When you think of a manager, you consider an individual responsible for overseeing internal work processes, execution of projects, and consequent reporting on the outcomes whilst ensuring their team feels taken care of. 

Following instability, organisations worldwide have been forced to adapt to new ways of work, with demands for change extending to managers. The great resignation continues with four out of ten employees wanting to leave their present job despite the increments offered.

As their employees ask for autonomy via hybrid working, managers must eliminate three key barriers: social pressures, health concerns, and unequal access to tech. If they effectively address these concerns, the hybrid working model will begin to self-pilot.

Employee autonomy must be nurtured

Jabra’s latest hybrid working research showed that 66 per cent of workers with full autonomy to choose where and when they work chose a hybrid model as their ideal workweek. However, only 57 per cent were currently working on a hybrid model. 

Of that 9 per cent gap, two per cent work from the office more than they like and seven per cent work from home more than they wish.

This begs a few important questions: if these workers have full autonomy, why are they either working full-time at home or full-time in the office when they could be choosing otherwise?

Empower, don’t punish

One reason employees may be working full-time in the office more than they wish solid social pressure. Despite an organisation letting employees work wherever they would like, a culture that says, “you need to be visible in the office to progress,” whether explicitly or implicitly, undoes any degree of autonomy. 

Jabra’s new research also found that 55 per cent of employees were concerned their careers would suffer if they didn’t come into the office regularly.

Also Read: The 5-part agile leadership guide that will make you a better business leader

The solution? 

Leaders must make it clear that employees won’t be unduly punished for not working in the office. A good place to start is with output-based performance evaluation. Although long-discussed, it’s not taken hold enough to make employees feel comfortable working in a way that best suits them. 

Another key step is to train managers in location bias, or the unconscious bias that leads to preferential treatment of those with whom they have the most face time. Employees often reflect the behaviour of their leaders, so one of the best ways to show that it’s okay to work from home is for leaders and managers to lead by example and do it themselves.

Communicate, update, and reflect on the reality

One reason employees may be working full-time from home more than they would like because, even two years into the pandemic, the virus is still a major health concern. 

40 per cent of all employees globally are reluctant to return to the office because of COVID-19. Similarly, 55 per cent are unwilling to enter a small conference room due to constant anxiety surrounding the virus.

Workers understand that a return to the office means increased exposure to the virus, a risk many are unwilling to take.

How do managers resolve this? It’s difficult for employees to return to the office if they fear their health and well-being. To address this, leaders must continually update health guidelines reflecting local realities. 

Managers must also advocate for spaces where employees can choose to work alone with limited contact with others. This way, everyone wins; employees feel their concerns are acted upon, and managers reap the rewards of a more engaged and productive workforce.

Build an inclusive tech ecosystem

Over the past two years, workers have received help from their employers to thrive in virtual environments. 83 per cent of remote workers say their organisation provides them with the necessary technology for equal and inclusive collaboration no matter where they work.

For full-time office workers, this number drops to 57 per cent. In a world where work is increasingly trending towards virtual environments, access to technology will be crucial in ensuring satisfaction, inclusion, and success at work.

If leaders want to enable employees to work in their ideal, hybrid working arrangement, they need to optimise office spaces for employees working primarily in virtual environments. Similarly, they’ll need to provide employees with personal, flexible technology to access those virtual environments from anywhere.

Also Read: Why leaders matter for a strong organisational culture

This includes identifying collaboration technologies that will enable both in-office and remote employees to collaborate on an equal playing field, allowing employees to move between these places without feeling left out seamlessly. Only then will employees truly be able to work a flexible arrangement on their terms.

Autonomy does not lead to redundancy

Although social pressures, health concerns, and unequal access to technology all play a role in potentially unbalancing a workforce, there are ways managers can counteract this. 

Managers must lead by example, demonstrating that working from home will not hinder progression. They must also take safety seriously, putting guidelines into place to reflect local reality.

Finally, leaders should optimise technology ecosystems to make the most of physical workspaces, providing professional equipment to facilitate effective collaboration. These pillars are fundamental to being a successful manager in hybrid work.

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Ascend Vietnam Ventures announced today its early-stage fund, AVV Alpha, has exceeded the US$50 million target.

AVV Alpha is backed by development finance institutions, funds of funds, corporate VCs, and HNIs from leading local and regional companies across Asia, Europe, and the US.

The fund seeks to invest in capital-efficient startups primarily in areas such as fintech, edutech, blockchain, and the future of work. It invests up to US$2 million each in 25 early-stage startups by 2023. It will then follow on with cheques of up to US$5 million.

