Climate Alpha, a Singapore-based artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analytics platform for the real estate, asset management and insurance industries, has announced closing a US$5 million seed funding round.

Jungle Ventures led the round as part of its newly launched First Cheque@Jungle bespoke programme for seasoned operators or second-time founders.

Also Read: Jungle Ventures rolls out new programme to back idea-stage startups in India, SEA

Founded in 2022 by Parag Khanna, Climate Alpha fuses data science, climate modelling and finance to promote sustainable investment. The company uses geographic information system (GIS) data and economic modelling to deliver a solution for navigating accelerating climate volatility and forecasting the financial impact of climate risks.

Climate Alpha distinguishes itself from other climate tech companies tracking and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions by offering data-driven roadmaps to construct more resilient portfolios.

In the months ahead, the startup plans to accelerate the deployment of its global resilience scoring and financial impact calculations. It also aims to work with asset managers to establish a global fund to invest in climate-resilient real estate while distributing data to customers via API and Snowflake to enhance accessibility and usability. Asia will also become more central to the business, given the region’s dual role as a driver of climate change and a hotspot for climate-related risks.

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

“We plan to raise a Series A round in H1 2024 to pursue our ambitious agenda to leverage satellite and other proprietary geospatial datasets, build a comprehensive global resilience index and expand our offerings to investors in public markets,” said CEO Khanna.

Launched last month, First Cheque@Jungle is a pre-seed/seed investing strategy to back domain operators at the earliest stages where the key partners of Jungle work 1-to-1 with founders from idea to IPO.  Its portfolio includes Kredivo, Moglix, Pomelo, Livspace, Builder.ai, and Sociolla.

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Image Credit: Climate Alpha.

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Singapore-based global early-stage VC firm Antler announced investing an additional US$2 million in 15 startups across Singapore and Indonesia.

Over 150 founders from various industries and domains participated in a 10-week residency programme, during which the recently backed startups were formed and funded. Founders of these startups developed and validated their business ideas with the support and expertise of Antler to secure pre-seed funding of US$125,000 for each.

Also Read: Antler partners with Khazanah, to invest in 30+ Malaysian startups over next three years

Among the startups included in this round are:

Bootloader Studios: Founded by the founding CEO of VNG, Bootloader is an AI-driven and mixed reality experience that forges real emotional connections between people to improve individual emotional well-being.

Optacloud: A machine learning-powered cloud optimisation to reduce cloud bills and minimise latency with zero engineering effort.

Trivium: A financial platform for companies to embed investment products easily.

Siftee: A data and research marketplace to search, validate, and download specific
insights down to the metadata level.

Katalis: An end-to-end AI marketing toolbox for e-commerce.

Alter: A social networking and collaboration platform designed for gamers.

Club Kyta: An integrated omnichannel distribution solution for D2C lifestyle brands that
focuses on Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in Indonesia.

Hazana: An integrated halal financing solution for platforms, marketplaces, and ecosystems.

Plans: A digital fertility assistance platform for family planning

Sqouts: A conversational AI-based talent acquisition platform.

Launched in 2018, Antler aims to back founders from day zero by providing unique access to co-founder matching, business validation, and pre-seed capital. Antler is also a long-term capital partner providing expansion support and scale-up funding to breakout companies from Series A onwards.

Also Read: Antler Elevate closes US$285M emerging growth fund

Antler has expanded its global network to 30 cities, including Singapore, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh, Kuala Lumpur, New York, London, Berlin, Stockholm, Bangalore, Seoul, Tokyo, and Sydney.

The VC firm has invested in over 900 startups and intends to back over 6,000 by 2030.

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e27 has been dedicated to nurturing a supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurs since its inception. Our Contributor Programme offers a platform for sharing unique insights.

As part of our newly introduced ‘Contributor Spotlight’, we shine a weekly spotlight on an outstanding contributor and dive into the vastness of their knowledge and expertise.

This episode features Jakob Rost, Founder and CEO of Ayoconnect, Southeast Asia’s leading Open Finance API platform. He is actively involved as an angel investor and advisor to early-stage startups.

A valued contributor, Rost joined our community in Q2 and has remained actively engaged, accumulating over 7,000 content views.

