As we navigate through the midpoint of 2023, it is essential to reflect on the significant innovation trends shaping Southeast Asia’s landscape. These innovations are not just transforming the region’s business and economic environments but are also moulding future career opportunities for the next decade.

Here, we have extracted wisdom from several leaders on the On Call with Insignia podcast, drawing their experiences and perspectives to shape a clearer picture of these exciting trends.

AI beyond GPTs: Careers tied to data value chain

The democratisation of AI capability acquisition brought by models like GPT hinges heavily on the presence of high-quality, relevant data. The future seems particularly promising for organisations that are rich in structured, quality data, potentially transforming AI experiences. This means careers tied to building and leveraging tools to tap into these data sets and develop hyperlocalised or customisable applications will be in greater demand in this decade.

Data sets and the ability to leverage these for AI applications are the new moats for software companies. Christian Schneider, CEO and co-founder of data processing and workflow automation platform Bluesheets, shares on our podcast: “Having that data infrastructure in place is key, and that’s going to be a deciding factor as to who’s gonna own industries in the future, it’s going to be those companies who have the best data sets, the richest data sets, the ones that are most complete with the least anomalies and incompletion in general.”

Experienced humans are still needed to guide AI development. Dino Setiawan, CEO and co-founder of supply chain financing and SaaS for Indonesia’s FMCG MSMEs AwanTunai, shares on our podcast: “Deep learning models need tens of millions of data points and users, and only a few companies have access to these data sets…​​understanding risk management is critical before building science models that can surpass human performance. And to get the right set of variables and proxies, experienced humans need to guide AI engine development.”

Agriculture beyond farm-to-table: Careers in farming and fisheries

The innovations in agriculture are seeing a shift towards the upstream and middle chains. There’s a rising demand for increased productivity, efficient distribution, and a stable supply-demand equilibrium, which points towards promising career opportunities in these industries, as businesses seek to increase income generation from these sectors by disrupting production, pricing and distribution inefficiencies.

Also Read: From crunching numbers to transforming data: How I made a career switch from accounting to tech

Fisheries Iron Triangle in Indonesia is being funded and built out, showing promise for jobs in this sector. Bayu Anggara, CEO of Indonesian cold chain fisheries startup FishLog, shares on our podcast: “For this fisheries digitalisation, it’s very exciting because I think in terms of all of the agritech space in Indonesian fisheries [is in a] very strong position. They have multiple business models, unique business models, right? So actually, we can focus on two things.

The first one is any kind of solution or any kind of technology that can increase the productivity of the farmers. Then you give the IoT technology to increase their productivity, and then at the end, you can purchase their harvest. The second one is a model like FishLog, right? How can we increase the utility of the middle chain?”

Fintech beyond fintechs: Careers in unlocking financial services for companies

As the financial industry continues to mature in Southeast Asia, fintech is becoming a key driver for many businesses. Even from a venture capital investment standpoint, it continues to be one of the more resilient sectors amidst the current market headwinds.

However, it’s not just the pure fintech companies that are benefitting from this trend. Now, businesses in other sectors are harnessing fintech to streamline operations, optimise efficiency, and offer better services to their customers. Roles or functions dedicated to unlocking these functionalities will be critical even for non-technology companies.

Also Read: How you can future-proof your career in a rapidly changing world

Solutions for interoperability, risk management, and infrastructure will be important for fintech to truly be “everywhere”. Jui Takle, Strategic Development at Tonik, shares on our podcast: “What it lacks is interoperability between the digital banking platforms and payment systems, which is a major obstacle in the growth of digital banking in Southeast Asia. Interoperability allows seamless transactions between digital platforms and systems, just like how it is in India with UPI. In any ecosystem, the first thing that develops is payments, and then the rest follows. So I would say that there is still some time for Southeast Asia to mature.”

Building for company sustainability: Careers in finance, cybersecurity, and monetisation strategies

While risk management and sustainability have traditionally been the responsibility of company boards, in today’s tech-driven world, these areas require specialised expertise. As such, there’s a growing demand for professionals with skills in finance, cybersecurity, and monetisation strategies. These roles are essential in helping businesses navigate challenges and ensure long-term sustainability.

Finance functions in the driver’s seat of businesses. Joel Leong, CMO of finance OS for businesses Aspire, shares on our podcast: “Basically businesses have had to readjust themselves multiple times in these two years. And I feel like all of this kind of brings finance back to the driving seat of the business.”

Southeast Asia’s startups are shifting from acquisition innovation to monetisation innovation and the experimentation necessary to do the latter efficiently. Gita Prihanto, COO of Indonesian P2P fintech Flip, shares on our podcast: “Also in line with what we’ve seen right now with the economy, this year is going to be a definitive year where I’m excited to see how technology companies innovate to scale monetisation, especially in the Indonesia consumer market, because the current economic and market conditions definitely put pressure to everyone and to all tech companies.”

