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The electric vehicle (EV) market is hot right now — more than 10 million electric vehicles are running globally and if current growth rates continue globally we can expect to reach the stated policy scenario target outlined in IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook report of 145 million electric vehicles by 2030 across all segments. However, a concerted effort will be needed to hit the sustainable development scenario target of 270 million EV by 2030 — in order to align climate goals with the Paris Agreement of net-zero emissions by 2070. 

Clear evidence that electric mobility is set for rapid growth is seen from the fact that electric car registrations rose 41% during a pandemic year when car sales overall dropped. Increasing adoption of electric mobility in emerging APAC economies and improved EV and battery manufacturing capabilities in Southeast Asia represents significant opportunities for entrepreneurs who can deliver the products and services that make the market more attractive and efficient.

Electric motorbikes, three-wheelers, and delivery vehicles are becoming a common sight across Asia but we know in order to make a real leap in the path to net-zero carbon emissions, we need to see a lot more electric cars and trucks which impact a much larger carbon footprint. Moreover, the lack of charging infrastructure in countries such as India, Malaysia, and Indonesia continues to hamper the growth of the Asian market. For the EV sector to continue to scale faster in Asia, future growth is impacted by a number of key factors — government policies, investments by major automotive OEMs, lower battery prices, and better charging infrastructure.

Also read: How Grove HR is powering the next generation of Tech unicorns

These challenges, potential solutions, and innovations that will support electric mobility growth in Asia were discussed in episode two of Asian Development Bank’s Climatic series. The two-part episode included a talk show where host Linh Thai discussed solutions to remove potential roadblocks with industry experts, and a solution showcase where startups pitched their innovations to the panel of VC investors.

Linh analysed the current state of the industry with Sohail Hasnie, Principal Energy Specialist at the Asian Development Bank and a peer reviewer for the annual electric vehicles outlook of the International Energy Agency. Hasnie began by stating that the rising number of electric vehicles is already having an impact on mitigating the effects of climate change. From the launch of the first Nissan Leaf in 2010 it took five years to hit 1 million EV’s, but the next five years have seen exponential growth to 10 million he pointed out. 

An electric vehicle produces 9 Kgs of CO2 over a 100 km running distance as opposed to 18 ks of carbon dioxide emitted by a regular car, Hasnie explained. He added that since electric motors are 98% per cent efficient, they also deliver huge energy savings — a crucial factor for countries in Asia still largely dependent on fossil fuels. 

So while it is clear that electric vehicles can make a significant impact on mitigating climate change, the need of the hour is for entrepreneurs who can commercialise and apply new EV technologies to ensure the exponential growth projections of the market does not run into obstacles.

Asian Development Bank also has a venture arm called ADB Ventures which supports such initiatives. One recipient of the organisation’s investments is India-based company, Euler Motors, which is focused on the light electric commercial vehicles segment. Bridging gaps in the underserved EV market in one of the world’s most densely populated economies, ADB’s support could help the company develop its services and ultimately scale regionally.

Investing in double bottom-line impact

Linh Thai asked panellist Doug Parker, an automotive founder turned investor with VC firm Wavemaker Partners about some of the electric mobility startups they have invested in. Parker explained that lithium extraction is a really interesting area for innovation today because faster and environmentally friendly lithium extraction methods will deliver the kind of double bottom-line impact we need to tackle climate change, while still ensuring the EV market continues to flourish. 

Parker said his firm has invested in Summit Nanotech which developed an environmentally friendly, faster and more affordable way to extract lithium. “We’re going to need a lot more lithium as we scale up electric vehicles and this company can help us get it out of Argentinian, Chilean and Bolivian deserts where water is scarce,” said Parker. 

Another double bottom line impact company they have invested in is called Vflow which builds flow batteries that can be used with existing service stations and alleviate problems that electric vehicles might cause to existing electricity grids. Better battery technology is at the core of electric vehicle innovation but is highly problematic due to the environmental impact of current battery manufacturing methods.

Also read: UKISS Hugware: Singapore-designed hardware wallet securing digital assets with hassle-free recovery

Parker elaborated further on the areas where he believes there are significant opportunities: “We are interested in opportunities around electric service stations — how you can get these service stations connected to the grid again. We’re really excited about commercial fleets — how you’re going to charge those fleets but also how you are going to route those fleets, maintain the batteries over time and how are you going to resell those cars.”

