In today’s competitive market space, delivering great experiences for customers — from awareness all the way to post-purchase engagement — is crucial to getting ahead of the competition. In building and scaling up startups, understanding ways to continuously improve products and services in order to deliver constant customer delight is not really straightforward. With broader market conditions of inflation and its implications on fundraising, startups have to strike a balance between managing business and operational priorities and product/service innovation.  

Based on a number of recent studies, the need for constant alignment of customer insights into product improvement and internal stakeholder efficiency is a key component to staying ahead of the pack and sustaining business growth.

Also read: Freshworks bolsters startups with cloud-based sales and support solutions

As such, SAP and e27 organised a webinar to unearth insights from startup founders and customer experience experts on their strategies when it comes to extending runways to drive growth in current economic environments.

The panellists included Harish Agarwal, Head of Customer Experience Strategy for Qualtrics in Southeast Asia; Siddharth Upadhyaya, Lead for Product Discovery & Supply Chain at Versafleet; and Ashley Uy, Product Manager at Plentina, moderated by Selma Ayuanshari from e27. These thought leaders shared their insights about managing the digital offerings of an enterprise to be more effective and customer-centric.

Experts shared their experiences

In this webinar, speakers shared their experiences as insiders and founders, as well as thoughts on the current technology landscape and its challenges. The panel explored insights on how to improve enterprise digital offerings, including best practices and techniques on how to accelerate growth, scale without funding through product efficiency and using SaaS in supporting fast scaling experimentation while leveraging open source technologies.

Other topics that were covered included finding ways to choose which product and product marketing to prioritise, learning how to leverage data that can help you personalise your digital offering to your key customers, finding a path to profitability, and transforming your company into a sustainable growth-stage startup.

Also read: How AlphaJWC Ventures built Indonesia’s largest early-stage fund

Harish Agarwal, Head of Customer Experience Strategy for Qualtrics in Southeast Asia, a co-panellist for the webinar, provided rich insight as a customer experience practitioner. Harish has scaled customer experience programmes and enabled businesses to derive more value at leading organisations across the region. He discussed how incorporating feedback from customers can help meet the objective of building great products and services. The value lies in bringing both structured and unstructured feedback and signals from millions of data points and making sense of it through big data analytics, enabling you to identify delight points and pain points across the customer journey, and then using technology to address those points by acting with empathy at speed and scale.

When asked about his insights on the challenges for startups, Harish mentioned finding product-market fit as the main objective, especially in determining key differentiation and establishing value proposition in a competitive market. Also, continuously improving your value proposition to stay ahead of customer expectations. This is where the importance of understanding consumers and their needs better comes in.

Delivering products with a much more holistic understanding of the customers’ experience enables your business to become more effective and drive faster growth with confidence and precision. This can be done on the product side, go-to-market side, and for any channel that you are using to fulfil the customer journey — through digital, physical, or hybrid channels — by understanding the experience delivered to consumers as a core asset. There are often visibility challenges on customer feedback when building startups, and this may result in broken delivery experiences.

Discovering gaps in customer experience

Every type of organisation stands to benefit from improved experiences, and Qualtrics works across all levels of business, academia, and government to help them find and keep customers, cultivate loyalty, and optimise go-to-market strategies through great experiences. This includes acquisition and onboarding journeys, customer service, loyalty programmes, and the broader value chains.

Delivering a good customer experience is crucial to driving brand equity. Consumers across industries have a lot of choices, and staying ahead of competitors entails a constant connection and understanding of consumer needs. Beyond being cost-competitive, maintaining great customer experiences is key.

The panellists also explained that startup investors can also leverage the customer experience visibility of potential investees as well as startups in their existing portfolios. Whereas traditional research is often used to identify the best investments as part of the due diligence process, research done by Qualtrics can offer agility in terms of providing deep insight into the product-market fit of a startup, as well as gaining a better understanding of the green space in the market.

Also read: Alibaba Cloud launches AsiaStar 10×10 campaign for SEA startups

It can be an opportunity to perform portfolio monitoring beyond financial outcomes and ensure continuous improvement in customer experiences for their portfolio companies. 

The continued growth of Qualtrics is proof of the value organisations are finding in driving business outcomes through better experiences. Qualtrics has increasingly scaled its operations across the Asia Pacific and Japan in response to increasing demand from customers looking to deliver incredible customer experiences.