Market expansion : Careers in unlocking new markets

The desire to expand into new markets is a shared goal for many Southeast Asian companies. While the region offers abundant opportunities, venturing beyond its borders can bring additional rewards, especially in markets that are also rapidly growing (i.e., similar pain points) and have massive market potential.

However, cracking new markets often requires a nuanced understanding of local needs, culture, and business environments. Thus, roles focused on market research, localisation, and business development in international contexts are becoming increasingly crucial.

Latin America as a destination market for SEA startups: Hernan Kazah, Kaszek Ventures Co-Founder And Managing Partner, shares on our podcast: “I think the kind of gaps or underserved markets that we have in Latin America are similar to those that you may encounter in Southeast Asia. So if someone is solving something for the education sector or for the distribution sector or something around healthcare in Asia, probably the same problem is in Latin America. So then, how you apply that solution to that market, you might need to adjust things here or there, but I think the root of the problem is probably the same one.”

Japan as a destination market for SEA SaaS/software startups: Shinji Asada, CEO and co-founder, general partner of Japanese SaaS VC firm One Capital shares on our podcast: “I see it’s probably a hard market to crack because of the language barrier and the cultural barrier, but at the same time, it’s a big market. It’s the third-largest economy in the world. Especially around enterprise software, it is the second-largest market after the United States. Let me give you some figures. It’s about 280 billion on an annual spending basis, and a lot of that is dominated by legacy software that I just mentioned when I was using it at ITOCHU. So it’s a low-hanging fruit [market] if you have a great user interface experience.”

The seven innovation trends identified in the first half of 2023 indicate the potential for significant career opportunities in the Southeast Asian tech industry over the next decade. These areas – from AI to fintech to risk management – highlight the region’s dynamic nature and its willingness to embrace new technologies and ideas. The expert insights shared in this podcast reaffirm the vast potential of Southeast Asia as a thriving hub for innovation, entrepreneurial growth, and career advancement.

Full list of trends in this article.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic

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Joel Neoh, Co-Founder and former CEO of fintech platform Fave, has been appointed as the Managing Director of CircleDNA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prenetics Global, a genomics and oncology company listed on the Nasdaq.

Neoh will also be taking on the role of Prenetics’s Chief Consumer Officer.

The appointment comes when CircleDNA is undergoing a transformative phase expanding into new verticals and introducing a wide range of personalised healthcare offerings to its customers.

CircleDNA is extending its scope to encompass preventive and personalised healthcare management, with plans to forge local-country partnerships and integrate a comprehensive range of services, including blood tests, telehealth services, tailored supplements, and online-to-offline healthcare services. Over the next 12 months, the firm will introduce these new products and services.

Also Read: TradeMonday gets SenseTime backing to expand its retail analytics solutions

“As an entrepreneur who has received significant support, particularly in Southeast Asia, I strongly desire to contribute back to the community by promoting health and emphasising the importance of preventive care,” shared Neoh.

Founded in 2014 to transform patient care through advanced genomic and molecular technologies, Prenetics has operations in Hong Kong and the UK, processing over 28 million PCR and at-home test kits. Prenetics was listed on the NASDAQ in 2022.

CircleDNA, the consumer health business of Prenetics, facilitates individuals in actively managing their health through valuable health insights derived from their DNA.

Since 2020, CircleDNA claims to have served over 300,000 customers worldwide with its DNA tests using whole exome sequencing technology. Its mobile app grants customers access to a wide array of genetic information, with over 500 reports across 20 categories, covering disease risks, drug responses, family planning, diet, common health risks, personal traits, and nutrition, among others.

As of March 31, 2023, Prenetics holds US$224.1 million in cash and other short-term assets.

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It had been a while since I returned to my home country Indonesia. As part of my pre-departure packing routine, I sent a text to my mother to confirm something that I never thought I would ask before: Should I bring some cash?

And her answer was something that would not sound plausible five years ago: Bring a small change, just in case.

Back in 2015, when I first joined e27 as Junior Correspondent, Indonesia is widely known as a cash-heavy market. Some tech companies such as DOKU aimed to introduce e-payment in the market, but their progress was limited. The market remained heavily reliant on cash, with the use of debit and credit cards limited to outlets in glitzy malls. Back then, if anyone told me that there would come a day when people would be able to use e-payment to buy food in street stalls, I would be extremely suspicious (and my ancestors would roll in their graveyards).

But last week, as I landed in Jakarta, I realised that what was once impossible is now a reality in the country. The use of e-payment is finally part of our everyday lives.

