Construction accounts for 11% of the world’s carbon emissions — meaning it contributes almost as much to climate change as the world’s cars and trucks.

Meanwhile, inefficient legacy practices and human error lead to construction project delays and increased emissions, and with construction activity only set to pick up from here, this spells continued trouble for our environment.

Fortunately, companies are fielding new digital “smart” construction technologies that leverage artificial intelligence and data analytics — and these technologies promise to change the way the construction industry works, making it cleaner, greener, and more climate-friendly.

Smart construction solutions are taking the media spotlight

These smart construction innovators include the US-based Skycatch, a company that developed enterprise-grade technology that captures, processes, and analyses high accuracy 3D drone data. This data gives construction companies a “cheat code” to accurately plan and track their projects in ways they couldn’t before. 

Skycatch founder and CEO Christian Sanz appeared last month on  “Climatic,” a YouTube series from the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) venture arm ADB Ventures that focuses on the entrepreneurs working to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and make the Asia Pacific region more resilient to climate change.

Sanz introduced Skycatch’s core technologies, including the “vision engine” that collects raw 2D images and photos from drones and turns them into highly precise and automated 3D digital terrain models of construction sites, as well as Skycatch’s analytics engine that compiles and processes data for clients.

Also read: AWS Activate power boosts startups through agile and efficient cloud infrastructure — and free credits

These 3D models and data insights allow clients to complete construction and mining operations more quickly, resulting in decreased emissions.

“I was completely shocked when I first started getting involved in construction in the early days of Skycatch, in 2013, and realised how much of a construction project is doing a redesign of something that was done poorly or done the wrong way,” Sanz said, referencing projects derailed by costly human errors.

“If we can reduce [even] one day of construction,” Sanz added, “not only does it make an impact in the environment and reduce CO2, but it also makes the whole process more efficient.”

Daniel Hersson, Senior Fund Manager of ADB Ventures, which made an equity investment in Skycatch in March 2021, was also a guest on Climatic. Hersson said ADB Ventures was especially interested in the transition towards digitalising infrastructure, as well as the ability to capture the real world in a very detailed digital model. “That in itself can significantly improve how we develop construction sites and reduce inefficiencies in group activities.”

The game-changing efficiencies drone technologies bring  to construction projects

Thomas Abell, Chief of Digital Technology for Development at the Asian Development Bank, described the ADB’s use of Skycatch tech last year to construct a new port for the Pacific island of Nauru.

“Skycatch basically brings the data right into our hands on our computer so any ADB staff can go into the database on any day of the construction and look at what’s happening,” Abell said. “They can compare stockpiles of materials, they can look at where construction components are being laid down compared to the design, and they can look at the progress compared to the timeline.”

Also read: ASEAN’s first smart shopping cart technology is transforming the offline shopping experience

Ricky Togashi is Head of Innovation at Japanese construction giant Komatsu, which has gone all-in on smart construction technologies. Togashi said his company has created project visualisation and optimisation tools to alleviate worker on-site safety issues and make up for labour shortages, which he said are two “huge problems” now facing the construction industry.

Komatsu partnered with Skycatch in 2018 and deployed its drone solutions on construction sites around the world. Skycatch’s aerial survey capabilities, as Togashi told it, had unlocked seemingly exponential efficiencies for construction projects.

One “just has to push a button,” Togashi explained, to send up a drone to complete a highly accurate 3D survey of construction in “ten to fifteen minutes.” By contrast, Togashi said that it could take human survey teams “three days or one week” to perform a tedious manual survey of the same area, and their survey would likely include errors.

But there’s more to smart construction than AI-powered drones

Still other construction startups are offering technologies that reimagine all phases of the construction process.

The Finnish company Caidio appeared on an episode of Climatic called “Startup Showdown” and pitched its AI-powered “concrete intelligence” solution to a panel of judges. . the

Two other startups pitched on the show: viAct, a startup from Hong Kong, demonstrated a computer vision solution that increases safety and reduces delays on construction sites, and WaveScan, a Singapore-based deep-tech company that built a see-through scanner technology used for high-resolution structural inspections on construction sites.

Daniel Hersson of ADB Ventures was also a panellist on the Showdown and remarked that “these are three really exciting companies… trying to transform a very conservative industry and one that has a very significant climatic impact.”

The startups’ solutions yielded praise from other panellists, including Hara Wang Head of Investments and Fund Partnerships at Third Derivative who highlighted Caidio’s efforts to reduce emissions on construction operations in its initial market of China.   Meanwhile, Juan Nieto of CEMEX Ventures said he would work with “no other” company than viAct to optimise CEMEX’s Philippines operations.

