Picture this: Anna, a passionate startup founder, finds herself stuck in a never-ending cycle of work. Her startup is growing, but so is her workload. She’s heard of the “Leverage Gap,” this mystical space between grinding day-to-day and achieving long-term success.

Intrigued, she dives into the world of neuroscience to find the missing link. What she discovers changes her startup’s trajectory forever.

Act 1: The Leverage Gap dilemma

Anna’s startup is like many others — full of potential but tethered to time-bound output. She stumbles upon the concept of the Leverage Gap and realises she’s been focusing on short-term gains, bypassing her brain’s rational decision-making centre, the prefrontal cortex.

Use neuroscience-backed techniques like mindfulness to make better decisions.

By practising mindfulness, Anna learns to pause and evaluate her choices, aligning them with her long-term goals. This simple shift in mindset helps her make decisions that serve as stepping stones to leverage.

Act 2: The emotional quotient

Anna notices that her team’s communication is less than stellar. Conflicts arise, and productivity suffers. She learns about the amygdala, the brain’s emotional centre, and realises the untapped leverage in emotional intelligence.

Invest in emotional intelligence training for your team.

Anna introduces emotional intelligence workshops. The team starts understanding their emotional triggers and those of their colleagues. Communication improves, conflicts decrease, and productivity soars. Emotional intelligence becomes their newfound leverage.

Act 3: The dopamine revelation

Anna reads about dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter that’s key to motivation. She understands that her team’s focus on short-term rewards has been a roadblock to acquiring long-term leverage.

Implement a reward system that focuses on long-term goals.

Also Read: 10 essential steps to unlock your neuroscience-backed leadership mindset

Anna sets up a reward system that celebrates long-term achievements. The team’s focus shifts from immediate gains to sustainable growth. Dopamine now serves as a catalyst for long-term leverage, not just short-term satisfaction.

Act 4: The 35-hour workweek epiphany

Anna comes across a study stating that productivity dips after 35 hours per week. Intrigued, she correlates this with neuroscience findings on how stress impairs cognitive functions.

Limit work hours to optimise productivity.

Anna experiments with a 35-hour workweek. The team initially resists, but soon, they find that they’re achieving more in less time. The constraint forces them to focus on leverage—automating tasks, delegating, and prioritising. The Leverage Gap starts to close.

The transformation

Armed with neuroscience insights, Anna transforms her startup. They’re no longer just surviving; they’re thriving. The Leverage Gap is bridged, and the startup sails smoothly towards long-term success.

Further reading:

• Your Brain at Work by David Rock
• Deep Work by Cal Newport
• The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

So, if you find yourself, like Anna, stuck in the Leverage Gap, remember that neuroscience holds the key to not just surviving but thriving in the startup world. Your brain is your best ally in this journey; you just need to know how to leverage it.

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Women in tech often face challenges in accessing funding and opportunities. Several factors contribute to this funding gap, such as:

• Bias and discrimination: Investors may have preconceived notions about women’s ability to lead or succeed in tech-related ventures, impacting their willingness to invest.
• Perceived risk aversion: Investors might perceive women-led startups as more risk-averse and less likely to achieve significant growth, resulting in lower investment amounts.
• Lack of female investors: The scarcity of female investors in venture capital firms can impact funding for women-led startups. Female investors may better understand the unique challenges and potential of women-led ventures, and their presence can lead to more equitable investment decisions.

At She Loves Tech, we disable these inhibitors using programmatic solutions and giving startups access to funding and global opportunities. Our goal is clear: She Loves Tech aims to unlock US$1 billion in capital by 2030.

She Loves Tech is a global platform committed to closing the funding gap for women in tech and women-impacted tech solutions. We run the world’s largest startup competition for women and technology across 76 countries on six continents and hold the largest database of women tech entrepreneurs. Over 13,000 startups globally have been through our programs since our inception in 2015 and have engaged with our 700+ partners network dedicated to building a robust and global ecosystem.

Balancing technology and humanity

The She Loves Tech Conference 2023, happening on October 26th and 27th in Singapore, is Asia’s flagship conference for women and technology. We are building the “CES for Women” and uniting world leaders, Nobel Peace Prize winners, industry luminaries and visionaries on an international stage to inspire action for current and future generations.

Our theme this year is “Metamorphosis: Exploring the intersection between technology and humanity”.

Also Read: She Loves Tech earmarks US$10M for women-led firms, joins hand with Microsoft

We aim to bring together founders, funders, corporations and governments to explore how technology can impact humanity amidst conflicting agendas. This conflict between technology and humanity arises from the tension between the rapid advancement of technology, such as AI and data collection, and its impact on various aspects of human life, society, and the natural world, including privacy and surveillance, depersonalisation and social isolation, health and well-being, environmental impact and ethical dilemmas.

Addressing these conflicts requires careful consideration, ethical frameworks, policy regulations, education, and a conscious effort to align technological advancements with the well-being and values of humanity. Balancing progress with ethical responsibility is crucial for a harmonious integration of technology into society.