Also Read: Fintech in Indonesia: While growth declines, companies continue to gain traction

Indonesian e-payment landscape today

Like any good Indonesian, the first thing I did upon landing was to visit my favourite street food stalls. I was expecting to get my wallet out to pay for my portion of nasi uduk, but surprisingly, there was absolutely no need for them. Right there on my table was a small placard containing QRIS–Quick Response Code Indonesia Standard–belonging to this particular stall. As I finished my dinner, customers repeatedly grabbed this placard to make payments.

Of all the visitors that came and went that night, I believe only a few actually used cash to pay for their food.

This brought me to the days when Go-Pay and its competitors OVO and TCASH began what might as well be known as the launch of the Indonesian e-payment future. Before these platforms, the use of e-payment services was limited to a select few. But these platforms turned e-payment into something widely popular, and they were able to do it by reaching out to the grassroots community: Street food vendors, ojek drivers, and warung owners.

In short, Go-Pay, OVO, and TCASH were able to secure their positions in the market because they were able to initiate digital transformation in a community that was commonly seen as “unbankable”.

But as in many countries, the use of e-payment services did not fully take off until the COVID-19 pandemic. It was as if Indonesia had begun tinkering with it before the pandemic, but now they were pushed to delve fully into it.

But right before the pandemic forced us to stay indoors and cancel whatever plans we had, in May 2019, Indonesia introduced a platform that enables this digital transformation to accelerate fully: QRIS.

Also Read: How voice AI is revolutionising the fintech scene

“The aim is to universalise cashless payments in the country through a system that integrates all those digital payment apps people have installed on their smartphones. One code to rule them all,” The Jakarta Post wrote in an editorial in February.

“BI has been pushing QRIS ever since, working with commercial banks, e-wallet providers and businesses to get ever more merchants to put up the code for customers to scan, down to the level of street vendors.”

The article proposed that with its relatively low transaction fee, and the ease it provided to vendors, there is a possibility that the use of QRIS might even threaten the popularity of mobile wallets–the very platforms that have helped Indonesia to get to where it is when it comes to the use of fintech services.

So, what is next?

Honestly, I think it is quite extreme to say that the use of QRIS might threaten the popularity of mobile wallets.

In November 2022, an InsightAsia report declared Go-Pay as the most popular mobile wallet in Indonesia with 71 per cent of mobile wallet users using the platform, according to CNBC Indonesia. This number was closely followed by cash (49 per cent), bank transfer (24 per cent), QRIS (21 per cent), pay-later (18 per cent), debit card (17 per cent), and virtual account transfer (16 per cent).

From these data alone, despite Bank Indonesia’s effort to further accelerate the use of QRIS (which includes an expansion to Malaysia), it might take a while until Indonesians are ready to give up their favourite mobile wallets. Besides, we know that Gojek is not going to sit and watch it happens. Now that the company is publicly listed, there will be a greater push for the unicorn to improve the performance of its mobile wallet.

In the meantime, I am going to enjoy the fact that Indonesia has made progress in its effort to transform itself digitally. It is the kind of good news that we have been waiting for.

I am also going to buy my second helping of mie Aceh in a nearby stall for the second time in the last few days.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 is bringing together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here.

Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups get the chance to pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like a chance to connect with investors, visibility through e27 platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

The post After QRIS, what is next for the Indonesian e-payment ecosystem? appeared first on e27.

While Cindy Nyoto Gunawan and Tiffany Danielle struggled to find high-quality beauty products in Indonesia that resonated with their different styles and personalities. Most premium products available in the local market were exorbitantly priced. Upon research, they discovered that many others also encountered the same problem.

“We aspired to create a brand that offered premium, yet affordable products, ensuring they were accessible to everyone, not just the well-off. Everyone deserves access to quality beauty products, regardless of income,” says Gunawan.

That was the beginning of Rosé All Day Cosmetics (RADC).

Launched in 2017 by Gunawan, Danielle, and Samantha Wijaya, with their combined savings of US$10,000, RADC is a Halal-certified D2C beauty brand that provides consumers with diverse makeup and skincare solutions, from innovative, skin-loving formulae to timeless classics. It introduced what it claims to be the first refillable eyebrow pencil in Indonesia.

Gunawan says RADC stands out for its emphasis on sustainability. “We’re committed to a shift towards eco-friendly skincare, demonstrated through our rebranding with packaging made from recyclable materials. This sustainability focus will soon extend to our new makeup products. We emphasise recyclable and refillable products.”

Also Read: Creative Gorilla Capital rolls out US$20M fund to back D2C startups in Indonesia

The startup has started implementing these sustainable practices with its skincare line and plans to extend them to its makeup products.

