Many eco-activists and environmental institutions are sounding the alarm over Indonesia’s critical environmental situation. In 2018, the capital Jakarta was ranked as one of the world’s most polluted cities, and the situation has only gotten worse since then. The air is polluted primarily by fuel transport, industries and deforestation. 

The scale of the Indonesian ecological disaster is as horrifying as even during the COVID-19 pandemic when most cities faced significant enhancement of air quality, Jakarta still didn’t get a chance to take a deep breath of fresh air. 

Eco-activists rightly call on businesses to join the fight against environmental degradation and help government agencies to achieve their goals.

But what contribution can startups make?

It is not only big business that is able to influence global world processes. Young and emerging technology companies also have the resources and potential to make the world a better place. 

For example, Algenesis uses its patented technology to produce eco-friendly plastic made from algae, thereby solving the problem of soil and ocean pollution from non-degradable materials. The same issue drives Paboco, which produces 100 per cent recyclable paper bottles. 

Speaking of Indonesia, you can see many entrepreneurs that are not afraid to join the fight for a brighter future there too. CarbonEthics, a cleantech startup, is accelerating the supply of high-quality carbon credits. Their innovations help corporations, SMEs and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint.

As a mobility fintech startup, IVITECH is dedicated to empowering mobility entrepreneurs across Asia and especially Indonesia by providing them with access to vehicles and innovative solutions. 

Also Read: There is talent shortage in the e-motorcycle space in SEA: ION Mobility CEO

The introduction of electric bikes in Indonesia addresses two significant issues: the prevalence of outdated and unsafe bikes and the problem of air pollution. Currently, many Indonesian drivers rely on outdated and unsafe bikes, which not only impacts their income but also poses risks to their safety and the safety of their passengers. Safe and reliable electric bikes can decrease the harm made by fuel transport and enhance the livelihoods of drivers while ensuring the well-being of their passengers.

Moreover, the introduction of electric bikes contributes to the mitigation of air pollution and the improvement of air quality, particularly in Jakarta, where pollution is a growing concern. Increasing the adoption of electric bikes aligns with the Indonesian government’s goal of having 2.5 million electric vehicle users in the country by 2025, promoting a cleaner and healthier environment.

Are there any difficulties with helping the environment as a startup? 

The first obstacle that we had to face was the need to educate society as well as the key market players and raise awareness about the advantages of electric bikes and their impact on the environment. Convincing people to abandon fuel-powered transportation in favour of ecological one may be difficult due to a lack of resources. 

The second challenge happens to be the infrastructure, which is unfortunately not yet ready to obtain your technologies. For example, as of now, there are not enough charging and swap stations for electric bikes in Jakarta to ensure drivers that they would be able to charge their bikes quickly and easily. 

These challenges require collaboration between the private and public sectors to overcome, and we are actively working with both to find solutions.

Also Read: Transitioning to new energy? Here’re 5 prominent solutions for your business

Is it possible to measure startups’ impact on ecology? 

There are many ways to rate a company’s contribution. The first is simply by tracking the scope of services provided. IVITECH is monitoring the number of bikes given and the number of drivers who abandoned fuel-powered transport. 

The second way is to track the level of public awareness on topics such as the overall environmental situation and your business in particular. It is possible with surveys and media coverage monitoring. 

Is it worth it? 

It is important to note that, in fact, a startup’s cooperation dedicated to state goals can help a startup grow. Support for government initiatives can cause a mirror effect and bring investments aimed at further cooperation. 

Also, supporting the environmental goals strengthens the public-private partnerships, utilising the combined expertise and networks of both sectors to create more comprehensive and effective ecological initiatives and fields of growth.

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Picture this: A classroom where Artificial Intelligence is a welcomed partner rather than shunned. Sounds futuristic? It’s not. It’s the new world of education, and it’s knocking on our doors. But not everyone’s ready to answer.

There’s a growing tug-of-war between progress and tradition in the education sector. On one side, we have proponents of AI, particularly generative AI, including both large language models like OpenAI’s generative AI as well as image generators like MidJourney. On the other side, we have academia, which is rallying against generative AI for fear that it will undermine the integrity of education. 