The amount of innovation going on in the EV space really sets a high bar for any company that wants to compete in this space. Parker said his focus was on trying to find companies that can have a “tenth of a gigaton impact — reduce 100 million tons of carbon annually from emissions as well as have a 100 million dollar run rate. Now that’s a pretty tall order but it also helps us really make sure we’re focused on the biggest opportunities. So we are definitely focused on not just dollars but large scale carbon reduction.”

Changing ambitions are leading to higher investment

Sophia Nadur runs the corporate venture capital arm BP Ventures at energy giant BP and investing in electric mobility might seem to be in conflict with their core business but Nadur says BP has a new vision to reimagine energy for the planet. Nadur said BP has “adopted an ambition to become a net-zero company and also help the world get to net zero. So we don’t see electrification as a threat.”

Startups are crucial to this ambition, thinks Nadur, because the energy transition is happening so quickly. Even though BP has deep technology expertise and capabilities, startups can help them find new solutions to old problems, integrate and take new technologies to market faster. Given BP’s resources, this is a potentially excellent synergy of deep pockets and nimble innovators who can together help tackle the energy transition head-on.

Therefore BP Ventures plays an important role for BP to achieve its vision and invest in technology companies that can help BP reinvent itself. It can also help them reduce their emissions and open new opportunities in adjacent emerging digital technology areas. “Because electric vehicles enable much more digital tech stack integration, it’s important for smaller companies to think about it,” added Nadur. BP Ventures has invested in a Chinese company called Publisher which has a tech stack that delivers charging to private cars and fleets, as well as offering battery management capabilities.

Also read: Is your team growing like never before? You might want to start fixing your business spending now

ADB Ventures’ recent investment in Euler Motors crystalises the institution’s commitment to meeting net-zero emissions. Because commercial vehicles run extensively — about 30000 km a year — there is a huge opportunity to reduce India’s carbon footprint. Euler CEO Saurav Kumar said that they are focused on India for now since the country buys around 600,000 commercial vehicles a year — representing a 10 billion dollar market. He believes their vehicles will have strong appeal in regions like Southeast Asia and Europe, so he is confident that Euler can scale globally if they succeed in India.

Kumar thinks there has been a big shift in how the EV sector is perceived in India. He is upbeat about the future since government support is strong with forward-looking policies and with India a signatory to the Paris climate goals. With pollution reaching severe levels in India the government along with the entire ecosystem of OEM’s, charging networks and battery suppliers are together making a big push to develop the market in India, explained the Euler CEO. 

“Every month India is seeing new OEM vehicles getting deployed in the market — lithium was a major inhibitor but lithium cell prices have come down from around 800$-1000$ per kilowatt-hour to 200$ which is a huge cost reduction so the total cost of ownership has started making sense for people,” he added.

Shaping government policy in a critical decade for electric mobility

Talking of government policy, a perspective on what areas governments around the world need to work on to support the sector was given by Kartik Gopal, Senior Industry Specialist at World Bank’s International Finance Corporation. Gopal explained the challenges: “In the short to medium term, you do need some financial incentives to bridge the cost gap between electric vehicles and ICE vehicles, Additionally subsidies to support charging infrastructure development for passenger cars are needed as well.”

Supply chain issues include dependence on minerals like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese for batteries, and rare earth minerals used in high powered electric motors. These minerals are not easily available across the world which could put some countries in a dominant position in controlling the supply of such minerals. “There is a possibility of an oligopoly emerging,” said Gopal, “so we need to make sure it does not lead to another set of challenges for accelerating the adoption of EVs. There has to be sufficient investment in the supply and also in making these resources available for any country that wants to develop its EV market.”

Overall he is optimistic that government policies will adapt quickly enough because he is seeing very keen interest in almost every country where IFC operates. “People are motivated to find solutions.” believes Gopal. This gives him hope that countries will be able to come together and find solutions to the pragmatic and political difficulties of meeting the world’s electric mobility goals. 

Electrification in the automotive industry is happening fast and is a major contributor to meeting Earth’s net-zero carbon goals. The entrepreneurs who can help reduce Asia’s carbon footprint will play a major role in making Asia more resilient to climate change. The second part of the episode was a showcase of electric mobility innovators in Asia. Three chosen startups Green Li-ion, Lithion Power and ETRAN showcased their products to the panel of electric mobility investors.

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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by ADBV

We can share your story at e27, too. Engage the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem by bringing your story to the world. Visit us at e27.co/advertise to get started.

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In 2021, the pandemic pushed technological advances forward faster than ever before, but significant changes are in store even more.