According to her, the company collaborates with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners to produce its cruelty-free and vegan makeup and skincare solutions. It maintains “full transparency” about the ingredients used in its cosmetic and skin care products, enabling consumers to make informed choices about what they put on their skin.

She admits that while cruelty-free production incurs more costs, RADC doesn’t compromise quality. “We place great importance on environmental sustainability and are dedicated to making our products accessible to all. Yes, these commitments pose additional challenges, especially when trying to keep our makeup affordable, but they’re challenges we are proud to embrace.”

Primarily targeting females aged between 17 and 34, RADC sells its products online (via its own website and marketplaces) and offline (through stores like Sephora and Sociolla). While 60 per cent of its sales come from online platforms, offline channels contribute 40 per cent.

Its product pricing ranges from US$3 to US$12.

In 2020, the company raised undisclosed seed funding from AC Ventures and GIA Venture.

Competition with Korean brands

Global offline brands have a significant presence in Indonesia. However, these brands, including many popular Korean ones, often aren’t affordable for the masses, claims Gunawan. RADC focuses on innovation, and competitive pricing, and maintains high-quality standards to compete effectively. “We adapt our products to local preferences and market needs, which is a crucial part of our strategy.”

The startup’s biggest dream is to grow globally. It sees immense potential in showcasing an Indonesian brand on the international stage and wants to prove it can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with global competitors and excel.

Gunawan claims the company grew 4X in 2022, primarily driven by its omnichannel strategy. Its goal is to achieve 6x growth in 2023 and is on track to reach this goal. “We plan to continue leveraging our omnichannel strategy, refining our product offerings, and deepening our connections with consumers to deliver exceptional and satisfying beauty solutions.”

While its key focus remains Indonesia due to the vast market potential, RADC also plans to branch out into new markets in Southeast Asia, starting with Malaysia.

Surviving COVID-19 and economic slowdown

RADC has faced a few notable challenges throughout its journey. The first major challenge was the COVID-19 pandemic; surviving it amidst a halted beauty and cosmetic industry required strategic adjustments. It implemented budget cuts on its marketing spending and decelerated the release of its new products. Its primary focus shifted to growing its online sales, a significant part of its sales even before the pandemic.

“Although our offline sales dropped to 10 per cent, our online sales continued to thrive. Despite the crisis, the beauty and cosmetic industry remained robust, and interestingly, our colour cosmetics, a majority of our SKUs, continued to sell well. This resilience enabled us to achieve a 2x revenue growth even amidst the pandemic in 2020,” Gunawan notes.

Also Read: ‘Lack of the right team could break your business’: FreshToHome Founder shares his lessons

In 2022, it experienced supply chain issues that posed significant hurdles. Additionally, finding and hiring quality talent while maintaining sustainable growth has also been a considerable challenge.

The current slowdown in the market also poses massive challenges but it also presents opportunities. “A significant focus in the beauty industry is environmental sustainability, with constant innovations emerging. We’re committed to staying at the forefront of these developments, continually adapting and innovating to align our products and processes with sustainable practices,” Gunawan wraps up.

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The post How cruelty-free, Halal-certified D2C cosmetics brand RADC achieved 4X growth in 2022 appeared first on e27.

Manis Leting and Triphie won 1337 Ventures’s latest Alpha Startups pre-accelerator programme in Malaysia. 

As part of this, the two startups will receive pre-seed funding of up to RM50,000 (US$11,000) each.

A total of nine aspiring Malaysian startups showcased their solutions in front of a live audience of investors, industry experts, and fellow entrepreneurs during 1337 Ventures’s Alpha Startups pre-accelerator programme. The demo day was hosted at Google Malaysia, marking the culmination of the programme.

Manis Leting, founded by Amirah Jasmine and Atirah Danial, creates healthier alternative food products that use zero white sugar. With the funding received from 1337 Ventures, the firm plans to focus on licensing and certification, production, operations, and marketing to scale.

Also Read: How cruelty-free, Halal-certified D2C cosmetics brand RADC achieved 4X growth in 2022

Triphie, started by Nour Araar, is an AI-enabled all-in-one, personalised and collaborative trip planning platform that helps travellers discover, plan, and book their holidays.

The other startups pitched at the demo day were Beseek, Cocojack, Kita, MyDeliva, Odar, SAPOT, and TigerCampus. They pitched their ideas to a panel of judges, including Freda Liu, a celebrated author and broadcast journalist; Bikesh Lakhmichand, Founding Partner of 1337 Ventures; and Alpha Startups alumnus and Vircle founder Gokula Krishnan. 

All the startups from the recent cohort will receive perks up to RM80,000 worth of digital credits from Google Cloud, CloudMile, Airtable, Swipey, Notion, Stripe, and WORQ. 

The latest cohort of Alpha Startups is supported by MRANTI, Digital Penang, WORQ, and Google. 

