Malaysia-based Accendo Technologies, a company operating in the area of talent intelligence, selection, development and upskilling, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dublin-headquartered employee experience and activation technology firm Welliba to expand its global footprint.

This MoU also positions Accendo to “significantly” enhance its AI models with globally sourced, verified, and secure data. The AI capabilities will enable Accendo to offer “superior” talent intelligence solutions, facilitating its expansion into new markets.

Also Read: Future-proofing talent management: The impact of AI on retention in Southeast Asia

“Access to our combined globally anonymised yet highly rich data will significantly enhance our AI models, enabling us to offer more precise and effective talent intelligence and talent experience solutions. This is a critical step in our global expansion strategy,” Sharma Lachu, CEO of Accendo Technologies, said.

The MOU outlines several key areas of collaboration:

Collaborative research: Engaging in joint research initiatives to explore cutting-edge approaches to talent intelligence and employee experience.

Knowledge sharing: Facilitating regular knowledge exchange sessions, workshops, and seminars to disseminate research findings and best practices.

Development of advanced solutions: Co-developing AI-driven solutions and tools to refine and improve talent selection, development, and upskilling processes.

Driving innovation: Encouraging collaborative projects that drive the creation of new technologies and methodologies in talent management.

David Barrett, CEO of Welliba, added, “We have known Accendo Technologies for over 15 years now and our combined efforts have already yielded significant innovations in talent and people experiences across ASEAN and globally, contributing to the global digital economy and professional export revenue from both our countries.”

Also Read: ‘Bringing world-class AI talent into Singapore can substantially enrich the industry’

Achim Preuss, CIO of Welliba, added, “By leveraging our combined data sets, we will be able to further enhance our AI models, offering superior talent intelligence and talent experience solutions that promote sustainable workforce development and employee well-being.”

—

Image Credit: Accendo.

The post Accendo signs MOU with Welliba for global expansion, AI innovation appeared first on e27.

Startup funding in Southeast Asia faced a substantial 65 per cent decline in H1 (January 01-June 10) 2024, according to a report by global SaaS-based market intelligence platform Tracxn.

The funding stood at US$1.6 billion in H1 this year compared to US$4.5 billion in H1 2023 and US$2.5 billion in H2 2023.

Southeast Asia ranked ninth globally in terms of tech startup funding in H1 2024.

Also Read: SEA startups raised US$371M across 42 rounds in March: Tracxn report

As per the Geo Semi-Annual Report: SEA Tech H1 2024, late-stage funding was the worst hit, which fell 69 per cent to US$421 million in H1 2024 from US$1.3 billion in H2 2023 and an 86 per cent plunge from US$3 billion raised in H1 2023.

Early-stage investments stood at US$946 million in H1 2024, a decline of 19 per cent from US$1.2 billion in H1 2023. However, this is an 8 per cent uptick over H2 2023.

Seed-stage financing dropped to US$234 million in H1 2024 from US$407 million in H1 2023 and US$323 million in H2 2023.

In Q2 (April 01 to June 10) 2024, startups raised US$477 million, an 85 per cent decrease from US$3.16 billion in Q2 2023 and 57 per cent lower than US$1.12 billion raised in Q1 2024. Notably, this period witnessed two major funding rounds exceeding US$100 million: ANEXT Bank (US$148 million Series D) and GuildFi (US$140 million in Series A).

No new unicorns were created in H1 2024, as against one in H1 2023.

However, acquisition activity increased, with 36 companies, compared with 30 in H1 2023 and 42 in H2 2023.

MaNaDr, RYDE, and Topindoku were the only three companies to go public in H1 2024. Only three IPOs took place, a decline from seven in H1 2023 and four in H2 2023.

The leading sectors in terms of performance in H1 2024 were fintech, hightech, and enterprise applications. Fintech firms attracted US$851 million in H1 2023, a 20 per cent drop from US$1.07 billion raised in H1 2023. Funding in the hightech segment stood at US$476 million, a 47 per cent jump from US$323 million in H1 2023.

