Dear reader,

Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, has secured a monumental US$6 billion in Series B funding from Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz, marking a significant milestone for the company founded in July 2023.

This capital infusion, following a report of a potential US$6.5 billion round, will enable xAI to advance its infrastructure and product lineup. xAI’s flagship product, Grok, a rival to ChatGPT, is now open-source, emphasising Musk’s commitment to “truth-seeking” AI technology.

This move sets xAI apart from competitors like Alphabet and Microsoft-backed OpenAI. Notably, Musk has also legally challenged OpenAI for straying from its original open-source mission.

The fresh funding position xAI among elite startups attracting substantial investment, mirroring recent significant raises like Alibaba’s US$1 billion investment in Moonshot AI and Alpha Intelligence Capital’s US$250 million fund.

xAI’s upcoming product announcements are highly anticipated, promising to further disrupt the AI landscape.

Sainul,
Editor.

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NEWS

Musk’s startup xAI nets US$6B to take on rivals like OpenAI
The investors include Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz; xAI has developed Grok, a ChatGPT rival powered partly by data from X; The AI startup has now made the Grok-1 model open-source to spur further improvements.

aCommerce cut net loss by half, grew revenue 18% in 2023
The Thai e-commerce enabler posted a total revenue of US$200M for 2023; Meanwhile, its net loss narrowed by 54.9% to US$4.6M during the same period even though the company increased its total expenses by 14%.

Prominent ByteDance investor preps new US$300M AI-centered fund
Source Code Capital, founded by former Sequoia China investor Cao Yi, holds roughly US$5B across its yuan and dollar funds; Aside from ByteDance, it has also invested in the likes of food delivery platform Meituan and electric scooter manufacturer Niu.

Google to invest US$350M in India’s Flipkart, valuing co at US$37B
Flipkart has been a source of IPO speculation since Walmart took over the company, which competes with Amazon.com in India; Earlier this month, executives at Walmart said they are “looking and exploring” for the right time for Flipkart’s IPO.

AVPN, Google.org launch US$15M fund to equip workers in APAC with AI skills
The AI Opportunity Fund will identify and select non-profits and social enterprises that reach out to the workers impacted by the workforce transitions caused by AI.

India’s Zypp Electric nets US$15M to expand EV fleet
Japan’s Eneos led the Series C round; Zypp aims to make last-mile delivery sustainable and emission-free through its fleet of 21K electric scooters; The electric-vehicle-as-a-service provider aims to raise US$50M in total for the round.

Y Combinator’s Garry Tan supports some AI regulation but warns against AI monopolies
Tan said he was “overall supportive” of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) attempt to construct a GenAI risk mitigation framework.

Gate.io arm shelves HK crypto license application amid regulatory hurdles
It’s now the third firm tied to a global exchange to back out from the market’s rigorous regulations; Consequently, Gate.HK has paused new user registrations, deposits, and promotions in Hong Kong.

Vietnam’s proptech startup WeSale bags seed capital from Hitseries CapitalHitseries Capital
WeSale is proptech platform connecting partners, individuals and organisations to project owners and developers; The startup will use the money to develop and upgrade the platform, expand markets and develop new products and services.

FEATURES

Pixlr can transform classrooms into creative studios: CEO Warren Leow
The Pixlr platform’s suite of AI-driven tools allows creative exploration and experimentation, fostering an engaging learning environment.

Southeast Asia startups secure funding for logistics, anime, sustainability and more!
This funding spree highlights the diverse and promising startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia.

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As a region that is rich in natural, human, and technological capital, Asia is well poised for a net-zero future.

Electrifying Southeast Asia: Unleashing the radical potential of electric vehicles
When investors express interest in the electric vehicle sector, it’s essential to understand precisely where they are directing their investments.

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The essentials of mapping a customer journey across digital assets
For a digital platform, optimising the customer journey is the key to extracting the maximum value out of them.

A paradigm shift on the Z axis: How Gen Z is shaping the new work culture
Gen Z, armed with digital prowess and a vision for a brighter future, is forging new paths by prioritising personal happiness over tradition.

Building trust through partnership: How collaboration enhances reputation
Building your client base directly is one of the primary ways in which a strategic collaboration may help your company expand.

If there is one thing investors are afraid of, it is lack of commitment from founders
Many startup founders treat their venture like an egg: if this one fails, they’ll go hatch another.

Women and AI: How startups can prevent gender bias and promote responsible use of the tech
Gender bias within AI is quite a complex topic in and of itself, but startups can play a more active role in preventing that.

Sustaining the work: How businesses can take a step forward in their move towards net zero
As tackling the impact of climate change becomes more urgent, the next critical decade must focus on pathways.

The post Ecosystem Roundup: Musk’s startup xAI raises US$6B | APAC gets new US$15M fund to equip workers with AI skills appeared first on e27.

Over the past three months, we’ve welcomed over 450,000 users from around the world. For many of you, the homepage is your first stop, and we want to make that first impression count. We’ve listened to your feedback and worked hard to enhance the platform.