Over the past year, we saw the concepts of Web3 and the metaverse go from a distant aspiration to an accepted fact. In 2022, for the first time, a significant and growing number of people will learn what it’s like to live daily with these fast-emerging technologies.

A brief history of the internet

In the mid-1990s, the early forms of the internet were focused on providing universal access to centrally managed information and services. You might search property on propertyguru.com, read news on thestar.com.my, or look up directions on Google Maps. 

Giving every person on the planet access to the sum of all human knowledge, as Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales put it, is what we now call Web1. 

Web2 began with the rise of social media and intelligent messenger platforms such as WeChat and WhatsApp, which allow consumers a bilateral interaction. While the term was coined in 1999, this model began to impact around 2005 significantly.

With Web 2, consumers could access central information repositories, just as before. But they could also create and share their content. In the Web1 model, users mainly were just consumers of information. In Web 2, they became creators of Facebook posts, blogs, YouTube videos, and much more.

The advent of Web 2.0 unleashed new business models and a torrent of creativity. Yet, the transformative potential of Web 2.0 has been limited because interactions among users still largely happen on a central platform.

Today, user-generated content is king, but that content is almost exclusively shared on a handful of large social media platforms worldwide. These platforms have become the most important lead generators for many industries.

Also Read: Hashed launches US$200M Fund II to back Web3 technologies

A challenge to the power brokers

We still live in a world of Web 2, but Web 3 is already emerging more quickly than either of its predecessors. Web3 is a catchall term for many ideas and technologies that lead to eliminating the middlemen that today manage your online interactions.

Your data and account information will belong exclusively to you. It will travel with you as you move from online shopping to news, to social media and so on.

Under Web3, information is no longer collated centrally by huge, gatekeeper companies such as Google, Facebook, and Grab.

Instead, it is generated and stored, decentralised, on and by your devices. Content can be shared among consumers and businesses without the involvement of a central platform. 

Web3 will take the intermediary role away from institutions that have long exploited their position. In the future, data, home videos, and even legal contracts such as those embodied in NFTs will be protected and communicated by blockchain technology. This change will shake up our existing power structures in ways we still can’t entirely foresee.

The need for a central repository of information will be gone. Traditional financial institutions, classified websites, social media platforms and other pillars of society that have benefitted from their central roles in the flows of money and influence will all feel the impact. 

The user’s experience will also be wildly different. Information will be shared in real-time through blockchain technology. Rather than waiting days for bank transfers, deposits, or other financial transactions to be completed, they will be instant and cost little or nothing.

Web3 will give users a multitude of new dimensions for access. One person may have multiple versions of themselves (digital twins) in the new virtual worlds that make up the metaverse. Large companies are responding by creating virtual worlds where their customers can engage, and invitation-only private domains are rising.

Digital-first countries will thrive

Dismantling central control will pose challenges to society, business and politics. Trust is an essential element of commerce that will have to be reset and redefined in the new era. 

Change is unavoidable. How we respond to it will be essential. The evolution to Web3 will also give new and significant opportunities to those who embrace it. That includes governments, businesses, and individual consumers. 

The companies that I advise are already exploring the potential of Web 3.0 and understand that it will create new challenges but also opportunities.

Also Read: The different ways the Web3.0 is enabling marketplaces

Countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, which have always been at the forefront of technological development, will benefit through faster economic growth and greater resilience against the shock caused by future events such as pandemics, extreme weather, and economic downturns.

And, when we think we have Web3 all worked out, the next shake-up will be just around the corner: quantum computing.

One well-known explorer has made their motto, “To infinity and beyond!”

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Creating and nurturing investments that have a meaningful impact on society and the environment is a new year’s resolution that more investors will be making as the world comes together to achieve net-zero.

The commitment to sustainable impact investments will be integral to the growth of new transformative industries and climate technologies.

My interest in this emerging area of sustainability stems from my personal experience. During my time in the Singapore military, I witnessed the potential of technologies such as manned and unmanned field sensors.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations at the time were used for strategic purposes such as defence operations that tracked an enemy’s activities via surveillance, real-time imagery, and surveys.

But beyond their military application, these sensors can be used to monitor, report, and verify what corporations are doing to contribute towards climate action positively. 

Fighting for nature

As an ex-soldier who used to train and fight in nature, I like to think that I’m now fighting for nature through the investments we are making that positively impact the environment.

It’s been encouraging to witness the rise of a growing number of successful startups providing solutions for things like tree-tracking and forestry conservation by leveraging technologies such as geospatial data services.

Many of these solutions use specialised drones and UAVs. They are now part of the fast-growing ecosystem called ‘climate tech’, a term encompassing a broad set of sectors tackling the challenge of decarbonising the global economy.