APAC VCs are betting big on a “smart” future for construction

Smart construction companies like Skycatch are getting more than publicity — they’re also attracting abundant financing on their mission to clean up their industry’s dirty impact.

According to a McKinsey report, investments in construction tech have continued to grow briskly, with VC activity rising to several billion dollars at the end of 2019 from lower levels a decade ago. And the pandemic has sped the proliferation of these solutions, which can provide workarounds to lockdown-induced labour shortages.

Daniel Hersson spoke to e27 about his fund’s investments in smart construction solutions: “We realised that these modern tech solutions backed by powerful entrepreneurs if applied at scale in a region like Asia could not only help expedite growth in the construction industry but would also help the environment.”

Also read: AppWorks partners with e27 to help startups build investor network

And Hara Wang said she believes now is the time to invest in technology that can decarbonise the Asia Pacific.

“The construction sector, just like any traditional sector is going through, really, a period of digital transformation right now, Wang said, “I think there’s a really big opportunity here for startups to innovate and help the building and construction sector to better understand and monitor the performance of the construction and infrastructure projects, particularly under the increasing heat, humidity, and flood risk that comes with climate change.”

Wang added that she was also “excited to explore the potentials of achieving net-zero through a combination of prefabricated components, 3D printing and recycled building materials.”

Continued VC support of the industry is a crucial step toward reducing construction’s carbon footprint – and it could very well completely change the way our buildings and infrastructure are built.

Watch the Climatic “Smart Construction” Talk Show here.

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Photo by Mikael Blomkvist from Pexels

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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by ADB Ventures

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Vietnam’s leading e-commerce company Tiki has completed a US$258 million fifth funding round (Series E) led by global insurance giant AIA.

Investors, including Mirae Asset-Naver Asia Growth Fund, Taiwan Mobile, Yuanta Fund and STIC Investments, participated in the round.

In October, DealStreetAsia reported that Tiki had raised US$146 million in the second tranche of its Series E round. Before that, Tiki had received US$130 million led by Singapore-headquartered private equity firm Northstar Group.

Also Read: How Vietnam’s e-commerce firm Tiki manages to keep employee churn rate healthy

Tiki will use the fresh money to strengthen its logistics business and invest in ‘make in Vietnam’ technologies.

It will also collaborate with AIA to develop an insurtech platform offering insurance products and financial services for the customers. The project will be officially kicked off upon the launch of AIA’s health insurance products on Tiki, tentatively by the end of this December. With this solution in place, customers will be able to consult insurance offers and make insurance claims directly right on the platform.

Tiki is an e-commerce marketplace and supply chain company that operates several business units. Its products include TikiNOW Smart Logistics, an integrated supply chain platform, and Tiki Trading, a retail subsidiary.

The firm claims its fresh grocery delivery service TikiNGON saw y-o-y growth of 2,000 per cent, while its super fast delivery subscription service TikiNOW 2H tripled its active user base. TikiPRO, the scheduled delivery and installation service, also saw a 150 per cent increase in gross merchandise volume y-o-y.

“The US$258 million investment dedicated only to Vietnam proves Tiki’s long-term commitment to building world-class infrastructure — whether they are technologies, supply chain capabilities, talent development, and jobs creation,” said founder and CEO Tran Ngoc Thai Son.

“Together, we will focus on three distinct areas: lifestyle benefits and innovative distribution; distinctive digital health & wellness offerings, and other financial & e-commerce propositions. With Tiki’s existing assets and market leadership, we can bring an accessible and enhanced customer service proposition to make a positive difference in the lives of the people of Việt Nam. We are very excited to extend AIA’s Vietnam’s market leadership and work together with our partner, Tiki,” said Wayne Besant, CEO of AIA Vietnam.

Also Read: How AI is helping Tiki address price hike, fraud, product quality issues during the outbreak

“We have a very positive outlook for Vietnam’s economy, digital transformation, and e-commerce growth. In particular, as a leading local e-commerce company in Vietnam, Tiki is providing differentiated and valuable services to Vietnamese consumers. Tiki has been improving the credibility and convenience of Vietnam’s e-commerce market through its high-quality products offering and fast and accurate delivery,” said Jikwang Chung, MD, Mirae Asset Capital.

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Image Credit: Tiki

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Technology companies are more likely to be acquired than go public, but too little attention is paid to making these acquisitions successful for either the target or the buyer.

In the first half of 2021, Asian merger and acquisition activity surged to its second-highest level ever, totalling US$707.7 billion. That is up 75 per cent from the same period a year earlier.

Despite the vast amount spent on acquisitions, not all M&A is successful. A recent study in Australia found that 60 per cent of public company M&A deals fail.