The enterprise applications sector witnessed a 49 per cent decrease in funding, from US$775 million in the first half of 2023 to US$393 million in H1 2024.

Singapore led the region in terms of total funds raised in H1, followed by Jakarta and Bangkok. Tech startups based in Singapore raised US$1.1 billion in H1 2024, while those based in Jakarta and Bangkok raised US$185 million and US$150 million, respectively.

Also Read: Funding into SEA’s female-led startups falls 42% to US$480.8M in 2023: Tracxn

East Ventures, 500 Global, and Wavemaker Partners emerged as the overall top investors in the SEA ecosystem in H1 2024.

SEEDS Capital, Temasek, and Seventure Partners were the leading early-stage investors in H1 2024, while MUFG Innovation, NewView Capital, and Avataar Ventures topped the late-stage investment charts. Antler, 500 Global Ventures, and East Ventures topped seed-stage funding in H1 2024.

—

The post Funding in SEA sees 65% plunge in H1 2024; late-stage deals worst-hit appeared first on e27.

Arbor, based in the UK, is an AI-powered news aggregation and summary platform. It generates personalised insights for any topic users care about and saves users from searching and reading hundreds of profession-specific news daily. The app utilises its innovative AI hallucination tool to identify and eliminate inaccuracies and provide users with credible information they can put their trust in.

Launched in March 2024, Arbor has partnered with major publishing houses like The New York Times and Hong Kong Economic Journal, allowing users to have access to paywall content from top-tier publishers. The app claims to have gained 140,000 users so far. The company also plans to expand its business into Southeast Asia and India.

In this interview, Arbor founder Cheney Cheng discusses Arbor, its Newspresso tool, partnerships, and the firm’s Southeast Asia expansion.

Edited excerpts:

How does your AI hallucination tool work?

The AI hallucination tool is designed to ensure AI doesn’t make up fake content due to the lack of accurate and relevant information. To prevent such hallucinations, the tool employs AI to compare generated answers with their original sources. This additional layer of verification ensures the accuracy and reliability of the information provided, effectively guarding against hallucinations.

What is Newspresso, and how is Arbor leveraging personalisation to curate news stories on users’ interests? How does Arbor ensure the accuracy and credibility of the news it curates?

Newspresso is the paid newsletter feature of Arbor. It leverages advanced AI technology to personalise news delivery based on users’ interests and roles.

Also Read: Why Asia provides exciting opportunities for Artificial Superintelligence Alliance to scale

An example of how this works is when the same news about Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) can yield vastly different results when viewed from a consumer’s perspective versus an investor’s perspective.

Can you explain the technology behind Arbor’s AI model and how it continually refines the news curation process?

Based on a core large language model, Arbor has developed a proprietary set of deep learning models and algorithms to better control the relevancy and quality of the output.

Technical challenges faced by a generic large language model (LLM) include accurate news retrieval, cross-lingual content aggregation, and hallucination, among others.

What does the partnership with The New York Times and Hong Kong Economic Journal mean for Arbor, and what value does it provide for users? Are there any other notable partnerships or collaborations in the pipeline that you can share?

The partnership between Arbor, The New York Times and Hong Kong Economic Journal  enhances our mission to deliver high-quality journalism globally.

This collaboration offers Arbor users attractive bundled subscription packages, providing unique perspectives and insightful analyses from reputable sources.

Looking ahead, Arbor plans to continue forming strategic alliances with other high-quality publishers, further expanding its comprehensive news coverage and solidifying its position as a leader in AI-curated news.

What motivated Arbor to expand into Southeast Asian and India? What strategies will Arbor implement to adapt to the unique media landscapes of these countries? How do you plan to compete with existing news curation platforms in the region?

Arbor’s expansion into Southeast Asian markets, such as Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, in addition to India, is motivated by the region’s rapid digital adoption and growing demand for reliable news.

