Why tech startups Meracle and Zeend are turning to this programme to help solve common problems in the fundraising space

Among the most vibrant startup ecosystems in the world is Southeast Asia, a region that has established quite a reputation for churning out many promising startups in its folds. Being home to 26,000 startups, 3,000 investors, 13,000 events, and 8,000 jobs in 2018 alone as listed in e27’s media platform, the region is notable for being one of the best places to realize one’s startup dreams.

This, however, does not entail a perfect experience for those who are mounting their startup business plans in the region. By extension, this does not mean that founders are immune from risks.

In fact, there are three particularly overarching problems faced by startup founders in the region, specifically those who are still in their growth stages. These problems affect a slew of areas when it comes to fundraising such as access, credibility, and efficiency.

Founders often suffer from a lack of access to active and relevant investors due to the limitations of their respective networks. This is most apparent to new and young founders who are not yet fully immersed in the startup ecosystem.

As such, founders are often forced to accept funding opportunities that are not tailor fit for their startup needs.

Moreover, founders who have only been in the business for a short period of time have difficulty establishing their credibility to potential funders. This is because their limited experience often translates as uncertainty from the perspective of investors. This leads to a prolonged fundraising process that ultimately hurts the chances that startups have to truly take off.

More than that, founders deal with efficiency problems as a result of using multiple service providers across fragmented processes, with each one trying to get a share of the fees. The lack of visibility and analytics over investor activity and the entire fundraising process also poses problems that render any active attempt towards startup growth completely inefficient.

Startups from Southeast Asia dealing with these problems head on

Meracle Pte Ltd is a Singapore based company that develops and markets digital health technologies to help address suboptimal medicine delivery in chronic diseases. Their product, The Whizz spacer system, improves asthma control by addressing the issues of incorrect technique and low compliance concurrently.

Better asthma control requires addressing both technique and compliance. The Whizz spacer utilises a multipronged approach to provide a comprehensive solution to patients, caregivers and physicians.

Whizz is a spacer utilises advanced technologies to aid asthma patients inhale their medication correctly. This is done by providing immediate feedback via visual indicators that intuitively correct inhalation techniques. The accompanying mobile app stores data that doctors can access and analyse and to treat patients accordingly and confidently. Data collected eventually would allow analysis and studies of asthma patterns and prediction of probable asthma attacks.

In order to help sustain their momentum and give their brilliant product a much-needed boost, Meracle Pte Ltd connected with the e27 Fundraise Programme. Through the fundraise programme’s features, Meracle is granted access to e27’s network of investors, build rapport with the investor community through sustained engagement, and manage the entire fundraising process in a single online platform—effectively curbing the usual obstacles that hamper startup growth.

Joining them in this pursuit is Zeend.com Inc. Based in the Philippines, Zeend.com is an e-commerce platform that digitally transforms traditional business establishments. Local brick-and-mortar businesses, such as groceries, pharmacies, hardwares, and utility & bills payments, can create instant and free website/online store. After signing-up with Zeend platform, traditional businesses can instantly display their products and accept online transactions.

Merchants that sign-up with the Zeend platform will also be connected to specific suppliers/manufacturers in their category as part of the Supply Chain Model. Zeend merchants will have easy access to suppliers in their area and conveniently order online.

“Merchants in the platform will have two types of customers: the first one refers to those from the local area of the establishments who will shop online, and the second one refers to the remittance side. The sender of remittances can choose to directly buy goods for their family and loved ones instead of sending cash. The goods will simply have to be claimed by the recipient in the local store,” said Zeend.com Inc.’s Co-Founder, Rugy de Veyra.

With Zeend’s important brand of innovation, it is imperative that they gain access to potential investors that can contribute wholly to the startup’s growth, enabling them to help more people. Through this, the company is off to greater heights.

e27 Fundraise Programme and its three-pronged approach

There are several solutions out there coming from different facets of society that all do their part in minimising these regional obstacles. What makes the e27 Fundraise Programme particularly unique, however, is its three-pronged approach to solving common problems.

In order to democratise fundraising for startup founders, the e27 Fundraise Programme has come up with three umbrella solutions that accommodate the three pressing challenges in the region’s tech ecosystem. These three umbrella solutions are: increased visibility, sustained engagement, and digitalisation.

Through the programme, startups are empowered to let investors know that they exist. While most young startups find difficulty in carving a name for themselves, the programme—because of e27’s massive network of investors—effectively puts young startups within their radars making fundraising well within the realms of possibility.

The second prong is focused on establishing sustained engagement between startup founders and investors, thereby helping startups build rapport with the investor community. This is achieved by giving startups the platform to show investors their startup growth and progress over time.

Lastly, in a community whose lifeblood is digital innovation, the e27 Fundraise Programme makes use of digitalisation as a way to help startups manage the processes of their fundraising pursuits from end to end, and within a single online platform that they can keep track of over the course of their negotiations.

With this three-pronged approach, startups who sign up for the programme can guarantee better funding opportunities to come their way.

The e27 Fundraise Programme is in partnership with Wholesale Investor, Australasia’s leading venture capital and capital raising platform for sophisticated and accredited investors. For more information on the programme, you may enquire here.

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