Exciting keynote speakers

Our conference line-up of over 80 speakers includes Jeanne Lim, Co-Founder and CEO of beingAI and the co-creator of Sophia the Robot, alongside Gaurav Keerthi, Co-Founder and ex-Deputy Commissioner of Cybersecurity for Singapore better.sg and Dr. Miriam Meckel, Co-Founder and CEO ada learning, will debate the meteoric rise of AI and if it will make humans obsolete.

With OpenAI seeking a valuation close to US$90 billion, AI looks set to take the world by storm, so how worried should humans be?

Nir Eyal, author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, will address the current distraction crisis and share memorable strategies on how to stay productive and sane in an age of ever-increasing demands on our attention. Rather than blaming tech for our troubles, Eyal dives into the root causes of distraction, exposing the surprising truth behind why we tend to go off track.

Also Read: Singapore recognises top 100 women in tech making waves in the industry

In our Investing In Winners fireside chat, She Loves Tech’s content chief Sharon Lim engages Jenny Lee, a trailblazer in Asia’s venture capital industry and the first woman to crack the Midas List top ten in 2015. Lee is a managing partner of GGV Capital, a US venture firm, which announced recently it will spin off its Asia business. Her portfolio of investments includes unicorns Xiaomi, Alibaba and Grab. Join us to hear her share critical insights into the challenges and opportunities in the future of fundraising.

One of the key highlights at the conference will be the global startup competition finals — where 30 winners, out of thousands of applications coming from 110 countries, have emerged and will fly down to battle it out for the ultimate startup competition. This is a great opportunity to see groundbreaking pitches from around the world.

Past winners include Musiio SLT2018, an artificial intelligence company at the forefront of machine learning technology, which was recently acquired by SoundCloud, Tezign SLT2016, a Chinese marketing solutions platform that hit Unicorn status led by Singapore state-owned investment company Temasek Holdings and Aquaculture vaccine developer TeOra SLT2020 who just won SG$1 million in grant funding at the grand finale of The Liveability Challenge 2023.

According to Founder Dr. Rishita Changede “She Loves Tech provides recognition to underrepresented startups and gives them exposure that is timely and effective. Along with the training sessions, She Loves Tech was the first platform that recognised our work in food sustainability and brought meaningful connections to us, and for that, we will always be grateful”.

Get your tickets for the She Loves Tech global conference 2023

We invite all of you to join us and be part of our growing ecosystem as we build on the opportunities for tomorrow. All e27 readers have a special discount code SLTE2715. Get your tickets today here.

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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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The Science Fund, a Kazakhstan national scientific and technological development institute, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Southeast Asian VC firm Quest Ventures to bolster the country’s startup and innovation ecosystem.

The collaboration will leverage their combined expertise and resources as well as strengthen linkages between the public and private sectors.

Also Read: Quest Ventures invests in robotic prosthetics startup Vulcan Augmetics

The Science Fund will leverage the extensive international network of Quest Ventures for research commercialisation while Quest Ventures will draw from a deep pool of top scientific talent and ideas.

The MOU was signed in Astana between Abdilda Shamenov, Chairman of the Board of the Science Fund, and James Tan, Managing Partner of Quest Ventures.

Shamenov said: “With a significant presence in Singapore and across Asia, Quest Ventures brings valuable international experience, best practices and an extensive network that aligns with our key goals of strengthening the local technology commercialisation and venture capital ecosystem.”

Tan added: “As the startup and innovation hub for Central Asia, Kazakhstan has produced many game-changing ideas for the region, and more will come. The Science Fund’s pool of resources is testament to the quality of research and defensibility of businesses that can be created.”

Also Read: NDC joins forces with Quest Ventures to bolster startup ecosystem of Philippines

The Kazakhstan Science Fund is the national institute for development, contributing to the full scientific and technological cycle from idea to commercialisation. Its mission is to build a knowledge-based economy by assisting scientists and entrepreneurs in scientific research and its commercialisation.

Quest Ventures is an active VC firm with over 100 portfolio companies in more than 150 cities across Asia. Its portfolio companies include 99.co, Carousell, Carro, Glife, Hepmil/PGAG, Oddle, Shopback, VulcanPost, Xfers, and Kraver’s Canteen.

 

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AMODA, a property and construction technology startup in Indonesia, has secured undisclosed seed funding in a round co-led by East Ventures and Living Lab Ventures.

The capital will be mainly allocated to expanding its product, technology, and operation capabilities.

Also Read: PropertyGuru ceases the operations of its Indonesian marketplace Rumah.com, SaaS product FastKey

“This seed funding round will propel us forward as we continue to revolutionise Indonesia’s property and construction landscape. We are confident to continue our journey in creating innovative, adaptable, as well as environmentally friendly spaces that empower businesses and individuals,” said Co-Founder and CEO Robin Yovianto.

This round follows AMODA’s pre-seed funding in 2022.

Founded in October 2021 by Yovianto and Agusti Salman Farizi, AMODA aims to enhance the process of construction, “making it 2x faster, cheaper, and more transparent”. It uses cloud manufacturing and prefabrication technology to build solutions for individuals and businesses in Indonesia, from SMEs and high-growth firms to large enterprises.

AMODA provides a dashboard with thorough and transparent pricing, construction, and leasing information.