Over the last year, Qualtrics has made its technologies available through local AWS Cloud Infrastructures in Singapore and Japan, ensuring all local organisations can benefit from its technology. In partnership with SAP and the Singapore Economic Development Board, Qualtrics also recently launched a centre of excellence focused on developing customer experience capabilities and communities in the region to help drive local and global innovation and growth.

To listen to the webinar, visit: https://e27co.e27.co/bnQYLH

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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by SAP

We can share your story at e27, too. Engage the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem by bringing your story to the world. Visit us at e27.co/advertise to get started.

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Singapore Straits Time states that in the first three months of 2022, around 93 victims lost about US$56.2 million because of business e-mail compromise (BEC) scams. The victims didn’t know that these emails are sent by scammers, because it looks like ordinary emails from their business contacts. It turns out that the scammers already hacked into the emails of these business contacts from spoofed email addresses.

The victim had been tricked into making several large transactions totalling US$14 million to bank accounts held by email addresses spoofed to appear as if they were from the victim’s client. Read more about BEC here.

This time the hacker has become very smart and always seizes even a small opportunity to bribe their victims. We need to be smarter than them and be careful with emails that might look safe. Here, I want to share some characteristics of email phishing.

The email sounds like unrealistic threats or demands

Hackers usually intimidate their victims when they’re doing phishing scams. They like to use phrases that push the victims to do something like, “urgent action required” and “account closed” are common. These unrealistic threats and demands are associated with phishing messages. 

Also Read: How can lean startups build a resilient cybersecurity posture

There is a catch

In most cases of email phishing, scammers will do a catch like asking the victims to send some money for expenses or fees. If you caught this kind of message, then you should realise that it is an indication of email fraud.

Poor spelling and writing

Most of the social engineering emails will pretend to be a reputable company to fraud their victims. However, these types of emails are often delivered with grammatical and spelling mistakes. Multi-billion dollar companies don’t distribute emails coherently, and this is a sign of fraudulent email.

An inconsistent or faulty URL

The ABS study found that 30 per cent of people still click links in untrusted emails even though they know they are likely to be malicious. If you want to know if a link embedded in an email is trustworthy, you can hover your mouse over it. If the hyperlink address doesn’t match the embedded link, it’s most likely a malicious link leading to a phishing website.

You will be required to provide confidential data

Regardless of the sender, we should be more cautious when receiving emails requesting the disclosure of sensitive personal information such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, passwords, etc. 

Most recent reports indicate that spear phishing emails impersonating Bank of America employees were attempting to extract sensitive information from bank users. Any email that asks you to send data that could be compromised is most likely fraudulent and someone trying to steal sensitive data.

When we are working with the internet, let’s be smart users. Don’t let the scammers get into us and take everything. We could secure our data with a security management tool that is both reliable and capable of covering both detection and response. Stay safe!

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page

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In 2016, during one of his official trips to Uganda, Alan Lai came across a group of chia seed farmers who harvested their crops under the parching sun.

Lai, who was working in the investment industry, bought some at a fraction of the price sold at the retail stores but wasn’t sure of the quality. Despite the rapid digitalisation globally, there was no easy and quick way to check the seeds’ quality.

“Being an artificial intelligence enthusiast, I saw an opportunity to leverage AI to rapidly ascertain the quality of the seeds conveniently so that farmers can be paid better and consumers pay less,” says Lai, who went on to start a food ingredient search engine.

That was the beginning of ProfilePrint, an AI-driven predictive and prescriptive profiler.

Established in July 2017, Singapore-based ProfilePrint provides users with accessible, affordable, and portable solutions to ascertain and predict the quality and profile of a food ingredient at the point of use “within seconds”. Its combination of sensor technology and SaaS platform can be used across the whole supply chain.

“The AI technology takes a molecular snapshot of a food ingredient (seeds, coffee, cocoa beans or rice grains) and allows users across the supply chain to access the digital ingredient signature and ascertain the suitability,” says Lai.

ProfilePrint has deployed its solution globally to Europe, Africa, Latin America, China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Also Read: ProfilePrint’s AI tool predicts quality profile of a food sample “within seconds”, raises funding

The startup first unveiled its fingerprint prediction technology in June 2021 in the Singapore Coffee Association auction, where it predicted the Q-grading score, taste parameters and critical attributes such as moisture and density for all the auctioned coffee beans. It currently serves some of the world’s largest food conglomerates, such as Louis Dreyfus, Olam, Sucafina, as well as mid-sizes traders, local cooperatives and farmers.

Seeks to replace traditional methods

There are several traditional ways to physically grade food samples across multiple stages of the global supply chain. They vary from laboratory testing, which is expensive and time-consuming, to human tasters, which is onerous and can be subjective.