In the past nine months, the VC firm has invested in ten startups, including

• Kilo (SaaS and wholesale marketplace for over 30,000 MSME retailers across Vietnam),
• Virtual Internships (remote internship placement & management platform for companies in over 70 countries worldwide),
• T&C Logistics (e-commerce fulfilment platform),
• Mandu (social commerce platform focused on reseller enablement).

Ascent Vietnam is led by Binh Tran and Eddie Thai (former partners of 500 Vietnam). The duo have invested together in Vietnam since 2015 and backed home-grown international firms, such as Axie Infinity (NFT gaming unicorn), ELSA (AI-driven edutech firm later backed by Google’s AI-focused fund), and Trusting Social (financial inclusion fintech firm later backed by Sequoia). 

Also Read: 500 Startups’s top execs set up new seed-stage VC firm Ascend Vietnam Ventures

“The likes of Axie Infinity, ELSA, and Trusting Social are by no means isolated successes,” said Binh Tran. “Vietnam’s dynamism, accessibility, low cost of living, and abundant quality engineering talent attract many founders. On top of that, many tech solutions built here can address similar challenges and customer behaviours in other emerging markets worldwide. Vietnam will continue to be seen as one of the best places to build global or regional market-leading companies.”

“We believe in the ability of all entrepreneurs in Vietnam to do great things, regardless of their backgrounds, and in our ability, opportunity, and obligation to help them do so,” Eddie Thai added.

In early 2021, Ascend Vietnam launched SHINE women founder initiatives in partnership with the Australian Government’s Investing in Women initiative. Since its inception, SHINE has organised training, mentoring, and community-building programmes for over 60 women entrepreneurs and executives, helping them advance their growth, people & leadership, and capital strategies and expand their support network.

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“If trailblazing were easy, the road would be paved,” goes the saying. It rings true for many companies and communities in the cryptocurrency space or crypto natives for short.

While no crypto native would want to give up their position as early adopters of digital assets, being ahead of the curve also has its challenges, especially when you come up against the limits of existing infrastructure.

This article outlines the major challenges that crypto-native companies face today and how they can navigate these challenges through Fintonia’s infrastructure, expertise and network.

What challenges do crypto natives face?

Crypto natives, including crypto token communities, crypto foundations and other entities that hold large amounts of crypto, face many challenges. Unfortunately, these challenges have not been given due attention and are ill-understood by the public.

Through our years of experience and expertise in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, Fintonia has identified four key areas that crypto natives face:

• Balance sheet management: Blockchain protocols and crypto foundations typically have outsize holdings in their native tokens, which results in significant concentration risk. For example, if Solana holds only SOL, and its price falls by 50 per cent, then Solana’s balance sheet would also be down by half.

• Structuring and signalling trust: Crypto-native companies typically comprise founders and employees across the globe. With your team spread across myriad countries and tax jurisdictions, having a well-thought-out company structure is integral for success. Furthermore, although diversifying the treasury across non-native tokens is fiscally sound, any move to sell the native token can be interpreted negatively by the public; it can signal a loss of confidence in the protocol or even appear to be a “rug pull”!

• Fiat on/off ramps: Crypto native companies still operate in a world that has not entirely accepted cryptocurrencies. The bulk of everyday business transactions, such as employee payroll, operational costs, and advertising spending, still have to be paid in fiat. However, the crypto/fiat exchange process is clunky and inefficient, not to mention costly. On top of that, traditional banks often shut down accounts associated with crypto companies.

Also Read: Cryptocurrency: Hero or villain for the payment industry?

• Onboarding with counterparties: The chaos of the nascent cryptocurrency space makes it exciting. But, let’s admit, this fragmented ecosystem can be frustrating to operate a business in. Not only do crypto natives need to work with multiple counterparties, but counterparty onboarding can take as long as 12 months, resulting in major opportunity costs.

Why partner with a regulated fund manager?

As the crypto market gets bigger and infrastructural challenges increasingly apparent, more blockchain protocols and crypto firms seek out fund managers for their financial management services.

Fund managers can address the four key issues in the following ways:

• Balance sheet management: We understand it’s important to diversify the treasury across assets. However, this can be challenging to execute in-house if your talent pool skews heavily towards tech and product. A regulated fund manager provides financial management expertise and the appropriate custodian solutions for your needs.

• Structuring and signalling trust: How do you structure your company properly? How do you meet your treasury’s needs without triggering negative public perception? A regulated fund manager can help structure the treasury’s portfolio, and fund flows to protect your assets and hedge against risk while sending the appropriate signals to the community.