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like connecting with investors, visibility through the platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

The post Manis Leting, Triphie win 1337 Ventures’s Alpha Startups pre-accelerator programme in MY appeared first on e27.

As the dreary funding winter soars, at e27, we are kickstarting a new article series Line of Hire to understand a company’s culture and hiring philosophies to empower tech workers with the right growth tools to enable business owners to attract talent.

Madhura Moulik is a marketer, entrepreneur, DEI advocate and angel investor.

With close to two decades of experience, she enables startups and SMEs of any size or industry to drive sustainable change and impact through digital transformation with Skilfinity, her entrepreneurial venture, and lately, KarmaV, an AI-based SaaS platform that improves an organisation’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) status.

A technology and marketing professional by vocation, she spent almost half of her professional life with corporates, in various roles establishing processes and functions for APAC, EMEA and the Americas.

What personality traits/qualities do you look for in potential employees?

Understanding the integrity of the person is critical while hiring. Most other skills can be developed or nurtured during the tenure of the employment, but if the person lacks integrity, it can pose a significant risk in achieving the organisation’s growth.

Evaluating analytical skills is also critical during the interview process since it is the key to the essential problem-solving ability of the person. Building a high-performing team and achieving sustainable growth can be more straightforward if we can understand these two qualities of the candidate and foster the same amongst the existing workforce.

How do they fit into your company culture? Tell us a little more about your company culture.

KarmaV is operated by a team of individuals in varied time zones and caters to customers on three continents. To build a truly global company with borderless operations, we must take complete ownership of our work and maintain 100 per cent transparency with the rest of the team.

We emphasize that every team member is accountable and committed to their role. Hence, despite this diversity and geographic challenges, we strive to deliver high-quality solutions to our customers.

How do you foster transparency and encourage achievement in the workplace?

We are a lean team with the privilege of shaping the culture as we work towards common business and functional goals.

Lead by example; the ownership is with the leadership and people managers to be honest and respectful with the team members. Encourage the team to step up in someone’s absence, own their mistakes, and behave ethically under high-stress situations. KarmaV believes in an open-door policy where constructive criticism and feedback are appreciated.

The organisation celebrates individual employees’ successes, and it also gets translated into rewards and inputs for career growth. The objective is to avoid stereotypical celebrations and pay attention to personal preferences that suit their personality type.

Do you have a mental health policy? What does that look like?

Our policy is to be more inclusive that support employees in every aspect, including mental health. The approach ensures that all employees have access to equal opportunity, anti-discrimination, and human rights standards.

We encourage employees to talk openly and spread awareness about mental health challenges. KarmaV allows employees to take extended time-offs and ease back into work without stress or burnout with heavy work pressure.

WFH or WFO, or hybrid?

WFH but employees are welcome to come to the office if they wish. According to us, this provides more choices and greater flexibility for the employees.

How should a tech worker prepare for the funding winter?

Industry leaders should be more cognizant of economic downturns and resort to realistic and ethical hiring practices. Each tech professional’s responsibility is to upskill themselves and remain relevant in the job market.

While organisations also look at the larger picture and invest in empowering their workforce with improved individual branding and technology skills. Improved employee advocacy can have a long-term positive impact and help save time and money to build trust and establish a brand in the market.

How do you measure the performance of your employees?

While we use Management by Objective (MBO) to set clear expectations and set measurable goals to track progress, we pay attention to personalising the thresholds and include behavioural attributes in the performance assessment process.

Will you consider a moderately skilled person with great honesty or a highly skilled person with less honesty when hiring?

As they say, skills can be acquired, but attitude can’t!

Since integrity is our critical criterion while hiring, we always choose honesty over other skill sets. However, the candidate should qualify for the minimum screening factors and be willing to learn as per the role’s demand.

Do you encourage ‘intrapreneurship’ in your organisation?

As most of our employees are individual contributors, we want them to take more ownership and be action-oriented like entrepreneurs. Lean teams and startups such as KarmaV have high regard for “intrapreneurial” qualities.

How do you support upskilling for your employees?

Team members are part of various professional forums and attend events and courses that help them gather new insights and share them with the broader team. This creates an incredible learning ecosystem that builds a habit of being more curious about various subjects and aware of the advancements.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like connecting with investors, visibility through the platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

The post The ownership is with the leadership to be honest and respectful: Madhura Moulik of KarmaV appeared first on e27.

Singapore-headquartered global software services and consulting company Apar Technologies has made an undisclosed strategic investment in AI-powered data analytics services and solutions firm BigTapp Analytics.

BigTapp’s expertise in data analytics, data engineering and data science will enable Apar to achieve its strategic growth objective of doubling its customers within three years. Apar aims to expand its data analytics offerings for customers in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, UAE, India, and the US.