Our goal is to provide a seamless and engaging experience, whether you’re diving into insightful articles, exploring innovative startups, connecting with potential investors, or browsing new job opportunities. We believe these updates will make your time on e27 even more enjoyable and productive.

As we continue to grow and support individual contributors, startups, investors, and other key players in the ecosystem, it’s essential to provide a platform that showcases their work effectively. With this latest update, we’ve focused on improving the visibility and accessibility of content, making it easier for our global audience to discover and engage with valuable information. From company profiles to job listings and events, we’ve streamlined the way you find what you’re looking for, ensuring you never miss out on important updates and opportunities.

Also Read: Introducing the new Contributor Dashboard: A streamlined approach to article management, monitoring, sharing, and writing

Let’s walk you through the new features and improvements:

Redesigned top contributor sidebar

Our contributors are essential to the e27 community, sharing their insights and expertise. To better showcase their work, we’ve revamped the top contributors sidebar. Now, you’ll see a clearer display of our most popular contributors and their latest articles.

Easy-to-read featured and latest posts

Finding great content is now simpler with our improved featured posts and the latest post sections. We’ve made headlines more readable with better fonts and provided concise, informative snippets so you can get a quick preview of each article.

Quick way to discover investors and startups

We’ve redesigned the investors and startups widgets to help you quickly find new and exciting profiles. With detailed information and quick filters, you can easily browse through investor and startup cards. Plus, you can connect directly from the cards themselves. For a deeper dive, our investor and startup databases are just a click away.

Convenient way to check the latest events and jobs

Our new jobs and events widgets make it easy to find what’s happening. We’ve added detailed info and quick filters to help you sort through the latest listings. You can register for events or apply for jobs directly from the cards. Companies can also easily add their own events and jobs through direct links.

New spotlight for e27 partner events and programs

To highlight our partner events and programs, we’ve created a new carousel widget. This easy-to-navigate feature lets you explore our latest partnerships and participate in exciting opportunities.

These updates are all about giving you a smoother, more intuitive user experience with a consistent and responsive design.

Check out our revamped homepage and see the improvements for yourself.

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Image credit: e27

The post Introducing e27’s revamped homepage: A fresh way to discover articles, startups, investors, jobs, and events appeared first on e27.

As the tech industry continues to expand, so does its environmental impact. From data centres consuming massive amounts of energy to the electronic waste generated by obsolete hardware, the carbon footprint of our digital lives is significant. However, the principles of DevSecOps — integrating security and operations into development processes — can be harnessed not just for efficiency and security but also for sustainability.

This article explores how DevSecOps can contribute to environmental sustainability, practical steps for implementing green practices in daily work, and case studies of companies that are leading the way in sustainable DevSecOps.

How DevSecOps can contribute to environmental sustainability

• Optimising resource usage
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): By using IaC, teams can automate the provisioning of resources, ensuring they only use what they need. This reduces the likelihood of over-provisioning, which often leads to unnecessary energy consumption.
  • Containerisation: Containers are more efficient than traditional virtual machines because they share the host system’s kernel. This means they require less overhead, leading to reduced energy usage.
• Efficient code practices
  • Code optimisation: Writing efficient code can reduce the processing power required to run applications. This not only speeds up performance but also decreases energy consumption.
  • Automated testing: Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines that include automated testing can ensure that only code meeting certain efficiency standards gets deployed, preventing resource wastage.
• Data management
  • Data minimisation: Reducing the amount of data stored and processed lowers the energy required for storage and computation. Implementing data lifecycle management helps in deleting unnecessary data.
  • Energy-efficient algorithms: Choosing algorithms that require less computational power can significantly cut down energy usage, especially in data-intensive applications.

Implementing green practices in your daily work

• Adopt cloud-native solutions
  • Serverless architectures: Use serverless computing to automatically scale resources based on demand. This ensures that you only use the resources needed at any given time.
  • Green cloud providers: Choose cloud providers that prioritise renewable energy sources and have strong sustainability commitments. Providers like Google Cloud and AWS have initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint.
• Optimise CI/CD pipelines
  • Pipeline efficiency: Streamline CI/CD pipelines to minimise the number of redundant processes and tests, reducing the overall computational load.
  • Scheduled builds: Instead of running builds continuously, schedule them during off-peak hours when energy consumption is lower or batch them to reduce frequency.

Also Read: ESG frameworks and standards: Cutting through the complexity for private markets

• Energy-efficient development environments
  • Virtualisation: Use lightweight virtual environments instead of resource-heavy local machines for development and testing.
  • Remote work policies: Encourage remote work to reduce commuting emissions and utilise energy-efficient home office setups.

