Once businesses go down the route of implementing more tech for productivity, it can be hard to turn back. In most companies, technology platforms have become critical in managing day-to-day operations. There are applications for every aspect of every business, promising streamlined processes and increased efficiency. 

However, more productivity apps don’t always mean greater productivity. In fact, excessive reliance on workplace apps may be making businesses less productive. 

Research shows that on a day-to-day basis, the typical employee may switch between workplace apps a staggering 1100 times. Every moment spent logging in and out, changing tabs, searching for information, or inputting the same data in several places is a lost opportunity to be doing something more productive. Unsurprisingly, excessive dependence on digital platforms has a demonstrably negative impact on employee concentration, efficiency and motivation. 

The modern employee will typically check their emails on Outlook, check in-house messages on Slack or WhatsApp, attend meetings on Teams or Zoom, takes notes on Notion, then look at their workflows on Asana or Monday.com, search for data on Dropbox or Google Drive — and that’s before we even get into all the industry-specific platforms.

A recent survey revealed that, on average, large companies currently utilise a whopping  187 applications, up from the 77 utilised in 2015. Almost a third of these applications were estimated to provide little to no value to the organisation. 

When asked how they felt about such a glut of applications, 43 per cent of respondents admitted having to alternate between an excessive number of applications to accomplish their basic work duties. Meanwhile, 67 per cent of respondents suggested it would be easier to concentrate on work if critical information from all their applications were presented in a unified window.

Ease the financial burden

More apps also mean more subscriptions to manage. Each platform comes with its own pricing, and with ongoing global inflation, companies subscribed to dozens of services are especially feeling the financial pressure. 

The increased cost might be justified if the apps were actually helping employees be more motivated and productive, but they’re not. Ask any employee what they want in times of inflation, and they’ll probably tell you they want a raise or inflation benefits. Nobody wants to be spending more money on inefficient tech. 

Also Read: Open source: The secret to boosting Singapore’s startup ecosystem

A growing segment of the tech industry has grown increasingly aware of this issue and has come up with a solution. No-code, DIY-style business technology is on the rise, offering companies a centralised system that is easy to modify and customise without needing advanced IT skills.

Companies embracing this no-code technology report substantial cost savings. One small business owner in the US claims that after switching to the no-code platform Kintone, his company saved up to US$7,000 a month on their operations. 

By simplifying the technological landscape, companies can better streamline their workflows, increase employee productivity, and reduce expenditures.

Employee-driven transformation

A common misunderstanding among business leaders is the belief that implementing new IT is long, complicated, expensive, and requires a bunch of IT professionals. While this may have been true a decade or two ago, recent technology is changing the game. Anybody in any department can roll out a no-code platform. With customisation based on simple logic, they can immediately begin organising data and communication, automating workflows, and streamlining collaboration. 

High implementation costs and steep learning curves are the legacies of traditional workplace technology. Employees know where their bottlenecks are. They know which tasks are tedious and repetitive verses which tasks add high value to the company. No-code platforms are geared toward automating and simplifying the menial so employees can focus on the meaningful. 

Make open communication the default for productivity

These days, the biggest barrier we witness to embracing digital transformation and no-code systems is not cost, time, or functionality. It’s culture. For centralised no-code technology to be fully effective, companies need to embrace openness and information sharing. 

Traditionally, companies use closed, siloed systems for most of their communication. Email and chat work on a need-to-know basis, where a sender has to proactively include recipients for them to have access to information. We’ve all experienced having to put our work on hold because we’re waiting for a confirmation email or an important document. 

No-code proposes a solution to information bottlenecks by making open information the default. All data uploaded to the platform can be accessed by anyone within the company. 

Also Read: Why venture capital is going big with cloud mining

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, information sharing is essential for companies to remain competitive, especially in periods of rapid growth. Having access to the latest and most accurate information at all times enables employees to work faster, make better decisions, and collaborate more seamlessly with one another. 

Companies accustomed to strict information control may view the open nature of a centralised no-code platform with suspicion. No-code developers are aware of security concerns, so while open is the default, users can easily impose privacy restrictions for sensitive information, such as human resources and financial data. However, by switching attitudes about information from “Should, we share this?” to “Is there any reason not to share this?” I believe companies can find a better balance between security and accessibility. 

Bring people together

Within any company, different departments have a need for distinct tools, functionalities and communication channels to attain the best productivity norms. Many companies use this fact to justify purchasing a broad range of highly-specialised tech solutions that don’t communicate with one another. The result is communication and data silos, as well as a drop in motivation among users having to juggle an excessive number of tools. 