Rost shares his personal and professional journey in this episode of Contributor Spotlight.

The driving force

Rost’s expertise lies in fintech, digital transactions, and fundraising. He joined the e27 Contributor Programme believing in the power of knowledge-sharing, seeing it as an opportunity to give back to the community that has nurtured his growth.

“Being part of this programme enables me to share insights and learnings from my journey, hopefully inspiring others in the process,” he said candidly.

Thoughts, goals, and journey

Rost’s journey in the industry began with a deep passion for connecting people and businesses. Recognising the potential of digital platforms, he founded Ayoconnect to bridge gaps and facilitate seamless transactions.

Regarding upcoming goals, Rost aims to expand Ayoconnect’s reach throughout Indonesia, positioning it as a household name for streamlined digital transactions. On a personal level, his goal is to mentor budding entrepreneurs, guiding them through the challenges of the startup journey.

Also Read: The future of Indonesia’s payment services: 3 predictions for the advancement of direct debit

Rost observes a notable trend in finance and technology with the rapid adoption of digital payment solutions, reshaping business operations. He also highlights a surge in AI-driven innovations, enhancing user experiences and fortifying security in financial transactions.

Advice for budding thought leaders

To be an effective thought leader and contributor, Rost believes in being well-informed and concise. He emphasises the need to research thoroughly, stay updated, and practice articulating complex ideas simply.

“Embrace feedback,” he said, “as it refines your communication skills. Also, never underestimate the power of storytelling; it captivates audiences and makes your message memorable.”

Juggling too many things?

“Balancing work, contribution, and personal life is indeed a challenge. Prioritisation is key. Setting clear boundaries and delegating tasks at work allows me to focus on contributing meaningfully,” shares Rost.

Regularly reassessing priorities helps Rost maintain this balance. Personal and professional growth go hand in hand for him; continuous learning and self-reflection are his strategies for both.

Staying in the loop

“Staying updated is crucial in the fast-paced tech industry,” Rost highlights. “I rely on a diverse range of sources, from industry newsletters and blogs to attending conferences and networking events. Engaging with fellow professionals and thought leaders keeps me informed about the latest developments and emerging technologies.”

For those interested in fintech and digital transactions, Rost recommends exploring platforms such as Finovate and dedicated sections on TechCrunch. He also suggests reading books like The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen for valuable insights into disruptive innovations in the industry.

“I’d like to leave the readers with this thought: Embrace change and innovation. The tech industry evolves rapidly, presenting endless opportunities. Stay curious, stay adaptable, and never stop learning. Remember, every challenge is a chance to grow, both personally and professionally,” concluded Rost.

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Are you ready to be a part of a vibrant community of entrepreneurs and industry experts? Do you have insights, experiences, and knowledge to share?

Join the e27 Contributor Programme and become a valuable voice in our ecosystem. 

The post Spotlighting Jakob Rost: Nurturing fintech innovation and charting a path of open finance appeared first on e27.

When your electric vehicle (EV) is running out of battery, you should either find a nearby charging station installed by a utility company or go back home to recharge it. Either of these options is impractical in a country like India, where the EV sector is still nascent and charging stations are rare.

Two Indian entrepreneurs are addressing this problem by building an affordable EV charging network, starting with Bengaluru.

Kazam, founded in 2021 by Akshay Shekhar and Vaibhav Tyagi, offers an agnostic EV charging platform. It allows EV fleets, charging point operators (CPOs), charging equipment makers/original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and other commercial properties like workplaces and resident welfare associations (RWAs) to set up their own charging networks without any software development hassle and earn money.

The startup has so far created a charging network with over 7,000 devices on its platform.

Also Read: How SWAP Energy aims to promote EV use in Indonesia through the advantages of battery-swapping

“Think of us like an Android OS, which connects you to the internet so you can build and consume many apps. We do that for the EV ecosystem,” says Shekhar.

Kazam has different offerings for different stakeholders of the EV ecosystem:

• For Vehicle OEMs

The startup offers a single API for OEMs to connect all CPOs to the vehicle dashboard, allowing them to reduce range anxiety for their drivers. This enables drivers to discover nearby charging points, recharge, and pay. Users can also book their slots in advance to get priority recharging.