I have completed more than 30 corporate acquisitions on both sides of the transaction. Here, I have distilled my most important, hard-won lessons to ensure acquisitions are successful.

Be crystal clear

The acquirer needs to be crystal clear about how they expect to create value via the acquisition. In many cases, the strategic logic is not clearly articulated, or various stakeholders in the acquiring company have competing visions. Deals without a clear strategy for value creation are more likely to be less successful.

Seek revenue, not savings

Acquirers often put too much emphasis on cost reductions and too little on revenue synergies. Depending on the case, there may be massive upside in revenue synergies, but attaining them can require focused effort.

Also Read: Bitkub becomes unicorn after SCB’s acquisition of its majority stake for US$536M

Tap on the boosting effect

The impact of the merger between Juwai Limited and IQI Global to create Juwai IQI was transformative. Most revenue drivers doubled or tripled after the merger. Don’t underestimate the brand and morale-boosting effect a merger can have on staff, customers, and other stakeholders. 

One bad business cannot save another.

Some executives seek to combine two outdated or poorly performing businesses hoping that they will do better together than apart. They won’t. When two poor companies are combined into one, you proportionally worsen the outcome.

For example, combining two print businesses has not succeeded anywhere in arresting this sector’s continued implosion of profitability. 

The acquisition is just the start.

It can take months to complete an acquisition or merger, but doing so is just the campaign’s starting point to successfully combining the two businesses. Consider what happens when you buy a software system. You negotiate and pay the license fee, but the hardest work is only beginning.

The license fee is often overshadowed by the costs of integration, which can be five to 10 times the license fee itself and can require the sustained attention of a large team.

After a merger or acquisition, you will also need to invest additional time and effort. Consider sending dedicated post-merger integration teams to critical sites to shepherd the teams towards successful integration.

The roadmap is more important than the advisors

You may spend hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions on your M&A advisers and lawyers. But your acquisition can quickly still fail. The advisors are essential, but your roadmap is crucial. All the key players must fully understand and agree to it. Your strategy is more critical than your advisers.

Decide what the real assets are

Your acquisition strategy, due diligence, and post-acquisition implementation will all be structured to make the most of the benefits you hope to obtain. But you must clearly understand what you are acquiring and how to protect the value of these assets. This understanding must inform your roadmap.

Also Read: SCB Abacus raises US$12M in Series A to accelerate product development, talent acquisition

Not delegating

You cannot delegate the hard work of M&A. This is a task for the Executive Chair, Managing Director, or CEO. You cannot leave it to external advisers or lower-level managers. The senior team’s level of involvement can determine the success or failure of extensive integrations.

Don’t over-optimise the purchase price

If you negotiate too hard on the purchase price, you risk alienating the target’s founders or other key individuals. You then risk undoing the M&A’s benefits by quickly losing senior team members or seeing a significant sell-off in shares after completion. That could undermine the logic of the acquisition, investor confidence, and potentially the share price.

Have a clear DD plan 

As the first step in your due diligence effort, set precise levels of materiality. Decide how significant particular factors or assumptions are to the purchase. Having this clear ranking of priorities at the start allows you to more easily sort through the masses of information likely to be made available to you in the data room.

Keep the lawyers focused 

While your advisers probably genuinely want to help you make the best possible decisions, they also have a financial interest in attributing as many hours as possible to your account on their timesheets. Keep your lawyers focused on avoiding a cost blowout.

It’s not just about numbers

The numbers may add up, and the acquisition might still be a bad idea. Look out for irreconcilable differences in culture, staff norms, etc. Many buyers assume they can easily rectify such challenges once the acquisition is complete, only to see their efforts fail.

Be on the spot

Remote acquisitions are very tricky. It would be best if you went to the target. To ensure better integration after the M&A, locate some functions of the newly combined business in the target. When bringing teams together into a single workspace, make an effort to restructure the entire space to communicate that the target alone won’t have to bear the burden of integration.

Also Read: User acquisition strategies to grow your app from Adjust and ironSource

It starts at the top

Avoid an adversarial approach to the M&A. After completion, do everything possible to ensure the entire business shares a culture and point of view. “Us versus them” starts at the top, and mid-level executives will take their cues from the senior team on how to act towards their new colleagues. Set a good example by going out of your way to bring the combined leadership team together.

Make or buy?

If you buy technology, always do a solid “make or buy” analysis. Too many leaders overestimate the difficulty of building their technology and underestimate the difficulty of successfully acquiring it.

Given what you now know about how difficult M&A can be, you may want to adjust your assumptions. I hope these tips help ensure any M&A you are involved in is completed successfully.

