In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have remained in remote setups, operating under this assumption: Working from home enables employees to better manage work-life balance. Instead of having to separate work from life, they could integrate the two, so they could take care of children and other domestic matters in between meetings and deliverables. Employees would have better mental health — at least in theory.

That theory has long gone unquestioned until a recent Gallup survey put it to the test. Gallup found that employees who were engaged on-site became more stressed at home (29 per cent to 32 per cent), those who were not engaged also became more stressed (38 per cent to 46 per cent), and those who were actively disengaged experienced no change at all in their stress levels (remaining at 52 per cent in both conditions).

This survey undermines the assumption that work-from-home is universally better for our mental health. While most businesses would look at this data as a location issue and immediately set in motion a back-to-office change management plan, this view is misguided. This data does not reveal a geographical issue, but a cultural one. 

Companies must address the fundamental challenge that comes with each type of employee.

Empower your engaged employees

For purposes of organisation, the Gallup survey and other similar initiatives had to categorise employees into three distinct groups. This categorisation may promote the false idea that these groupings are fixed and that engaged employees will always be engaged.

Also Read: Examining remote work trends: What it takes for businesses to do this successfully

Such, of course, could not be further from the truth. While certain employees may be engaged now, they may slip toward not being engaged or even actively disengaged. Employees in these other categories may manifest as quiet quitters and other performance issues.

To continue engaging them, you must support their professional growth. Do so by keeping an open line of conversation about their experience. Ask them what they like most about your organisation, why they stay, and, just as importantly, how you can improve. You may even want to keep an open door policy or office hours for these types of conversations. These highly engaged employees are a gold mine: You will learn the most about your culture from them.

Part ways with actively disengaged employees

Keeping these employees is bad for both parties. Employees who are actively disengaged but remain with an organisation remain removed from finding a company that they are passionate about. 

On the employer side, actively disengaged employees waste resources. Many organisations tend to fall into a sunk cost fallacy with these employees: Since they already invested so much time in training, education, and other activities, it only makes sense to continue trying to engage them. This view is full of false hope: No amount of work will get them invested.

It is best to part ways with these employees as soon as possible. Although this choice may be difficult to do – and tempting to stall with a PIP and other procedures — swift action is empathetic: They will be one step closer to finding the role that is right for them.

Study your quiet quitters

You need to identify your quiet quitters – the people doing the bare minimum required of their job — and find out what makes them tick. In many cases, their lack of engagement is due to issues with recognition or competition: They feel there is a disconnect between how they perceive the company and how it rewards performance.

Also Read: Examining global hybrid and remote work trends beyond the West

Companies will have their own unique problems. The important part is that you surface these issues through dialogue with your quiet quitters. With enough engagement, some of these quiet quitters may trend in a positive direction and become engaged employees, rather than slide into active disengagement. 

If you give them a voice to speak up, quiet quitters will not sit on the sidelines. Every employee wants to be heard. 

First steps 

To address the challenges associated with each employee type, business leaders and entrepreneurs must reframe the overarching problem. They do not have a location problem on their hands — it’s not an issue so much of where to work, but how.

Business leaders must continue dialogue with engaged employees, study employees who are not engaged for areas of improvement, and part ways with the actively disengaged employees. You could view these actions as a sort of triage: You are focusing on what needs the most attention, so that your business can not only survive, but thrive.

—

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

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Startup Terrace Kaohsiung (STK), proudly supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and renowned as the premier international startup hub in southern Taiwan, is thrilled to unveil its 2024 Soft-Landing Program.

Building on their successful track record since 2021 where 137 startups have been nurtured and business and investor connections have been facilitated, STK has collaborated with over 10 global accelerators and over 50 business partners, including Google, AWS, and Microsoft to synergise innovation and entrepreneurship internationally.

These startups have benefited from extensive support, facilitating valuable business connections and attracting significant investor interest. This ongoing commitment to fostering innovation and growth has solidified its reputation as a key player in the startup ecosystem.