“Our API sits inside the vehicle dashboard for drivers/users to find the nearby charging stations. The mobile app, on the other hand, allows drivers/users to control and monitor the charging. It means even if you are on the 10th floor of your apartment building, you can still monitor and stop charging from your sofa,” explains Shekhar.

The startup works with six top vehicle OEMs, including TVS, Ather, Mahindra, and Bajaj.

• For CPOs

Kazam connects multi-brand, multi-architecture charging stations, swapping stations into a single digital platform to control, monitor and analyse performance and revenue.

• For fleets and e-commerce firms

Kazam is creating a unified layer which connects chargers and vehicles in a single platform. This will allow enterprises to make better decisions on utilisation, schedule, and visibility on the entire transaction of fuelling your vehicle. In addition, it gives the fleet consumers options to do geo-fencing, manage maintenance and understand the total cost of ownership.

Drivers/users pay only for energy consumption using multiple payment options (credit cards, net banking, UPI, and wallets).

At the same time, enterprises pay Kazam a fee for driving demand to the charging station. It also charges fixed fees per charger for the SaaS platform offered to enterprises.

The company works with top e-commerce players like Bigbasket and Flipkart (Walmart Group), besides large OMCs like Petronas in Malaysia and Hindustan Petroleum in India. “All these partners are either retailers or captive consumers of energy and help us reach scale with their available touchpoints. The touchpoints could be distribution warehouses, depots, Petrol bunks or even housing societies,” Tyagi reveals.

Also Read: Oyika revolutionises e-motorbikes in SEA with innovative power subscription plans and battery-swap stations

Currently, Kazam operates in India. Its next plan is to embark on its ASEAN market expansion, starting with Malaysia, where it has already secured partners.

Kazam, one of the 25 startups from the Asia Pacific graduating from the PETRONAS FutureTech 3.0 accelerator programme, raised US$3.6 million in an investment round led by Avaana Climate Fund in May this year. It is now in the market for growth capital to scale alongside its enterprise customers.

“Our vision is to be the leader in EV charging in India and beyond, leveraging our capabilities in software and hardware,” Shekhar concludes.

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Image Credit: Kazam.

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Vonage, in partnership with e27, recently held a panel discussion entitled “Navigating the Customer Experience: AI’s Impact on Omni-channel Touchpoints” last 2nd of November, at the Pullman Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Aiming to provide actionable insights into the role of emerging technologies in customer engagement, the esteemed panel delved deep into the realm of AI’s influence on omnichannel touchpoints and the dynamic customer experiences it fosters. The audience was also given an in-depth understanding of case studies in which AI can scale internal processes and offer a more effective workforce.

Also read: The Future of Capitalism: Get the chance to win $5 million worth of investments

Spearheaded by cloud communications provider, Vonage, and co-organised by e27, the mission of the project is to help empower businesses to harness the power of AI in optimising customer experience.

Seamless integration of AI amplifies the effect of intelligence behind business outcomes

Artificial intelligence, commonly known as AI, plays a crucial role in the rapidly advancing field of technology. It has gained widespread acceptance across various sectors, and its influence on everyday life has become a game-changer, especially for businesses engaging with customers.

The AI lens is the future of the next five years and can be considered one of the most innovative technological breakthroughs of its time. As it is inevitable, businesses benefit from understanding its implications and impact early on in order to fully exhaust the power of the tool.

Santhakumaran Atmalingam, Founder of CX EXPERT ASIA, mentioned during the discussion that maximising the potential of what is currently manual and underutilised data is a crucial first step. AI can take this massive, often incomprehensive information and turn it into more in-depth insights that are otherwise skipped by the naked eye. Such insights can be useful when understanding what customers want and how to keep engaging them.

“We use data for reporting, and that’s just scratching the surface. There is so much of how AI can take that data and turn it into something that is a lot more fruitful for organisations and its stakeholders.” For example, market predictions and consumer trends forecasting can be done with less manpower and time while massively improving accuracy through the help of AI.

Similarly, digitalisation transcends pooling customer feedback, allowing employees to have a more productive use of their time. Dr Poo Kuan Hoong, Lead Data Scientist, RGM of BAT, cites AI’s impact on organisational development and team collaboration. With a supportive omnichannel system, silos are broken in favour of a productive and fully aligned organisation in real-time.