The goal is to meet climate goals agreed by the international community at conferences such as the recent COP26 – climate tech represented just 6 per cent of global annual venture capital funding in 2019 but has grown more than 3,750 per cent in absolute terms since 2013, according to PwC.

The question arises of how climate tech investing can be scaled up, a significant challenge my partners and I are helping corporations solve: we know delivering real environmental change over the long term will require massive action by both government and the private sector.

By working hand-in-hand with forward-thinking companies and being committed to operating more sustainably and responsibly, we are more likely to save the wonders of nature from being lost forever to future generations.

Helping corporates succeed in sustainability

When we founded Gunung Capital, we were frustrated by the lack of climate-conscious investment options in the market and wanted to leverage our own experiences to guide companies on their sustainability journeys.

Also Read: Why is impact investing suddenly so hot?

Gunung means “mountain”, and we chose the name because it reflects our commitment to helping others ‘climb mountains’ to reach new heights on their ascent towards sustainability.

An essential part of this sustainability journey for most companies will involve carbon markets (and specifically carbon credits), which we believe will emerge as an established asset class in the decades to come.

As corporations transition their operations away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy sources, voluntary carbon credit markets will increasingly play a role in their transition plans.

Hence, carbon markets will grow in importance and gain momentum despite being relatively small at present.

The important role of carbon markets

Factors including limited liquidity, insufficient market size, non-standard transaction processes, and a lack of transparent price mechanisms mean that voluntary carbon markets have not been viable for institutional investment at scale, but that is starting to change. 

Another challenge is that there are still very few startups focused on solving the challenges infrastructure developers must overcome to grow the supply of high-quality carbon removal projects.

Investing in high-quality carbon markets should be top of mind for investors in the coming years ahead who want to support and finance new technologies, innovative businesses, and much-needed carbon offset projects here in Southeast Asia and internationally.

We’re excited to be offering services across the carbon value chain with a focus on decarbonisation and conservation of natural resources and developing, implementing, and investing in comprehensive emission reduction projects, strategies, and technologies.

Our carbon offset procurement and trading have been launched to build a carbon credit portfolio through a mix of opportunistic spot purchases and forward contracts.

Also Read: A wave of change: What sets impact investing apart from traditional investing

For example, we recently bought our first batch of carbon credits in partnership with the global carbon credit exchange and marketplace Climate Impact X (CIX). We’re also building an investment portfolio of private equity funds and exploring opportunities with a strong focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG);.

At the same time, we are actively seeking entrepreneurs and startup founders with an intrepid spirit and grit who are building the next generation of innovative climate tech.

Finally, we are evaluating entering the carbon offset project development space to develop projects with a visible impact on the environment and generate high-quality carbon offsets to be traded on voluntary carbon markets.

As we close off one year and begin another, safeguarding and growing value for our stakeholders through ESG and impact investments is our top priority: as the planet changes, so must the responsibilities and actions of the private equity world. 

We will all be held accountable for the state of the environmental and social impacts we leave behind to the next generation, so we encourage all corporates and institutional investors to make the environment central to their new year’s resolution in 2022.

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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

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As we approach the digital decade- a new era in the 4.0 revolution, online presence is becoming increasingly important for brands, founders, entrepreneurs, VCs and arguably anyone who wants to be seen at all. There is no dearth of digital marketing avenues, and it is becoming difficult to stand out in the digital noise. 

One way to position yourself as a peer leader and stand out in the crowd is through thought leadership articles. Before we delve deeper into why these articles are so important and how they can help you and your brand, let us first explore what thought leadership means.

What is thought leadership?

In 1994, Joel Kurtzman, editor-in-chief of Strategy & Business magazine, said, “Peers recognises a thought leader, customers and industry experts as someone who deeply understands the business they are in, the needs of their customers and the broader marketplace in which they operate. They have distinctively original ideas, unique points of view and new insights.” 

Today, in its simplest form and according to the Oxford dictionary, thought leadership refers to “intellectual influence and innovative or pioneering thinking”. 

So, thought leadership would mainly entail creating and sharing content that taps into the experience, talent, and passion you have for your business or community. Pair that with extensive research and try to answer the biggest questions in the minds of your target audience, peers or even competitors on a particular topic.

Now that we have established what thought leadership means, let us bust some common myths around this. More often than not, I have come across young executives and even startup founders who believe that they are not ready to be writing a thought leadership article. 