Explore the dynamic Southern Taiwan market

The 2024 Soft-Landing Program invites global startups to experience firsthand the dynamic Southern Taiwan market. Participants will immerse themselves in the vibrant Taiwan business environment, gain insights into the entrepreneurship ecosystem, explore potential sales opportunities, and engage in targeted matchmaking with Taiwanese companies and venture capitalists during the one-month visit. Accommodation subsidies, co-working space and facilities, business match-making and more perks will be provided in this complimentary program. 

Also read: SAFE STEPS: 8 disaster tech startups wow at Echelon X

Startup Terrace Kaohsiung is located at the largest 5G demonstration field in Taiwan, focusing on 5G and AIoT. STK’s 2024 Soft-landing Program aims to attract startups in these fields as well as smart manufacturing, smart harbour, and greentech development & transformation. The program offers a comprehensive training agenda designed to provide tailored support and opportunities for selected startups. 

Tailored support and opportunities for STK participants

Selected startups can expect the following experiences and benefits:

• Guidance to the Southern Taiwan market
• Real-site visits & business tours
• Targeted matchmaking, linking with VC, accelerators
• Participation in startup events

Additionally, participants will receive:

• Accommodation Subsidy (Kaohsiung only): USD50 per day (limit < 30 days)
• 1-month free use of co-working space and facilities
• Free participation in the Soft-Landing Program
• 1-on-1 business matchmaking service
• Participation in the 2024 Meet Greater South Expo and Pitch event
• Certificate upon completion of the Soft-Landing Program, becoming global startup ambassadors of Startup Terrace Kaohsiung

Also read: Check out these key highlights from Echelon X!

Application is open until June 28th.2024 

For more information, visit Startup Terrace Kaohsiung (yawan-startup.tw) or contact STK’s representative, Ms. Vanessa Lee, at: vanessalee@vnrc.tw

– –

This article was produced by ACE SG and published by e27.

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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Last week, a diverse group of investment firms supported promising startups across Southeast Asia and India. From established giants like Temasek with billions under management to early-stage champions like 100Unicorns, these investors represent a range of focus areas, from fintech and healthcare to AI and sustainability.

Let’s delve into the investment landscape and discover the firms shaping the future of these dynamic regions.

B Capital Group

B Capital is a multi-stage global investment firm with US$6+ billion in assets under management across multiple funds. The VC firm focuses on seed to late-stage venture growth investments, primarily in the technology, healthcare and climate sectors.

Founded in 2015 by Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, B Capital leverages an integrated team across nine locations in the US and Asia, as well as a strategic partnership with BCG, to provide the value-added support entrepreneurs need to scale fast and efficiently, expand into new markets and build exceptional companies.

British International Investment (BII)

Established in 1948, BII is the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor with a mission to help solve the biggest global development challenges by investing patient, flexible capital to support private sector growth and innovation.

It invests in creating more productive, sustainable and inclusive economies in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, enabling people in those countries to build better lives for themselves and their communities. It invests every year in green infrastructure, technology and other sectors that need our capital the most.

BII currently partners with over 1,500 businesses in emerging economies and has a total assets of £8.1 billion.

Quona Capital

Quona Capital is a global venture firm focused on inclusive fintech. It invests in startups that expand consumers’ access to financial services and grow businesses in India, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.

It focuses on markets that are massively underserved by the legacy finance infrastructure, where it sees the biggest opportunity for transformation into more equitable financial systems.

Beyond pure-play fintech, Quona also invests in startups solving broader economic and social challenges, where embedded financial solutions can serve as a catalyst—from supply chain and agtech platforms to e-commerce, proptech and health.

Since 2015, it has invested in emerging markets while simultaneously measuring its impact on financial inclusion at the company and portfolio level.

Last week, B Capital, British International Investment, Quona Capital, and Stellaris Venture Partners invested in Turno, which offers financing solutions to SMEs, distributors, logistics firms, and e-commerce operators that plan to buy commercial three-wheeler electric vehicles.