To adapt to these unique media landscapes, Arbor will localise content through partnerships with reputable local publishers and leverage advanced AI models to tailor news feeds to user preferences.

What challenges do you anticipate in entering these new markets, and how do you plan to address them? How do you plan to tailor Arbor’s offerings to meet the specific needs and preferences of users in Southeast Asia?

Entering new markets presents challenges such as cultural differences, market competition, and building trust. Arbor aims to address these by adapting its content sources to resonate with diverse cultures, ensuring the content is culturally relevant.

To remain competitive amongst established local news platforms, Arbor will emphasise its unique AI-driven personalisation and high-quality insights.

Also Read: Ethics and Artificial Intelligence: Is the technology only as good as the human behind it?

Building trust is crucial, so Arbor will focus on transparent practices and ensuring the accuracy and credibility of its content. This approach aims to establish Arbor as a trusted and valuable news resource in any new market.

Arbor claims to have achieved growth of 100,000+ users in three months of its launch. What do you attribute this rapid growth to? What are Arbor’s plans for growth in Southeast Asia in the near future?

Arbor’s rapid growth to over 100,000 users in three months is due to its advanced AI technology that delivers highly personalised news, saving users time and providing actionable insights. Moving forward, strategic partnerships with reputable publishers will also boost its credibility.

Arbor plans to grow in Southeast Asia by focusing on cultural adaptability, ensuring content resonates with local audiences, and leveraging partnerships to establish trust.

How do you envision Arbor evolving over the next five years? Are there any plans to introduce Arbor in other regions or countries after Southeast Asia?

We envision the rise of Generative Media as the fourth wave of media transformation and we’re proud to be one of the earliest pioneers in the space.

Over the next five years, Arbor envisions becoming a global leader as a personalised information provider by continually enhancing its AI capabilities and expanding its partnerships with international and local publishers. The platform aims to integrate features like interactive news formats, multilingual support, and deeper user insights to improve the user experience.

After establishing a strong presence in Southeast Asia, Arbor plans to expand into regions like Latin America and Africa, adapting content to meet local needs, and solidifying its position as the go-to platform for personalised news worldwide.

—

Image Credit: Arbor.

The post ‘Arbor envisions the rise of Generative Media as the 4th wave of media transformation’ appeared first on e27.

Okapi Technologies, a solar financing startup based in Malaysia, has announced its official launch in Malaysia with the closure of a new funding round led by impact investor The Radical Fund.

Multiple angel investors, including Ninja Van co-founders Lai Chang Wen and Shaun Chong, also joined the round.

The details of the deal remain undisclosed.

Also Read: This startup aims to make rooftop solar accessible to smaller households with zero upfront cost

At present, the rooftop solar industry in Malaysia is booming, driven by supportive government policies such as the SolaRIS rebate introduced in April 2024 of up to RM4,000 per household to install solar energy systems on their rooftops.

However, high upfront costs remain a significant barrier to adoption for middle-income households. Industry insiders including those from Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Malaysia’s national utilities company, have attributed high upfront pricing as the main obstacle to greater adoption of rooftop solar among homeowners. Also, there is a lack of appropriate financing options for such a long-duration productive asset in the region.

Lai Zhern Yung and Christopher Kwong, both former bankers and engineers, founded Okapi to address this pain point.

The startup’s proprietary platform connects clean energy investors with solar dealers, installers and EPCs (engineering, procurement, and construction) companies nationwide via an embedded financing and project management solution.

With its instant credit decisioning engine, Okapi empowers solar stakeholders to offer cash flow-positive leasing plans of up to ten years to homeowners at the point of sale. According to the startup, this mechanism eliminates all logistical and psychological barriers for households to access lower utility costs, thereby “significantly” reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint, while contributing to Malaysia’s Net Zero goal.

Since its launch, Okapi has established commercial partnerships with dozens of solar companies in Malaysia and targets to fund the installation of 100 residential solar energy systems per month by the first quarter of 2025.