In almost all cases, interdepartmental cooperation and synergy are more valuable than the potential productivity gains of any hyper-specialised application. No-code prioritises cross-pollination, allowing entire companies to have both joint and separate spaces for communication, collaboration and information sharing. The downstream effects on teamwork and company culture cannot be overstated. 

Given the benefits of no code in terms of cost, productivity, employee ownership, information sharing and morale, it’s no wonder the sector is experiencing double-digit yearly growth. In the modern workplace, there is nothing more valuable than people, and no code puts people back in the centre. Moving forward, employees will continue to demand a more comfortable, efficient and collaborative work environment. There is no more natural solution on the market today than no-code.

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Communities play an essential role in societies. They bring people together, provide a sense of belonging and enable them to grow with like-minded individuals.

In the startup world, these communities serve an incredibly valuable role — more so for underrepresented entrepreneurs such as women founders. The myriad of challenges women founders face are well documented (among them a lack of female role models, obtaining funding, and reckoning with feelings of inadequacy).

Therefore, these women-centric communities help them support one another during their entrepreneurial pursuits and in their fight to overcome the unique barriers facing them.

Community support for women founders is the way forward

My team and I actively hear about the importance of communities from women entrepreneurs who participate in our Google for Startups programs, most recently from two Southeast Asia-based founders who graduated from the 2022 Founders Academy, a mentorship-focused program that connects women-founded startups to Google’s resources, mentors and networks.

Azalea Ayuningtyas, the Founder of Indonesia-based business solutions startup Krealogic, shared these key learnings from the program, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, and finding the right communities and mentors can really take you places.”

Also Read: #She27: Celebrating 27 women shaping the future of tech

In a similar vein, Levana Sani, Founder of Singapore-headquartered biotech startup Nalagenetics, said, “The best part about this program is the friends you get to make. I now know I have friends all over the world, just doing great things. It feels like I am a part of a community.”

The Founders Academy has supported 27 women-led startups in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) from 2020 to 2022: seven startups in 2020, 10 in 2021 and 10 in 2022, a testament to Google’s ongoing commitment to level the playing field for founders, especially those who haven’t been afforded the same support or opportunities as others. 

Our reason is simple. If women and other underrepresented founders aren’t given the same opportunities to build innovative new companies that bring products and solutions to the world, we all miss out, whether it’s solutions to improve your day-to-day life or drive economic growth. That’s why supporting all types of founders is important to us.

In the last three years we’ve run the Founders Academy in APAC, we’ve observed that women founders are increasingly innovating in health solutions. DAL Company, a female technology startup from Korea, uses AI and data to help female patients who suffer from menstruation, female diseases and sexually transmitted diseases, diagnose and treat their pain and discomfort.

India-based Zyla is a care management platform that provides personalised health interventions that include nutrition, physiotherapy, exercise and medication to deliver continuous care to patients.

Through mentorship and workshops, the Founders Academy has not only helped women founders take their businesses (like the ones above) to the next level but grow as leaders and entrepreneurs. 

Sani shared, “Founders Academy came at a time when I personally needed professional coaching. A lot of alternatives were highly expensive and not practical for the company, so this program ticked all the right boxes.”

She outlined, “I got coaching. I got to have hard but necessary conversations with my co-founder. I also got feedback from investors about the company.”

Also Read: #MeToo in startups in SEA and the silence surrounding it is deafening

Ayuningtyas added, “Founders Academy helped me improve my leadership and communication skills, and more importantly, helped me connect and learn from other amazing women founders and mentors from the Google community worldwide.”

Since both founders graduated from the program in November 2022, they have seen significant growth in their startups. Sani’s Nalagenetics secured two major biotech clients and has been increasing its revenue by 80 per cent month over month, while Ayuningtyas’s Krealogi has partnered with a fintech firm to provide financing solutions to their MSME users and is finalising a pilot with a minimart chain to offer curated products to their users. 

Final thoughts

Partnering with startups and watching them grow is what drives my team and me every day. Supporting startups will continue to be an essential part of Google’s work globally, especially in APAC, a hotbed for innovation, entrepreneurship and home to one of the world’s most tech-savvy, youngest and most ambitious populations.

We believe that startups are solving the world’s important challenges with agility, innovative technology, and determination, and we’re proud to help. Through various Google for Startups initiatives, we hope to bring our products, connections and best practices to help even more startups — especially the underrepresented ones — thrive and grow their businesses. When they succeed, our communities and economies succeed, and everyone benefits.

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The GrowHub, a Web3-enabled plug-and-play ecosystem builder focusing on food traceability and carbon credits, has closed a US$3 million pre-Series B investment round.

