Orgtomic, a Malaysia-based SaaS startup in the human resource tech space, today announced that it had raised an angel investment from US-based Indelible VC.  

The company said the funding would enable it to expand its engineering team and hire marketing support to initiate a go-to-market strategy for the next quarter.

It also stated that this is Orgtomic’s first raise after bootstrapping an initial platform over the last nine months and working with nearly 20 regional customers on an initial product build-out. 

Orgtomic builds a platform that enables growth companies to visualise all their key people and skills data in a single searchable canvas. The tools that it provided included an easy-to-use organisational chart, people directory and skills analysis, enabling companies to view their data in a visual and connected way.

This will help leadership make actionable insights and build a proper skills-based organisation.

Also Read: Why Quest Ventures believes that the human-centricity of ESG investing will be more apparent

 Orgtomic was founded by Ian Turnpenny, an experienced entrepreneur in the recruitment and HR tech space, and Mouhannad Alshamali, CTO and lead product evangelist. 

“We are excited that Kevin at Indelible VC understood the vision of Orgtomic and the scale of the potential market as traditional work structures change and employees interact and upskill in new ways, especially in a remote-first world,” Turnpenny said in a press statement.  

Indelible VC is an early stage VC firm that targets B2B startups in Malaysia.

In a contributed post published by e27, Managing Partner Kevin Brockland wrote about why the investor is focusing on the market.

“It is the view on Indelible Ventures that Malaysia provides a substantial and underrepresented opportunity.  Malaysia has all the enabling factors that demonstrate the potential to become a major centre of innovation and a gateway to Southeast Asia and beyond,” Brockland said.

“Malaysia is disproportionately underrepresented in this VC Landscape on a broad range of measures,” he stressed.

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This article is published as a part of a partnership with Recruitery. Recruitery is an all-in-one hiring platform that provides headhunt, payroll, taxes, and compliance solutions for remote teams in SEA. 

According to a report released last month by Goldman Sachs, hiring and retaining talents are the #one challenges for small firms. Ninety per cent of recruiting companies find it tough to discover competent applicants for available jobs.

This is changing, particularly in the technology industry, where substantial-tech firms are laying off thousands of staff. So now is the opportunity for smaller startups to “fish in troubled waters.”

The wave of layoffs by major big companies

With the recession, technology businesses are assessing the global situation and determining it is time to prepare for additional instability. The cause is twofold: business expansion is slowing, and labour expenses are rising.

This combination results in layoffs and hiring freezes for many. Organisations such as Shopee and Coinbase are laying off employees, and as this helpful online layoff tracker demonstrates, many other companies are doing the same. 

Obviously, this is terrible news for the economy as a whole and for people facing unemployment. But one group can profit from the gloomy outlook for big tech: smaller firms that struggled to compete with internet giants for tech talents during the digital boom.

This is the “golden time” for smaller startups to recruit talents.

The current scenario may create an unexpected opportunity for small and medium-sized businesses seeking to acquire top-tier tech talents typically recruited by more prominent companies. And the major technology businesses have stopped recruiting.

Also Read: Funding winter? Indonesia marches on … and why it will survive the gloom

Therefore, there will be a more excellent supply of candidates on the market, creating a chance for smaller startups to recruit personnel at optimum cost.

Despite economic uncertainties, it is anticipated that tech employment, such as web developers and software engineers, will increase over the next decade. There are still tech organisations of all sizes seeking to fill positions, and fortunately, IT skills opportunities exist in various industries. 

While the IT sector is now experiencing turbulent seas, there are grounds to believe that the present upheaval will not result in a catastrophic collapse. Thus, sound, financially responsible businesses and their workers may discover new chances from the current volatility.

How to optimise your recruiting expenses

Track the source of your hires 

You can choose where to spend on candidate sourcing by determining the most cost-effective sources. 

Perform a cost analysis in HR 

Every HR division and role incurs expenses. Compare and evaluate the same for each work role/position or process to uncover improvement opportunities. For example, if you need to minimise the number of interview levels or the number of manual procedures, etc. 

Utilise free employment boards wherever feasible

When posting on job boards, you may search for free job boards, which enable employers to advertise openings for free and which are often visited by prospects. In addition to commercial employment sites, you may also use free job boards. For smaller businesses, free employment boards are also an option. 

