Burnout takes time to develop: it creeps up on you quietly. Its hallmarks are hopelessness, cynicism, and an inability to focus.

It’s also associated with physical symptoms like heart palpitations, blood pressure problems, muscle tension, and random aches and pains. But it manifests in more insidious ways too.

You may be at risk of burnout if…

You’re irritated by the little things

When you lose the ability to enjoy your job, you also run out of patience.

Coworkers you used to like suddenly seem pushy, boring, or obnoxious. Your routine feels unbearably stale, but new projects are even more exhausting. If you have a client-facing job, it takes an inhuman effort to talk to them politely and attentively.

Plus, the irritation may spill over to your personal life. You get either snappy or robotically distant, even with people you love. You can’t handle minor inconveniences like a broken appliance. You also can’t enjoy your hobbies the way you usually do because you keep getting distracted or annoyed by some detail.

Bad habits become more tempting

Life-ruining or relatively harmless bad habits seep into your life when you’re under too much workplace stress.

Maybe you’re back to chewing your nails, or you’re drinking more coffee than usual. You spend money on stuff you don’t need, all for that brief rush of joy you get when making your purchase. You haven’t smoked in more than a decade, but you miss it more than usual.

There’s a well-documented link between burnout and addiction. Some turn to alcohol and drugs for the first time because of burnout. Those who struggled in the past are likely to relapse under strain.

When I got burned out, I started hate-reading people on social media compulsively. This isn’t a big deal, except that it robbed me of hours I could have spent with people I love. It enhanced my bad mood and feelings of pessimism, and I couldn’t stop even though I wanted to.

Work haunts your dreams

Burnout can creep into your dreams.

You may have repetitive nightmares of being back at school and getting humiliated by some teacher you never think about anymore. Or you may dream about being trapped, drowned, buried, and so on. My burnout nightmares usually featured some lost item everyone blamed me for.

Also Read: Customer service agents are feeling burned out, how can we help them?

Another weird symptom of burnout is having “flat dreams”. If your dreams are normally colourful and imaginative, and you’re suddenly having plotless, boring dreams, that could mean the stress is getting to you.

Your sleeping patterns are all over the place

Going to sleep becomes fraught when you hate the thought of going to work in the morning. You may find yourself going to bed later and later each day. Or you stay up in bed for hours, scrolling your feeds aimlessly in the hope of distraction.

Sleeping patterns get especially messy on weekends or vacations. You sleep in, wake up listless, spend your day in a haze, and then have trouble falling asleep. The more you’re annoyed by your inability to sleep, the harder it is to relax.

For many years, taking time off was touted as the best cure for burnout. Now we know that it doesn’t work like that: burnout makes true rest impossible.

You’re losing your imagination

If you’re burnt out, and someone tells you to imagine the future, you don’t know what to say. You’re taking life one day at a time, work has robbed you of the ability to look ahead.

But that’s not all. From personal experience, I can say that burnout changes your inner world.

You’re less expressive, and it’s harder for you to describe feelings (or even think about them). You feel blank, emptied out inside, but overwhelmed at the same time. You can’t imagine a better way forward.

The ugly truth

Everyone needs to know how to spot burnout in themselves and their loved ones, but recognition won’t solve the problem. Burnout isn’t something you can handle through positive thinking or better time management. You have to tackle it directly.

Therapy can help, and so can certain lifestyle changes. But keep in mind that burnout is a response to your circumstances.

Sometimes, the only way to escape it is to change the circumstances in question. Talk to your boss, demand a change, and quit if you have to. No job is worth this kind of suffering.

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In September, greentech startup Zuno Carbon was named the winner of the Startup Arena Pitch Battle organised by Tech in Asia and East Ventures in Singapore.

The competition was looking for a winner that was able to present compelling and innovative solutions that addressed challenges in the environment, social, and governance (ESG) fields. Selected as one of the six finalists, Zuno Carbon was named as a winner after a rigorous process of selection by a panel of industry and panel experts.

Founded in 2020, the Singapore-based company was founded by a team of engineers who believed that being sustainable should be easier.

In an email interview with e27, Zuno Carbon CEO Hari Nair says that the company’s work can be described as “products [that] help organisations measure and reduce their environmental impact.”