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Kasual, a direct to consumer (D2C) daywear brand in Indonesia currently focusing on men’s pants, has raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from investors, including East Ventures.

The Jakarta-based instant commerce startup will use the money to strengthen the team, advance its technology and manufacturing capability for a better user experience, and expand its operations to Solo, Central Java.

“With this fund, we are going to release more product categories and marketing initiatives, and leverage new technology such as AR size measurement to create Indonesia’s first 3D body measurement,” said co-founder and CEO Alam Akbar.

Kasual will introduce the 3D body measurement at the Custom Week 2021, which will be held from 17-19 December in Jakarta. Using an electronic body scanner, visitors can experience an accurate instant custom-fit experience for customer menswear.

Also Read: The struggle to maintain accurate consumer insights with the new consumer

Akbar, a former business development team member at Xendit, founded Kasual in 2017 when he found some problems in the Indonesian fashion landscape. The sector was less accommodating and less customisable to the customer’s preferences, especially when it comes to sizing.

The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse for the customer as going to tailor shops became inconvenient, risky and expensive. In addition, fast fashion retailers are limited to certain styles and only available offline at selected malls.

“We also realised that the e-commerce trend has been mushrooming rapidly and has been helping customers shop comfortably at home, thus making the demand for faster and more reliable commerce for day-to-day needs, specifically for pants. Yet, local brands’ approach still overlooks technology, which can be a vital aspect of fashion production. That means customers still do not have a reliable platform to get personalised fashion products instantly,” said Alam, CEO and co-founder of Kasual.

Kasual offers in-app manufacturing solutions for customers to order personalised men’s pants: build your own product (BYOP). Customers can pick their preferred fittings, type of cuttings and tailored sizings.

The platform also enables ‘virtual fitting’ where customers can consult directly with the Kasual expert team via video call regarding size measurement, personalised fitting, and product recommendation.

Also Read: Asia has the highest share of frustrated consumers. Here’s how brands can enhance customer communication

Kasual has in-house garment manufacturing and can deliver the products to the customers’ doorstep in less than five days.

To date, Kasual has over 80,000 users and delivers over 3,000 pieces of personalised products to their customers monthly. “We aim to scale and process their daily orders in 10x growth and process more than 5,000 items per day in the near future,” added Akbar.

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Image Credit: Kasual

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Beacon VC invests in Pantera Blockchain Fund

The crux: Beacon VC and Fuchsia VC, the corporate VC arms of Kasikornbank and Muang Thai Group Holding (an affiliate of Kasikornbank), respectively, have invested in US-based Pantera Capital’s new blockchain fund.

Pantera Blockchain Fund is Beacon VC’s fourth investment outside of Thailand, after Southeast Asia-based Integra Partners, Singapore-based Vertex Ventures, and US-based NYCA Partners.

The fund intends to cover the entire spectrum of blockchain assets. It will be exposed to digital asset and blockchain markets through the investment primarily in venture equity and early-stage.

Also Read: Beacon VC joins construction-tech firm Builk’s Series B round to help it with ASEAN expansion

Pantera Blockchain Fund targets to raise US$600 million.

More about Pantera: Founded in 2003 by Dan Morehead, Pantera Capital invests exclusively in equity and tokens related to blockchain and digital assets. It received investments from a global network of more than 950 institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals.

SG startup Yugo secures US$300K to launch mobile app

The crux: Singapore-based Yugo Global Industries has raised US$300,000 in capital.

Investors: Angel investors based in Texas, Seoul, and Paris; and three family offices, namely Bellone Invest (Estonia), Negocia Capital (Singapore) and LCH Investment (Cambodia).

Plans: To launch Yugo’s app on Android and iOS by year-end.

More about Yugo: Yugo enables aviation companies to optimise their fleet inventory of private jets and helicopters by connecting members with the most suitable aircraft for travel needs. Established in early 2020, Yugo regionally operates its on-demand proprietary digital booking system across Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia.

Yugo has organised flights in Asia and Europe and is now looking to raise a Seed fundraising to increase digitalisation.

The company offers all-in exclusive package deals including private flights, stay-ins, special activities and in-flight customisation.

A privatised King Air Beechcraft from Textron Aviation, with eight seats costs US$3,000 per hour. The private aircraft can fly from Phnom Penh to Bangkok for US$10,000+ for eight passengers.

Its current international routes include, for instance, Kuala Lumpur to Dubai. Other popular routes are Jakarta to Dubai, Manila to Melbourne or Phnom Penh to Bangkok, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.