Apar seeks to fuel digitisation in various sectors in Singapore, such as financial services, retail/FMCG, and manufacturing.

Also Read: Being prudent in spending should be at the heart of every management conversation: Aerodyne CEO

BigTapp, with its advanced analytics and decision science services and solutions, empowers businesses to transform data into actionable insights, driving better decision-making and improved business outcomes.

“Our Generative AI-powered solutions are receiving strong market traction across industries. Apar’s investment comes at the right time and will fuel our R&D roadmap to further develop AI & Generative AI capabilities for our customers in the financial, manufacturing and FMCG industries with goals such as enhanced customer experience and optimal and sustainable supply chains,” added Venkata Narayanan, Founder and CEO, BigTapp.

Apar has a portfolio of services and solutions across automation, CRM, cloud, IoT, custom application development, collaborative development centres, HRtech and technology consulting. With an employee base of over 2,400 professionals, Apar operates in multiple countries across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and the Americas.

Kushal Desai, Investor and Board Member of Apar, said: “BigTapp’s approach to delivering AI-driven data and analytics solutions will be a game changer as organisations become more agile in their strategies and business operations, and embrace Generative AI.”

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 is bringing together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here.

Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups get the chance to pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like a chance to connect with investors, visibility through e27 platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

The post Apar Technologies invests in Singaporean data analytics firm BigTapp appeared first on e27.

We are thrilled to announce that our flagship event, Echelon 2023, will feature an exclusive writing workshop designed to empower participants with the skills and knowledge to become influential voices in the startup community. This workshop is your opportunity to unlock your thought leadership potential and make a lasting impact on the startup ecosystem.

At e27, we believe that thought leadership is not just reserved for industry veterans or seasoned experts. We recognize the immense value that fresh perspectives and innovative ideas bring to the table. That’s why we have curated a comprehensive workshop agenda that will guide you through the process of establishing yourself as a thought leader in the dynamic world of startups. Over the years, we have nurtured over 2000 leaders in the SEA ecosystem to share their views and voices with the world.

The e27 Contributor Programme is dedicated to empowering founders, investors, and innovators like you with the tools and platform to build and grow your businesses. By becoming a contributor, you gain access to an array of exciting perks and opportunities that will elevate your personal brand and propel you towards thought leadership stardom.

Also Read: Put yourself in the spotlight with our new contributor-only leaderboard

Amplify your reach

• Get featured on e27.co, the leading technology news portal in Southeast Asia, and bask in the spotlight of our massive two million+ reader base and 50,000+ newsletter subscribers.
• Make your mark in the startup ecosystem and gain recognition for your expertise by sharing valuable insights and innovative ideas.
• Attract business, speaking and partnership opportunities

Elevate your personal brand

• Unlock a world of exciting speaking opportunities that showcase your unparalleled knowledge and expertise in the startup world.
• Elevate your personal brand and position yourself as an industry leader through thought-provoking articles and contributions.

Join the prestigious e27 Voices Hall of Fame

• Secure your place in the prestigious e27 Voices Hall of Fame, a coveted list of 50 emerging thought leaders in the Southeast Asian ecosystem.
• Join the ranks of the most influential and game-changing entrepreneurs and innovators in the region.

Unparalleled exposure

• Enjoy unparalleled exposure with your brand promoted three times daily across e27’s powerful social media channels.
• Leverage our extensive reach to amplify your voice and expand your network of potential employers, investors, clients, and partners.

Also Read: Crafting compelling narratives: A communication workshop for TOP100 Semi-Finalists at Echelon Asia Summit 2023

Find us at Echelon 2023

The thought leadership masterclass will be held on June 14 at Echelon 2023 and will be an immersive experience where you will learn the art of effective thought leadership and receive guidance from industry experts.

Our facilitator will provide practical exercises and valuable tips to help you craft compelling content that resonates with your target audience. You will also have the opportunity to engage in interactive discussions and build connections with like-minded individuals on their own thought leadership journeys and learn from their experiences.

To ensure that all your burning questions are answered, we have set aside dedicated time for a FAQ session. Our facilitators will address any queries you may have about thought leadership, the e27 Contributor Programme, or the workshop itself.

By the end of the workshop, you will walk away with a solid foundation in thought leadership and the confidence to share your expertise with the world. The skills and knowledge gained will extend beyond Echelon 2023, empowering you to continue your thought leadership journey and make a lasting impact in the startup ecosystem.

Join us at Echelon 2023 and unleash your thought leadership potential. Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to learn from industry experts, connect with like-minded individuals, and take your startup journey to new heights.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page

Image credit: Canva Pro

The post From expertise to influence: A thought leadership masterclass at Echelon 2023 appeared first on e27.