Crops are often visually graded at the farm level, and farmers are paid based on volume, regardless of the crop quality, which does not incentivise them to improve farming methods. Farmers don’t get the benefits despite the increasing demand for premium quality and the availability of crop quality improvement methods.

“This is where our solution becomes crucial. It uncovers molecular patterns in the ingredient signature and big data, such as origin, weather, altitude, to generate insights and predictions,” explains Lai. “We offer sellers and buyers an unbiased reference point, expediting existing quality assessment processes — from the farm to the buyers.”

The firm follows a subscription model where clients lease its analyser with access to the modules available on its online platform.

It also provides an AI grading service, where cooperatives and farmers send their crops to the firm for assessment. The reports will be uploaded online (ProfilePrint Hub) much faster and more affordable than existing sensory grading methods.

Driving sustainability

Beyond the immediate operating efficiencies and cost savings, the firm claims it also drives sustainability significantly. Its technology provides traceability features allowing end buyers to access the digital signatures and geographical and harvest records of the ingredient they consume.

Lai believes it alleviates farmer poverty by ensuring that they are paid more fairly based on quality and ultimately providing more transparency and objectivity in the industry.

What are the current challenges? “People, people, people,” Lai replies. “We need more people in the industry seeing the transformative value of digitalising the ingredient supply chain, more people at the farms to benefit from this transformation and more People aligned in skillsets and core values to join our pursuit in this company.”

In February this year, ProfilePrint announced an undisclosed sum in the Series A round. The capital came from food ingredient conglomerates, including Louis Dreyfus Company (Netherlands), Olam Food Ingredients, Sucafina (Switzerland), a Southeast Asian agrifood conglomerate (Indonesia), Greenwillow Capital Management (Singapore) and Real Tech Global Fund (Japan).

That round came a year after the startup secured pre-series A raised from Glocalink Singapore, Leave-a-Nest, and Seeds Capital.

The post Wake up and smell the coffee: Check your coffee beans’ quality using ProfilePrint’s AI tool appeared first on e27.

A recession can be harsh for many people. Job cuts, companies shutting down or downsizing, countries in turmoil and many projects coming to a halt are just some of the devasting effects of a recession.

During the Asian Financial crisis, US$9.7 billion of GDP was lost in the ASEAN region and thousands of jobs were lost as countries were battling the recession. Similarly, during the recession of 2008, the solvency of over-leveraged banks and financial institutions caused the collapse and bailout of many major financial institutions resulting in the IMF bailing out countries and thousands of jobs cut.

But not all is doom and gloom. A recession can be a time for reflection, rebuilding and reframing the conversation to better position yourself or your company when the market picks up.

Reflections for a better ecosystem

Often recession is a byproduct of a flaw or abuse within an ecosystem, and a trigger event will collapse the system. The 2008 recession started with the subprime mortgage crisis in 2006 and spiralled into a recession when the subprime borrowers started defaulting while the housing bubble burst as the Fed raised rates. This resulted in the recession in 2008, where banks and financial institutions required a government bailout.

With the experience of the recession in 2008, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision came up with Basel III to improve the banks’ ability to handle shocks from financial stress and to strengthen their transparency and disclosure. This reflection from the financial community to identify and close the gaps will help to build a better ecosystem to handle future situations.

Reshuffling of leaders

With each recession, there are bound to be industry leaders who will bite the dust, and new leaders will emerge among those who survived the recession. While it can devastate the affected players, it could also be good for the industry with an injection of new blood and vision for the upcoming stars.

Also Read: How small companies can prepare for recession

During the recession in 2008, it forced giant automobile makers such as General Motors and Chrysler to go under or get a bailout by the Government. A reshuffle within the automobile industry leader board gave the industry a new lease of blood and moved to better innovation, process and even the rise of EV cars.

Sometimes the impact doesn’t just affect companies but the whole industry as well. After the 2008 crisis, financial institutions have become more prudent in their loans and lending, especially with the implementation of Basel III.

More stringent background and credit checks are implemented to ensure that loans are given out with proper due diligence and this, in turn, helps to strengthen the whole ecosystem to handle similar stress in the future.

Reexamine priorities in life

On a personal and career level, a recession can be an opportune time to reexamine one’s priorities, career aspirations and life goals. Often during the bull markets, we are filled with endless meetings, projects, and sales pitches that we lose track of the why or things that matter to us.