Capitalise on employee recommendations 

Employee recommendations may be the most enduring strategy for hiring new prospects. It benefits both employers and workers. To save time, effort, and money on recruiting, you need a well-structured referral programme with a creative reward. In addition, you get excellent hires since the staff has a reputation to uphold. 

Automate your recruitment procedure 

Automating the recruiting process is one of the most intelligent and effective methods to reduce the cost per employee. In addition, it’s not simply any regular recruiting software. Technology has much more for automation than applicant tracking systems (ATS) and skill assessment software. 

Powered by AI, the recruiting software of the future employs machine learning to its fullest potential to provide a scientific method for sourcing, screening, sorting, and assessing prospects.

In addition, the tracking and testing programmes are also included in the software and interviewing choices, providing you with a comprehensive recruiting solution. This strategy is not only innovative but also surprisingly cost-effective and time-saving.

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The concept of sustainability has been growing in importance for businesses. A business that is sustainable is one that functions in the best interest of the environment, promoting awareness amongst both the local and global partners with the practice of responsible production.

According to the Paris Climate Accord, businesses can impact up to 60 per cent of emission cuts by 2030, and now is the time for business owners to take part in the sustainable movement to promote a more liveable planet for all.  

As we move to the future, companies with practices and technologies to promote sustainable development and carbon neutrality are more likely to attract sustainable investments and long-term growth.  

The FinLab is a keen supporter of sustainability and has launched The Greentech Accelerator to grow and nurture more Greentech solutions for industry partnerships and adoption.

About The Greentech Accelerator

The Greentech Accelerator by UOB’s The FinLab is a three months programme that welcomes regional and global Greentech solution providers focusing on energy efficiency,  zero-waste supply chain, and carbon management and reporting to join forces in the sustainability transformation movement.

The three areas of focus are tailored with close alignment with the sustainable development goals and they are examples of how the participating Greentech solutions can get more involved in the sustainable movement in business operations. 

Energy efficiency

Efficiency is a measure of how we can reduce waste and in this case, is to reduce the amount of energy consumed by the industry of focus. Low-energy infrastructure, IoTs that help to monitor energy consumption, electric vehicles, and solar and energy deployment are examples of innovations that improve the efficiency of energy usage, hence minimising energy waste that pollutes the environment. 

Zero-waste supply chain 

Supply chain efficiency is important in business operation which includes minimising logistic costs while maximising profits. However, how can we achieve the same results while reducing electronic, food, plastic, and water wastage?

Also Read: As the demand for energy soars, climate tech is here to save the day

Examples of potential innovation can include waste collection or upcycling systems, waste processing, resource management to increase efficiency, and industry symbiosis to encourage energy re-channelling. 

Carbon management and reporting 

Technologies in carbon management can include the analysis of the releases of greenhouse gases and the optimisation of carbon emissions. Methods that improve the process of carbon capture, carbon credits, monitoring, and reporting of scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions are the areas that would enable better management of sustainable actions.

What do I need to participate in?

In order to participate and stand out from the participating Greentech solutions, candidates should have a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6  and above, meaning a ready prototype demonstration. Companies would also be assessed for their scalability, traction, and readiness for deployment. 10 shortlisted Greentech solutions will be selected for the three months programme from August to November 2022.

How do you benefit from the programme?

• Sustainability and Business Masterclasses: Design with expertise from the bank and the industry, the masterclasses cover topics such as management, sustainability, commercialisation, and international market expansion. 
• Mentorships and Partnerships: Be mentored by our pool of domain experts and tap on the extensive network of governments, corporates, SMEs, researchers, and tech providers to expedite the development of solutions.
• Pilots and test-bedding: Tackle actual sustainability-related challenges from corporates and SMEs to pilot and test-bed solutions.

How to join the programme?

Interested startups can apply to the programme here and embark on building a sustainable ecosystem for future generations and the planet. Applications close on Tuesday, 12 July 2022.

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Singapore-based digital health service provider Naluri has secured a US$7 million in pre-Series B round of funding, led by Thailand’s leading real estate development group Pruksa Group.