Ironically, academics are committing a significant logical fallacy here, creating what is effectively a straw man argument. They tend to focus on the fact that students can use generative AI for outright plagiarism (i.e. copying-and-pasting answers from ChatGPT, sometimes even with the “As a language model…” disclaimer laughably still included for assignments).

Everyone would agree that this use case is wrong. Unfortunately, because of this focus, educators are deploying AI detectors in an attempt to sniff out this content and call it a day on all AI in education, which is simply short-sighted. 

In actuality, there are an infinite number of use cases for generative AI in education beyond this regrettable one that the headlines are neglecting. This is where organisations in the startup ecosystem can step in. As tech companies, we can nudge educators to think outside the box by embracing AI.

Also Read: In the age of AI, which human skills increasingly stand out?

I refer to tech companies broadly here: This can be companies in edutech, companies that may have ed-tech use cases, and even the generative AI companies themselves, who have native applications for learning in their out-of-the-box product.

It’s important to celebrate how these companies are deploying AI for education to widen the discourse on how generative AI can help students learn. Broadening the discussion will help accelerate the adoption of AI in the classroom. 

Highlighting use cases to socialise AI in the classroom 

Let’s take a look at some of these novel applications. 

While Canva is, of course, not an edutech, students can use its design platform for a variety of purposes, such as crafting interactive presentations, customising images for their assignments, or initiating drafts for their blogs. What makes Canva unique is the way it employs AI technology to generate tailored designs based on a short description or a reference picture.

The platform’s Magic Write function broadens its offerings beyond graphics. It’s capable of producing both concise and detailed texts, making it a versatile tool for presentations, website content, or social media posts. Moreover, the Magic Replace feature comes in handy for student organisations aiming to maintain consistency in their brand assets across all designs.

In the more strictly edutech space, there is Anthology. Anthology’s Intelligent Experiences (iX) uses generative AI to integrate data from various educational platforms, delivering personalised, intelligent insights for students and educators.

Their AI-supported course-building tools can suggest course outlines, formulate test questions, and even design grading rubrics. The objective isn’t to replace teachers with AI but to assist educators in shifting from repetitive tasks to more impactful student engagement.

Anthology’s partnership with Microsoft highlights its commitment to integrating generative AI into its edutech offerings. However, what truly distinguishes Anthology is its Trustworthy AI Framework. This framework aims to guide the use of AI responsibly, harmonising its groundbreaking potential with essential ethical safeguards.

And, of course, there are generative AI tools themselves. For example, ChatGPT can aid in initial research, offering insights on various topics to kick-start learning. It assists in brainstorming by generating diverse ideas, and it’s useful for test prep, explaining complex concepts, and simulating potential exam questions. 

Also Read: Adobe Firefly aims to unlock AI’s potential for effortless design

Despite concerns, it’s crucial to recognise the potential of Artificial Intelligence in education by discussing these diverse applications, however early in their life cycle, rather than just focusing on edge cases. 

AI is not a threat but an aid to educators, capable of improving personalisation, comprehension, and efficiency for all students. 

Resistance might be a natural response, but progress is inevitable. Organisations must champion how AI can help students so that schools and universities can embrace this technology with a more progressive attitude. This task may be slightly afield of their core product marketing, but it’s one that must be done.

After all, AI for education is not about offloading our thinking to robots. It’s about building a base of more educated citizens, which will only help companies at the forefront of technology.

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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

Image credit: Abobe Firefly

The post Embracing AI in education: Expanding horizons for students appeared first on e27.

Dear Pro member,

Amid the challenging economic conditions in Indonesia, two prominent startups, insurtech firm Qoala and fintech company Ayonnect, have announced employee layoffs as part of their restructuring efforts.

However, concerns have been raised that the current global economic climate might be the true underlying reason for these workforce reductions. The situation has raised alarms, suggesting that other companies in the region could follow suit and implement layoffs in the upcoming months.