• Fiat on/off ramps: For better or worse, crypto natives still need fiat for day-to-day use. A regulated fund manager bridges the gap between traditional financial institutions and crypto firms, working with third parties to give clients access to banking solutions such as borrowing and lending.

• Onboarding with counterparties: A well-connected fund manager allows crypto natives to eliminate the friction around counterparty onboarding. Clients can immediately leverage an established network of crypto exchanges and market makers and benefit from economies of scale.

In short, a regulated fund manager like Fintonia has the infrastructure, expertise, and network to address crypto natives’ challenges, helping them easily navigate turbulent waters.

How can crypto natives benefit from Fintonia’s solutions?

While asset management firms are a dime a dozen, not all are suited to working with crypto firms. Crypto natives need fund managers that understand the crypto ecosystem’s caprices, which can bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital assets.

Also Read: Breaking the bro code: How women are taking over the Web3 world in Asia

Fintonia Group, a regulated fund manager, specialising in digital assets, fits the bill. With over 100 years of experience in financial services and tech, we’ve built a financial ecosystem encompassing crypto natives, traditional financial institutions, and regulators.

As a registered Fund Management Company regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), we offer institutional-grade investment products to professional investors and financial management solutions for corporates, including crypto-native firms.

Key services and benefits we provide include:

• Portfolio and asset management
• Bespoke yield generation strategies
• Cash flow planning
• Fiat liquidity management solutions
• Private key signatory
• Transparent monthly reporting on assets

We plan and execute tailored solutions to manage clients’ treasury assets via a Segregated Account. Benefit from our seasoned industry professionals’ expertise and tap on their trading experience and network within the crypto and traditional finance markets.

Interested? Here’s what to expect

The crypto space is as diverse as it is dynamic. So we take the time to listen and craft bespoke solutions for our crypto-native clients. Our approach is as follows:

• Understand business model, and fund flows: No two companies are the same. We start by deep-diving into the client’s company structure and business model. This includes organisational structure, financial drivers and forecasts, scenario planning and correlations, key business risks, financial and operational requirements, regulatory, tax, accounting and legal needs.

• Determine strategy and fund flow: Having identified the client’s operational requirements and risk/return appetite, we propose a bespoke financial management strategy and asset allocation.

• Strategy execution and adjustments: This is where the client leverages Fintonia’s solutions and network of institutional counterparties, including custodians, exchanges, market makers and selected DeFi solutions.

Our solutions may be tailored, but they’re far from set in stone. They are designed to evolve with the client’s needs, as befits a player in the fast-moving crypto space, so clients can also expect regular reporting, analysis, and quarterly strategy reviews and adjustments. More than just a service provider to handle treasury matters, we’re also a strong partner who can grow with your business.

As entrepreneurs and founders, Fintonia is uniquely placed to understand your needs and tailor solutions, helping you pave your way through crypto’s chaos.

Here is more information on Fintonia’s Treasury and Balance Sheet Management solutions.

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Mapan, a fintech startup helping lower-income Indonesians buy household goods at better rates, has closed US$15 million in a Series A round of funding, co-led by Patamar Capital and PT Astra Digital Internasional, a subsidiary of Astra.

The round also saw participation from BRI Ventures, SMDV, Blibli, Prasetia Dwidharma, Flourish Ventures and 500 Global.

With this investment, Mapan will look to grow its core “Arisan” service by expanding its product range and partnering with top suppliers. An aspect of Indonesian culture, Arisan is a form of informal social gathering where members take turns purchasing products for the group.

The firm will also introduce a wider variety of Arisan schemes and expand its reach, targeting to make its digitised Arisan product available to ten million households in Indonesia by 2026.

Mapan was founded in 2009 to help eliminate barriers to financial resources for low-income communities (it was later bought by Gojek) Through Mapan’s Arisan product, lower-income groups can increase their buying power to purchase household goods such as cookware, electronics, and furniture. It also provides other products and services, such as a bill payment app and consumer goods resale platform.

Also Read: Mapan reveals its current focus following new CEO appointment

Since 2015, Mapan has also focused on empowering women leaders of Arisan groups, which are traditional women-run rotating savings groups, by introducing the Arisan application. By recruiting women leaders and influencers as agents and creators of Arisan groups, Mapan has provided affordable goods financing to more than three million households to date.

Women influencers and leaders of Mapan’s Arisan groups can also count on receiving additional benefits, such as commission from product sales, incentives for recruiting and educating new agents, and other performance milestones, thereby bringing financial equality to women from low-income families in Indonesia.