For example, in AI-assisted omnichannel retail and e-commerce, chatbots reduce the time needed for live agents to answer customers’ common and frequently asked questions.

Also read: Set sail with intellectual property: Your business’s journey to success

Desmond Koh, Head of Sales, SEA at Vonage, clarified, “I will still prefer some personal touch when speaking to a human agent. However, you can essentially offload some of the very common questions and include them in the code so that humans can handle more complicated and personalised issues.”

“With AI, organisations optimise manpower costs, reduce errors, and create a holistic experience for customers and employees. This is the way forward,” iterated Sena Thevaratnam, Group Head of Customer Support of Valiram.

The whole idea of going into AI-assisted omnichannel is to create a seamless experience for your employees, giving them a real-time 360-degree view of the system to serve the customer in real-time and on the spot. AI integration allows businesses to outperform manual interventions and resources and match consumer expectations. 

AI can also help product and marketing teams track the customer journey, specifically pointing out major hurdles that dissuade a customer from continuing. The technology’s capacity to predict behaviour empowers the consumer with a more convenient and personalised user experience.

Diverse traditional industries harness the evolution of AI to enrich all customer experiences

AI operates as a launchpad for the future of omnichannel marketing, revolutionising customer engagement across diverse platforms. With seamless integration, AI ensures a cohesive brand experience, optimising marketing strategies to secure a business’s top priority, and keeping a long-term and loyal customer base. 

According to Elizabete Kalnozola, an Advisory Board Member of Girls in Tech Kuala Lumpur, “We all know that for businesses, the best customers are the loyal customers. This hyper-personalisation approach can help because we’ll give them more personalised recommendations, making them more likely to make second purchases.” Customer retention is the end goal, as this lessens the cost of acquiring new customers over time. This also applies to product recommendations or social media and content consumption algorithms.

Various online and offline platforms also exist, and digital marketers must effectively utilise messaging and engagement in each platform. From fine-tuning ad targeting parameters to maximising the ROI of limited resources, businesses require constant analysis of data, adaption to shifting trends, and refining marketing tactics. Recent AI development has led to the birth of tools specific to these use cases.

A business’ journey of adoption of cutting-edge AI is less straightforward

Before migration, businesses must streamline and have a definite end-to-end journey map for their customers. As an organisation, teams must decide what service excellence level they want to provide for their customers, then bring the technology in and build the solutions.

Koh advised that there is no hard and fast rule regarding AI adoption. “Adoption of AI solutions to your business really depends on the countries, the vertical, and the persona. We normally start small with certain customers, then expand its integration slowly as we progress based on needs.”

In Malaysia, for example, Kalnozola recognises language as a major challenge in adopting AI due to its multicultural diversity. The accuracy of AI in reading names or local dialects, for example, needs more time and training to reach a more satisfactory level.

Additionally, AI replacing human-centred processes includes a social responsibility toward creating a fair experience. Kalnozola and her team ensure that data input and output are well-represented across all demographics.

Also read: Things you need to know to be a part of the 2024 TOP100 program

She explained, “For the past two years, the main focus has been to ensure that AI is inclusive and that we are presented with new AI tools that do not discriminate against women in our day-to-day lives.” This avoids chatbot responses, facial recognition, personal data collection, and other discrimination and abuse cases. It also helps businesses to keep pilot-testing AI in different market scenarios. It might be tempting to perfect the technology before going to market, but customer feedback from usage can illuminate the process better.

Thevaratnam advised, “You got to start understanding and slicing and dicing what should be automated via AI and what should not be. So, it’s easy for a top-down or push-up to use AI to automate and fix the problem. Instead, businesses would benefit more from examining whether this part of your business has this functionality.”

Atmalingam added, “Automating the wrong thing can backfire and lead to a bad experience.”

The biggest challenge for any organisation is empathising with the end users and building the product from their point of view. This includes creating internal processes that reflect their commitment to a holistic customer experience. While companies have built manual processes around this premise, AI amplifies this approach by making data more trackable, relevant, and actionable. Young businesses and startups, forced to be more resourceful and agile, stand to gain the most by adopting AI to improve KPIs and outcomes.

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

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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