It provides end-to-end carbon management solutions for organisations of all sizes that provide unprecedented visibility into their supply chain emissions. The company is working toward enabling ESG teams to shift their focus and resources from merely reporting to actually reducing their environmental impact with the help of AI-generated insights.

Also Read: Beyond buzzwords: How climate tech startups can create an impact in green recovery

“Calculating one’s carbon footprint is not easy; there are a lot of different data sources and vendors to account for, and doing this manually takes a lot of time and effort,” Nair says.

“Some of our competitors use just financial data (i.e. how much you spend on supplies, materials) in order to estimate the footprint. However, we go beyond that to look at on-the-ground operational data. This allows companies to get a better understanding of where their emissions are coming from, and we use this granular data to show them how they can reduce their emissions as well.”

In developing their solutions, Zuno Carbon prioritised agile and user-centric design practices.

“We have two-week sprints, at the end of which we are able to release an incremental and valuable improvement to the platform. As such, it makes it easy for us to deploy our solutions and take in customer feedback to iterate and fine-tune the product to meet customer needs,” Nair says.

In the future, Zuno Carbon will develop its product further to offer an AI recommendation engine to automate carbon reduction strategies. It will also include a reporting module allowing organisations to report their social, governance, and environmental metrics.

“Thus providing a full ESG reporting solution,” Nair stresses.

Also Read: Amasia introduces impact assessment framework for climate tech companies

Greentech in Southeast Asia

Around the world, as the climate situation intensifies, there has been greater attention given to companies that can potentially positively impact our fight against climate change. In Southeast Asia (SEA) particularly, discussions about climate tech investments have intensified as companies in the vertical continue to appear.

Things are not always rosy as greentech companies face some unique challenges in the market. “Sometimes sustainability is at the bottom of a company’s priority list, especially for SMEs and large local companies,” Nair points out.

But this does not mean the region has no future for green tech.

“SEA is a hub for manufacturing, energy, and all sorts of industrial activity. As such, there is also a significant amount of emissions in the region. Governments and regulatory authorities have already begun imposing restrictions and reporting requirements on companies in this sector, and as the nature of activities vary from region to region, it is important that we cater to the local ecosystem,” Nair says.

“We aim to capture the market for carbon management in ASEAN across the energy, manufacturing, real estate, and logistics segments.”

In acquiring potential users, Zuno Carbon offers flexible subscription plans and workshops to help companies take stock of their sustainability efforts and see how its product can help them in this journey to bring them on board.

Also Read: Climate tech is in a chicken-and-egg situation in Southeast Asia

Most of their clients are larger companies with complex supply chains that want to change how they affect the world around them.

Zuno Carbon raised a pre-seed funding round earlier this year, and it is aiming to raise a seed funding round in the next three to four months or the end of 2022.

Next year, it plans to expand further into the region and release its AI recommendation engine to truly power decarbonisation for SMEs and MNCs.

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Image Credit: Zuno Carbon

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Choco Up, a revenue-based financing and growth platform, has announced a partnership with Dream Impact, a social enterprise and impact network in Hong Kong.

Under this partnership, Choco Up aims to deploy up to US$5 million in non-dilutive booster capital to help social enterprises and ventures across different impact themes developed by Dream Impact in line with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The themes include diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI), circular economy and human-centric education.

These thematic initiatives bring together different parts of society on each of these topics to identify social needs and develop social innovation initiatives. Choco Up’s growth funding is anticipated to help socially conscious businesses to achieve their vision and mission.

This partnership brings Choco Up’s knowledge, resources and expertise to Dream Impact and its network of impact-focused founders and enterprises.

Also Read: What Choco Up wants you to know about running a revenue-based financing platform in Asia

This cross-sector collaboration opens the door to multi-million dollar funding for numerous socially conscious businesses, empowering Dream Impact to amplify the impact of its work and Choco Up to expand its social footprint across industries.

Brian Tsang, Co-Founder and COO of Choco Up, said: “The partnership with Dream Impact marks an important milestone in our impact finance journey as we continue to expand our reach in the impact space and work towards enhancing financial inclusion for socially conscious businesses across Asia.”

Dream Impact is an impact-first organisation in Hong Kong committed to connecting social entrepreneurs to resources, bridging communities for collaboration and deepening impact in different fields.