Stellaris Venture Partners

Stellaris is an early-stage, technology-focused, sector-agnostic investment firm. It started its first fund in early 2017 and is currently investing from its second fund (US$225 million).

It prefers to partner at the ground floor level and is typically the first or the second institutional investor in companies that it partners with.

Stellaris has partnered with 30+ businesses across various sectors, including SaaS, financial services, B2B commerce, consumer brands, social commerce, education, electric vehicles, healthcare, and others.

9unicorns

9unicorns (now 100Unicorns) is an India-based accelerator VC. The fund operates uniquely as an accelerator and invests in very early-stage startups. It aims to disrupt idea-stage funding in India by backing founders with early access to capital with mentorship.

100Unicorns has funded 145 startups, including ShipRocket, VideoVerse, Zypp Electric, Renee Cosmetics, Assiduus, IGP – Join Ventures, Homeville, Alo Fruit, TruNativ, Rezolv.AI, OTO Capital, Klub, Wiom, BluSmart, DrinkPrime, LeverageEdu, Prescinto, and Rooter.

Indian Angel Network

Indian Angel Network is a leading network of angel investors keen to invest in early-stage businesses with the potential to create disproportionate value. The members of the network are leaders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, having strong operational experience as CEOs or a background in creating new and successful ventures.

IAN is an angel investor network with over 500 investors across 10 countries. Over 80 per cent of its investors are actively investing, leading, etc.

IAN has invested in 200 companies spanning various sectors, including education, healthcare, QSR, e-commerce, gaming, semiconductors, robotics, and manufacturing.

Last week, 9unicorns, IAN, and Venture Catalysts invested in India-based Zypp Electric, which plans to expand into Southeast Asia.

Venture Catalysts

Established in 2016, Venture Catalysts++ is a multi-stage VC in India. It has a presence in 50+ cities in countries such as the UAE, the USA, the UK, Singapore, Luxembourg, Thailand, Canada, Eastern Africa, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, and Southern Africa. It has US$700 million syndicated across 300+ portfolio startups. Besides making seed-stage and Series A investments for startups, Venture Catalysts is known for its startup-building capability, strategic guidance, generating business leads, leveraging its network across the globe through its partners and providing phenomenal returns to its investors.

Wavemaker Partners

Wavemaker Partners invests in a broad range of technology-driven companies in the US and Southeast Asia. The Singapore-based VC firm invests in angel, seed, pre-Series A, and Series A-stage startups across Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, the US, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. The average investment size is US$250,000 to US$5 million.

Last week, it invested in Beppo, which automates accounting and tax compliance for Filipino businesses and the self-employed.

Hitseries Capital

Hitseries Capital provides growth-as-a-service (GaaS) to its portfolio. The firm invests in artificial intelligence/machine learning, vertical SaaS applications, connected IoT, healthcare, mobility, fintech, and the marketplace across Asia Pacific.

Last week, the VC firm invested in WeSale, a proptech platform connecting partners, individuals and organisations to project owners and developers.

Temasek

Incorporated in 1974, Temasek is an investment company headquartered in Singapore. Supported by 13 offices internationally, Temasek had a net portfolio value of US$287 billion as of 31 March 2023. It aims to build a forward-looking and resilient portfolio that delivers sustainable returns over the long term.

Temasek deploys capital to catalyse solutions that can enable the transition to a low-carbon economy, tap into opportunities to build future growth sectors, and lead enterprises through our efforts in innovation.

Last week, Temasek invested in Marketnode, a digital market infrastructure operator aiming to develop a multi-asset ecosystem starting in Asia Pacific.

The post Unveiling the Power players: A look at last week’s investors in Southeast Asia, India appeared first on e27.

Indonesia’s aquaculture company eFishery has received US$30 million in green and social loan from leading lender HSBC Indonesia.

The aquatech startup will use the money to accelerate the utilisation of its automatic feeding product for small-holder farmers, eFeeder, which speeds up the crop cycle by up to 74 days.