“In line with Astra’s aim to prosper with the nation, Astra wishes to contribute to advancing the quality of life of the people of Indonesia, one of which is by contributing to the advancement of Indonesia’s digital economy. The collaboration with Mapan is one of our ways to enable people from all walks of society to meet their daily needs,” said Gidion Hasan, Director of Astra.

It aims to drive financial inclusion in the country, where 51 per cent of adults in Indonesia lack access to banks or other formal financial services. Mapan will also introduce additional products to enhance financial inclusion and improve access to financing sources for the masses.

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Entrepreneur First (EF), an investor supporting individuals building technology companies, has secured a US$158 million Series C funding round from a group of veteran technology founders.

The investors include John and Patrick Collison (Co-Founders of Stripe), Taavet Hinrikus  (Co-Founder of Wise), Reid Hoffman (Co-Founder of LinkedIn), Matt Mullenweg (Co-Founder of WordPress), Tom Blomfield (Co-Founder of Monzo and GoCardless), Nat Friedman (former CEO of Github), Sara Clemens (former COO of Twitch and Pandora), Matt Robinson (Co-Founder of Nested and GoCardless), Patrick O’Shaughnessy (Positive Sum), Demis Hassabis and Mustafa Suleyman (Co-Founders of Deepmind), Sten Tamkivi, Elad Gil and Lachy Groom.

The cash will allow Entrepreneur First to invest in new startups and experiment and innovate on how best to fund the next generation of entrepreneurs by launching new products to upend the typical venture capital model. It will target a direct investment of US$100 million over the next three years in hundreds of entrepreneurs and will continue building out its talent product suite.

Also Read: How accelerator programmes can help entrepreneurs bring their vision to life

EF Singapore will introduce new products at different stages across the founding journey and expand its reach to emerging and aspiring founders across Southeast Asia. In addition, it will offer an exclusive and accelerated path to global funding to leverage top international funds for exceptional local talent.

“Entrepreneur First has demonstrated that talent investing in Singapore is thriving. Over several years, we’ve backed hundreds of individuals to transform their vision into world-class companies. This fundraise enables us to scale our proven approach into new investment areas to serve Southeast Asia’s emerging generation of outlier founders,” said Bernadette Cho, Partner, EF Singapore.

Founded in 2011 by Matt Clifford and Alice Bentinck in London, EF now employs 120 worldwide. It operates as an early-stage investor, helping talented people find co-founders to partner with before launching startups.

“Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. The idea of taking strangers and helping them start robust and ambitious companies is no longer radical but essential to power the next stage of innovation,” said CEO Clifford.

Entrepreneur First is also announcing today that the aggregate value of companies created through its platform in Singapore now exceeds US$1 billion and globally US$10 billion. Notable alumni from Singapore include Shiok Meats, Peakflo, Hawksight, and Transcelestial.

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Born between 1995 and 2010, Generation Z represents a rising force in global economics. By 2031, the collective income of Gen Z will increase five times over.

At over US$2 trillion in global earnings, Gen Z will control a bigger piece of the pie than Millennials. This generation is over two billion strong worldwide, with nine in ten living in emerging markets. India claims the largest share of Gen Z individuals, with a fifth of the total.

In the United States alone, Gen Z represents 40 per cent of all US consumers. They spend US$143 billion of their own money annually while influencing US$127 billion of their family members’ spending decisions.

If your company doesn’t have marketing plans dedicated to Gen Z consumers yet, it needs to make some. While Gen Z does have its list of favourite brands, only 36 per cent express a strong sense of brand loyalty to any one company.

What should brands keep in mind when marketing to Gen Z?

The first subject to tackle is demographics. In the US, Gen Z has been dubbed “the diversity generation” for obvious reasons.

48 per cent of Gen Z is not white, making it the most racially diverse generation in America. 22 per cent of Gen Zers have at least one immigrant parent, compared to 14 per cent of Millennials.

Beyond racial and ethnic makeup, Gen Z is also diverse regarding sexuality and gender identity. 20 per cent of Gen Z considers themselves part of the LGBTQ+ community, boasting a membership twice the size of prior generations.

While gender-neutral pronouns were not common before, 35 per cent of Gen Zers personally know someone who uses them.

The last demographic item worth highlighting is education: Gen Z is on track to be the best-educated generation in the country. 57 per cent of recent high school graduates enrol in a two or four-year college. Many of them are going, although they are first-generation students.

Now that the demographics of the generation are laid out, the next thing to consider is how these demographics affect the generation’s values. Unlike previous generations, which made shopping decisions based on name, Gen Z buys based on perceived company values.