“Choco Up understands the value of social enterprises and impact ventures that aim to shape the future that we collectively want. It shares our vision of a society where everyone is conscious of the work they do, the things they buy and the values they advocate,” said Dorothy Lam, Co-Founder and Chief Catalyst of Dream Impact.

Choco Up is a global technology and financial service platform providing e-commerce and startups with revenue-based financing and business growth solutions. It provides hyper-growing companies with non-dilutive funding and a flexible repayment schedule. It invests between US$10,000 and US$5 million per startup.

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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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More than just a trending buzzword, digital transformation has become a must-do for organisations. The ever-growing threat of digital disruption and pandemic-driven uncertainty has radically thrust businesses into rethinking how they operate.

In fact, according to Foundry’s 2021 Digital Business survey, 91 per cent of organisations have already adopted, or are planning to adopt, digital-first business strategies.

Yet, amid the flurry to pivot and adapt, it isn’t uncommon for organisations to overlook a key success factor in their transformation journey: people.

At the heart of any successful digital transformation lies the harmonious interplay between technology and people.

However, I’ve often seen many businesses place excessive importance on flashy new digital solutions and fail to recognise that any major organisation-wide change depends on and starts with their employees. If either element is absent or neglected, the potential for success plummets, evidenced by how only a meagre five per cent of digital transformation projects achieve or exceed expectations.

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

So, to maximise the long-term success of digital transformation, organisations need to focus on the human side of change and prioritise the three essential elements of leadership, culture, and employee engagement.

Leadership: Envisioning change and communicating it well

Leadership can make or break digital transformation initiatives. From conception to implementation, it’s paramount for leaders at all levels to be aligned on a well-defined vision.

After all, as MIT Sloan School of Management senior lecturer Dr George Westerman once said, “If you think about digital transformation as two words, we pay too much attention to the digital and not enough to transformation. It’s not a technology challenge, it’s a leadership one.”

This requires leaders to have a clear picture of what digital transformation means for the company, the value it can provide, and the potential challenges to overcome along the way. When leaders are in tune with initiatives, they can act as champions for change within their business units and inspire confidence for them to take the first step toward transformation.

But having a clear vision is one thing; executing it well is another. Leaders play a key role in communicating their vision to their teams and being transparent about how the new initiatives can elevate employees’ work and equip them with vital skills for better performance and career progression.

By enabling employees to understand the potential of digital transformation, organisations can win their buy-in and empower them to collaborate towards a shared goal.

Culture: Fostering experimentation and agility

Another element that forms the bedrock for successful digital transformations is organisational culture. Indeed, studies have shown that 87 per cent of C-suites and executives agree culture creates bigger barriers to digital transformation than technology.

Since organisational culture starts at the top, leaders are usually the ones to establish and reinforce the company’s shared values. But if they hold all the cards, this might get in the way of introducing new initiatives.

Think of traditional corporate hierarchies and digital transformation like oil and water, with the former following a strict chain of command while the latter calls for agile decision-making and an open mindset.

Digital transformations are inherently uncertain, requiring constant experimentation and cross-team collaboration. This, in turn, requires a culture that encourages employees to innovate freely, collaborate, and correct mistakes as they go.

That’s why companies with flat organisational structures, like Silicon Valley start-ups and today’s millennial-led firms, are better poised to succeed in their digital transformations.

By removing layers of complexity and empowering employees at all levels to make decisions that matter, organisations can create a safe environment where people aren’t afraid of the unfamiliar and, ultimately, embrace change.

Employee engagement: Tap into your greatest asset

Employees can be agents of digital transformation or its victims. Any significant transformation is a massive undertaking, but it’s even harder when employees are uncertain and detached from the process.

Also Read: What is derailing your digital transformation?

But why shouldn’t you involve them from the beginning? Employees possess a wealth of intimate knowledge of processes, customers, and operations and are the people whose daily lives will be impacted by new initiatives. When organisations fail to engage employees, they threaten the success and adoption of digital initiatives.

Kickstart any digital transformation initiatives by involving your employees and helping them understand their roles, workflows, and needs. By engaging with your people via workshops and discussions, businesses can gain nuanced ground-level insight into operational processes and customer needs. This allows management to then refine their digital transformation strategies to ensure they best serve their employees.