Malaysia’s National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) has estimated that up to RM1.85 trillion of financing is required to meet energy transition targets by 2050.

Also Read: How The Radical Fund discovers, backs, spearheads climate-resilient ventures in SEA

“By sourcing competitive capital and investing in quality solar assets, Okapi removes barriers to residential solar adoption. Each installation generates 800-1,000 kWh monthly, accelerating the region’s renewable energy transition, cutting GHG emissions, and empowering Southeast Asia’s middle-income households to reduce utility costs and secure energy price stability,” said Alina Truhina, CEO and Managing Partner of The Radical Fund.

—

The post The Radical Fund, Ninja Van co-founders invest in Malaysian solar financing startup Okapi appeared first on e27.

Southeast Asia’s (SEA) economic development is at odds with the necessary climate trajectory. With rapid urbanisation, over 100 million people are projected to migrate to cities by 2030. While these urban dwellers will be an important catalyst for economic expansion, they will also be contributors to an unprecedented surge in energy demand — projected at a staggering 42 per cent increase anticipated over the next decade. 

The twin challenges of the built environment sector in SEA

The built environment is one of the planet’s most pollutive sectors. It currently accounts for approximately 39 per cent of global CO2 emissions. Despite the urgency to address climate change, obstacles persist. Escalating energy price volatility and rising interest rates hinder investments in building decarbonisation efforts.

As a consequence, the sector is veering off course from its decarbonisation pathway and is unlikely to reach net zero by 2050 without immediate and decisive action, The gap between actual climate performance and the necessary trajectory for decarbonisation continues to widen.

SEA is also particularly vulnerable to climate change, facing rising temperatures and sea levels. While decarbonising buildings toward net-zero emissions remains a significant challenge, the accelerating impact of climate change on our cities and homes is deeply concerning, including rising mean and variance of temperature, increased precipitation, humidity, wind patterns, and solar radiation.

Globally, April 2024 sets a new record as the hottest month ever recorded, marking the 11th consecutive month of unprecedented global warmth. The region’s extensive coastlines and low-lying areas make us susceptible to extreme weather events such as typhoons, floods, and heatwaves. These events pose threats to environmental degradation, exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions, impact economic productivity, and endanger human health and safety. The escalating temperatures drive excessive air-conditioning use, further contributing to global warming.

In Jakarta,  excessive groundwater extraction is causing the city to sink, prompting the government to relocate its capital. In Singapore, the government has established a US$5 billion fund to mitigate coastal erosion and flooding risks. The Philippines government’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources has also completed resilience roadmaps for 16 vulnerable areas to guide disaster risk management and climate resilience efforts.

Regulations and certifications in built environment space

Given the significant challenges related to decarbonisation and climate resilience faced by the built environment sector, SEA lacks mandatory building regulations, contributing to slow progress in decarbonising the built environment. However, the situation is gradually changing.

Green building certifications, such as the Green Building Index, Green Real Estate, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and BREEAM are gaining traction. These certifications evaluate the sustainability attributes of buildings and provide recognition for environmentally responsible practices.

Also Read: Balancing act: Carbon Balance’s quest to tackle climate crises with tech-driven sustainability

They assess various criteria, including energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, waste management, and occupant health and well-being. Although these certifications are primarily voluntary, the demand for them is increasing for several reasons:

• Sustainability policy of tenants: Companies and individuals are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their actions, leading to a rising demand for sustainable practices, including green buildings. This trend is particularly driven by global Fortune 500 companies, where institutional shareholders demand greater sustainability practices that trickle down to procurement functions when in search of real estate offices. Moreover, leading regional enterprises are also adopting these practices to attract institutional investors and retain their best employees.
• Availability of green loans: Building construction is a competitive and capital-intensive industry where access to affordable labour, materials, and financing is essential for profitability and success. The availability of green loans with lower interest rates encourages developers to construct new green buildings. The Malaysian government actively promotes green building investment through policies and schemes, such as the Green Technology Financing Scheme, which incentivises sustainable practices.
• Lower operating expenses: Potential savings from efficient operations serve as an attractive incentive for tenants. Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) and lighting make up 60-70 per cent of energy costs. Hence, energy-efficient designs, renewable energy sources and smart technologies in these areas can reduce utility bills for occupants in the long term. In an economic environment marked by high cost of capital and cost cutting, lower operating expenditures could better retain tenants.