The value of investing in sustainable technology and practices materialises across several dimensions. First off, I’m sure everyone has witnessed that organisations are facing increasing regulations and investor and customer pressure for transparency in their actions towards sustainability.

That said, it’s a mistake to view this as merely a constraint while trying to achieve business goals. It is better to see it as an opportunity to create value. 

Sustainable technology and practices can help businesses become more resilient in the fast-changing world we are living in, where crises are happening more frequently and in more diverse ways. Both tech and culture change can help embed strong values into daily practices and allow companies to gradually transform towards more sustainable business models.

When it comes to business value – people, processes and finance are all affected. Technology helps us to measure progress, benchmark results and implement growth, while practices allow us to pass a positive mindset and educational value through our employees and communities in the long term.

In the end, adopting early and often is a win-win situation for everyone involved. 

Examples of sustainable technology available today

Sustainable technology has already penetrated virtually every market. I couldn’t rightly sum up all the innovation we’ve seen, even just in 2023.

But I’d like to point out that beyond the spotlight on the fundamentals of sustainability and ESG, such as carbon accounting, ESG reporting, and sustainability training, we also see new business models emerge and companies disrupting their industries.

Everyone has Patagonia in mind as a global champion in the clothing industry. We also see companies like Humanitix disrupting the US$3.7 billion annual global booking fees in the ticketing industry. Or Decathlon targeting 25 per cent of revenue from second-hand by 2025. 

Big data has been a challenge and, again, an opportunity for businesses for a long time. A particular culmination of that opportunity, I believe, is in sustainability. It touches every arm of your organisation, and the first place everyone needs to start is measuring and understanding.

Everyone, and every business, wants to reduce their carbon footprint – that’s nothing new. In the past, this was quite a complexity, and there were often misgivings around how accurate or manageable this data was, but this has changed. 

Also Read: Greentech revolution: Catalysing software’s success to drive a sustainable future

The transformation of people is also part of this new era of sustainable tech. Generating awareness and ensuring training is key in this sustainability journey, but how can we implement and track this transformation?

Technology answers these questions, and solutions on the market today address these issues in the most streamlined way possible. Our open-source PALO IT Impact Tracker is one such tool – we can see, in an all-in-one dashboard, where there are already successes, progress to be made, and how to take action. 

Challenges in transitioning to sustainable methods

We’re in a period where everyone is talking about sustainability, but early adopters are implementing it to their advantage. 

As we look towards the future, it’s crucial to consider resilience in the face of ever-evolving social norms and environmental changes. For businesses, this entails financial, operational, and regulatory resilience. If you can assess where you stand today, develop a blueprint for change, and take action – it’s a real boon for your organisation. 

When we talk about carbon footprint and our impact on the planet, those advantages are fairly obvious. A business that cares about the world and community it operates in will fair better down the road. But what’s not as obvious is the advantage a sustainable business model can have on our bottom line. Investing where it counts, making existing operations more efficient, enabling rapid redesign of systems, improving decision-making and quantifying results.  

Some businesses, right now, are being “forced” into this arena due to increasing government regulations, but dare I say they’re lucky. The implications for businesses operating in yet-to-be-regulated spaces are in an even more advantageous position. Grab the opportunity and run with it, and you’ll see the results, and the resilience, down the line. 

Also Read: ESG empowerment: Fueling Malaysia’s SMEs for a sustainable future

Leading sustainability transformation from within

This goes back to what I mentioned about sustainability awareness and training, which is picking up steam day by day. Employees today, especially the younger generation, have made it an absolute prerequisite that the business they work for cares about something more than profit.

I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I’ll say it once more, it’s an opportunity, not a challenge! Investing in training and promoting responsible practices is a big win for any future-focused organisation. 

Previously this aspect was a bit humdrum among businesses – do it and get it over with. The culture today has changed for the better. Systemic awareness will ensure your team knows that their work matters, will educate and empower them on how to take action, and will build abilities into their skill sets that they can integrate into products and services that are already on the market and those that are yet to come. 

Consequences of not reaching ESG targets

The consequences are what they’ve always been when facing large-scale change. Being left behind. In every iteration of the industrial revolution, we’ve seen businesses that keep wanting to do things the old way go the way of the dinosaurs, and those that are willing to adapt to change reap the benefits.

We’ve chosen the latter, clients we work with have chosen the latter, and the results speak for themselves. Today, we are living in a new type of revolution where embracing sustainability can generate strong value in terms of business, the market valuation of the business, better access to capital, public subsidies obtention, cost savings, a new stream of revenues, as well as in terms of reputation, brand image, employee attractiveness and retention. 

