Disasters are inevitable, and disruption is imminent. The devastating impact of natural disaster events is evident in that 50 per cent of global disasters happened in Asia between 2010 to 2019; 800,000 lives have been lost since 2000; +3.2 billion were affected since 2000; and an estimated US$1.1 trillion in economic losses across Asia.

Just recently, COVID-19 has spread across the world, with more than 640 million people infected and resulting in over 6.6 million deaths. 

More than numbers, lives and livelihoods are affected and uprooted during these unprecedented times. This situation creates a long-term impact on society as a whole, especially if there are no clear preparations being made to alleviate the impact. 

When a disaster happens, people on the ground, rescue teams and aid agencies often rely on technology and data to conduct rescue missions and help those who have been affected. Over the years, new technologies have been developed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of first responders, further deepening the role played by technology in disaster aid relief.

However, as technology is changing and disrupting how we live today, it can make a big difference in changing the outcome of disasters by predicting and preventing, warning and preparing, as well as responding and recovering.    

With the increased intensity and frequency of climate-related disasters such as floods, storms, heat, and droughts experienced in recent years, government agencies and NGOs have been lobbying for policy reform and understanding how different stakeholders work together to create a better strategy around disaster preparedness and resilience. 

This is where technology companies bring in the missing piece. Venture builders, startups, and enterprises bring innovation into disaster space and provide solutions for disaster preparedness and resilience. Fortunately, there is an increasing level of support available.

Last December 7th, Prudence Foundation together with e27, hosted a roundtable discussion to specifically discuss the strategy of these organisations and the resources needed as well as shed light on disaster technology with the theme: The Opportunities and Future of disaster tech in Southeast Asia. The goal of the discussion is to gain greater insights into unlocking private sector participation and create a platform that would give support to technologies that could save lives.

In attendance we had Andre Stolz, Co-Founder and CEO of EcoWorth Tech; Bert Grobben, Chairman of the Board for Budding Innovation; Brigitte Balthasar, CGeog, Senior Disaster and Climate Risk Financing Specialist of Asian Development Bank; Marc Fancy, Executive Director of Prudence Foundation; Matthew Cua, Director of Innovation for HelpNGO; Myles Delfin, Founder of Bike Scouts Philippines; Nicole Ngeow, Director of Prudence Foundation; and Zhunan Jia, PhD, Founder and CEO of Breathonix. Here are some key takeaways from the roundtable session.

What is disaster tech?

Disaster tech or D-Tech refers to technology solutions that can protect lives and livelihoods before, during and after disasters caused by natural hazards. It presents an opportunity to invest resources better and more strategically by backing up technological tools that save lives through disaster prevention, disaster resilience, or disaster preparedness. 

According to Matthew Cua, Director of Innovation for HelpNGO, “It’s very clear to everyone here that [from past disaster response experiences], there’s a lot of waste when it comes to disaster response, disaster relief, and in disaster resiliency. Tech comes in to reduce those waste. For us, disaster tech presents an opportunity to save more money and time to deliver more aid.”

Bert Grobben, Chairman of Budding Innovation adds, “When it comes to disaster tech, there’s a common attitude for companies and individuals to respond once a pain point has occurred, and people tend to pour money in when something is already happening. Part of what we need to focus on is making these investments before the actual disaster occurs, and that is still disaster tech. Averting, minimising the effect of making sure when it happens that we can adjust for the consequences much better.”

The biggest opportunity for disaster technology is in preparedness, prediction, and averting factors to alleviate the impact of actual disaster points, and the adoption of the technology that follows through is where real disruption happens.

Also Read: How 9/11 and the Fukushima disaster fueled Uber and WeWork’s growth in Japan

This article can be summarised in three key insights:

• Partners and available resources would enter in the form of expansion and on-the-ground support.
• Apart from funding as a resource, there is also a need for available real-time data, infrastructure, and community activation.
• The goal is not to become disaster free in its prevention, as this is impossible, but to lessen the impact of disasters on the overall economy and well-being.

Partners and available resources would enter in the form of expansion and on-the-ground support

Collaboration is key in preventing and alleviating the impact of disasters, and finding the right partners is crucial to making it efficient and scalable. To get it up to scalability during disasters, the technology has to be tested, and plans for deployment have to be solidified in spite of the absence of disasters. 

Andre Stolz, Cofounder and CEO of EcoWorth Tech adds “There are a lot of technologies out there surrounding the disaster, but the challenge with these technologies is that they have to be mature to be deployed at a large scale. Bringing such technologies to such a level of maturity takes a lot of resources, including money and people.” 