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Image Credit: Beacon VC

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UN Women Care Accelerator, a programme focusing on developing solutions for the care economy, has completed its 4-month intensive training schedule with 13 startups from the Asia Pacific region. 

Malaysia’s on-demand babysitting platform Kiddocare and Indonesia’s homecare service application LoveCare emerged as the grant winners of the programme.

The two startups will receive US$5,000 each from WeEmpowerAsia (a UN Women programme funded by and in partnership with the European Union) and Seedstars (a technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem builder based out of Geneve, Switzerland). 

Below is a snapshot of the 13 startups:

• LoveCare (Indonesia) saves clients time by matching them with the perfect carer that fits their needs and preferences in less than 5 minutes.
• Kiddocare (Malaysia) gives the tools to millions of freelance caregivers and nurses throughout Asia to better care for their clients while helping them grow their businesses through technology.
• Pillar Health (Malaysia) develops highly scalable tools that help independent care providers work more efficiently and operate their care services more effectively.
• Nannyz matches nannies and babysitters with families in the area.
• Kiidu (Thailand) is a care platform to find the most suitable nannies and caregivers in Thailand.  
• Aseana Caregivers (Malaysia) connects parents with trained, vetted and certified Malaysian babysitters for personalised on-demand childcare.
• Carer (Singapore) provides caregivers with the most comprehensive in-home nursing help and guidance. 
• Ayat Care (Bangladesh) facilitates empowerment without boundaries by providing care and coaching where it is needed and beneficial.
• Bihani Social Venture (Nepal) provides age-inclusive services focusing on mental and physical well-being for older people in Nepal.
• Mobiva empowers older people to live independently longer, healthier and safer while providing peace of mind to their families.
• JobNukkad (India) is an online portal that helps families connect with caregivers in their locality without paying commission to an agency.
• TiTLi (India) unlocks livelihood opportunities for millions of women by helping them become skilled early childhood educators and caregivers.
• Angels & I (Indonesia) provides a proprietary educational curriculum and certification for nannies to take care of and educate children at home.

Also read: A woman among women: 27 female-led startups in SEA that are going places

Launched in 2021, the UN Women Care Accelerator identifies and promotes women-led or women-impacting enterprises to turn the unequal care burden put on women into employment and business opportunities that benefit women, families, and communities.

The startups picked by the programme provide products, services, or tech solutions that can make care more accessible and affordable and improve the overall quality of care services online and offline.

Throughout the 4-month intensive training programme to fine-tune participants’ business strategies, the accelerator claims that it sees clear business growth and progress of the 13 startups in becoming more sustainable and gender-inclusive.

“However, it will require strong collaboration with policymakers and corporates alike to create an inclusive care economy,” said Katja Freiwald, regional programme manager at WeEmpowerAsia UN Women.

Besides Freiwald, Paul Ark (partner and head of ESG at Gobi Partners), Christina Teo (chief builder at she1K), Konstantin Hapkemeyer (investment manager in Africa & Asia at Seedstars) are on the jury to decide the two grant winners.

In the Asia Pacific region, women are often in charge of the household and take on a disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work responsibilities. 

OECD research shows that unpaid care is a critical reason for the poor participation of women in paid work. This is especially prevalent in Southern Asia, where female labour force participation is among the world’s lowest and has shown a downward trend since the early 2000s, as per a 2018 report made by International Labour Organisation.

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Image Credit: Care Accelerator

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Alpha JWC Ventures, a Southeast Asia-focused fund primarily supporting Indonesian startups, has closed an oversubscribed third fund at US$433 million.

Global and regional investors, including World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners, invested in the fund.

Through Fund III, the VC firm is looking at a more extensive roster of investment opportunities in the region. “With this larger fund, we will be able to double down on our efforts in driving our mission to support our founders as they create scalable and sustainable companies in Indonesia and the region,” said co-founder and general partner Jefrey Joe.

Alpha JWC will increase its investment size to up to US$60 million in multi-stage funding with an emphasis on fintech, direct-to-consumer brands, SaaS and B2B services.

Also Read: Alpha JWC Ventures closes second fund at US$123M, claiming oversubscription

The third fund has already invested in seven companies in the fintech, SaaS, and SME solutions sectors in Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam.

While its primary focus remains Indonesian startups and founders, it has expanded its regional presence with investments in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines over the past five years.

Alpha JWC was launched in 2016 with a US$50 million fund, which invested in 23 early-stage companies in Southeast Asia. The second fund, closed at US$143 million in 2019, has backed 30 companies.

Its portfolio companies have collectively raised more than US$1 billion in 2021. This year, three of its companies became unicorns: buy-now-pay-later company Kredivo, automotive marketplace Carro, and online brokerage platform Ajaib.