When a recession hits, it forces us to slow down our pace (whether voluntarily or forced) and, in turn, gives us time to reflect and reexamine our life priorities and career paths.

In Singapore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, where several industries such as aviation and hospitality were severely affected, it forced many to switch careers in other sectors such as transportation or finance. During the same period, many reexamined their life priorities, and now conversations with companies have been reframing into how they can strike a balance between work-life culture.

Reframing the conversation

With the recent crypto winter, it’s prime time to reframe the conversion around crypto from speculative gains to intrinsic value. Singapore is leading the way with MAS Chief Fintech Officer Sopnendu Mohanty asking how crypto projects drive value.

Many companies have proven crypto can be used to solve real-life problems.

For example, Digital Treasures Centre (DTC), a licenced payment company based in Singapore, embraces crypto as an alternative form of payment to help reduce settlement time and foreign transaction fees.

Zilliqa aims to solve blockchain platforms’ scalability problems by using sharing technology. STEPN is a walk-to-earn project that promotes movement and healthier lifestyles.

Coming out stronger

A recession can devastate countries, companies and individuals, but it is not the end of the road. With each recession, lessons will be learnt, priorities will be rearranged, and paths will be reconsidered.

But no doubt, if one keeps a positive mindset to grind it through after each recession, you will often find yourself coming out of recession stronger and better.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page

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How 30-year-old celeb CEO’s rule of fear led to a hot startup’s meltdown
Ankiti Bose’s management style alienated employees and undermined the business; She would publicly shame employees; Another described her as a narcissist who would throw anyone under the bus if it meant saving her own reputation.

SoftBank raises US$22B through sale of Alibaba stake
The Japanese firm has sold about one-third of its stake in Alibaba so far this year; A portion of the funds raised was put to SoftBank’s second Vision Fund, which struggled to attract outside investors.

Indian startup funding hits 21-month low in July at US$885M, less than half of June
This is also the first time in many months that fundraising in the country fell below the US$1B mark; Deal volume too saw a marginal drop of 6.3% to 119 in July from 127 in the previous month.

Singtel Innov8 gets US$100M more to back startups in SEA, US, China, Israel, Australia
The Singtel venture arm invests in startups operating in 5G, AI, digital economy, sustainability, cyber security and emerging technologies; It has invested in over 95 startups, including BitSight, Carro, Cato, FinAccel, and SenseTime.

Indonesia’s Zenius lays off employees again, almost all divisions hit
Zenius did not specify how many employees were affected in this round of layoffs. In its previous layoff last May, about 200 employees were affected – 20% of the 900-plus workforce at the time.

Wake up and smell the coffee: Check your coffee beans’ quality using ProfilePrint’s AI tool
ProfilePrint provides users with accessible, affordable, and portable solutions to ascertain and predict the quality and profile of a food ingredient at the point of use “within seconds”.

Collapse of 3AC, Celsius is attributable to opaque, off-chain holdings: Nansen
‘The transparency of the blockchain means that creditors can audit the holdings of any on-chain entity; however, data complexity and off-chain obfuscation make this ideal difficult to achieve’.

SG’s blockchain monitoring platform Merkle Science raises US$19M
Investors are BECO Capital, Darrow Holdings, GGV Capital, 500 Global; Merkle helps crypto firm, financial institutions, and government entities to detect, investigate and prevent illegal activities involving cryptocurrencies.

Zipmex opens up altcoin withdrawals after Babel, Celsius struggles
The crypto firm had also begun releasing unaffected digital assets from its Z Wallet on August 2, allowing withdrawals as per usual; On July 20, the company announced a withdrawal suspension.

Binance appoints co-founder and CMO Yi He as head of US$7.5B VC unit
He will replace Bill Qian, who left the firm earlier this year; In her new role, He will drive global strategy and oversee the day-to-day operations of Binance Labs.

Revolut launches crypto services in Singapore
It allows users to buy, hold, and sell more than 80 crypto tokens on its app; Revolut currently serves more than 20 million customers across the world and facilitates 250 million transactions every month.

China extends digital yuan loans to more cities
According to local reports, the Rural Commercial Bank of Zhangjiagang issued a digital yuan loan worth 500,000 yuan (US$73,997) to an unnamed business in Suzhou to fill the capital turnover gap.

East Ventures backs GREENS, which builds hyperlocal food ecosystem using AI, Web3
GREENS’s solution is a hyperlocal food ecosystem where people can consume high-nutrient meals grown and harvested on-site using 90 per cent less water, 70 per cent less land, and zero distance from farm to the meal.