Green buildings, certified by third parties, represent valuable assets and attractive business opportunities. They have the potential to generate higher revenue by attracting and retaining high-quality multinational clients.

Additionally, their lower operating costs, thanks to more efficient use of energy, and reduced cost of financing, drive further demand and innovation for building decarbonisation and climate resilience.

Therefore, it is no secret that such coveted certifications are highly sought after by real estate owners like Capitaland, Ayala Land and IJM Land. A portfolio of green buildings is now considered a compelling and fast-growing business segment. 

To be clear, they are not perfect either. According to a report “Seeing is Believing, Unlocking the Low-Carbon Real Estate Market” by Systemiq released in June 2024, it identifies two major issues with 3rd-party certifications and ratings:

• Inconsistency with decarbonisation pathways: Analysis showed that there is no clear correlation between certified assets and better energy performance, indicating potential gaps in these independent assessments. Many of these tools do not have a target that is consistent with 1.5 degrees Celsius pathways. 
• Lack of transparency on carbon and energy performance: Major certification bodies offer limited insights into how their building portfolio performs against energy use and carbon emissions. 

The implication is that such factors might be muting demand signals for low-carbon buildings, resulting in a lack of confidence to invest in truly sustainable buildings. However, this is changing and major certification bodies like LEED and BREEAM are updating their schemes to be more transparent and ambitious. While the progress is highly encouraging, there is still more to be done to be on track for the 1.5 degrees Celsius pathway. 

Decarbonising our building infrastructure

One critical area for achieving green building status involves reducing GHG emissions. These emissions from buildings can be categorised into two main aspects. 

Embodied carbon emissions

These are emissions resulting from the raw material extraction, production, supply chain and installation of building materials such as cement, glass and steel structures. New building projects are estimated to generate approximately half of their emissions from embodied sources. Strategies for decarbonising embodied carbon emissions include offering substitutes for raw materials and adopting green building products such as green cement and steel.

Notably, this opportunity is massive at some US$20-30 billion in Southeast Asia, requiring significant capital expenditure and working capital. Therefore, venture capital investments alone will not suffice; debt and infrastructure funds will be necessary.

Some startups innovating in this space include:

• Neocrete, a New Zealand startup, uses a proprietary additive to enhance concrete properties while reducing carbon footprint.
• CarbonCure injects recycled CO2 into concrete during the mixing process and repurposes buildings as carbon storage.
• H2 Green Steel is a Swedish startup that produces steel using hydrogen made from renewable energy instead of coal.

Despite their potential, these innovations currently come at a higher cost compared to conventional materials, necessitating further engineering and economies of scale to reduce costs for mass adoption.

Operating carbon emissions

These are emissions from building operations like energy consumption such as HVAC and lighting which collectively contribute to c.70 per cent of operating emissions. These operations contribute to the other half of emissions from the built environment. Decarbonising building operations presents a combination of asset-intensive and asset-light opportunities and represents a US$10-20 billion addressable market.

Also Read: On the sustainability of AI: Why measuring digital carbon emissions is key to a greener future

New HVAC systems such as district cooling require a significant upfront investment but there are also automation and optimisation software which can enhance the efficiency of traditional HVAC systems. Artificial intelligence and automation play enabling roles in enhancing real-time human comfort, optimisation and energy consumption efficiency.

Additionally, there is potential for creating carbon-negative operations such as the installation of solar panels on building surfaces using innovative photovoltaic technology to generate excess energy beyond immediate needs.