Brand names don’t mean as much as they used to; in 2020, trust in major institutions among Gen Zers fell by 10 percentage points. The younger generation wants to buy from brands they trust to do the right thing.

Also Read: How to generate winning startup ideas

According to survey data, Gen Z values sustainable business practices, affordability, and inclusivity the most. They will avoid brands they perceive to be overly macho, scandal-prone, or discriminatory.

Growing up under the threat of climate change has left a deep impression on Gen Z. As a result, today’s young people want to use their shopping habits to make a difference.

73 per cent of Gen Z consumers surveyed say they’re willing to pay more for sustainable products, a higher percentage than any other generation. 54 per cent of those surveyed would still make this choice even if the price difference were greater than 10 per cent.

Companies that invest in green initiatives should make their activities known to Gen Z consumers. Examples of good sustainability measures include making products from recycled material, powering operations with renewable energy, and using recyclable or biodegradable packaging materials.

On the subject of inclusivity, the rationale is simple. Gen Z consumers want to shop with companies that are as diverse as they are. Various casting and imagery in advertising are important, but it’s not the end of the story.

Most Gen Z consumers surveyed also wanted to see brands pursue wider inclusivity initiatives and incorporate more diversity into senior leadership positions. Two actionable items clothing brands can adopt to be more inclusive are allowing customers to search for gender-neutral clothing and adding non-binary gender options to online forms or profiles. 

With an idea of what to include in messaging, brands also need to ensure their marketing reaches Gen Z audiences. For this purpose, they should emphasise mobile marketing above all.

Nearly half of US teens spend over 10 hours daily on their mobile devices. For 20 per cent of Gen Z, over five of these hours are spent on TikTok alone. Social media is a powerful tool for connecting brands to customers.

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AppWorks Accelerator today hosted a demo day event featuring the 12 startups that have participated in the programme. Hosted virtually, the 24th demo day event featured startups that focus on the verticals of AI/IoT and Web3, and that is targeting the Southeast Asia market in their operations.

In a press statement, AppWorks said that the 24th batch officially kicked off in March, featuring 24 teams and 51 founders from 12 different home markets, including Indonesia, Thailand, the US, Singapore, and Hong Kong with 17 Taiwan-based teams. The batch included 10 female founders (20 per cent of the participants) and 20 serial founders (42 per cent). Half of the batch’s founders are building projects for the Web3 era.

“As investors across historical cycles in traditional and crypto startups, we’ve seen the rise and fall of trends—as well as dramatic shifts that permanently alter the way founders and companies innovate and iterate products. With macro and geopolitical headwinds playing a dominant role in shaping market dynamics, we are now at the beginning of a new cycle, representing a shift in attitudes towards early-stage value creation across all market verticals and geographies,” said AppWorks Partner Jessica Liu.

“With AW#24, we’re seeing many exciting innovations in web3 and traditional startups, creating powerful new ideas for the next cycle of innovation and entrepreneurship.”

The programme will also include a live in-person Demo Day on July 14 in Taipei.

Also Read: AppWorks partners with e27 to help startups build investor network

The following is the list of companies that are showcasing their business at the demo day:

1. The Iterative Collective: Incubator, developer and publisher for games.

2. Protico: A Web3 chatting network.

3. Labfront: AI tools for health research.

4. PaperPlane by FlyingClub: NFT with IRL drinking utility.

5. Envio: Full-service digital logistics and supply chain enabler for SMBs.

6. BitShine: Fiat on-ramp and off-ramp for companies.

7. Aibou: A platform that aims to help SMBs grow and scale with automation and data insights.

8. Alphalytics: On-chain data aggregator.

9. Blueberry Tech: Business aggregator app.

Also Read: AppWorks closes US$150M Fund III targeting AI, blockchain startups in Greater SEA

10. PreTeeth AI: AI tools for dental smile design.

11. ZTO: Web3 social media.

12. Storius: Geotagged audio sharing app.

Following the demo day, AppWorks is currently opening application for the 25th batch of its programme which will feature DAOs as a major focus.

“AppWorks believes that DAOs represent a new frontier that will disrupt the way people build organisations, and welcomes decentralised teams from around the world to join the accelerator. AW#25 will be held from September 2022 to January 2023. The accelerator is equity- and cost-free, providing practical and hands-on mentorship to guide founders in achieving better product-market fit, winning key business partners, and becoming better founders,” the programme said.

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Image Credit: AppWorks

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The blockchain industry has inspired many terrific ideas. DAO (decentralised autonomous organisations) is one among them.