Employee engagement also fosters a sense of ownership and collaboration among workers, dispelling the perception of digital transformation as top-down or IT-related initiatives. Doing so transforms employees into advocates, fostering greater innovation and motivation to make the transformation a success.

So, whether you’re forging your own path ahead or tapping on digital transformation solutions, set your organisation up for success by having a clear vision, creating an open-minded culture, and actively engaging with employees.

This article has been co-authored by Imran Mohd, Consultant of the Strategy Centre of Excellence at Temus, a digital transformation company established by Temasek in strategic partnership with UST.

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Singapore-based Betafi, which provides a unified user research platform, has received US$1.3 million in pre-seed funding led by Together Fund, Entrepreneur First, and Titan Capital.

Nir Eyal and the founders of Razorpay, Pine Labs, Snapdeal, and Livspace, also joined.

Despite technological advancement, user research remains manual, time-consuming, and daunting. As a result, 80 per cent of new products don’t go through early-stage testing resulting in expensive rework down the line.

Arjun Arora and Ethan Sherbondy also encountered similar challenges at their previous workplaces. This prompted them to develop Betafi.

Also Read: Why the success of your startup depends on software testing

“User research is still a manual process and involves a fair amount of logistics. We want to take the busy work out of the process, so you focus on what is truly important, uncovering insights. Ultimately, we want UX research to be as ubiquitous as software testing is today,” CEO Arora.

Betafi helps product teams conduct user interviews and usability tests effortlessly to validate their ideas, designs, beta software, and websites. The platform integrates with tools such as Zoom, Miro, Figma, and Adobe XD, making it easier to collaborate and build feedback loops in product development.

The startup claims the product saves users up to 30 per cent of total research time and effort, allowing them to focus on extracting meaningful insights to build incredible products.

Betafi was co-created with customers and launched on Product Hunt in September. Since then, the platform usage has increased by 50 per cent month-on-month, and users have done over 1,500 hours of feedback calls, claim the company.

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Web3 community Metacamp has opened an NFT-gated Web3 co-working space in Singapore with the help of blockchain firm Solana.

This education, community and co-working space focuses on blockchain technologies and Web3. The space will focus on blockchain innovations, talents and companies.

“The occupants learn, connect and build through exclusive events. They learn in-depth about blockchain skills, projects and industry trends. They connect informally with startups, investors, talents, partners, and users. They experience a conducive and dynamic work environment to validate and grow their business,” said Metacamp Co-Founder Jonas Chen.

It has three floors and can accommodate more than 100 people (or 20 startups with up to five team members). The co-working space is divided into fixed desks and hot desks.

Amenities such as high-speed wifi, monitors, and sit-stand desks are provided.

Also Read: To leverage Web3 technologies, Web2 companies may start by building the right culture

Besides, individuals will benefit from meeting like-minded people and connecting with other startups, investors and talents in the ecosystem.

The NFT-gated system provides a secure method of entry into the co-working space. “The NFT-gated system allows approved members to enter the premises by holding an NFT in their crypto wallet,” added Chen.

The Metacamp co-working space charges a fee for membership, education services, and event hosting.

According to Chen, post-COVID-19, some people have become comfortable working remotely while some seek in-person interactions. He believes innovations can only spark through informal interactions.

Metacamp was founded in early 2022 by a group of Web3 professionals with a vision to grow professionals within the space by offering Solana-focused community events, education programmes, and corporate workshops. Since then, it has grown to a community of 600+ members.

 

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Many businesses are unsure how to systematise their operations to scale their company without the headache. How does one prepare their business for the unexpected and create a lean, profitable machine? And what is holding back small, digital agencies from growth? 

By 2024, small businesses could add up to 2.3 trillion dollars to the global GDP growth. However, recent historical events have drastically impacted small businesses.

The fall of small businesses

The COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, hit small businesses hard. Up to 96 per cent of all small businesses were affected by the pandemic, as 59 per cent of these companies had to lay off a substantial number of their employees.

In fact, nearly 30 per cent of small businesses closed their doors permanently due to the global pandemic. Globally, 20 per cent of women-led small businesses reported closing compared to 16 per cent of small businesses led by men. BIPOC-led small businesses were at least 50 per cent more likely to report permanent closures, reduced sales, and employee layoffs.  

The rise in numbers

However, in 2021, the global small business closure rate fell from 24 per cent to 18 per cent. Just about 34 per cent of small businesses reported lower sales than a year ago, indicating the upward trajectory of small business sales.