Since its inception, AMODA claims to have recorded at least 4x revenue growth year over year. The company has a portfolio of over 200 construction assets, collaborating with over 50 contractor partners nationwide and engaging with more than 30 landowners.

Also Read: Proptech firm SIMPPLE lists on Nasdaq, looks to raise US$8.4M

AMODA is based in Jakarta and Bandung with a team of 30 members. By Q3 2024, it aims to collaborate with over 30 manufacturing partners, 100 SME suppliers/distributors, and 150 contractor partners.

Living Lab Ventures is a sector-agnostic corporate VC firm focusing on high-potential companies with strong synergy to corporate core business. Since its inception in 2021, it has invested in 30 companies.

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How does one approach consumerism through an environmentally friendly lens? Is responsible consumption even possible? According to Stephanie Dickson, founder of Green Is The New Black and The Conscious Festival, the answer is positive.

“Most of us are not walking around naked or barefoot everywhere. Adopting an environmentally friendly approach to consumerism is not only possible but essential in today’s world. While we all need various goods and products in our lives, the choices we make on a daily basis and with our wallets have a ripple effect, and there are options that are better for us, the planet and quite often our wallets,” she explains in an email interview with e27.

She elaborates further by stressing that reducing consumption begins by using the most sustainable option at hand, which includes using goods that are already in our possession or embracing the second-hand movement. Even if consumers need to make new purchases, they have to opt for ethically made products.

We reach out to Dickson fresh out of the seventh edition of The Conscious Festival, an event held on October 13-15 in Singapore to promote a sustainable lifestyle.

According to her, the event aims to do things differently by “constantly pushing the edge of what’s possible, both from a sustainability forefront (the event is almost zero waste, plant-based, carbon negative), and an experience forefront (diving into of-the-moment conversations such as AI and its role in solving for sustainability, regeneration and its importance for our future, and from grassroots change to global impact).”

She answers our biggest questions on consumerism and sustainability.

What factors make a “responsible consumption”?

Responsible consumption encompasses several key factors that prioritise the well-being of both people and the planet. Firstly, it involves products that are produced with ethical considerations along the entire supply chain, ensuring fair wages and safe working conditions for all involved.

Also Read: 

Secondly, responsible consumption focuses on minimising the environmental impact of the products we use, which includes factors such as reducing energy and resource consumption, limiting waste, and utilising sustainable materials. Lastly, as individuals, responsible consumption means only acquiring what we genuinely need, avoiding excessive purchases of items that won’t last and do not bring lasting joy. It involves a conscious effort to make choices that benefit both ourselves and the world we live in.

How do we promote this new approach to consumers and businesses?

One of the biggest issues is that the environmental and social costs are not factored into products and services. Governments, industries and citizens need to work together for this. There is more and more pressure from consumers, the government is slowly rolling out regulations, and businesses need to play their role.

We’re at a point where being sustainable isn’t just a nice to have, it makes business sense. The economics are there, and it is also future-proofing. Education still plays a very big role for consumers.

What limitations do we have when it comes to running a business in a more eco-conscious way? How do we deal with it?

Transitioning to eco-conscious practices can initially involve higher costs for sustainable materials, technologies, and certifications. It’s important to consider the long-term benefits, such as reduced energy and resource consumption, and appeal to eco-conscious consumers who may be willing to pay a premium for sustainable products.

Depending on the industry, there are grants and incentives for businesses that are doing green initiatives. There is a lack of awareness, and education is required – many employees and consumers may not fully understand the importance but educating consumers through marketing campaigns and product labels and explaining the environmental and economic benefits of the choices to employees will help.

Running an eco-conscious business requires commitment, adaptability, and a long-term perspective. By addressing these limitations strategically, you can overcome obstacles and make meaningful progress toward a more sustainable and environmentally responsible business model.

Today’s consumers are known to be more environmentally aware and selective in purchasing products and services. How can businesses reach out to these customers without greenwashing their products? What are the ways they can do differently when it comes to user acquisition?

One of the most important things is transparency about your sustainability efforts and practices. Provide detailed information about your products, sourcing, supply chain, etc. Authenticity builds trust with consumers and helps differentiate your brand from competitors.

Also Read: 

It is encouraged to share what efforts have been made, what has worked, what hasn’t, and where you are heading. Third-party certifications can provide independent assessments and support with credibility. Explaining the efforts in a clear, conscious and engaging manner can support without over-emphasising the efforts. Sharing honestly and openly about successes and shortcomings helps to foster trust and a clear path forward.

What other areas do you aim to explore in building an eco-conscious business?

We have our Conscious Leaders Bootcamp on Friday, October 13, which takes leadership to a whole new level by infusing it with the power of regeneration and conscious awareness.

This event will bring together the builders of the future to deep dive into symbiotic leadership, regenerative cities, exponential change and solving for sustainability with AI. This aims to help leaders to understand the role they are playing and give them the tools they need to navigate in a different way – by understanding the ecosystem of their company and getting inspired by what other leaders are doing with circular and sustainable solutions while uplifting everyone around them.

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Image Credit: Green Is The New Black

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