Indonesia has been severely impacted by the global economic slowdown, emerging as one of the worst-hit countries in Southeast Asia. The economic downturn has put immense pressure on businesses across various sectors, leading to financial difficulties for startups like Qoala and Ayonnect.

The uncertainty surrounding the situation has cast a shadow over the stability of other startups and companies in Indonesia, with fears that more layoffs could be on the horizon.

As the economic challenges persist, the Indonesian startup ecosystem remains under scrutiny, and stakeholders are closely monitoring the developments, hoping for a recovery and revival of the thriving tech industry in the region.

Scroll down for all the major recent developments in the region’s startup ecosystem

Happy weekend.

Sainul,
Editor.

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Insurtech firm Qoala lays off 80 employees in Indonesia, Malaysia
This news comes about four months after the company announced its US$7.5 million series B extension round; The company said that the decision was motivated by a two-year review of its organisational structure.

Ex-Lazada director’s fintech Ayoconnect cuts 10% of workforce
According to its site, Ayoconnect has about 200 employees; The startup has raised a total of US$43M in funding; Its latest round was the US$13M Series B+ in October 2022.

Airalo secures US$60M in Series B funding
The backers include Etisalat’s e& capital, Liberty Global, Singtel Innov8, Antler, and Rakuten; Airalo aims to bring instant connectivity worldwide by allowing travellers to purchase virtual eSIM packages.

GrabRentals drives home US$90M in revenue as earnings grow 73% in FYE 2022
At the same time, the company registered US$15M in earnings before interest and taxes; This comes as the company slashed its finance costs by almost half to about US$2.5M.

Endowus grows revenue 2.5x in 2022, but losses rise to US$20M
However, the company’s expenses also increased, leading wealthtech company’s losses to balloon from US$13M in 2021 to US$20M in 2022.

Antler expands to MENAP with launch of US$60M fund
It plans to hit first close in September this year; The Singapore-based early-stage investor will also launch its first cohort in Riyadh that month, where around 60 founders will be shortlisted for its three-month founder programme.

SG digibanks spend big for 2022 launch, filings show
Trust Bank, GXS Bank, and MariBank have spent big in their first few months of operations; GXS Bank, a joint offering from Grab and Singtel, set aside US$101.4M in operating expenses last year.

Chinese users log US$90B in transactions on Binance under domestic ban
After China declared all crypto-related transactions illegal in 2021, Binance said it would stop trading for China-based customers; However, Binance used different websites and domain names to redirect China-based users to its global exchange.

‘Airbnb for surgeries’ HDmall gets FEBE Ventures backing
HDmall, which works with 1,500 healthcare providers in Thailand and Indonesia, aims to achieve profitability by the end of this year.

Singapore sports app Rovo to shut down operations
The app helps users create workout routines, as well as find partners for sports such as tennis, basketball, and football; Rovo last raised US$473K led by East Ventures in 2018.

Beleaf raises US$6.9M to expand farming-as-a-service model
The investors are Alpha JWC Ventures and Openspace Ventures; Beleaf is building an integrated platform to give farmers access to input and technology as well as to help connect farms with agronomists and retailers.

Former SCMP CEO’s Web3 startup Terminal 3 raises pre-seed funding
The investors include 500 Global, CMCC Global, Consensys Mesh, and Bixin Ventures; Terminal 3 leverages decentralised storage and zero-knowledge proofs to empower an equitable Web3, where user data is freely composable while remaining fully private and secure.

Superbank, Amartha team up for women-focused working capital loans
With this partnership, Superbank aims to provide working capital loans to 1M+ women microentrepreneurs served by Amartha; To date, Amartha has disbursed over US$800M in working capital loans to 1.6M SMEs in Indonesia.

Indonesia’s Bank Raya posts US$8.3M in pre-tax profits for H1 2023
The development comes despite a 34.5% dip in the digibank’s net interest income, which stood at US$15.4M for H1 2023; Bank Raya’s digital lending disbursements grew 23.7% y-o-y to US$53.2M.

 

eFishery will look to expand across Asia, Middle East: CEO Gibran Huzaifah
eFishery achieved positive EBITDA for two consecutive years; its domestic transactions reached US$27.6M in 2021.