In the United States, closure rates fell to only 16 per cent. The future for small businesses thus looks brighter than the recent difficult years. For instance, Americans created 2.8 billion more online micro-businesses in 2020 than in 2019. Moreover, 67 per cent of these micro-businesses plan to expand into full-time operations. 

Likewise, 50 per cent of small businesses are focused on digital agency growth and rebuilding in this more promising time for the global economy. However, 36 per cent of small businesses report still being in survival mode due to the pandemic.

20 per cent of small businesses have drastically altered their business models since the pandemic, and 62 per cent of businesses that shifted entirely to digital business models plan to maintain and expand options moving forward.

Also Read: COVID-19 and the wave of business digitalisation

45 per cent of small businesses are ready to start planning for a digital future, while 28 per cent of small businesses are already working on this integration into the digital sphere. 

Consistency in growth

Businesses should prepare for the unexpected in these optimistic yet ever-changing times. Many small business owners take full responsibility for nearly every aspect of their business, including 75 per cent of sales, 75 per cent of client management, 72 per cent of hiring and onboarding training, 72 per cent of overall team performance, and 50 per cent of the ultimate delivery and results.

Consequently, more than half of small business owners are reported to be too terrified to leave their businesses for time off or a vacation. In fact, three out of four small business owners are not prepared for their second-in-command to take a temporary leave. 

And most small businesses are not prepared for unexpected challenges or unexpected successes. More than 96 per cent of small businesses are unprepared to handle a sudden influx of leads. Similarly, more than 80 per cent of small businesses are not prepared to handle one huge new client, and 79 per cent are not prepared to get as little as ten new clients in a single week.

Therefore, now is the time to build a resilient and scalable business to handle the fluctuation of the consumer market and optimise revenue. Small businesses can create a complete and optimised business system to easily delegate needs. This system allows businesses to track the performance of each pillar to identify strengths and gaps within the workplace. 

These pillars include workflow, tech stack, documents, training, and metrics. As a result, businesses can easily see the repeatable steps to track progress, streamline processes to run more efficiently, support assets so they do not have to start from scratch every time, enable people to perform each process and reach levels of excellence, and measure the efficacy of each of the processes. 

Businesses wondering where they stand compared to their competition can check the varying opportunity matrixes. These show how 400-plus agencies ranging from US$250 thousand to US$7 million in annual revenue performed across the five pillars and seven functions of their business.

The seven functions include sales process, client onboarding, production, client management, reporting, hiring process, and team onboarding. Identify gaps in your business to yield greater success.

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Bangkok-headquartered one-click checkout firm Beam has announced the completion of its US$2.5 million seed funding led by Sequoia Surge with participation from Partech Partners.

The payment firm plans to use the fresh funding to hire employees, acquire more merchants, and expand to other countries in Southeast Asia.

Also Read: Humble Sustainability raises funding to bring excess inventory back into circularity

Founded in 2019 by Nattapat Chaimanowong, Mike Chinakrit Piamchon, and Win Vareekasem, Beam makes online transactions easier on e-commerce and social platforms. The firm claims its solution takes just 20 seconds, 4x faster than an average online checkout, enabling brands to go direct-to-consumer.

“We want to help brands go direct-to-consumer and cultivate shopper loyalty by improving the online transaction experience and optimising platform fees. Shoppers should be able to shop wherever they want and check out with just one click,” said CEO Vareekasem.

Beam is part of Surge’s seventh cohort of 15 Southeast Asian and Indian startups.

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Enterprise leaders felt the urgency of digital transformation in 2019, but as the world continues to determine paths forward following the pandemic, that urgency has gone into overdrive.

Business success depends on the ability to do more with less, stretch existing resources further, and respond to changing conditions. These imperatives intersect when it comes to democratising business application development. Enterprise recovery efforts will benefit from no-code application development in particular. 

When the capability of creating business applications is extended beyond IT to the people most closely associated with the challenges, for example, business analysts, administrators, and marketing specialists, the speed at which a company can move and the number of people working on solutions can both increase dramatically.

If every emerging challenge needs to be handled by technical staff or every new application requires dedicated engineering resources, operating with the velocity and responsiveness that this moment requires is impossible, even for organisations with robust IT resources.