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I recently read an article titled “Corporate Accelerators are Dead”, and panicked a bit. We had just launched our AD Stretch Accelerator Program last year! After taking a moment (and having a calming tea), I reflected on our company’s, as well as my own, “accelerated” journey from the viewpoint of a corporate denizen. And here is the upshot—corporate accelerators as innovation theatre are dead, and rightfully so. However, there are some underlying factors that can help accelerators be an effective open innovation tool that creates value for all stakeholders. 

Who owns the problem? And the solution?

“Working with startups” is an exciting phrase for different levels of employees involved with accelerators. However, accelerators often fail because they are locked into providing mentorship from middle-level managers who tend to address the task of unlocking solutions with cookie-cutter pitch presentations. The purpose of startup accelerators should be to solve fundamental business problems that tie back to the company’s vision and strategy. This should find resonance at the C-suite level and earn sponsorship and buy-in.

For our accelerator, at the outset, we created brainstorming sessions with our cross-functional business teams, where they defined their most pressing issues and then discussed whether a particular problem could be solved through a startup collaboration. Only when we had a plurality of voices behind a particular problem did we bring it forward as an “AD Stretch business challenge.”

Also read: Meet the 18 investor-judges for this year’s TOP100 Program

Just as importantly, the solution would be owned by the business units. The accelerator’s role is to provide a sandbox and test ideas that we would not be able to test in normal business operations. Continuous and open conversations with every connected piece, including customers, stakeholders and suppliers, can drive positive change. Our pilots with Greenplat and Wastelabs exemplify this collaboration. During the pilots, we brought together our own teams, waste suppliers, converters, and end-users to track our 20t (923m3) waste and also increased AD Circular (our global recycling project) engagement in Brazil by connecting with brands and converters. As a result, Wastelabs AI platform is now being considered a vital tool in waste logistics for AD Circular globally. 

What is the offer?

While corporations can provide scale, opportunity and financial support to startups, it’s important to remember the value that startups can bring to corporations by challenging them to step out of their comfort zones, take risks and experiment.

In AD Stretch, we structured the first two cohorts as non-dilutive. We did this because we saw the collaboration as being instructive to all the participants and because it accelerated our business understanding. We also wanted to be “startup friendly” – this meant tailoring our legal agreements and interactions with the cohorts to be as fair as possible. In general, we treated the startups exactly how we would like to be treated.

This approach paid dividends both tangible and intangible. Our first cohort participants, the startups and employees, saw the investments that we put behind the program and rallied enthusiastically. We tested solutions with StaTwig to build a resilient supply chain by adopting technology in a traditional industry. During the pilot, we focused on the pharma industry by tracking a COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Costa Rica. Here, we connected over 1200 hospitals and pharmacies, but soon realised applications beyond pharma. While working with MakeGrowLab, we tested high-performance nanofiber from biowaste, which can improve paper properties and replace hard-to-recycle plastic for high-value segments. Our teams tested solutions and worked together to make them commercially viable while adapting sustainable solutions at scale.

What are the metrics of success?

Fundamentally, an accelerator needs to show financial return, albeit with an element of strategic patience. We see the program as a pipeline into our product and solutions portfolio as well as our very active Ventures program. 

However, as Danny Allouche, the company’s chief strategy officer, continuously reminds us, “Long-term financial returns aside, a core part of this program is around fundamental learning and culture change.” In the packaging industry, which has long been quite conservative, learning and culture change are fundamental accelerator building blocks. They are best exemplified by the dashboards we share around “What went well and what did not.”

Also read: Echelon: Empowering Southeast Asia’s HealthTech revolution

As we invest in startups we support them as they test, experiment and learn so that innovations can come to market and deliver the desired impact far quicker than if we all chose to do it alone. 

AD Stretch as a platform enables us to constantly challenge ourselves, experiment without fear of failure, and create sustainable solutions at speed. What would take years, possibly decades alone, is happening in a matter of months, and this is why collaboration is at the heart of what we do. More importantly, it is changing how we work and incorporate technology to build impactful and sustainable solutions. 

Strategic Marketing Manager Sandra Patricia Alvarez says of her experience: “After 28 years with Avery Dennison in Latin America, the AD Stretch Accelerator Program has allowed me to break paradigms and provide innovative solutions beyond physical labels, enabling better consumer connections for brand owners. It’s been an extraordinary opportunity to work on marketing solutions and gain a new perspective on the business.“

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Our AD Stretch Accelerator Program’s second cohort received an overwhelming response of over 300 applications from startups around the world. Now, the time has come to showcase the seven exceptional teams that have made the cut. To get a glimpse of innovation in the packaging industry’s future, see our official press release. Here, you will find more details about the startups, their groundbreaking ideas and the immense potential they hold.

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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by Avery Dennison

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