Stolz (EcoWorth) continues, “What is helpful is to find a way on how these technologies can be brought forward and tested at a smaller scale in the field without waiting for a disaster to happen as it is too late for us if a disaster is already happening.” 

Support from key players in the ecosystem is critical for expansion. When discussing resources, funding is often brought up as one of the biggest challenges. According to Brigitte Balthasar, CGeog, Senior Disaster, and Climate Risk Financing Specialist of Asian Development Bank, “It is not only in the preparedness, but we also tend to focus on disaster management on a holistic view to manage disaster risk. [This includes] increasing the availability and affordability of financial protection tools to use in D-tech, as it is one of the biggest hurdles we have.”

Zhunan Jia, PhD, Founder and CEO of Breathonix, equips, “Our biggest challenge throughout this journey is funding as a critical element for mass adoption [to be spent on] clinical trials and meeting the requirements of different regulatory bodies. We do need funding support from key leaders in this space.” This perspective from a founder is relevant, given that as impact grows, so does the need for reserved funds.

Apart from funding, there is also a need for available real-time data, infrastructure, and community activation

The role of D-tech for disruption needs to be supported by a full ecosystem of policies and regulations, the availability of real-time data and the infrastructure to support this, and the presence of community on the ground.

While funding is one of the greatest challenges, data availability on the ground is also a key focus that needs continuous improvement. Balthasar further explains, “We also see mainly as a challenge is an access to data, whether in [the context of] its availability or cost, and also processability. This also links back to the IT infrastructure as a hurdle. Data security is also a problem with private data, and the IT infrastructure needs to comply.” 

To be used properly, data has to be tangible, usable, accurate, and real-time. This is where the right infrastructure plays a role. 

Also Read: D-Tech Awards unveils 4 Southeast Asian startups aiming to build disaster resilient communities

Cua (HelpNGO) adds, “With D-Tech it can be something conceptual or tangible. In HelpNGO we are building infrastructure that can update real-time data fast and accurately.” With the right infrastructure, data is made more accessible and updated to first responders, who, for example, would need an accurate layout of the land with the help of reliable data from drones. Technology is the crux of building this foundation for the ecosystem.

At the heart of the whole process is community activation driving the strategy and operations during disasters. The involvement of the public is key in gaining significant traction when it comes to disaster resilience. People are important when it comes to swift implementation on the ground, and coming up with a new way of engaging people is crucial to scale adoption. 

Myles Delfin, Founder of Bike Scouts Philippines, said on community activation: “One thing that also needs some investments in is a new way of engaging people. Social media is a very powerful tool [that could also be used] for safety and resilience. We are testing and prototyping how to engage with people and if we can actually get people involved.” 

The goal is not to become disaster free in its prevention but to lessen the impact of disasters on the overall economy, people’s lives and wellbeing

“Resilience isn’t something that you just come up with on the whim. Resilience has to be practised every day, in a convenient way. People need to be participating in the ideas and be actually genuinely involved”, Delfin (Bike Scouts PH) remarks. With disaster tech prevention, it is impossible to completely eradicate the presence of natural disasters. However, we lessen the impact on the public by being prepared with the right data and technology for deployment. 

This should be the goal of different bodies when it comes to investing resources. Prior to the adoption of D-tech, millions of dollars are spent on the aftermath of disasters. Now, there is a call to action to reallocate these resources into taking action before the pain point occurs. This has to be done on a collective and global level, and fortunately, there is holistic support available for companies and startups with technologies applicable to D-tech use cases.

What is SAFE STEPS D-Tech?

The SAFE STEPS D-Tech Awards — created by Prudence Foundation and supported by Humanitarian Partner IFRC and others — aim to find, fund and support technology solutions that can reduce the unnecessary loss of human lives and limit the social and economic impacts of disaster events. 

“At Prudence Foundation, we aim to create a better future for our communities by making them safer and more resilient to life risks. Through the SAFE STEPS D-Tech Awards, we aim to shine a light on technologies and companies that save lives by giving them a platform to highlight innovations and solutions to reach a broader audience. We hope  to catalyze more investment into the D-Tech space to support widespread adoption and scale of the solution or tools that bring positive impact to both the D-Tech companies and communities at large.” Marc Fancy, Executive Director of Prudence Foundation, adds.

What’s next for D-Tech support?

If you are an individual or organization with existing or new technology that is able to contribute to natural disaster-related relief, prevention and preparedness efforts, now is the time for you to connect and gain chances to grow and be a part of an inspiring group of ecosystem players that are working to reduce the impact of the disaster in APAC. 