The fact is that anyone can be a thought leader- a startup employee, founder, entrepreneur, VC, researcher, academician, a government official, a student- anyone who has a point of view that speaks to a set target audience and answers their questions.

How to go about leveraging thought leadership articles for branding

Bryan Rhoads, former Head of Content at Intel, always says, “you have to win the internet every day.” And, thought leadership articles can help you do that. You can leverage this type of content to speak directly to your audiences, answer questions that matter in your industry, comment on trends and bring in your personal experiences and lessons you’ve learned. However, when writing a thought leadership article, you need to keep a few things in mind:

• Do not fall into the “unique POV trap”

Many aspirant authors of these articles keep waiting for that unique point of view that they think will help make their articles stand out. It is important to note that the audience isn’t necessarily waiting for something new and unique all the time. They are seeking value. 

And, the fact that you are talking about something you have experience, expertise and exposure, automatically makes it unique because your experiences and takeaways are yours alone. 

So, don’t wait for something “out-of-the-box” because you won’t have those ideas all the time. Just pick up that laptop and start typing on that one question you want to answer for your audiences today. A McKinsey & Company research proves that the 3 Cs of customer satisfaction are “consistency, consistency, and consistency.” So, keep writing.

• Video, visuals and audio are trending, but research says written content is king

Lately, with the rise of podcasts, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and of course, TikTok, a lot has been said about the importance and effectiveness of audio and visual content. 

However, a report by Social Media Examiner reveals that 58 per cent, i.e., more than half of marketers prefer “original written content”, which includes blog posts, articles, and ebooks over visual content. So, if you have any doubts about the best way to establish yourself as a thought leader, know that written content is king. 

• Be subtle, do not hard sell

Another extremely important rule to follow when writing a thought leadership article is to avoid sounding too promotional. The hard sell is a turn off for everyone alike- the media giving you the platform (because they want to add value to their readers over simply selling your product), as well as your readers seeking answers and insights.

You can use thought leadership articles to promote your brand but do not hard sell. Remember, a product feature is not thought leadership. 

Here are some quick tips on how to promote your brand via thought leadership articles without sounding like a salesperson- 

• Maintain a consistent tonality and voice
• Keep your brand’s key messaging and pillars in mind while drafting the content.
• Do not try to sell everything in one article- pick one challenge, explain why it is relevant to the people you are speaking to and present a solution.

At e27, we value thought leaders and our reader base. If you are keen on embarking upon your journey of becoming a thought leader in Southeast Asia, join our Contributor Program today. 

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BandLab, a Singapore-based social music creation platform, has announced a US$53 million fundraise, led by Vulcan Capital.

K3 Ventures and existing investor Caldecott Music Group also participated.

The new capital will allow BandLab to expand its team and refine and grow its offerings to music creators and aspiring artists worldwide.

This round brings the startup’s post-money valuation to US$303 million.

Launched in 2015, BandLab is a next-generation social music creation platform, which aims to support creators of all kinds, from first-time creators to Grammy-winning producers.

Also Read: Singapore music collab platform BandLab acquires music live-streaming service Chew

Its cross-platform creative ecosystem offers users everything from its Mix Editor to a royalty-free Sounds library, as well as Mastering, newly announced AI-powered SongStarter.

Beyond creation tools, it also offers artist services like distribution and direct fan subscriptions. The upcoming integration of its recently acquired independent artist services platform ReverbNation into BandLab will further expand the suite of services available to independent artists.

Its parent BandLab Technologies also runs the professional-level digital audio workstation, Cakewalk.

“Our vision is a future where there are no barriers to making and sharing music. In particular among independent musicians and creators, and among mobile-first users, the billions with smartphones and original musical ideas,” said BandLab CEO and co-founder Meng Ru Kuok.

Also Read: YouTube co-founder, Alpha JWC, AC Ventures back Otoklix’s US$10M funding round

“We’re not only doubling down on our market-leading creator tools but also prioritising compensation for artists and protection for rights holders. If creators aren’t being paid fairly, it’s a major barrier to their development and growth as artists,” Ru Kuok added.

In September 2017, BandLab had acquired London-based music live-streaming service Chew.tv. A year earlier, it had bought a 49 per cent stake in Rolling Stone magazine.

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Modern technological advancement allows people worldwide to live longer, resulting in ageing populations everywhere. Moreover, studies indicate that in Asia, where around 60 per cent of the world’s population live, people are ageing faster than in the west.