DAO can be defined as a community-led entity with no central authority. DAOs are all about smart contracts. They are crypto-native groups that form around a common purpose, often involving them pooling capital to invest according to a specific objective/mandate.

DAO is believed to be the most suitable organisational structure for blockchain foundations and projects. Here, every investor has voting power (the number of DAO tokens determines one’s voting power, though). Unlike modern organisations where power plays and conflicts are a norm, here investors don’t have to deal with such things in a DAO.

There are mainly eight forms of DAOs: investment DAOs, media DAOs, social DAOs, protocol DAOs, grant DAOs, collector DAOs, service DAOs and DAO Operating System.

Recently, many blockchain projects, including DeFi operators, launched DAOs. There are several Asia-focused DAOs, too (although it is hard to identify a DAO by its geographical location as it is a decentralised entity).

Below is a list of Asia-focused DAOs. This is not a comprehensive list, and if you know any new DAOs focussing on this region, feel free to email us the names.

GuildFi

GuildFi aims to create an ecosystem connecting the metaverse’s intricate jigsaws. It develops a Web3 infrastructure to connect games, NFTs, and communities to maximise players’ benefits and enable interoperability across the metaverse.

With several Web3 games being unveiled, players and enthusiasts cannot easily navigate and dabble in them. Players face high startup costs for joining new play-to-earn games, and scholarship funds are fragmented. Furthermore, players’ efforts are siloed within a game, hampering their earning potential and defying the maximal possibilities of the metaverse.

GuildFi envisions a future where these intricate jigsaws are interlinked into an ecosystem. The firm serves as an infrastructure to onboard, connect, and add value to players, guilds, games, and investors alike.

In September, GuildFi announced the completion of a US$6 million seed round of financing, co-led by DeFiance Capital and South Korean early-stage VC firm Hashed.

ZIG DAO (Zignaly)

ZIG DAO is a DAO launched by Zignaly, an expert-managed social investing marketplace based in Singapore. Zignaly recently announced its foray into DeFi with the launch of ZIG DAO.

With ZIG DAO, Zignaly unlocks the power of its platform and community to extend the range of Web3 investments available to include crypto investing without the constraint of centralised exchanges, NFTs, metaverse real estate, DeFi staking and LPs.

According to the company, community-driven governance has always been at the forefront of its strategy. With the DAO, the firm aims to empower the ZIG token holders with their say in project governance.

Also Read: Zignaly’s DAO aims to remove boundaries from your crypto investment portfolio

Combining new DeFi features with a community-driven roadmap will enable new forms of social value exchanges between people, groups and organisations (large and small). It will empower self-formed hedge funds, decentralised marketplaces, and crypto & Web3 investment consulting.

“Imagine creating your own hedge fund with friends. ZIG DAO allows that. Also, it enables you to participate in a decentralised marketplace curated by expert traders, fund managers, and crypto investors with transparent reputation stats and track records. Plus, people can collaborate freely around a passive investing model where both sides are incentivised to share the profits,” says Zignaly Founder Bart Bordallo.

Bartolome has set a growth target of US$10 billion in total value locked (TVL) and 100 million+ monthly transactions by Q4 2023. The ZIG.DAO, utilising the ZIG token, will generate US$3 billion or 30 per cent in returns from the targeted TVL annually.

In March, Zignally raised US$50 million in funding from Luxembourg-based GEM Global.

Yield Guild Games SEA

Led by CEO and co-founder Evan Spytma and co-founders Dan Wang and Irene Umar, YGG SEA is an official sub-DAO of YGG, which launched as a decentralised autonomous organisation in July 2021. YGG SEA leverages the parent’s infrastructure and assets to serve communities within the region to join the metaverse through localised investment, education and on-the-ground services.

So far, YGG SEA claims to have helped more than 2,500 players and investors in the region to generate additional revenue streams, including over 600 in Thailand. The regional guild plans to increase the customer base to about 10,000 by 2022.

In December, the Philippine company announced raising US$15 million over two funding rounds. The seed round, which took place in August, was led by the parent company and Infinity Ventures Crypto. The additional funding, which came in November, was led by Crypto.com Capital, Animoca Brands, MindWorks Ventures, Poloniex, Jump Capital and Sembrani Kiqani by BRI Ventures.

Sky Mavis (Axie Infinity)

Sky Mavis was founded in early 2018 by Aleksander Leonard Larsen, Nguyễn Thành Trung, Đoàn Minh Tú, Hồ Sỹ Việt Anh and Jeffrey Samuel Kim Zirlin. It is the creator of Axie Infinity, a popular NFT-based play-to-earn (P2E) game where players breed, battle, and trade digital pets called Axie.

