Co-founder and Chief Culture Officer Miguel McKelvey quits WeWork
Miguel McKelvey, Co-founder and longtime Chief Culture Officer of WeWork, has announced that he is leaving the company by the end of this month.
McKelvey is also one of the last executives remaining at the global co-working space giant, after the recent departure of CTO Shiva Rajaraman, Head of Real Estate Aaron Ellison, and four other board members.
“After ten years, I’ve made one of the most difficult decisions of my life — one that I’m not even sure has sunk in just yet. But at the end of this month, I’ll be leaving WeWork. While it’s hard to leave, and I know there is a lot more work to be done, I could only make this decision knowing this company and our people are in good hands,” McKelvey wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Grab launches initiative to help SEA companies grow during COVID-19
Ride-hailing giant Grab has launched Small Business Booster Programme to help small businesses in Southeast Asia to grow during COVID-19, according to a statement.
The initiative will help companies pivot from offline to online and help build their visibility via the Grab app.
“COVID-19 has accelerated change. We have seen dependency on online services grow exponentially almost overnight. This is spurring innovation in Southeast Asia but also putting us at risk of widening the digital divide,” said Hooi Ling Tan, Co-founder of Grab.
“Small businesses make up the backbone of Southeast Asia’s economy, but the vast majority of these businesses are offline. They will need to embrace technology and digitalise or risk falling further behind. Through our Small Business Booster Programme, we hope to help small businesses navigate this new normal. We will draw on our technology and reach to find new ways of doing business that can inclusively support everyone,” Tan commented.
India’s intercity bus travel startup YoloBus raises US$3.3M
Yolobus, an India-based startup, has raised US$3.3 million in funding led by Nexus Venture Partners, with participation from India Quotient.
This brings Yolobus’s total funds raised to date to US$4.1 million.
Bus travel has been one of the most common modes of transport in India. However, it has also suffered from the issue of hygiene, safety and congestion. Yolobus managed to identify this problem much before the wake of COVID-19, where hygiene is being majorly stressed upon.
“Bus transport in India has been a gruelling, unsafe, unhygienic, untimely experience for travellers. Apart from addressing all these issues, Yolobus will resume its operations with extensive precautionary measures for every trip,” said Founder Shailesh Gupta.
“Every passenger will be checked with infra-red temperature measuring guns before onboarding. Customers will be able to pre-order essential PPE kits and know the temperature of the bus crew members before boarding the bus,” he added.
Yolobus’s goal is to provide “airline-level services”-like bus captains, high-speed Wi-Fi, washrooms, food and beverages, device charging points, etc for buses.
Singapore’s DocDoc partners with Kaitaiming to expand its services into China
Singapore’s DocDoc has announced a partnership with Kaitaiming Technology (KTM) today to strategically expand its services to China, according to a press statement.
Through this, DocDoc will add its doctor-discovery services to China’s insurance companies on the KTM platform and provide the latter’s insurance partners with access to medically trained concierge team.
Also Read: Tiki reportedly raises US$130M in funding led by Northstar Group
“China is the world’s most exciting insurance market,” said Cole Sirucek, Co-founder of DocDoc.
“DocDoc’s AI-powered doctor discovery service is ideally suited to serve China’s massive unmet need for consumers looking for high-quality, affordable care,” he added.
Tenopy partners with AMKFSC to provide underprivileged students with free online classes
Singaporean edutech company Tenopy has partnered with local charity organisation AMKFSC to provide underprivileged students with free online classes, according to a press statement.
This initiative will offer live online classes and personalised learning experiences to students from Primary three to Secondary two levels, along with free recorded lessons and homework materials to AMKFSC volunteer tutors.
“Our vision is to make the highest quality classes and learning accessible to the many students,” said Tenopy Founder Soh Chong Kian.
“This partnership with AMKFSC takes us further in realising this vision. We are offering free classes and content to students who need them the most in this difficult time,” Kian added.
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