Why is no-code so important?

Less than one per cent of the world’s working population are software developers, and no-code aims to disperse software power to the other 99 per cent.

Scott Galloway, an NYU professor, entrepreneur, and marketing guru has described a trend he calls “The Great Dispersion,” in which consumers increasingly receive greater value from industries or offerings.

Also Read:  The secret sauce of getting started with ‘no-code’

In a sense, no-code is the dispersion of software development. No-code tools now allow end users (entrepreneurs, innovators, employees, product managers, etc.) to create and manage software faster, cheaper, and easier than they could before.

Despite this, no-code awareness remains low. According to a study conducted at MIT Sloan School of Management, an outlet for future entrepreneurs and product managers, 76 per cent of respondents are unfamiliar with “no-code.”

By quantifying key trends in the industry, mapping examples of powerful tools and their applications, and identifying groups that can benefit from no-code technologies, this article aims to raise awareness and adoption of these revolutionary technologies.

No-code growth and industry trends

From media and entertainment to health and fitness, commerce, and more, the pandemic rocked most industries and woke them up to the need to go digital first. As a result, launching a new company can be less expensive, with a much broader reach and a much more competitive field. 

With no code, people can solve problems regardless of their backgrounds, democratising software development. As a result of the pandemic, people are also taking a closer look at how technology is transforming their workplace.

As a fast-growing industry, no-code development is expected to reach US$21 billion by 2022. Adalo’s survey of no-code experts predicted that by the end of 2022, it would be as common as making a Powerpoint. Most schools and universities will offer no-code courses by 2025, according to these experts.

As VC money continues to pour into no-code startups, the investment world has noticed the huge value of no-code. During the last few years, 110 no-code startups and companies have raised $5 billion in venture capital.

No-code use cases and resources

The goal of no-code tools is to make their platform as easy to use as possible so that as many users as possible can get value out of their data. They are also SaaS-based, which means anyone with a web browser can access them, and they have automated connectors for integrating data across organisations.

In this approach, the no-code tools play a key role. Using these tools, any user can create charts and indicators quickly and intuitively. As a result, they will be organised into a web page without having to write any code and can then be easily shared with colleagues, customers, citizens, and other stakeholders.

In other words, users can learn how to use complex business intelligence platforms or how to programme in HTML or CSS to create web pages.

Also Read: How no-code platforms are providing a boost to the real estate industry

Four key features enable anyone to create interactive, compelling visualisations without any training quickly:

Accurate calculations built-in

To compare two results or establish an average, users can learn simple formulas or perform calculations themselves. They select from a list of suggested indicators the type of operation they need to perform in their graphs.

Simplicity through a single screen

Visualisations can be created without leaving no-code tools. All data-sharing options with other users within and outside the organisation are available directly from the tool.

An intuitive navigation experience makes navigation easy

Creating a data story or report is a simple process. From selecting the source dataset to selecting a visualisation, configuring the graphs/KPIs, and customising their appearance, the tool guides the user step by step.

An interface that drags and drops

By dragging and dropping graphics, indicators, and text areas within a page, users can organise the different sections of a page.

Preview in real-time

It enables users to preview how the page will look when integrated into a data portal or data service in real-time, saving time and effort. In addition to the no-code tools, the platform provides powerful APIs for expert users, allowing everyone to turn data into value using the tools they need.

No-code “personas”: Who can use them?

Everyone can use no-code, which makes it so powerful. There are five main types of no-code users.

• Business Users under strategic roles
  Chief Strategic Officer
  Chief Executive Officer
  Chief Information Officer
  Chief Transformation Officer
• Business Users Under Tactical Roles
  Line managers
  Demand Managers
  Portfolio Managers
  Enterprise and IT Architects
• Business Users under Operational Roles
  Business Analyst
  Subject Matter Experts
  Business Consultants
  Marketing Managers etc.

Key Takeaways

• By 2022, the no-code industry is expected to grow to 21 billion dollars.
• In the last few years, 110 no-code startups and companies have received over US$5 billion in venture capital investment (Google, SAP, Celonis, etc.)
• Many use cases are possible, including website and app building, workflow automation, internal enterprise tools, analytics, forms, memberships, and chatbots. Increasingly, these are becoming “no-code by default,” similar to e-commerce today.
• To fully harness the power of no-code, no-code communities, resource websites, and education websites are essential.
• Everyone can use no-code: Entrepreneurs, Product Managers, Large Companies, Developers, and Freelancers.