Malaysian co-working space operator Commom Ground raises US$51.5M
Investors include Catcha Group and Emissary Capital; Common Ground operates 13 spaces in Malaysia, two in Thailand, and three in the Philippines; It is looking to expand into Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

KKDay pledges to drive US$100M for Vietnam’s travel industry
KKday said that its Vietnam business grew 20x amid the pandemic and exceeded pre-COVID-19 levels; The company predicts that there will be over 20M trips taken in and out of Vietnam by 2023.

Uber sells 7.8% stake in Zomato for US$392M
Last week, Zomato’s stock dropped 14.26% to an all-time low, a stark contrast to its IPO launch day; The firm’s market capitalization dipped to US$4.8B from its high of US$12.7B.

Indian B2B procurement platform Bizongo raises US$25M for SEA expansion
Lead backer is Tel Aviv-based Liquidity Group; India-based Bizongo offers digital vendor management, supply chain automation, and supply chain financing services.

TikTok officially sets up Shop in Singapore
The firm reportedly aims to set up shop in the US, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain sometime this year; TikTok Shop is already available in the UK, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines.

How AlphaJWC Ventures built Indonesia’s largest early-stage fund
Alpha JWC Ventures believes that to create success, they must instil and build trust within their portfolio; Currently, Alpha JWC Ventures has a portfolio of around 70 companies representing USD 650 million in AUM.

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The post Ecosystem Roundup: SoftBank sells Alibaba stake worth US$22B, layoffs at Zenius again, Indian startup funding hits 21-month low in July appeared first on e27.

As more and more industries digitalise and consumers turn to online methods of transacting with businesses, cybersecurity becomes increasingly crucial. In Southeast Asia, issues of data breaches and attacks on digital industries like cryptocurrency and NFTs are a cause for alarm, especially at the rate and scale of digitalisation in the region. Owners of crypto assets need to be on their toes as any potential breaches in the market could lead to problems in the share prices of individual firms, apart from disrupting the global crypto market as a whole.

Digital users need to be careful with their online assets if they are to make any profit from them, and the answer to these issues is to ramp up their cybersecurity defences. This, of course, also applies to businesses that primarily engage in online assets working to avoid infiltrations and online attacks.

Also read: Optimising business solutions through customer-centricity

While the discussion of cybersecurity has been around even before the 2020s—considered an emerging issue in the mid to late 2010s, when the potential of digitalisation was making a global wave—few industry leaders have innovated towards the opportunity to provide more robust cybersecurity services to clients. Among these innovators is UKISS Technology, a Singapore-based startup that aims to make user-controlled crypto and data security easy for everyone.

What’s at stake for users

UKISS Tech CEO James Gan noted that with greater digital autonomy comes greater responsibilities. Digital users of the web at present need to keep track of and protect their assets, since no centralised institutions can help them retrieve forgotten passwords or lost assets.

This is where UKISS’ services come in handy. The cybersecurity company develops reliable, cutting-edge solutions that are easy for anyone to adopt with confidence. Its cutting-edge technology is highlighted in its UKISS Hugware® technology, designed to retain the confidentiality of users’ private keys and, at the same time, recover those keys should users lose their authentication device.

“The more people accumulate digital assets, the more they will need solutions to secure them. If you ask people today, I think 99.9% of them will say they have never used any cryptographic or encryption products. But that may change in the future, as NFTs, virtual land, and cryptocurrencies become commonplace,” explained Desmond Hsu, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of UKISS

Hugware offers master seed synchronisation that doesn’t have to be translated into recovery phrases which are often exposed to human error, phishing, or theft. This makes it perfect for even new users dabbling in crypto for the first time.

Beyond Hugware, UKISS is developing an ecosystem of interconnected digital security services that ensure seamless and transparent protection. These include encryption, authentication, and authorisation. The decentralised security the business offers allow users to accelerate their self-sovereignty while ensuring high-level security of the private key. Presently, UKISS Technology’s Hugware has been patented in more than 20 territories across the United States, China, India, Singapore, and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Meet the UKISS team

Aboard the UKISS team is James Gan, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Desmond Hsu, its Chief Technology Officer, Ben Chan, Director, and Tan Ze Chong, Chief Strategy Officer. The business also comprises the company’s Board of Advisors from across the region.

Also read: Freshworks bolsters startups with cloud-based sales and support solutions

Gan and Hsu shared with e27 that UKISS found its beginnings when Hsu successfully re-engineered his hardware recovery technology to support both file encryption and cryptocurrencies. He developed the hardware recovery technology in 2010 when cloud platforms were gaining popularity, resulting in demand for file encryption among enterprises. In 2013, Hsu filed for a patent for the technology, until it grew into what it is today. 