Find out more about the Awards and the kinds of support available here. SAFE STEPS D-Tech Awards is reopening applications for its 2023 edition; if you wish to be part of the open call and are interested to know more, make sure to register here.

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BillionBricks, a Singapore-based climate-tech startup combining clean energy and large-scale affordable housing, has closed a US$2.45 million seed funding round.

SGX-listed Thakral Corporation led the round with participation from ENGIE, a global low-carbon energy and services company.

BillionBricks was founded in 2013 as a non-profit by architect Prasoon Kumar and venture capitalist Anurag Srivastava to address the global climate and housing crises. At that time, Kumar and Srivastava provided shelters, schools, and emergency relief support to over 15,000 people across nine countries.

To expand its reach and impact, BillionBricks pivoted to become a for-profit company in 2020. It combines clean energy and large-scale affordable housing into a single financially-viable business proposition, presenting an opportunity for more people to become homeowners while mitigating climate change.

The company is currently focused on disrupting the present and future of housing and renewable energy through large-scale, net-zero homes and communities.

Also Read: How these two school girls are helping Rohingyan refugees find a good shelter in Bangladesh

The first BillionBricks community will be launched in the Philippines in the coming months. It will cover over 16 hectares of land, 1,600 homes and have 13 MW of electricity generation capacity through a utility-scale rooftop solar facility on top of the housing development. This community alone can offset more than 7,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

BillionBricks’s mission and housing projects align with ENGIE’s push for decentralised, asset-based renewable energy solutions. Each BillionBricks housing development comes with a utility-scale rooftop solar farm. ENGIE brings strategic know-how and investment for implementation.

“BillionBricks is taking on multiple sustainability challenges in a single solution and looking to make a significant impact with every project,” said CEO Prasoon Kumar.

Inderbethal Singh Thakral, CEO and Executive Director of Thakral, added: “The investment in BillionBricks is in line with our strategy of expanding our focus to include impact investing and contribute to reducing environmental impact while helping communities in need.”

“ENGIE is focused on accelerating Southeast Asia’s energy transition towards carbon neutrality while ensuring it remains affordable, available, and sustainable. By combining affordable housing and solar energy production, BillionBricks will help to achieve a fair energy transition,” said Thomas Baudlot, CEO for Energy Solutions (APAC) and Country Head for Southeast Asia.

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For our 25th episode, we are excited to welcome Emil Michael. Michael is the former Chief Business Officer of Uber and played a huge role in the company’s global expansion. Prior, Emil was the Chief Operating Officer of Klout, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, and Senior Vice President at TellMe Networks, and has been a strategic advisor for many companies who have IPO’d or been acquired.

In our conversation, Michael shares many key insights around how Uber successfully reached a global scale and empowered a distributed team, including the importance of thinking “glocally,” why it’s crucial to hire locally, how to map out your expansion plans, and much more.

Also Read: How 9/11 and the Fukushima disaster fueled Uber and WeWork’s growth in Japan

Listen, subscribe, and leave a review now on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

Find our entire podcast episode library here.

Get your copy of our Wall Street Journal Bestselling Book, Global Class, a playbook on how to build a successful global business.

This episode is sponsored by our partner ZEDRA. Learn more about how the ZEDRA team can support you in expanding to new markets here.

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The content was first published by Global Class.

Image Credit: Global Class

The post How Uber reached global scale by empowering localisation appeared first on e27.

Alipay-backed Chope lays off 65 employees
The layoffs by the restaurant management startup affected 38 from the city-state and 27 across its other markets in Asia; Ziaudeen said the company has been affected by “fast-changing economic conditions” in the last few months.

Doctor Anywhere acquires AHS, adds US$38.8M to Series C round
The investors are Asia Partners, Kamet Capital, Square Peg, IHH Healthcare, EDBI, and OSK-SBI Venture Partners; AHS is a group of 14 medical specialists with a patient-first approach and vision to make specialised care accessible to all.

Singapore is 9th most targeted country for crypto fraud: CoinJournal study
The US is the most commonly targeted country, with 13 hacks and breaches; With 120 incidents, 2022 was the worst for crypto fraud and breaches; this was 26 more than the previous year.

UK’s Activpayroll acquires Malaysia’s Propay Partners for APAC push
Propay Partners offers payroll outsourcing and employee mobility services; Activpayroll offers global services in employee payroll, HR, international payments, and employee mobility to over 1,200 companies across 154 countries.