Vietnam offers a blue ocean opportunity for our healthtech biz: HD Co-Founder Sheji Ho
HD, which operates a healthcare and surgery marketplace in Thailand and Indonesia, plans to enter Vietnam next year.

Startups don’t need PR agencies, sirius-ly?
Hiring a PR agency to take care of the image aspect of your business is especially crucial for startup companies.

Striking the right balance: Financial health, talent retention, and business growth
Businesses and organisations now find themselves in uncharted waters where the future remains indefinitely uncertain.

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(The image used in this article is AI-generated)

The post Ecosystem Roundup: Layoffs at Qoala, Ayoconnect; Airalo secures US$60M; Antler expands to MENAP appeared first on e27.

In July, the Philippine-based career platform Bossjob announced its plan to enter the Japanese market. The plan will include the provision of a limited-time free policy to assist Japanese companies in recruiting talents from different countries through an enhanced user experience with its AI + direct chat model.

“Japanese companies exhibit a high demand for talent. We aim to meet this need by providing efficient talent services that prioritise superior user experience,” says Bossjob co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Anthony Garcia in a press statement.

Prior to its expansion to Japan, Bossjob entered Singapore and Indonesia and is preparing to enter Hong Kong in Q3 2023.

Founded in 2018, Bossjob offers an MDD model of “mobile + direct chat + AI-matching,” introducing direct chat into the recruitment scene. With the help of AI technologies and big data, the platform recommends highly suitable and active candidates to employers and relevant job opportunities to job seekers.

In this email interview with e27, Garcia explains in detail about the company’s expansion plan and the role it plays in its growth. The following is an edited excerpt of the interview.

Also Read: Driving financial inclusion in the Philippines: Why last-mile communities are key to winning the battle

Can you tell us about the process of how Bossjob decided that Japan is the ideal destination to expand its services to?

The talent gap in Japan is growing year by year. On the other hand, international talent competition is also increasingly fierce. Especially in the IT sector, a survey published by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry estimated the demand for IT talent would continue to expand. Meanwhile, Japan’s labor force, especially the young population, is expected to decrease, and it is estimated that by 2030, the IT talent gap will reach about 790,000.

The introduction of foreign talents has become one of Japan’s growth strategies. The government has expressed the necessity to accept foreign talents with advanced knowledge and skills to accelerate Japan’s productivity and innovation. On June 9, the Japanese Cabinet approved a plan to expand the “Specific Skills 2” residence status, which skilled foreign workers can acquire, from the current two fields to 11 fields. This suggests that more foreign talents will be accepted in the future.

Bossjob has been serving the SEA market for more than seven years. Based on our data, we have observed an increasing trend in Japanese companies recruiting talents on Bossjob. Before entering the Japanese market, many Japanese companies, such as EQUINIX, % Arabica, and IPS Co., have been using Bossjob, primarily recruiting international talents for the Southeast Asian market. Therefore, after Singapore, Hong Kong, and Indonesia, we chose Japan as the next stop for Bossjob’s internationalisation.

How does expanding to Japan differ from Singapore and Indonesia? What preparation do you need to make?

The job market in Japan leans toward the conservative side, being dominated by numerous established recruitment agencies. This makes it challenging to penetrate the traditional market. However, in recent years, the rise of emerging industries such as the internet and blockchain has opened new doors for us, presenting fresh opportunities and markets. In Japan, we mainly aim to cover emerging incremental markets that have yet to be tapped by traditional channels.

On the other hand, the Southeast Asian (SEA) market is quite diverse and fragmented. Our strategy in this region is to concentrate on servicing pivotal businesses and demographics. For instance, in Indonesia, an emerging nation with a geographically dispersed market and a lower GDP, we direct our energies toward catering to key enterprises.

In the process of globalisation, our priority is to localise our products. We gear up for handling multiple languages and configurations and building local teams.

Also Read: Driving financial inclusion in the Philippines: Why last-mile communities are key to winning the battle

What potential challenge do you anticipate? How do you plan to tackle this?