For instance, the over 65s in Asia are expected to increase an incredible  314 per cent from 207 million in 2000 to 857 million in 2050. As people age, the world is witnessing a decline in the working-age population from another perspective. Asian workforces, in particular, are expected to reduce by hundreds of millions of people in the coming years.

China expects to see a 170 million decline in its working-age population in the next three decades. Likewise, in Singapore, the over-65 population is predicted to surge from 14 per cent in 2019 to 25 per cent in the next decade.

Meanwhile, Selina Seah, Director at Singapore’s Centre for Healthcare Assistive and Robotics Technology (CHART), said that the country is significantly exposed to the “three tsunamis” in healthcare– an ageing population, a shrinking workforce, and rising chronic diseases.

Thus, healthcare is a particularly vulnerable area, with the World Health Organization (WHO) predicting a shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030, primarily in low and middle-income countries.

The situation is further exacerbated by the drastic fall in population growth in the region, which is already negative in Japan and projected to be zero for the entire Asian region by 2050.

Meanwhile, the robotics industry is on a rapid rise, with robots handling everything from doctors to firing employees. So, it stands to reason that the proactive Asian countries, especially Singapore, Japan, China, South Korea, and Taiwan, should focus on robotics technology to handle their citizens’ healthcare needs in the challenging years ahead.

Also Read: We are a coding and robotics school. This is how we prepare for COVID-19 outbreak

Asia is therefore using an estimated 65 per cent of the world’s robots, also becoming the region with the highest robot production. Japan is the world’s leading adopter of robots and its leading producer and exporter of robots, at 55 per cent of total manufacture.

Furthermore, Japan’s innovative strategies are combining AI and robotics to enable robots to solve complex social issues and increase economic growth. One project focuses on developing service robots to ensure adequate services for elderly homecare needs and for caring for seniors in healthcare settings.

Moreover, Toyota’s Human Support Robot (HSR) is an existing platform that combines robots with human factors to offer basic care and support nursing in long-term care facilities.

Meanwhile, Singapore’s Changi General Hospital (CGH, a 1000-bed, academic medical institution caring for over 1 million people, has installed over 50 robots as staff members, engaged in a diverse array of duties, from performing surgeries to handling administration.

As CHART’s Selina Seah said, “we thought the aged patients would not take well to the robots. However, we discovered in our research that elderly patients look at robots like life-sized toys. So, they are brought back to their childhood and, in fact, able to interact and respond better to therapy with robots than they do with a human.”

Likewise, South Korea’s Seoul Medical Center engages three types of robots to help medical staff treat coronavirus patients. One robot type checks visitors’ temperature before allowing them in; the second robot type sterilises negative pressure rooms. The third robot delivers clothes and other soiled and used items to a disposal area.

In Taiwan, a startup, Brain Navi Biotechnology, has created surgical robots for brain surgery. The platform uses machine vision, robotic technology, and algorithms for real-time imaging, precise surgery, and minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Also, through robotic technology, the machines recognise surgical instruments within seconds and register patients through a contactless machine vision process.

With the pandemic uppermost in all activities, Thailand too has engaged AI and robotics innovation to support medical professionals. Innovations by Thai companies have created a 3-in-1 negative pressure patient transport capsule that generates negative pressure, removes harmful particles in the air, and disinfects itself.

Another innovation, the IoT Cold Chain monitors and controls the icy temperatures required for vaccine storage, while the CARA Robot assists medical staff to deliver medicine and food supplies within hospitals and isolation venues, and the Xterlizer can disinfect 25 square meters and destroy bacteria and fungi with UV-C light within five minutes.

Also Read: A true living AI is adaptive, conscious, caring and ethical: Dr David Hanson of Hanson Robotics

China too has stepped up its robot use following the pandemic, using robots to deliver food to ensure social distancing, monitor mask-wearing,o monitor temperature of people, and guide patients while promoting public awareness of preventing epidemics.

In the same vein, Southeast Asian countries appear to engage exoskeleton rehabilitation robotics for patients’ physiotherapy sessions. Singapore’s National University Health System spent US$1.34 million to buy exoskeletons and to train twelve physiotherapists for two years.

The exclusive challenges each country in the Southeast Asian region faces and its unique culture are reflected in the projects undertaken by each country. However, what appears to overwrite all of it is that Southeast Asian nations significantly outperform other regions of the world, especially the US. and Europe. 

Equally apparent is that these service robots are a key mechanism to boost productivity, global competitiveness and enhance living standards. And the widespread adoption of these service robots is recognized as a positive sign of growth and progress.

Moreover, as CEO and co-founder of iRobot, Colin Angle, said, “People are fascinated by robots because they’re machines that can mimic life.”