The fund’s investees also include coffee chain Kopi Kenangan, B2B marketplace GudangAda, healthy consumer goods producer Lemonilo, and P2P platform Funding Societies.

The firm has generated nine exits so far, namely DealStreetAsia (acquired by Nikkei), regional co-working space network Spacemob (acquired by WeWork), and Vietnamese enterprise SaaS Base.vn (bought by FPT Corporation).

Alpha JWC currently has around US$630 million in assets under management (AUM) across its three funds. Of them, Fund III will double down on early and growth investments targeted towards Indonesia’s and Southeast Asia’s booming technology ecosystems.

Kim-See Lim, IFC regional director for East Asia and the Pacific said: “IFC’s partnership with Alpha JWC Ventures underscores our long-term commitment to Indonesia’s economic development and digital transformation. Alpha JWC’s focus on innovative technology-enabled businesses is key, as these investments help enable long-term development and have the power to transform lives.”

Erika Go, partner, Alpha JWC Ventures, said: With our portfolio companies, we have touched the lives of almost one million MSMEs through financial inclusion and market access and created more than 12,000 value-adding jobs. We have also empowered more than 200,000 women by creating opportunities to improve their family welfare, inspired more than one million new retail investors, and many more. And this is not the end but just the beginning of the journey.”

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Image Credit: Alpha JWC Ventures

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Growth-stage accelerator ScaleUp Malaysia, which is powered by Singapore’s Quest Ventures and Malaysia’s Indelible Ventures, has picked 20 companies for the third cohort. 

Each of the 20 firms will be on separate tracks and closely work with the VC firms. They will also receive group-based and 1-1 coaching sessions on elements such as building scalable products, financial modelling, crafting narratives, and go to market strategies.

At the end of the programme in January 2022, 10 companies will receive offers for investments of around US$60,000 (RM250,000) to continue their growth journey.

The selected companies hail from a diverse group of industries and verticals such as edutech, fintech, media, manufacturing, cyber security, foodtech and e-commerce, with average revenue of US$288,774 (RM1.2 million) in the last year.

Below are the details of the top 20 companies:

• SpareXHub provides an e-commerce marketplace for genuine auto spare parts.
• Biztech.Asia is a cross-media and marketing B2B platform that enables B2B marketing for clients via scheduled video and podcast content and networking and corporate gaming events.
• GuruInovatif is a platform that provides complete online resources for teachers’ professional development.
• Hav.Life is a platform that rewards steps to fitness.
• Howuku is an online platform that offers an all-in-one web optimisation and analytics solution to help companies visually understand their visitors and improve conversion rates.
• Aoikumo and KumoDent are SaaS providers for the beauty and medical aesthetics industry.
• Nanka produces plant-based meat from jackfruit, aiming to provide a better alternative to the highly processed fast food in the market.
• J8 Austism Athletics provides fitness services catered specifically to the neurodiverse community with the skill sets to socially assimilate, partake in family physical activities, and lead a healthier life.
• Jazro is a robotics education company that aims to develop digital talents in STEM education fields with specially curated content for students aged 5-17 years old.
• MADCash is a digital platform that tracks the impact of funding an interest-free microloan given to unbanked women micro-entrepreneurs.
• Midwest Composites serves as an engineered composites partner by designing and manufacturing advanced composites and biobased composites for customers that want to use futuristic materials in their products.
• Neptrix is a Saas provider for the manutech industry. It provides SMEs with ERP technology to convert them into smart factories that are more productive and cost-efficient.
• Open Academy is an education platform that provides real, non-theory based programmes, training, and content by industry practitioners.
• Pantang Plus is a web-based booking platform for traditional post-natal therapy. It serves pregnant mothers looking for therapists or confinement ladies. It considers itself the “Grab” for confinement services.
• Q3 Payment provides standardised connected payment solutions while working with preferred payment acquirers in the region for easy deployment and providing automated payment reconciliation reports and real-time visibility through their single pane of glass approach.
• Graze market aims to bridge the gap between food waste and hunger by ensuring imperfect fresh produce from farmers and distributors find a market at a discounted price to the public.
• Wego is the online marketplace for a broad range of services, including delivery and blue-collar services focusing on underserved towns in Malaysia.
• Traitily is a digital recruitment platform that leverages behavioural assessment for employers to filter a candidate’s fit to the job function.
• Vireserve is a managed service provider that focuses on cyber security and IT solutions. The platform can be used as a tool for freelancers and/or consultants to perform compliance consulting and act as lead generation to service providers.
• WA Sushi is an F&B e-commerce company building “quality food-made for delivery” focusing on quality Japanese cuisine.

