120 rooms; TAP said the move will increase its presence in Singapore to over 600 operational co-living rooms, with another 200 in the pipeline set to launch by May.

YC doubles the number of SEA startups in latest cohort
It has unveiled the 33 SEA startups that have been included in its latest winter 2022 cohort; The number is almost doubled from the last batch and amounted to around 8% of the 414 startups that were funded by the accelerator in this cohort.

Singapore startup EcoWorth Tech converts highly contaminated waste into reusable products
EcoWorth commercialises Carbon Fibre Aerogel, a highly absorbent material that is non-toxic, natural, and recyclable; It’s now developing solutions to efficiently remove oil from maritime applications and various spills on land and in lakes and ports.

Vietnamese healthtech startup Med247 raises US$4.5M funding
Investors include Altara Ventures, Pavilion Capital, MiRXES, East Ventures, and KK Fund; Med247 employs remote photoplethysmography technology coupled with AI predictive analytics to screen patients’ vital signs through their smartphone cameras.

JiPay raises US$1.3M seed funding to build a fintech platform for migrant domestic workers
Investors are East Ventures, SHL Capital, and Manila Angel Network; JiPay aims to build trust between families and their domestic helpers and offers an app for employers to track household expenses.

Why Quest Ventures believes that the human-centricity of ESG investing will be more apparent
As the newly appointed Head of ESG for Quest Ventures, Michelle Ng, explains how the firm aims to double down its effort in this matter.

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Malaysia-based agritech startup Plant Cartridge announced that it has secured a US$3 million seed funding round from 500 Global and a private group of business conglomerates.

In a press statement, the company said that it plans to use the funding to expand its operations by 1,000,000 square feet, and develop new advanced farming solutions that are sustainable, scalable and accessible.

“The enthusiastic support of our investors is a testament to the importance of our work and the confidence they have in Plant Cartridge’s technologies. In return, our team’s immediate focus is on scaling our operations quickly to enable more farmers in Asia to be sustainable, efficient, productive, and profitable,” said Channing Liang, CEO of Plant Cartridge.

Founded in 2016, Plant Cartridge aims to transform the agricultural industry and food supply chain by empowering agriculture producers. The company’s services range from modern sustainable farming systems to financial support and market access.

Also Read: 25 notable startups in Malaysia that have taken off in 2021

It provides agriculture investors and operators with hardware and software for controlled environment agriculture (CEA), including seed, germination, irrigation, and nutrient management systems, along with an integrated farm operating system for crops such as leafy vegetables, fruiting or tuberous plants. It builds greenhouses, indoor farms, and open planting for farm owners, complete with all its supporting facilities.

The Kuala Lumpur-headquartered company said that its solutions allow farm owners of all sizes to reduce environmental impact while increasing productivity. The advantages include decreasing growing media usage by up to 200 times, reducing water consumption by 90 per cent, and boosting crop yield by up to 10 times.

Co-founders Liang (CEO) and Michael Mak (COO) were IT professionals in multi-national corporations with deep experience in leading large-scale sustainable integrated farm projects for the government.

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