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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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E-commerce enabler aCommerce files for IPO in Thailand
aCommerce plans to list its shares on the main board of the Stock Exchange of Thailand and looks to sell up to 40 per cent of its shares; It has appointed Siam Commercial Bank as is its lead underwriter; To date, aCommerce has secured US$118.8M in venture funding.

Grab to buy Malaysia’s Jaya Grocer
Grab has agreed to buy all the ordinary shares and 75% of the preference shares of Jaya Grocer; The retail grocery store started back in December 2007 and has since grown to run 40 stores across Peninsular Malaysia, according to Grab.

Indonesia to launch US$300M Merah Putih Fund for ‘soonicorns’
Merah Putih Fund is backed by state-owned enterprises; Some of its initial investors are Mandiri Capital, BRI Ventures, MDI Ventures, and Telkom Mitra Inovasi; GudangAda, Kopi Kenangan, SiCepat, Social Bella, Ruangguru, and 20 more firms are estimated to be soonunicorns.

HK accelerator Brinc lands US$130M funding led by Animoca Brands to foray into Web3
Brinc will launch new blockchain-focused accelerator programmes across culture, music, art, collectibles, gaming, decentralised finance and data; In 2021, Brinc and Animoca jointly unveiled the blockchain and NFT accelerator Launchpad Luna, which is in the process of funding 30 Web3 firms.

‘Bloomberg for digital assets’ Nansen bags US$75M Series B
Investors are Accel Partners, GIC, a16z, Tiger Global, and SCB 10X; Nasen helps investors make informed decisions around project discovery, due diligence, and trading; It analyses on-chain data points, wallet labels, and entities on blockchains such as Ethereum, Polygon, Binance Smart Chain, Fantom, Avalanche, and Celo.

Vulcan Capital leads social music platform BandLab’s US$53M Series B round
K3 Ventures and Caldecott Music Group also participated; BandLab is a next-generation social music creation platform, which supports creators of all kinds of sophistication levels, from first-time creators to Grammy-winning producers.

Binance, MDI Ventures form JV to set up new crypto exchange in Indonesia
Binance will provide asset management infrastructure and technology to support the development of the new exchange platform; Last year, Binance acquired a controlling stake in Tokocrypto, a government-approved platform for trading cryptocurrency assets in Indonesia.

Bukalapak, BRI Ventures back Yield Guild Games SEA’s US$15M financing round
YGG SEA will support locally developed play-to-earn games in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand; So far, YGG SEA has helped more than 2,500 players and investors in the region to generate additional revenue streams, including over 600 in Thailand.

1982 Ventures hits US$12.5M initial close of Fund I, to back 30 seed-stage startups
Its investors include US-based Carta, Genting Group’s venture arm, First Close Partners, and Trihill; 1982 Ventures, which targets to raise a total corpus of US$15M, has already invested in 11 companies, including Brick, Infina, Homebase, Bluesheets, and Wagely.

YouTube co-founder, Alpha JWC, AC Ventures back Otoklix’s US$10M funding round
Otoklix allows vehicle owners to discover services at any recommended independent workshop nearby and receive a warranty for any transactions at its partner workshop in Indonesia; It plans to establish its own O2O managed flagship workshops throughout Indonesia.

Sustainability-focused social commerce startup abillion nets US$10M Series A
Investors include 1/0 Capital, Mamoru Taniya and Bradley Busetto; The startup plans to build a P2P marketplace within the abillion app that enables consumers to sell sustainable products and services to each other.

Reciki raises funding from Circulate Capital to set up new waste management facilities in Indonesia
Reciki recovers and distributes almost all materials: high-value plastics, low-value plastics, organic waste and other recyclables; With the new funds, Reciki plans to set up several more facilities across Indonesia, with the ambition to process more than 1,000 tonnes of waste per day.

East Ventures backs Indonesia’s data-powered supply chain solution startup Praktis
Triputra Group also participated; Praktis helps D2C brands manage their backend operations, covering sourcing and production activities, logistic and fulfilment, and order management systems.

Foodpanda, HungryPanda brawl over trademark dispute
Foodpanda said that HungryPanda’s trademarks are visually similar to that of its own; The former added that the panda visual is distinct for Foodpanda because of heavy advertising and its usage over a long period.

Women-only social media startup Eve World buys SG femtech firm Femcy
Femcy offers a digital solutions platform for Asian women to improve their menstrual health; Eve World, scheduled for a public launch by the end of Q1 2022, will feature multi-format content and communities around women-centric issues, along with elements like social commerce, e-commerce, and brand stores.