Developing a sophisticated product of protection 

Among the issues that UKISS addresses in today’s increasingly digitalised landscape are the factor of human error. Gan tells e27 that in manually securing their assets, users tend to miswrite their phrases, lose their phrase sheets, or even worse, give up their phrases to scammers. In effect, they risk losing their crypto assets.

“Human error is still a threat to asset security, including those in the Web 3.0 community. One example is poor seed phrase management. These are passphrases that individuals use to secure their crypto assets,” explained Gan.

UKISS’ technology helps with this by taking the seed phrase out of the equation and providing a hardware-based recovery solution that is easier to manage. Hsu added that accessibility is also important, which is why UKISS has committed to tapping into a wider market of users than what is usually reached by most hardware crypto wallets out there.

What sets Hugware apart from other recovery services, is that those who already have digital assets can use Hugware for protection from hackers. If they forget their password or lose their device, they can reset or restore access with their backup, called the Rescue Key. This makes it a completely simple and user-friendly digital security device designed with its recovery procedure.

As for what’s next on the horizon for UKISS, Gan and Hsu let us in on a mobile-first strategy in place to expand Hugware’s functionalities that are currently in the works. Developing its decentralised ecosystem further will be a huge leap in helping users protect the security of their data and digital identities in the metaverse or on other decentralised platforms that may emerge in the future.

Also read: How AlphaJWC Ventures built Indonesia’s largest early-stage fund

“Asset security is the topmost priority among Web 3.0 users right now. Next, users may be concerned about the security of their data and digital identities in the metaverse or on other decentralised platforms that may emerge in the future. As security needs evolve, we hope that users can turn to the UKISS ecosystem for decentralised solutions,” shared Hsu.

“The crypto community is international, so we hope to grow our presence regionally and in other parts of the world, such as the United States and Europe. We already provide worldwide shipping for Hugware,” added Gan.

For more information, visit https://www.ukiss.io/.

To purchase Hugware, visit https://www.ukiss.io/hugware/. 

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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by UKISS Technology

We can share your story at e27, too. Engage the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem by bringing your story to the world. Visit us at e27.co/advertise to get started.

The post Strengthening cybersecurity measures in the face of Web 3.0 appeared first on e27.

“Don’t compare yourself with others; compare yourself with who you were yesterday.” This quote perfectly expresses my mindset. 

My unfortunate happening, the accident

My name is Hariah binti Mohamad, from Simpang Renggam, Johor. Life is not always rosy and smooth-sailing. While I try not to compare myself with others, I used to suffer from low self-esteem. I am a single mother of seven children and a homemaker who was met with an accident in 2015. The accident occurred when I drove to my workplace, the pioneer factory in Tanjung Agas, Muar, around 6.30 am. 

Aside from the permanent impairment, the disability caused me to have a series of self-loathing thoughts, and worst of all, I thought I was unworthy. It never occurred to me that one day I could be financially independent, let alone contribute to my family.

I was at my lowest point in life, crying every day as I tried to regain my strength. The journey was extremely difficult. With my permanent disability, I had to relearn my daily routines.

It was as if you were a newborn trying to figure out things independently. I had to learn to cook on my while seated in my wheelchair. I have to take care of myself from the moment I open my eyes until I lie down in my bed to sleep without help.

After the accident, my medical bills worsened my family’s financial burdens. Racked with guilt and pain, I decided to step up and shoulder the burden of my family. I was upfront about my circumstances but did not have high expectations. My only hope is that I can make ends meet. Even as I began selling ice cream and drinks on the street, I was in emotional turmoil.

Due to my lack of confidence, approaching new customers was extremely difficult. As a result, my income was primarily dependent on passersby, which was limited. Since keeping drinks and ice cream cold in this tropical country can be costly, my business did not generate a stable and sustainable income.

In fact, there were times when I couldn’t tell how much I had earned because there were no records of transactions. When it came to running my business, I mostly went by ear.

The turning point, a learning opportunity

My livelihood at the time consisted of living from hand to mouth. It continued until one year later, as I was going about my daily routine, I got a call from an unknown number, and it was from a grassroots coordinator inviting me to join the Maybank Foundation’s Reach Independence & Sustainable Entrepreneurship (RISE) Programme.