Case studies of companies leading the way in sustainable DevSecOps

• Google Cloud
  • Carbon-neutral data centres: Google Cloud has achieved carbon neutrality and aims to run on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. Their data centres use advanced cooling techniques and AI-driven optimisation to minimise energy use.
  • Sustainable software development: Google promotes practices such as optimising code for energy efficiency and reducing the computational cost of applications.
• Microsoft Azure
  • AI for Earth: Microsoft’s AI for Earth program supports projects that use AI to solve global environmental challenges. Azure also operates with a commitment to be carbon-negative by 2030.
  • Green software engineering: Microsoft encourages the use of principles from the Green Software Engineering community, which focuses on reducing carbon emissions through software design and deployment.
• Salesforce
  • Sustainable development goals: Salesforce has integrated sustainability into its core values, committing to net-zero emissions across its value chain and 100% renewable energy for its global operations.
  • Eco-friendly DevOps practices: They utilise efficient data centre operations, promote the use of energy-efficient coding practices, and engage in regular sustainability audits to ensure ongoing improvements.

Final thoughts

Incorporating sustainability into DevSecOps practices is not just beneficial for the environment but also for business efficiency and innovation. By optimising resource usage, adopting green development practices, and learning from companies that are leading in sustainability, DevSecOps teams can significantly reduce their digital footprint.

As we move towards a more eco-conscious future, the integration of sustainability into every aspect of technology, including DevSecOps, will be crucial in driving long-term environmental change.

By adopting these practices, not only do we contribute to a healthier planet, but we also pave the way for a more sustainable and efficient technological landscape.

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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: Canva

The post Sustainable practices in DevSecOps: Reducing your digital footprint appeared first on e27.

Kipin was recently recognised in TIME Magazine’s World’s Top EdTech Companies 2024, a list of 250 shortlisted global edutech startups. Working with Statista, the list was based on a formula evaluating financial strength and industry impact. Kipin was the only Indonesian edutech startup shortlisted and was ranked sixth in Southeast Asia.

In an email interview with e27, Steffina Yuli, the Chief Business Officer of Kipin, explains the company’s mission and the solutions it provides for students in Indonesia.

Kipin enables schools, teachers, and students to implement digital school digitalisation at all education levels anywhere in Indonesia, whether in urban, rural, or remote areas with no internet access. One of its solutions is Kipin Classroom, which can operate in a hybrid (online and offline) manner.

Apart from offering study materials such as textbooks, video lessons, tryout exercises, and literacy comics for elementary to vocational levels, Kipin School features a unique offline-online exam system.

“Compared to traditional alternatives, our platform is highly scalable, seeing five times growth in the past year and can be used even in areas with limited internet connectivity. Additionally, we are fully aligned with the Ministry of Education’s curriculum and provide the content required for daily curriculum learning,” she says, adding that pilots have shown over 65 per cent increase in reading and writing scores.

Also Read: From gold rush jeans to digital skills: Edutech’s Levi Strauss moment

In developing their solutions, Kipin consulted over 300 teachers, educators, and school administrators, centering their product development process around user feedback and continuous improvement.

“We start by identifying the key challenges faced by students and educators through extensive research and immersion in schools. Our development team then collaborates to design and prototype solutions that address these challenges, deploy them in our pilot schools and iterate on them to ensure they really work. Each iteration is thoroughly tested in real classroom environments to ensure it meets the needs of both students and teachers,” she says.

In the recent years, since the appointment of former Gojek CEO Nadiem Makarim as Minister of Education, Indonesia has been pushing for the digitalisation of its education system, starting with the founding of initiatives such as GovTech Edu.

Kipin’s solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly with the national curriculum, providing digital versions of government-approved textbooks and learning materials.

“By offering these resources in a digital format, we help schools transition smoothly from traditional to digital learning environments. We are one of the official partners of the Ministry of Education as well as the Ministry of Communications. We believe that private sector, Indonesia-made solutions can have a powerful role in supporting government efforts to increase digital education and standards nationwide.”

It operates in B2B business model of selling products and services to schools, governments, and large corporations or non-profits that fund schools.

Also Read: Nagoya University: Asia’s extensive network of innovation, research, and education

In reaching out to their potential users, Kipin actively engages with Indonesian teachers through platforms such as YouTube. It also runs a teachers ambassador programme (DuKi) where young teachers learn about digital education and gain certification; it has produced 1,200 graduates.

The company works with foundations such Tanoto Foundation and Octava Foundation and have represented Indonesia at the Y20 Summit 2023 and the Global World Summit Awards Winner in Learning & Education.

Expanding across the archipelago

Kipin is run by a team of over 50 dedicated professionals that include business development, educators, software developers, content creators, and support staff.

It has raised undisclosed funding from venture capital firms and angel investors which has supported the acceleration of its product development and user acquisition.

“Looking ahead, we do have plans to raise additional funds to scale our operations further and enhance our product offerings. We are actively exploring partnerships with investors who share our commitment to making a positive impact in the education sector.”

This year, Kipin aims to further expand its reach in Indonesia.

“We aim to expand our school network and enhance our platform with additional features such as AI-driven personalised learning paths and more interactive content to further engage students,” she says.

“We also plan to establish partnerships with more educational institutions and government bodies to support the national digitalisation agenda towards Indonesia Emas 2045. We believe that quality education is everyone’s responsibility – and with the help of our partners, governments, and companies – we can achieve a better and more equal education for all.”

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Image Credit: Kipin

The post How Kipin is making education more accessible in remote areas in Indonesia appeared first on e27.