Zoomcar to pump US$25M into Philippine launch
The startup has picked Gene Angelo Ferrer, the former country manager of logistics firm MrSpeedy, as its country head; Earlier this month, the firm launched its operations in Vietnam; This rollout is part of its US$100M expansion plan into the SEA market for the next 2-3 years.

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Singapore-based Nansen, a provider of an analytics platform for blockchain, has received US$75 million in a Series B financing round led by Accel Partners.

GIC, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Tiger Global, SCB 10X, Amplify Partners, L1 Digital, Cristóbal Conde (chairman of Fimatix), Skyfall Ventures, Folius Ventures, Old Fashion Research, Adam White (president of Bakkt), Ryan Rabaglia (Libra Capital Ventures), Prabhakar Reddy (co-founder of FalconX), Anastasia Andrianova (CEO of Akropolis), and Ameet Patel also joined this round.

Nansen will utilise the capital for growth, hiring, and developing new product offerings for retail and institutional customers. It also plans to expand its global presence by adding innovative platform features and multichain integrations.

“We’re ready for a new phase of growth, accelerating our international expansion, scaling up our data capabilities to support the wider blockchain ecosystem, and providing global investors with a world-class product to explore the latest crypto trends and make more informed decisions,” said Nansen CEO Alex Svanevik.

Also Read: Blockchain and Bitcoin for business 101 with Justin Renken

Nansen is a blockchain analytics platform that enriches on-chain data with millions of wallets labels. It lets users see where funds are moving to, identify new projects or tokens, and trace transactions down to the granular level. This way, it enables them to make informed decisions before investing in a new crypto project or token.

In addition, the platform lets users create smart alerts and track when and where a wallet address has been moving their funds. They can also analyse the real-time behaviour of the largest crypto investors.

The firm claims it analyses and labels over 100 million Ethereum wallets and their activity.

In June this year, Nansen raised a Series A round of investment. Since then, it has expanded its blockchain support from Ethereum and Polygon, including Binance Smart Chain (BSC), Fantom, Avalanche, Celo and Ronin. It also claims to have increased its coverage to 100 million-plus wallet labels across multiple blockchains.

Nansen has also added a new institutional product line, including Nansen API and Nansen Query.

“This is just the beginning, and we plan to introduce product lines for new audiences and scale even further. Institutional customers will be able to access market-leading on-chain data programmatically via Nansen API and Nansen Query. Protocol teams will be able to publish and access on-chain product analytics via the Nansen Ecosystem offering. Individual investors and crypto funds will see major improvements to Nansen Standard and Nansen Alpha, including support for 10+ blockchains,” Svanevik added.

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Sleek, a Singapore-based startup providing incorporation and accounting services for SMEs and entrepreneurs, has announced a Series A extension, bringing its total funding raised in this round to US$25 million.

EDBI and existing investors participated in the round that came in both equity and debt.

This tranche comes a month after Sleek’s US$14 million funding co-led by Jungle Ventures and White Star Capital. 

Sleek intends to utilise the new capital for technology and product development and to scale the team for worldwide expansion in existing and new markets.

Also read: How automation and innovation will boost SME success in Singapore

Founded in 2017 by French entrepreneurs Julien Labruyere and Adrien Barthel, Sleek assists business clients in managing back-office operations and seeking expert advice from qualified professionals. 

It automates and integrates company registration, financial and regulatory reporting, bookkeeping, and banking services, enabling entrepreneurs to “go from an idea to an operating company in a day.”

According to the company, the Sleek app allows SMEs to open a deposit account in a day. Businesses can access account data and other company metrics on the Sleek dashboard to streamline bank reconciliation for accounting and bookkeeping purposes.

The startup recently developed Sleek Business Account to simplify opening bank accounts for SMEs. 

As per a press statement, as of November, Sleek has managed a portfolio of over 5,000 businesses that produce US$700 million in sales and complete over 1.4 million accounting transactions in 2020.

Since its inception, Sleek has made inroads into Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, the UK, and the Philippines. The firm now targets to expand to markets such as Australia and Europe, where it recently acquired Ltd Companies, also known as Fresh Startups (an incorporation management service provider in the UK), for an undisclosed amount.

Sleek plans to integrate its products and technology stack with Fresh Startups’s existing offerings to create a comprehensive SME-operating system for UK entrepreneurs and enterprises. 

The business also targets to launch solutions that deal with remittances and card issuing.

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Image Credit: Sleek

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