NFT-based P2E games are decentralised, meaning that the players own the in-game assets they purchase and can generate real-world rewards for their in-game activities. Axie Infinity says it has helped create income-generating opportunities for underserved people worldwide; 25 per cent of players are unbanked, and 50 per cent have not previously used cryptocurrencies.

Also Read: The way of the DAO could be the future of work

Axie Infinity has amassed players worldwide, with more than 1.8 million daily active users logging into the platform in August. It claims to have achieved US$33 million in everyday transactions, for a total volume of over US$2 billion.

In April, Binance led a US$150 million funding round for Sky Mavis, which has used the funds to reimburse user funds affected by the Ronin Validator Hack.

ARC Community

ARC is a members-only community aiming to bring this diverse group of individuals together for co-creation, play, and growth. ARC is where one can access a diverse network of individuals with Asian roots and form new connections in an open, reciprocal space.

Through the ARC app, members can connect and engage with community members and enrich themselves by exchanging perspectives on the platform. As members, they’ll also enjoy a range of experiences and perks in collaboration with our partner merchants.

The membership also allows one to access the ARC app, where you’ll make new connections with the community and exclusive content programming co-created and led by community members. Members can also access in-app experiences that enable co-creation, play, growth, lifestyle bonuses, and partnered merchandise.

IreneDAO

IreneDAO is a global grassroots movement launched by social media icon and SO-COL co-founder Irene Zhao. By creating her NFT collection, IreneDAO, she intends to prove that online creators could get paid directly for their content.

The DAO focuses on revolutionising the creator economy with simple to earn, empowering humankind by utilising web3 tools. It also has a mission to make meaningful donations to help the children and women in need and support minorities and women-led projects.

SO-COL is a web3 company that Irene Zhao and Benjamin Tang founded. IreneDAO was created by SO-COL as a ‘proof of concept’ as the first creator fan community.

ELYSIA

ELYSIA is a blockchain project specialising in real estate tokenisation and securitisation. It will be the first organisation in Asia to be registered as a DAO LLC in Wyoming, USA.

ELYSIA has put the utmost effort into building a decentralised system and set the newly-established DAO as an important milestone moving towards a legitimate decentralised project.

StakerDAO

StakerDAO is a governance protocol run by a community of blockchain and finance enthusiasts who make governance decisions for building cross-chain, decentralised financial assets compliantly.

StakerDAO’s first financial product, Blend (BLND), will launch on Algorand, with plans for additional DeFi products in coming months.

Also Read: The Shark Tank of Web3: How this DAO is bridging the funding gap for women founders

BLND, available today via CoinList as a synthetic ERC20 token and shortly as an Algorand ASA token, tracks a governed basket of Proof-of-Stake (PoS) tokens and offers an easy way to go long on the best PoS networks.

With a single BLND ASA token, qualified individuals can instantly participate in Algorand, Tezos, and Cosmos. BLND provides both price exposure to these blockchain projects and exposure to the staking rewards these networks generate. More information is available at www.blendtoken.com for qualified participants.

In Q1 2021, StakerDAO launched STKR Governance 2.0 and turned all governance decisions over to its community.

Alpha Venture DAO

Alpha Venture DAO is a community of daring individuals who aspire to shape the future of Web3 and expand the Web3 ecosystem together with a network of Web3 industry leaders and Alpha community.

Alpha Venture DAO aims to be a massive ecosystem of decentralised applications that capture value regardless of which chains or sectors dominate Web3 in the future.

Alpha Venture DAO and ALPHA will be the gateway for the community to contribute meaningfully and “truly” own high-quality Web3 projects.

Blockchain Space

BlockchainSpace enables PlayToEarn Guilds to scale in the metaverse.

Guild owners currently lack a starting point and relevant tools to successfully operate their respective “businesses.” It helps save guild operators time, provides valuable data and metrics, and gives guilds access to capital thus allowing them to focus on scaling and performance.

It also allows guild owners to measure player performance, onboard scholars & vet applications, automated cashout, provides forecasts and insights, in-depth game analytics across Guilds, and provides access to financial solutions, among others.

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Copyright: perfectpixelshunter

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Accelerator programmes are not for everyone. You might be thinking, “I don’t need help.” Or you might be thinking, “My idea is so unique that it doesn’t fit into any of these categories.”

But the truth is if you launch a startup and want to see it grow into something great, a programme like this can be incredibly helpful.