The investors include strategic individuals, including the company’s CEO and founder Lester Chan.

The GrowHub will use the funds to continue building technology offerings and strengthen its technology capabilities as it expands across the Asia Pacific region.

The agritech startup has also appointed Chai Chun Kiat as CTO, Aaron Loo Jian Lin as Chief Innovation Officer, and Sam Yen Rong Jiun to the advisory board.

Kiat was previously a CTO at Gorila Mobile and Technology Lead at AL2, while Loo was COO at Gorilla Networks. Yen was previously a Vice President at the Bank of America.

Also Read: Malaysian startups, MNCs have started recognising the importance of Web3: Jasmine Ng

The GrowHub began as a farm-to-table solutions provider and a strategic export partner of premium goods from producers looking to reach new audiences in Southeast Asia and beyond. Over the years, it has shifted its technology focus to enable producers and consumers to track, market and understand consumer behaviour and patterns using its Web3, NFC and QR code solutions.

Consumers across the Asia Pacific can interact with these products in their native language, understand products more intimately, and engage with relevant advertisements.

Its clients include businesses and shoppers in Singapore, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

In addition to tracking the footprint of food from producer to consumer, The GrowHub also facilitates transparency and reliability in tracing carbon credits with its SaaS platform. The company allows producers, funders and regulators to differentiate and authenticate carbon footprint at source, with initial use cases deployed around soil carbon market integrations.

The firm focuses on the flow and user experience between the network of retailers, distributors, producers, and end-consumers in a fast, secure, credible, and accessible manner.

The GrowHub claims it has reached hundreds of thousands of user interactions per month, growing at 20 per cent. The GrowHub closed 2022 with US$750000 in estimated revenue. It expects to increase this figure by 4x by the end of its fiscal year.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like a chance to connect with investors, visibility through e27 platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

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As we get ready to celebrate International Women’s Day, we are reminded of the importance and urgency of this year’s theme, which is #EmbraceEquity. In this article, female leaders from Foodpanda Thailand and SmartOSC share their insights and actionable advice for moving forward for change in the tech industry.

Striving ahead

Within the tech industry, Southeast Asia has been seen as a force leading the way for change by steadily narrowing the gender gap when compared to worldwide figures. A collaborative report from BCG and Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority released in 2021 showed that women accounted for 32 per cent of talent in the tech sector, slightly higher compared to the 28 per cent global figure.

When we zoom in closer to different areas within the region, we can see incredible work being done to boost the foundations for women in tech as well as increase representation.

While the Philippines has remained the best-performing country in Asia in terms of gender parity according to the Global Gender Gap Report, Singapore has the highest percentage of women in the C-suite, with 14 per cent female CEOs and 26 per cent female CFOs, as well as the highest percentage of 44 per cent of women in the overall workforce.

In Malaysia, we have seen the launch of MyDigitalMaker to increase the routes to society 4.0 in a fair and accessible way. Adding to this is  Girls in Tech Vietnam, who are on a mission to eliminate the gender gap within the tech industry.

Also Read: #She27: Celebrating 27 women shaping the future of tech

Speaking about women entering the STEM industry on the latest episode of Commerce Talk with SmartOSC, Akanksha Rastogi, Head of Data and Insights at Foodpanda Thailand, said, “We’ve started to see a lot more force in terms of women starting to achieve great heights and literally proving their mettle, inspiring so many others behind them. It’s going to set off a chain reaction, a positively reinforced change, and we’ll see more and more women start to enter this industry.”

All of the strides for change have been good news stories and a step in the right direction. However, with the current market volatility, the tech industry risks losing the gains it has made, as evidenced by the disproportionate layoffs for women in tech compared to men, bringing about a rippling effect of loss on the hard-won diversity and inclusion efforts of companies across the SEA region.

Impacting future growth

In the midst of disruption,  there is a cry out for sustained action, proving even more so that achieving better representation for women in the industry is more important than ever.

As many as 80 per cent of jobs in Southeast Asia will require workers with basic digital literacy as well as applied ICT skills by the year 2030, according to a report published by Dalberg. To meet this need, the report stated the necessity of harnessing the skills, abilities, and perspectives of the full working population — not just the male half.

Adding to this argument is research conducted by McKinsey, which states that advancing women’s equality in the region could help contribute to a US$4.5 trillion increase in their collective annual GDP by 2025.

To reap these benefits, organisations need to do more to attract women to tech jobs and to retain and promote them.