Gree Energy secures US$3.2M to transform wastewater into biogas
HK-based Earthcare Group is the investor; The Indonesian firm makes biogas solutions financially viable by unlocking access to carbon credit markets, green finance, and renewable energy markets.

BillionBricks closes US$2.45M seed round to build affordable net-zero homes
The investors are Thakral Corporation and ENGIE; The first BillionBricks community, to be launched in the Philippines, will cover over 16 hectares of land, 1,600 homes and have 13 MW of electricity generation capacity.

Solar-as-a-service startup Suryanesia nets US$2M led by Intudo
Suryanesia says it helps clients (mall owners and manufacturers in FMCG, textile, pharma, and plastics) save US$20K-50K annually; It will expand into residential solar and independent power production.

Accelerating Asia invest in Bangladesh startup Shuttle
Other backers are Startup Bangladesh and investors from Bangladesh Angels Network; Shuttle charges less than one-third the price of regular ride-sharing by clubbing four to ten people together in sedans and minivans.

Indonesian group buying platform Radius scores seed funding, rebrands as Bakool
The investors include Kleiner Perkins, Insignia Ventures, Global Brain, and ex-Indonesia Minister Mari Elka Pangestu; Bakool helps increase household productivity by becoming the fresh produce chain for households in small cities.

Telkomsel’s arm Indico injects US$1.9M into health app Fita
Fita’s app allows users to track their meals, log their steps and exercises, and get rewarded; The firm said it has 350K monthly active users, with more than 200 coaches and 200 healthy food recipes on its platform.

Touchstone Partners invests US$1M in Vietnam startup Quqo
Quqo’s B2B platform and SaaS tool enable store owners to browse for the best product offer through a “simplified” procurement process; The has onboarded over 40 distributors, supporting over 5K stores across HCMC.

VinFast secures approvals to sell EVs in US
The company is slated to begin delivering vehicles to customers in the US by the end of this month; The first 999 VinFast vehicles – model VF 8 City Edition – recently arrived in the country.

“Current macroeconomic headwinds weigh heavily on healthcare sector’
Doctor Anywhere Founder and CEO Lim Wai Mun says new technologies such as metaverse could breathe fresh life into healthcare services, creating a more holistic patient experience.

Why SC Ventures believes in building innovation from within
The SC Ventures FinTech Bridge was initially developed to facilitate the sourcing of tech solutions within Standard Chartered.

A year in review: How e27 served the tech ecosystem in 2022
Here’s a little visual snapshot of how far along e27 has come, what we did, who we partnered with and what we are proud of at the end of the day.

Looking at you, 2023: 8 predictions on tech and businesses in ASEAN
As companies race to increase revenue and drive efficiency across their business, personalisation will be the solution for success now.

Destroy your enemies by making them your friends: Kenneth Tan of BeLive
Co-Founder and CEO of BeLive Technology, Kenneth Tan talks about becoming a household name in the space of live and video streaming solutions.

On the way to greatness: A call to support SEA soonicorns on their growth journey
Soonicorns are facing a different challenge than their predecessors. You and your organisation can be part of the solutions.

How to adopt the right engagement model to delight your customers
An effective customer engagement model can mean the difference between holding onto — and even winning customers — or turning them away.

How Localisation Discovery sets up the yardstick for international growth
Global Class companies use an internationalised agile methodology to structure the localisation process and find the right model for a new market.

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Fundraising or preparing your startup for fundraising? Build your investor network, search from 400+ SEA investors on e27, and get connected or get insights regarding fundraising. Try e27 Pro for free today.

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Singapore-based payments startup YouTrip named 2022 an “eventful year” in a statement. As borders reopened and travels returned to our agenda, the company said that it saw a 10.5 times increase in overseas spending, as well as 10 times spike in user sign-ups year-on-year.

It has recently introduced new products such as YouBiz, which targets startups and SMEs in the region that are aiming to maintain and expand its global footprint through the payments platform.

Apart from launching travel insurance in-app to securing partnerships with Singapore Airlines, Singtel and Booking.com, YouTrip is entering its fourth year with a clear vision of what it would like to achieve.

“Our current priorities are introducing new features and enhancements for YouTrip and YouBiz, expanding our products into more markets in the region, and further strengthening our business through efficiency and cost optimisation so that YouTrip continues to be resilient and well-equipped for impending global macro headwinds,” writes Weijern Lim, CFO at YouTrip, in a written interview with e27.

As startups in Southeast Asia deal with the impact of back-to-back global crises, we aim to look to each other for advice and lessons on how to go through this. And YouTrip is open to sharing their experience. In this interview. Lim shares in detail the valuable lessons that the company has learned, the decisions that it has made along the way, and the kind of mindset that helps them to get to where they are today.