Also Read: Underserved, not undeserving: Empowering female micro-entrepreneurs in Indonesia

This programme collaborates with Maybank Group’s corporate responsibility arm, Maybank Foundation, and social enterprise People Systems Consultancy (PSC).

RISE was a sponsored opportunity to empower people with disabilities to produce tangible, measurable and sustainable outcomes; I decided to give myself a chance to learn new skills.

This was the tipping point for my business and the end of my downfall. The Awareness and Change module illuminated the root cause of my failed business, a lack of a true purpose. Since I became more aware of my business objectives, I gradually regained my self-confidence and ability to identify problems and make effective changes to my business.

Advancing in  social media and financial management

One of the most important skills I have learned is utilising social media for publicity. The trainers have guided me through the process of setting up and implementing social media to promote my business over the years.

I was intrigued by the power of social media when they introduced me to the sales strategies module. I did not doubt that I knew very little about the digital world, but I was eager to learn. Thanks to the step-by-step digital training, I can now advertise my services and products on Facebook. Following that, I closed a few deals with vendors, and now I supply my products to several food stalls in Segamat. 

Moreover, I actively interact with my customers on Facebook and Whatsapp. Whenever my business is open and running,  I post pictures of my products on my social media page and hang my business banner in front of the kiosk to attract more customers. Among all the platforms and methods I’ve tried to promote my business, I’ve discovered that Facebook is one of the most effective ways to market my products.

Instead of aimlessly waiting for customers all day, I used my Customer Analysis module knowledge and skills. One exciting method I have learned is the Hot Button Method which made me know who my customers are.

Also Read: Financial literacy is a basic life skill. And this fintech startup is aiding millennials with it

I can now identify the right potential customers and approach them with confidence. My target demographic includes children and teenagers aged seven to 25. My kiosk is conveniently located near the beach to attract visitors of that age. In addition, I have added new flavours to appeal to the younger generation.

Not to mention, the financial management training has taught me the value of keeping my account organised. I have started budgeting and tracking my expenses since then. As a result, I could save enough money to buy a new generator for my business and pay the road tax. 

This was a pivotal moment for my business. After six months, I can confidently say that I have gradually regained my self-confidence, learned to identify problems and have the ability to improve my business. This comprehensive transformation has enabled me to earn RM2500 per month, four times the initial income I would never have dreamed of. 

The art of letting go of the past and striving for the future

I am currently relieved that I can contribute stably to my household income. I am hoping that my savings will be enough to help my children attend college in the future. Furthermore, I am also proud to say that I can afford to send my children to tuition classes.

My current goal is to open a homemade ice cream shop and experiment with new recipes like my own crispy fried bananas. While there is no such thing as happily ever after in life, I am happy with how everything is going.

I would highly suggest the RISE programme to other fellow people with disabilities. I do not want to keep this success secret to myself; instead, I want to share it with everyone who needs it. I hope that all PWDs will have the opportunity to participate in this programme and change their lives for the better once and for all. 

Please keep in mind that you are not alone. Many PWDs, including myself, have accepted their fate and stepped outside their comfort zone, and you can, too.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

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The post How RISE boosted this business owner’s earnings 4x appeared first on e27.

In this episode, we are excited to welcome Nick Halla, former Senior Vice President of International for Impossible Foods, a company transforming the global food system through animal-free meat and dairy foods. As one of the company’s early employees, Halla served in several other roles, including as Chief Strategy Officer. Prior, Halla worked at Cogenra Solar also as an R&D Engineer for General Mills.

In our conversation, Halla shares the story that took him from working on a farm to the boardroom, giving insights into Impossible Foods’ localisation journey in different global markets, how to craft systems that can be deployed globally but modified locally with scalability in mind, how to leverage community cultures to gain traction in new markets and why you shouldn’t think of the launch of a new market as just a moment in time.

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

Find our entire podcast episode library here and learn more about our forthcoming book on global business growth here.

Also Read: The future of food tech lies in building digitally autonomous restaurants

Interested in learning more about our book Global Class? Be the first to get a copy (coming out August 23), and get a ton of valuable free bonuses for pre-ordering. Learn more here.

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The content was first published by Global Class.

Image Credit: Global Class

The post From working on a family farm to driving growth for the world’s fastest growing foodtech company appeared first on e27.

Dave Shanley is a serial entrepreneur with experience in bootstrapping, raising venture capital, acquisitions, and growing product lines to more than US$25 million in B2B SaaS. He is currently the Founder/CEO of Content Camel, a Sales Enablement Tool for Sales Content Management. He was previously the Founder/CEO of Notion (acquired), the Founder/CTO of CrowdCompass (acquired).