Speaking about the importance of women in STEM fields, Phan Thi Hanh Le, Deputy CEO at SmartOSC, states, “As the tech industry grows and technology advances, so should our understanding of how best to incorporate women into the mix. We want to make sure that whether they are working full-time or part-time, full developers or just interested in learning more about how to code, they need to be shown that they have a place to be inspired and work towards both their professional AND personal goals.”

Adding to this, Rastogi says, “We’ve started recogniSing the unique elements that women bring to even STEM fields. There is nothing in how our brains are wired that makes us less successful. As a matter of fact, it makes us probably more so likely to succeed in these fields. And now organisations recognise that. There are programs and scholarships that are helping women break out from traditional barriers and nurturing talent, and increasingly you see this across the space.”

Recognising the problem

When we look at the possible causes for the gender disparity in Southeast Asia’s tech industry, we find ourselves facing many of the characteristics that form what is known as a wicked problem. A problem that has many interdependent factors, making it seem impossible to solve. Factors such as cultural and traditional beliefs, unconscious and conscious bias, structural and educational barriers, and organisational culture come out time and time again.

Speaking about this, Rastogi states, “I think one of the primary reasons why we see a low percentage of women in STEM fields is simply because we have an unconscious bias, even as educated folks. We sort of tend to have these biases when we are even raising our own kids. While being well-meaning, we still sort of give that impression to kids that boys are very good at science and girls are great at art. This is a message that we sort of reinforce in our homes, in social gatherings, or even at times in schools and universities.”

“I think there are stereotypes that women are not as ambitious, or they’re going to leave soon, or they’re not as capable as men in certain fields, and I think it’s really important to challenge them.”

Moving forward and enabling change

Companies must take action now and continue to create a more supportive and inclusive environment for women. In a tech survey report conducted by Ivanti, the five most important factors to attract women in tech fields to a new role were the following:

• Equal pay and benefits (63 per cent)
• Clear and well-documented career progression opportunities (52 per cent)
• Flexible working policies (51 per cent)
• An all-inclusive culture (38 per cent)
• Mentorship programmes (23.5 per cent)

Nearly 75 per cent of respondents highlighted the importance of industry collaboration and partnership with schools and universities to encourage more women to take up STEM subjects, build the next generation of women in tech, and have more women speakers represented at high-level tech events.

Speaking about what companies can do to improve, Chien Le says, “The future of the tech industry lies in innovation and technology. If there was ever a solution to this problem, it would be for corporations to create new programs that address workplace culture and diversity. These kinds of programs would provide support and resources to women throughout their careers as well as business management training.”

Also Read: Breaking barriers: My journey with Airwallex this International Women’s Day

Adding to this, Rastogi says, “I think we need to change the way we view parenthood as well.  It’s not just the mom’s job to take care of the child. It’s a shared responsibility, and we need to support that, both in terms of policy and culture. And I think, as companies, we need to be more mindful of the fact that women have different needs at different points in their lives, and we need to create an environment where they can thrive regardless of where they are in their personal lives. Because if you have a diverse and inclusive workplace, you’re going to have better ideas, better innovation, better solutions, better products, better everything.”

In Southeast Asia and around the globe, there is no doubt that we still have a long way to go regarding achieving gender equality. In order to keep moving forward, more conscious efforts need to be made to not only recruit women into the industry but also to give them the tools they need to stay.

By doing so, we can help to build a more inclusive and innovative industry for future generations and future success.

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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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Groundup.ai, a Singaporean startup helping industrial companies prevent unplanned downtime of industrial assets and improve workplace safety, has raised US$1.8 million in its seed funding round.

Wavemaker Partners led the round, with participation from SEEDS Capital and unnamed angels.

The company will use the investment to grow its in-house AI and software team and capabilities and to expand into international markets, including Qatar, Australia and Japan.

Groundup.ai was founded by Leon Lim, a serial entrepreneur with two exits, and co-founded by operations and chemical engineering veteran Alex Wong.

Also Read: How the Internet of Things is making the world a safer haven

Its core solutions lie in condition-based monitoring and predictive maintenance to help companies prevent unplanned downtime of heavy machinery. It also uses Computer Vision to improve workplace safety and save lives.

Its sound-first predictive maintenance platform is done by deploying its proprietary IoT sound sensors and GINA AI platform. GINA picks up sound anomalies, which indicate potential machine issues, so that such issues can be resolved before any catastrophic breakdowns happen, helping clients save millions of dollars in the process.

Groundup.ai’s solutions support industrial companies to take a proactive approach to machinery reliability and workplace safety, ultimately helping to improve the lives and work conditions of those in the industrial sector.

Its solutions have been deployed across various industries, including manufacturing, maritime, and construction.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like a chance to connect with investors, visibility through e27 platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

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