Also read: Why Malaysia needs to be on the VC radar 

Launched in 2019, ScaleUp Malaysia has announced investments in 21 companies in the last 18 months, claiming to be one of the most active investors in the region.

According to a press release, the startups participating in ScaleUp Malaysia need to meet the requirement of a minimum previous 12-month revenue at US$72,400 (RM300,000).

The top 20 companies will undergo an intensive 4-month process to help identify and address gaps in their business models and strategies.

“We selected these companies based on their ability to develop solutions for the new normal and the founders’ capabilities to execute their business plans during the pandemic,” said Andre Sequerah, managing partner at ScaleUp Malaysia.

The programme claims its Cohort 3 attracted 200 applications not just from Malaysia but also from the US, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan and Egypt.

Besides the two VCs, ScaleUp Malaysia has also collaborated with the Malaysian Global Creativity and Innovation Centre (MaGIC) and Technology Park Malaysia to develop the nation’s startup ecosystem via a public-private partnership.

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Image Credit:  ScaleUp Malaysia

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What does Airbnb, Lyft, Slack, Spotify, and Netflix have in common?

Apart from being some of the most recognisable names in global tech and startups, they are also built on AWS.

We’ve all heard of AWS. Amazon Web Services has interwoven itself into the history of today’s desirable tech companies, large corporations, and even notable organisations like NASA and some divisions of the United States and United Kingdom governments, by providing reliable, scalable, and inexpensive cloud computing services that have been foundational to these companies’ growth from their outset.

A case study on Games24x7, a games startup in India, showed that migrating their gaming system to the AWS cloud improved their ability to manage usage spikes by customers whilst retaining low latency, hence preserving user experience despite fluctuating data transmission. Another case study on Halodoc, an Indonesian medical technology startup, revealed that enhanced latency and customer experience owing to the AWS cloud resulted in better time-to-market by 30%.

Also read: ASEAN’s first smart shopping cart technology is transforming the offline shopping experience

As the world’s leading cloud computing service provider, AWS has the capacity and is positioned to provide startups not only with the infrastructure to build their business, but the resources to do it excellently.

“AWS has enabled us to achieve our goals, also reaching out to give advice when we are stuck. It’s been a fantastic collaboration so far,” said Abhilash Ramakrishna, Chief Technology Officer at Halodoc

Introducing AWS Activate — empowering the startups of today

AWS Activate is a free program designed to provide startups and entrepreneurs with the tools, resources, and guidance to help grow their business. 

Once startups become part of the AWS Activate program, they gain access to a wide gamut of AWS tools and resources to build, launch, and scale their business on the AWS Cloud, giving them a solid head start on their entrepreneurial journey.

The free program provides benefits in free AWS Activate credits, technical support and training, pre-built infrastructure templates that startups can utilise and experiment with, and access to exclusive offers.

Also read: AppWorks partners with e27 to help startups build investor network

In this partnership with e27, AWS offers startups of the e27 community who sign up for AWS Activate with:

• US$5,000 AWS credits valid for two years, to help you get started on building your business in the cloud without worrying additional costs
• One year AWS business support up to US$1,500
• Access to exclusive members-only offers
• Access to the Activate Console, which is full of tools and resources to help you quickly get started on AWS and grow your business

Get started on AWS today

Signing up for AWS Activate is free and easy. Simply create an AWS account (or log in to your AWS account if you already have one) and click here to apply for AWS Activate.

Select Activate Portfolio and make sure to enter 0rbhZ in the Organization ID field to authenticate your application and avail of the free credits.

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The COVID-19 pandemic upended the global economy, causing a tremendous shift in workforces across the world. Uncertainties in the job market led to retrenchment, hiring freezes and the rise of remote work.

While some of these changes were expected, one unprecedented effect of the pandemic was that workers are now more open to leaving their current jobs.

In Kaspersky’s Securing the Future of Work report, it found that 35 per cent of employees are considering switching to a new career in the next 12 months.

A majority (49 per cent) of them stated that the reason for this decision was to achieve a higher salary, followed by wanting to create a better work-life balance (41 per cent).

Professionals are now viewing their careers in a different light as before, prioritising different things and demanding more from their employers.

Reskilling is a top priority for the digital workforce

It goes without saying that great employees drive great companies, and it is crucial for employers to attract and retain the best talent for business success. This is especially pertinent in a time where digitalisation is at an inflection point and advancing as quickly as three to four years ahead.

Also Read: How can tech help with COVID-19 control and our return to normalcy?