Notable homegrown startups in the region include:

• uHoo specialises in indoor air quality and temperature monitoring to measure various air quality parameters ensuring a healthy and comfortable environment.
• SensorFlow measures the energy consumption of boilers and chillers and correlates the measured consumption with heating and cooling demand.
• Solano Energy deploys new energy assets forming a distributed energy resource management system enabling every building owner to produce and store renewable energy.

Despite these innovative solutions, challenges related to incentives and financing remain during implementation.

Building for a new climate norm

As temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more frequent, we must rethink and enable the design of our built environment. Unlike decarbonisation, strategies to defend against climate catastrophes require a comprehensive approach involving a broader range of stakeholders and public-private partnerships.

• Policymakers: City officials, particularly in areas prone to climate disasters, must prioritise upgrading early warning and communication systems using digital infrastructure. Additionally, urban vegetation and improved water management strategies can help manage heat waves while enhancing coastal defences against rising sea levels. These measures not only protect communities but also improve urban liveability.
• Building Managers: Given prolonged heat waves in Southeast Asia, building managers will face increased cooling demands and peak loads. The implementation of energy-efficient cooling systems and the adoption of smart building technologies will be crucial in reducing energy consumption and maintaining occupant comfort.
• Construction companies and real estate developers: Architects and civil engineers should scrutinise new building designs and review existing material selection to withstand harsher environmental conditions. Project managers must also account for delays caused by extreme weather events, adjusting timelines and budgets accordingly.
• Insurers and Financiers: They need to prepare for more frequent natural catastrophes by incorporating new longitudinal climate data into their underwriting frameworks. National grants may also be made available for disaster management and relief support for affected communities

These are a new set of challenges that come with climate change. Fortunately, there are already startup founders with long-term vision who have been already working on these problem statements to tackle such opportunities.

• Komunidad harnesses the power of data and analytics to help enterprises and governments tackle the risks of climate change.
• Nafas provides businesses with a flexible & data-driven way to provide healthy air quality to their employees and customers against low air quality.
• IBISA’s parametric insurance offers end-to-end resilience to protect businesses and communities against climate change-induced natural catastrophes.

It is essential to recognise that not all climate adaptation opportunities in the built environment are suitable for venture capital investments. Nature-based projects, such as urban vegetation and mangroves, play a crucial role in defending against extreme heat and coastal erosion. Infrastructure developments, like coastal walls and drainage systems, are equally important.

Professional services, such as innovative building designs and material selections by architects and civil engineers, contribute to the total solution universe but may not align with climate venture capital investments.

How VCs are catalysing innovation

The increasing prevalence of green buildings and challenges of climate change are opening up vast opportunities for sustainable innovation within the built environment sector across all areas like, 

• Embodied carbon emission
• Operating carbon emission
• Re-thinking building in a new climate norm

Also Read: Meet the 4 SEA startups of PepsiCo’s climate tech accelerator programme

Consequently, this sector is drawing substantial venture capital investments to capitalise on this trend. For example:

• Proptech and real estate VC fund Fifth Wall had closed US$500m for its 1st climate fund in 2022, underscoring the sector’s potential impact on climate solutions.
• Australia’s proptech manager, Taronga Ventures, had closed US$170m to focus on the ESG space, far exceeding its original target of US$50m. Their commitment highlights the growing interest in sustainable real estate solutions. 

There is also no lack of successful startup stories:

• Brimstone was selected by US DOE for an up to US$189m award to build a commercial-scale facility that will demonstrate the start-up’s novel technology at scale for the very first time.
• Closer to home, Accacia, an India-based decarbonisation platform for real estate and infrastructure, has closed a US$6.5m Pre-Series A round from Illuminate Finance, Accel and B Capital.