With no-code, anyone with the ability to drag and drop can create and build software without using code, “distributing” what less than one per cent of the working population could do previously.

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A new social media platform was unveiled early this month at the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) 2022.

Kampd, founded by Amit Gupta and Ullrich Loeffler, two serial entrepreneurs and co-founders of digital research and advisory firm Ecosystm, aims to provide a platform for like-minded professionals to engage with each other within communities of interest anchored around purposeful content.

According to its CEO Gupta, the social platform unleashes the immense potential of the creator economy to benefit professionals across domains through the promise of rich, meaningful content.

On the sidelines of the launch, e27 sat with Gupta, who talked about the platform, its USP, goals, and how it differentiates itself from LinkedIn.

Edited excerpts:

What is Kampd, and why was it created? What problem does it solve?

For years, creators and enterprises have struggled with a fragmented business content ecosystem. With platforms built around networking, good content is drowned by a huge influx of irrelevant content. As a result, users struggle to find quality business content and engage in a consistent community experience with creators and enterprises.

Kampd is here to solve that. It is for those seeking to connect with like-minded professionals and enhance their knowledge by consuming content that caters to their interests and passion. The platform empowers creators, who are thought leaders and industry stalwarts, to create and amplify their content on Kampd and across platforms to eventually build sustained engagement with their followers within the relevant communities.

Also Read: Ex-Amazon execs attract US$1M for their work-and-play social network for engineers startup oi

While professional communities exist today, their full potential has yet to be harnessed as it lacks sustained engagement through a platform that caters to such communities.

The fragmented nature of content today means one has to go to many different content platforms that are often dictated by the content formats rather than interest areas. There is no one place that’s the home of professional content.

Who are the users of Kampd?

The platform was built to serve the needs of creators, enterprises and users.

Creators ‘kamp’ all their content, across multiple formats, in just one place and amplify and monetise their professional brand meaningfully with the right set of creator and engagement tools. Kamp is the niche, topic-oriented communities on the platform.

Enterprises will ‘kamp’ all their content, across multiple formats, in just one place and, through curated communities, drive sustained engagement with employees, customers, partners and prospects.

Users will consume all their thought leadership content, across multiple formats, creators, and platforms, in just one place and, through our personalisation engine, engage with other like-minded users and enhance their brand by building up their influence and thought leadership.

How is Kampd different from LinkedIn or other social networks? What benefits does it bring to its users?

Unlike the traditional social media platforms that emphasise ‘who you know’, Kampd enables users to maximise their potential with ‘what you know’.

We build on the untapped potential of professional communities where like-minded people can have sustained engagement with other professionals and experts on interest areas they are truly passionate about.

We believe that communities have to be curated. With this, the content and engagement become most relevant to the professionals in such communities. Members can access or be part of ‘kamps’. It provides a ready platform for thought leaders to engage with their audiences sustainably.

What opportunities do you see for Kampd in Southeast Asia?

The SEA region will witness one of the fastest growth in the knowledge economy, boasting some of the youngest populations in the world that are increasingly getting into the professional workforce.

We are witnessing a thriving culture of innovation, entrepreneurship, and diversity. The young generation represents the next wave of professionals and business leaders increasingly led by purpose. We have visualised Kampd as the platform that empowers this generation of professionals and drives their knowledge journeys towards a collective purpose-led approach.

How does the platform plan to make money?

Our current focus is to provide the professional community with a platform to connect with like-minded people and discover content that will help them grow. So far, we have seen a great response from communities and professionals seeking to join the platform.

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In the long term, Kampd plans to empower communities and creators to monetise, as we believe there is immense potential in the professional landscape.

Many social networking sites were launched in the past but were unsuccessful because of competition, poor patronage, or poor execution. How will Kampd address such challenges?

At its core, the solution is to listen to the market and continuously test, optimise and repeat. At Kampd, we have spent the last two years of our build phase taking feedback, usability testing and market sensing to understand better the needs of professionals, communities and creators alike.

We are committed to staying true to our North Star, which is to enable professionals to engage with each other through specific communities that are anchored through purposeful content in a way that is simple and intuitive to use.

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