One of the most significant hurdles we encounter while trying to penetrate the Japanese market is the entrenched business relationships between existing recruitment players and corporations, which makes gaining a foothold in the established market quite challenging. Consequently, we’ve chosen to strategically concentrate our efforts on Japan’s high-growth emerging industries like IT and blockchain for our next key growth directions.

Can you tell us the profile of your users in Japan and your user acquisition strategy to reach out to them? Do you have any specific target for your first year in Japan?

The Japanese market represents both a challenge and an opportunity for Bossjob, requiring a strategy that strikes a balance between assertive market penetration and cultural respect. The market is relatively conservative, and users prefer localised products.

At the current stage, we hope Bossjob will serve as a bridge between international talents and Japanese companies in the Japanese market. So far, Bossjob has over 2.9 million registered users, which is the successful first step for us in entering the Japanese market. After entering the Japanese market, we will offer free policies for corporate clients aiming to stimulate a surge in our corporate client base.

Our user growth strategy is multi-faceted:

Firstly, there is our product strategy. We continuously innovate and improve, adopting the “Mobile+Direct Chat+AI Matching” (MDD) innovative model, which introduces online chat into the recruitment scene. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence algorithms and big data, we provide highly matched candidate recommendations to employers and offer job recommendations to job seekers. This improves the precision of matching between them, enabling users to experience more efficient recruitment. This is the core of our sustained user growth.

Additionally, the Japanese IT industry is a late-mover market, and comparable players are rare. Our strategy is to achieve wide coverage first and then wait for the market to develop to a certain scale before implementing advanced paid features.

Secondly, there is our marketing strategy. We will focus on the pain points and preferences of Japanese users and corporate clients, continuously investing in brand awareness, social traffic, and word-of-mouth referral.

Also Read: How Salmon aims to promote financial inclusion with AI banking in the Philippines

What support do you get from your partners and investors in this expansion process?

Our partners and investors have continuously been supportive and are optimistic about Bossjob’s globalisation efforts. The specific details of their support are not convenient to disclose at the moment.

What is your big plan for 2023 apart from the expansion?

Our strategic blueprint for 2023 is centred on enhancing our core competencies and fortifying our technology and data barrier for future growth. The goal is to ensure our sustained ability to provide service to businesses and individuals worldwide, have the unique capability to serve corporations across the region and have an edge over our competitors in solving core issues for our clients.

As Bossjob navigates its plan for globalisation, we aspire to further augment our capacities in key areas: commercial viability, scalability, and the ability to continuously iterate and innovate. We are committed to maintaining an adaptable and forward-looking approach that will enable us to thrive in the evolving global business environment.

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Image Credit: Bossjob

The post How Bossjob plans to win the Japanese market with its AI-powered career platform appeared first on e27.

Hong Kong-based artificial intelligence and Web3-focused startup Moonbox has received US$1 million in funding from OKX Ventures, the investment arm of global crypto exchange and innovative Web3 company OKX.

The startup will use the investment to accelerate product growth and continue developing its core technology, centred on building applications powered by the latest generative AI technology for Web3 and NFT applications.

Moonbox focuses on developing an interactive protocol with AI that can give life to different digital assets, including NFTs. In July 2023, the company was granted Stephen Chow’s cinematic IPs for use in NFTs.

Also Read: Unstoppable pioneers of Web3: 16 women spearheading the change

The company plans to launch a series of AI-powered NFTs and applications inspired by the art and film industry by the end of 2023.

Moonbox Senior Advisor Ignious Yong said: “Our mission at Moonbox is to power the Web3 ecosystem, and NFTs in particular, by providing fully immersive experiences with the use of generative AI technology. We are confident that the integration of AI and Web3 will make NFTs more fun and valuable, creating a larger variety of use cases in the film and entertainment industries, and attracting users from all walks of life.”

OKX Ventures has invested in over 300 projects across the areas of blockchain infrastructure, Web3, NFT and others to promote the sustainable development of the global blockchain industry.

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(The image used in the article is AI-generated)

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