On financial discipline

Lim explains that since the beginning, YouTrup has believed in instilling a strong sense of financial discipline in the business, further strengthening efficiency and cost optimisation through the pandemic.

Also Read: YouTrip raises US$30M to expand to B2B space, enter new markets

He lists down the steps that the company takes to keep operations lean and efficient:

1. Reviewing every cost item to identify areas of cost savings by either eliminating or reducing the costs
2. Renegotiating with major vendors to improve the commercial terms of engagement
3. Adopting flexible work arrangements that enabled employees to work freely and more efficiently
4. Building a robust finance team that looked for ways to automate processes to keep track of costs and deductions

In the matter of renegotiating contracts, Lim explains, “Do a thorough research of the industry pricing, including the vendors’ market position, competitor prices and their portfolio of past clients. Be aware of your working capital needs and negotiate on your payment periods accordingly.”

“Maintain flexibility in your contracts instead of committing to lengthy contracts or high minimums,” he stresses.

As the company behind YouBiz, a tool that helps startups and SMEs in their effort to maintain or expand a global footprint, YouTrip sees the value of having the right tools to help them operate more efficiently. It leverages tools such as Zoom for virtual meetings and messaging platform Slack for work communications, which has been most helpful and productive.

As opportunities to travel re-appears, YouTrip also sees the value in networking at offline events.

“Events are an effective way to interact with like-minded entrepreneurs and businesses in the industry, as well as engage with potential partners, investors and customers. These interactions help build a personal brand for the company, especially as businesses grow increasingly digital,” Lim says, highlighting the importance of researching the event audience and preparing conversation starters before going to an event.

Beyond VC funding

In expanding their business, raising VC funding has always been a popular option for many startups, to the point that it overshadowed the other existing alternatives such as government grants, venture debt, revenue-based financing, and crowdfunding. Meanwhile, these alternatives can help a company to extend their runways.

Lim explains to e27 his experience in applying for grants in the past.

Also Read: Today’s top tech news: YouTrip launches in Thailand, gojek to start test runs in Malaysia

“We have successfully applied for grants in the past, and the experience is generally very positive. Grant applications typically have very clear criteria that are listed out publicly for applicants to follow, so that businesses know what materials they need to prepare for submission,” he explains.

“After submission, there will typically be follow-ups with the respective agencies and institutions requiring certain elaboration or clarification of information.”

The CFO has the following tips for startups that are interested in applying for grants as an alternative to VC funding.

“It would help to do a thorough research of the grants available to your particular startup and industry, and speak to fellow entrepreneurs who have experience or successfully obtained these grants as they are able to highlight the items to lookout for – in particular proposal presentation, documenting key business information, etc – that will best represent the startup, its products and services, as well as the benefits these solutions confer users,” he elaborates.

“Agencies and institutions that offers grants will typically provide a channel (via email or hotlines) to discuss any application queries. If there is anything unclear, the startups should reach out to the agency or institution to enquire prior to submission of the application.”

And lastly, “Keep communications open with the agencies and institutions as support can come in multiple forms, i.e. not all support will come in the form of funding.”

Outside of funding, pivoting into a service-focused business is an option that companies often visit to extend their runway. Regarding this, Lim comments, “Focus on your customers and have them at the forefront of all innovation and product development. Our users’ and their payment needs have always been a priority for us at YouTrip, as we leverage new technologies, develop new capabilities and strengthen our business model.”

Also Read: ‘There is always an opportunity to be found within a crisis’: Ben Mathias of Vertex Ventures

The silver lining

Lim ends the interview with a message on the most valuable lessons that the company learned during the crisis.

“Every challenge is an opportunity. There is a silver lining in every situation, and you will most certainly find new opportunity in every crisis. We’ve stuck by this mantra at YouTrip, staying agile in every circumstance, and thriving even in the midst of monumental changes and uncertainties,” he explains.

The lessons can be compiled into the following four points:

1. Focus on strengths and continue to build on them. “We stuck by our YouTrip mission in delivering the best and most seamless multi-currency cross-border payment experience for consumers and businesses.”

2. Be resourceful and opportunistic. “We encourage colleagues to find better and smarter ways to work, leveraging available resources and collaborating across teams for new opportunities that allow themselves and the business to thrive.”

3. Be financially disciplined as investors look for cost discipline and profitable growth among startups. “Sustainability is equally important to growth.”

4. Keep operations lean and efficient by closely managing various company costs.

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Image Credit: YouTrip

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