Bertelsmann Investments from Germany and Striders Corporation from Japan also joined, alongside several returning investors, including M Venture Partners, Palm Drive Capital, and INP Capital.

The new funding is earmarked for Naluri’s strategic expansion in Thailand and will further bolster its operations in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Naluri was co-founded in 2017 by Azran Osman-Rani (CEO), former chief of iflix Malaysia and AirAsia, with Dr Jeremy Ting and Dr. Hariyati Shahrima. The startup offers human-led and AI-augmented digital health coaching that aims to transform the lives of people who are at risk of, or managing, chronic and mental health conditions.

Premised on the fundamental understanding that physical and mental health are inextricably interconnected, the company provides structured multi-disciplinary support to those affected by diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, anxiety and depression, as well as advanced chronic conditions such as renal disease and cancer.

Also Read: Naluri secures US$5M Series A to support people with chronic health, mental conditions in SEA

The firm also combines an organisation’s historical claims data with organisation-wide health screenings to understand and forecast future healthcare demands and costs. Then, coupling the health risk data with regular health monitoring, Naluri delivers proactive early interventions that prevent the onset of additional medical complications that often lead to escalating costs.

“We must do more to not only manage chronic health and mental health conditions, but we must also prevent them. We must do so quickly and effectively. Global markets have tightened, but this investment affirms Naluri’s mission and fast-tracks our efforts to deliver support to more deserving people in the region,” says Naluri Co-Founder and CEO Azran Osman-Rani.

Naluri claims it serves over 75 of the region’s leading employers in industries, including financial services, oil and gas, property development, telecommunications, tertiary education and aviation. It offers healthcare payors effective corporate wellness solutions across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, with imminent plans for expansion into the Philippines, Hong Kong and Australia.

In 2021, Naluri closed a US$5 million funding round, led by Singaporean VC firm Integra Partners. Previously, Naluri had raised US$1.5 million in an oversubscribed pre-Series A round of funding, led by Global Founders Capital, in 2019.

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Indonesia-based social commerce enabler Desty has raised a new round of undisclosed funding led by Square Peg.

This round comes less than a year after it secured US$5 million in pre-Series A financing from East Ventures, Jungle Ventures, 5Y Capital, and others.

The startup plans to use the new funding for product optimisation, team expansion and user acquisition.

Desty provides a suite of digital tools that helps merchants- from online sellers to F&B firms- operate their businesses through a unified platform. It claims to have reached almost one million users with 33x year-on-year growth.

It has four core products:

1. Desty Page (landing pages creator optimised for link-in-bios with 15 free features and integrated hyperlocal payments in just minutes for free),
2. Desty Menu (helps F&B establishments to simplify the ordering process without a waiter or cashier for dine-in or delivery orders),
3. Desty Store (an online web store builder with no coding skill needed, fully integrated with hyperlocal payments and logistics options, free from subscription),
4. Desty Omni (product management, chat management, promotion management, inventory control, and order processing across marketplaces within a single platform).

“Indonesia has a unique digital economy with notable fragmentation across merchant traffic, sales channels, payments and logistics. We strongly believe that our full-stack approach to empowering merchants with our suite of enablement tools will solve their pain points most effectively,” said Desty Co-Founder and CEO Mulyono Xu.

Also Read: Xiaomi backer 5Y leads ex-BAce Capital managing partner’s social commerce startup Desty’s US$3.2M round

Over the last few months, Desty has rolled out new features that have improved merchants’ capacity to handle transactions. The startup claims to have seen an average 250 per cent month-on-month growth of GMV over the last quarter.

Its notable merchants include celebrity-owned Luna Habit and NAMA Beauty by Luna Maya, Purnama Beauty by singer Lesti Kejora, Farrah Quinn, DAMN I Love Indonesia of Daniel Mananta, Janji Jiwa, Fore Coffee, Dore by Letao, iBox, Electronic City, Nacific, Old Chang Kee, Omija, Samjin Amook, Vilo Gelato, BudsOrganic, Titan Tyra, Nasi Kulit Syuurga, and Kopi Nako.

Square Peg is a global technology investment firm managing more than US$1 billion in committed capital. Over the last few years, it has actively deployed over US$200 million in Southeast Asia into companies such as PropertyGuru, FinAccel, Pluang, and Doctor Anywhere.

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