What you will learn in this episode:
– What is the hardest lesson you learned becoming a technical founder of a company?
– What did you wish someone had told you before you started?
– What is the most important soft skill you have developed through all this?
– Why should you set expectations early?
– What are the most common pitfalls a technical founder experiences?
– How should a technical founder decide whether to learn how to be a CEO or hire a CEO and be the CTO?
– The most common thing in startups is the main founder is the CEO, but have you seen them run where the CTO is the main founder?
– How to deal with legal issues when you’re not the CEO?

Also Read: Governing your startup: What founders can learn from politics and vice versa

Talk with other entrepreneurs here.

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The content was first published by We Live To Build.

Image Credit: 123rf

The post Succeeding as a technical founder with Dave Shanley appeared first on e27.

Known for its young population and potential for economic growth, Southeast Asia continues to attract global capital and talent to the region. As part of Alibaba Cloud’s Project AsiaForward initiative, Alibaba Cloud is partnering with Southeast Asia tech ecosystem partners, including Thomas Tsao, founding partner of Gobi Partners; Dzuleira Abu Bakar, group CEO of MRANTI Corp; Mohan Belani, CEO and co-founder of e27; and many more.

Together, these stakeholders will recognise the diverse achievements of tech-driven startups based in Southeast Asia.

Celebrating Southeast Asian innovation

AsiaStar 10×10 will feature 100 companies, communities, and projects that operate in ten categories across the region. Through this programme, Alibaba Cloud will celebrate the technological innovation of Southeast Asia with leading regional investors, government agencies, and established media outlets.

Here are the ten categories for AsiaStar 10×10:

1. Trailblazers are Series B to pre-IPO companies that have played an essential role in driving technological innovation in the region. By developing products that have broad coverage, good business performance, and notable influence, these firms continue to attract the attention of global competitors and investors, and are paving the way for the next generation of startups.
2. Gamechangers made moves that set precedents or broke records, demonstrating to regional startups and other stakeholders where the bar can be. These enterprises continue to push the envelope as the Southeast Asian tech scene evolves.
3. The Growth list includes promising early-stage startups that are developing unique and innovative products and solutions. These enterprises have raised funds up to Series B. Their trajectories suggest that they may bring about important changes in the markets where they operate.
4. Enablers are SaaS companies that are providing crucial support to enterprises of every stripe. They are the cornerstone in the process of digitising conventional businesses—an important step in modernising the region’s overall economy.
5. Explorers are Chinese startups that have successfully ventured into the region and established a strong presence. Southeast Asia is home to important overseas markets for China-based tech firms. Overcoming cultural nuances, regulatory differences, and hurdles in localisation requires adaptive mindsets and skill sets.
6. Open Source highlights projects that have accelerated the region’s digitalisation by giving other entities the tools they need to build new applications. By placing an emphasis on transparency, scalability, and ease of use, open-source projects are speeding up the region’s pace of technological advancement.
7. The Frontiers category includes startups that are developing deeply technical products. This includes quantum computing, biotech and medical advancements, space tech, and other advanced solutions that may fundamentally disrupt the status quo, even if their vision seems out of this world.
8. The Impact category comprises startups that have brought about significant grassroots-level advancements where they operate. These enterprises have socially-driven missions and purposes, and may even be taking their models into new markets to improve more lives.
9. Investors provide the fuel that startups need. They are the backbone of growth for any business that is seeking to scale. By considering their assets under management, portfolio sizes, number of exits, and the overall value creation for regional startups, only investors that are leaving a lasting impact will be showcased.
10. Launchpads such as educational institutions and incubators provide safe environments to nurture the next great startups, giving new entrepreneurs the chance to hone their ideas and business acumen before they step out on their own.

Creating meaningful impact

Among the ten categories, Growth, Enablers, Open Source, Frontiers, and Impact will be open to applicants who wish to be included among the AsiaStar 10×10. Only applicants that have made a meaningful impact on Southeast Asia’s tech scene between July 2021 and June 2022 will be selected.

The submissions will be evaluated by representatives of government agencies, investors, and media outlets to ensure a fair process. To learn more about the AsiaStar 10×10, head over to asiastar10x10.kr-asia.com. Please visit this link to submit an application or nomination for the 100 highlighted companies.

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This article was produced by Alibaba Cloud Project AsiaForward and distributed by e27

The post Alibaba Cloud launches AsiaStar 10×10 campaign for SEA startups appeared first on e27.