When the pandemic began, one thing was clear: adapt or get left behind. With the global lockdowns and social distancing measures, businesses had to embrace digital models almost overnight to sustain operations. However, companies were simply flying headfirst into their digital transformation journey without regard for having the right capability and infrastructure.

Needless to say, the transition to a largely digital workplace hasn’t been easy.

The e-Conomy SEA 2020 report by Google, Temasek and Bain also named the shortage of workers with the right skills as the top critical blocker in the digital economy.

The innovations in the tech space, paired with the acceleration of digital transformation, has resulted in an intensifying tech talent crunch in the region. Newer technologies meant that newer skills are required to operate and interact with these technologies.

Additionally, border restrictions were limiting the flow of foreign talent, leading to a higher reliance on local talent pools. It is now clear that the demand for digital skills far exceeds supply, signalling a golden opportunity for local talents to undergo reskilling to ride on the wave of digital transformation.

The critical skills in a post-pandemic world

The new dimensions of the workplace mean that talent has to evolve to serve the new definition of workforce needs. It isn’t just the tech professionals who are impacted by the digital shift, digital skills are now integrated into every role. Employees are now expected to take on cross-functional roles to reinvent themselves sustainably.

Also Read: Why there is no better time to upskill than this COVID-19 crisis

As industries manage the post-COVID recovery, it is worth taking a look at new ways to reskill professionals, as well as the critical skills needed in a post-pandemic world. Developing these skills requires more than just watching videos– they require interaction and engagement.

GnowbeLearn, the world’s first subscription-based microlearning platform, has seen an uptick in various microlearning course experiences, including, but not limited to: data science and analytics, entrepreneurship, digital marketing, customer service, personal branding, sales skills, and leadership management.

There is growing interest in the GnowbeLearn experience, which develops skills through reflection, participation, application and engagement, otherwise known as Know-Think-Apply-Share.

Soft skills are also growing in demand. For starters, communication has always been a crucial skill for one to thrive in the workplace. This is especially important during a time of dispersed teams and limited face-to-face interaction.

The lack of constant surveillance from managers also means that it is up to professionals themselves to hone their ability to communicate and collaborate.

Tech plays a key role in enabling teams to collaborate more effectively, which is why learning experience platforms like GnowbeLearn provide a human-centred design to consider the best way possible for professionals to structure communication.

Other skills, such as leadership, aren’t just valuable in the workplace. Especially in a time where professionals are taking charge of their own careers and reskilling initiatives, self-leadership allows workers to self-motivate and be accountable for their own personal development.

Gnowbe has also seen more interest in these topics via the platform as these skills aren’t just simply learnt through videos or academic papers – rather, they are developed through practical application and shared experiences with fellow professionals.

Also Read: How cloud kitchen startup COOKHOUSE, started amidst COVID-19, managed to win 35 F&B clients in Malaysia within a year

Despite the urgent need to be equipped with future-ready skills, most L&D programmes tend to follow traditional methods or rely on technologies that aren’t human-centric.

More often than not, many of these programmes do not cater to remote-working professionals and end up being an unfruitful experience. Surely there must be a better way to restructure professional development initiatives to better engage talents and retain new knowledge.

Lack of time and motivation are barriers to learning

With more professionals considering a career change along with an extended job scope, they are looking to embrace new opportunities, and are facing immense competition.

If anything, the past two years have been a wake-up call for professionals to upskill in order to thrive in the new digital world. Yet there’s a multitude of challenges that come with upskilling.

When it comes to upskilling and reskilling, employees only have about 24 minutes each week to dedicate to professional development. Given the hectic modern lifestyle and hybrid work arrangements,  it is no longer viable to sit in a physical classroom and go through courses that are a few hours long each week.

To keep up with the modern workforce needs, there must be ways to upskill effectively and at scale– such as through microlearning courses.

Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been an ongoing debate regarding the blurring of lines between professional and personal life. It is common to hear of employees experiencing prolonged fatigue and burnout.

It is therefore important that upskilling is being introduced to employees with minimal disruption to their daily lifestyle to reduce one’s inertia towards learning new skills and improve engagement.

Also Read: Vietnam’s supply chain amid worst COVID-19 outbreak: How tech startups are getting along

Learning models must also now take on more effective methods to bridge these gaps. For one thing, learning is always meant to be a shared experience, where adult learners retain knowledge better through social learning, such as through discussions or debates.

Upskilling courses should also cater to remote workers, who now carry the personal responsibility of finding ways to better hone their skills to meet the changing needs of the modern economy.

While it is up to professionals to grow their careers through a repertoire of digitally relevant skills, taking on the mantra of lifelong learning is sure to be worth it in the long term.

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