These opportunities coupled with strong macro and ESG tailwinds in Southeast Asia meant that the built environment will be one of the focus areas for our fund. Some of the key themes that are explored (non-exhaustive) may include:

• Digitalisation: Deploying next-generation software to supplant outdated systems like building management systems.
• AI-led optimisation and analytics: Empowering building managers to leverage AI for heightened energy efficiency, minimised waste, and optimised resource utilisation.
• Material innovation: Introducing novel sustainable materials, including cooling-effect paints, transparent solar panels as glass substitutes, and carbon-negative cement.
• Resource management: Covering critical areas such as energy storage, waste stream processing, indoor air quality and water conservation.
• Hardtech: Investing in hardware advancements, including sophisticated sensors, IoT devices and solar panels to revolutionise the built environment. 

Challenges in adopting innovative solutions

While clear problem statements, compelling business cases, and available solutions are essential, they do not always guarantee swift adoption in the built environment sector. This industry is notorious for its slow-moving momentum, which can be frustrating for startups and investors.

Some of the challenges include:

• Legacy challenges: Many existing buildings and infrastructure operate on legacy systems. Integrating these systems seamlessly with new technology can be challenging. Retrofitting old buildings often proves to be more expensive than constructing new ones, especially in high-cost markets like Singapore—even after accounting for carbon emissions.
• Lack of/inconsistent regulation: Inconsistent and unclear policies across the region hinder the creation of a robust incentive or penalty framework. Such a framework is crucial for accelerating the adoption of new technologies. Without regulatory alignment, stakeholders may hesitate to invest in innovative solutions.
• Lengthy adoption cycles: Building materials like concrete and steel are critical for structural integrity. Replacing these conventional materials requires extensive testing to ensure strength, workability, and durability. Consequently, implementation cycles can become lengthy, delaying the adoption of alternative materials.
• Economic challenges: Many new solutions haven’t achieved the economies of scale necessary to compete with conventional materials in terms of cost. HVAC upgrades, for instance, are typically planned well in advance, leaving little room in the budget for exploring alternatives beyond fixed-asset schedules.
• Lack of awareness: Stakeholders, ranging from building owners to occupants, may not fully grasp the benefits of green solutions or be aware of the available options. Some sustainable solutions are perceived as risky or unproven. Demonstrating their reliability and effectiveness is crucial for overcoming this perception.

In navigating these challenges, collaboration among industry players, policymakers, and investors is essential. By addressing these roadblocks collectively, we have a better chance to accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions and create a more sustainable built environment.

Partnership for win-win with Keppel

Given the aforementioned challenges and the nascency of the sector, The Radical Fund has partnered with Keppel Real Estate Group to tackle decarbonising the built environment sector. A division of Keppel Corporation, Keppel Real Estate is a global asset manager and operator with expertise in sustainability-related solutions across infrastructure, real estate, and connectivity.

It has been recognised for delivering innovative urban space solutions that leverage technology to create sustainable and customer-centric developments. Their commitment to building responsibly and sustainably is evident in their approach to creating real estate solutions that mitigate climate change and enhance lifestyles and businesses.

The firm recently closed a US$1.7 billion sustainability fund to upgrade existing assets and invest in value-add platforms that create greener cities and work to reduce the negative impact of climate change. 

Keppel Real Estate’s strong capabilities and deep experience in the area of real estate, its sharp focus on sustainability and its captive portfolio of commercial and industrial real estate assets offer a compelling green lane to test bed and pilot the solutions of our startups.

Together, we aim to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technologies that address climate-related challenges while establishing a foundational proof-of-concept to scale promising solutions relevant to the real estate development and built environment sectors. We are also actively partnering with co-investors and debt providers to catalyse climate innovation in SEA. 

The Radical Fund is seeking business models that are capital-light while delivering a twin strategy of scaled commercial and climate impact. Please reach out to us for feedback or comments regarding the built environment industry in Southeast Asia or share your startup here.

—

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 Pro

The post Balancing economic growth and climate action: Decarbonising SEA’s built environment appeared first on e27.