Here’s what we mean:

Product fit

Product fit is the most important factor in determining the success of a startup. It’s more important than your team, idea, or other factors.

Product fit is the degree to which a product meets the needs of its target market. A successful product will fill those needs and provide value to your customers. The stronger that relationship becomes with customers, the more likely they are to recommend you and continue using your product.

The only reason you get this far in an accelerator programme is that you have great potential as an entrepreneur, and part of that potential is having found something that people need/want/love enough to buy from you (or use if it’s free).

Go to market

You don’t want to be in the business of selling a product that nobody is interested in buying. This can be one of the most difficult parts of starting a new company because you may have an idea that you think people will love, but when you’re ready to start selling it, no one is interested.

There are two main ways to go about this:

• Customer research
• Talking with potential customers before launching your product or service

Funding

If you are an entrepreneur with a product that has the potential to be a hit but not a business model, accelerators can help. Accelerators provide startups with funding and other resources (like mentorship and networking opportunities) in exchange for equity (usually six to ten per cent).

After the accelerator programme is over, if the startup has made progress toward its goal of acquiring customers and validating its business model, it will pitch to investors what they’ve learned from working with their mentors during the programme.

This usually results in getting enough money from investors to build out your product or service until it becomes profitable enough for you to bootstrap yourself.

Mentorship

If you’re new to the business, mentorship can be a great way to learn the ropes and get your feet wet. If you’re an experienced entrepreneur, mentoring can help you stay on top of your game. Mentors are awesome coaches who don’t charge as much as a head coach but still know how to help you reach your goals.

Also Read: What can we learn from successful venture capitalists?

We often talk about how important mentors are for entrepreneurs because they provide invaluable guidance, advice and support throughout their journey as an entrepreneur. The mentor relationship is crucial in helping entrepreneurs develop personally and professionally while giving them valuable insight into their areas of expertise (or lack thereof).

In addition to establishing relationships with mentors at accelerators, founders may also find it beneficial for themselves or their company if they choose someone who has successfully navigated some aspect of what they’re facing now so as not only to have someone else’s perspective but also because such individuals have already gone through many similar situations themselves before making decisions based upon what worked best for them when considering multiple options available at any given point during their own ventures’ lifetimes.

Community

• The community is a great place to get feedback
• The community is a great place to find Co-Founders
• The community is a great place to find mentors
• The community is a great place to find investors
• The community is a great place to find customers
• The community is a great place to find partners

Bring your vision to life

Accelerator programmes are short-term, intensive programmes designed to accelerate growth within startups in their early stages. The hands-on, intensive and fast-paced environment of an accelerator programme helps entrepreneurs develop the skills necessary to take their vision from idea to reality.

The first step is getting accepted into an accelerator programme. The best way to do this is by having a well-rounded business plan that includes market research, financial projections and a distinct value proposition for your target customers (if you don’t know what I’m talking about: Google it).

Entrepreneurs who join an accelerator programme can expect to gain valuable insights and receive mentorship from experienced mentors. They’ll also have access to a network of startup founders who can share their struggles, successes, and failures.

Entrepreneurs need to remember that accelerators aren’t just about getting funding. They’re places where startups receive support throughout the entire process of bringing their vision to life.

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US-based cryptocurrency broker Voyager Digital has issued a notice of default to Three Arrows Capital (3AC) after the Singaporean hedge fund failed to make a loan repayment.

A statement said that 3AC owes about 15,250 BTC (US$318 million) and US$350 million USDC.

Voyager intends to pursue recovery from 3AC and is in talks with its advisors for legal remedies.

Also Read: UST, Luna crashes: Can regulation alone restore investors’ confidence in cryptocurrencies?

“We are working diligently and expeditiously to strengthen our balance sheet and pursuing options so we can continue to meet customer liquidity demands,” said CEO Stephen Ehrlich.

Voyager Digital’s subsidiary, Voyager Digital, LLC, is a cryptocurrency platform in the US founded in 2018. The firm offers a secure way to trade over 100 different crypto assets using its easy-to-use mobile app. Through its subsidiary Coinify ApS, Voyager provides crypto payment solutions for both consumers and merchants around the globe.

As of June 24, 2022, Voyager claims it had approximately US$137 million cash and owned crypto assets on hand. The company also has access to the previously announced US$200 million cash and USDC revolver and a 15,000 BTC revolver from Alameda Ventures.

Also Read: Web3 marketing: Building a cult-like community

Voyager Digital has accessed US$75 million of the line of credit made available by Alameda. It may continue to make use of the Alameda facilities to facilitate customer orders and withdrawals, as needed.

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