Also Read: eFishery banks US$200M, targets to engage 1M+ aquaculture ponds by 2025

According to founder and CEO Gibran Huzaifah, the eFeeder penetration will empower small-scale fish and shrimp farmers with the technology and resources needed to be more productive and sustainable.

As per the agreement, HSBC Indonesia will act as Sustainable Finance Coordinator for eFishery to support the implementation of ESG principles.

Founded in 2013, eFishery is one of Indonesia’s largest digital co-operatives for fish and shrimp farmers. It offers an integrated aquaculture ecosystem that provides access to technology, supporting over 70,000 fish and shrimp farmers in 280 cities across Indonesia.

Its solutions also include access to financial institutions worth more than US$40 million and a platform to sell fish and shrimp crops.

The company has three main objectives: to address food security through aquaculture, to overcome fundamental challenges in the aquaculture industry by providing affordable technology, and to reduce social and economic inequality through an inclusive digital economy.

The company looks to expand the eFishery farming community, targeting to engage over one million aquaculture ponds in Indonesia by 2025 and increasing the transactions of fish feed and fresh fish on the platform. The goal is to export fully traceable, chemical-free and antibiotic-free shrimp to international markets.

Also Read: eFishery will look to expand across Asia, Middle East: CEO Gibran Huzaifah

Three months ago, eFishery acquired AI-powered IoT startup DycodeX to its AI initiatives, including the launch of an upcoming brand, eFishery.ai.

Last July, the startup secured US$200 million in its Series D funding round led by Abu Dhabi-based global fund manager 42XFund. Malaysian public sector pension fund, Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP), Switzerland-based asset manager responsAbility, 500 Global, Northstar, Temasek, and SoftBank also co-invested.

According to a Tech In Asia report, eFishery secured a US$32 million loan from DBS Bank Indonesia in October 2022.

The post eFishery gets US$30M loan from HSBC Indonesia appeared first on e27.

There has been a significant slowdown in the early-stage funding ecosystem in Southeast Asia, with fewer startups getting funded and fewer funds being created. I’ve seen a few comments that have tried to explain why it is slowing down, so I thought that I’d add some colour to the discussion.

There’s no doubt that there’s been some frustration on the part of LPs with how slowly existing GPs have been returning capital from their funds. I would hazard a guess that this is because the TVPI (Total Value-to-Paid In capital) multiples aren’t what they are advertised to be and if they were realised, there would be a prodigious amount of shrinkage.

The funds don’t want this reality because to do so would likely expose the fact that their total returns are lower than the S&P500 with less liquidity, which would beg the question — why would anyone invest with them again?

TVPI reflects the current value of the portfolio as compared to the capital that has been given to it. As investments are realised, the Distributed-to-Paid in the capital will start to increase, and the Residual Value-to-Paid in the capital will decrease. Put another way TVPI = DPI + RVPI.

TVPI vs DPI

Currently, I would guess that there are a lot of funds that are holding their investments at an elevated valuation on their balance sheets. Let’s say that they are marking them at 5x TVPI. This would be great if they were able to realise their 5x TVPI and convert it into the DPI.

However, this valuation is based on the last round, which is problematic because venture rounds are typically priced according to the dilution that is appropriate for the level of funding as opposed to the financial value of the discounted cash flows.

Also Read: Funding frenzy in SEA: Fintech, proptech, EV startups secure millions

To realise the 5x TVPI, the fund manager would likely need to accept a discount unless they are able to achieve an IPO or some kind of exemplary trade sale — which are few and far between in Southeast Asia.

A worked example

What is more likely is that the 5x TVPI that they are carrying is sitting pretty far back in the cap stack, as liquidity preferences from later rounds have diluted the actual value. To give an example of this, if a company did a round of funding and raised US$1 million from Fund A at a US$10 million post-money valuation, the fund would own 10 per cent of the company. The company subsequently raised US$10 million at a US$50 million post-money valuation with preference shares that carried a 3x liquidity preference.

Arguably, Fund A would own eight per cent of the company (10 per cent less 20 per cent dilution, assuming the pro-rata wasn’t taken up). As mentioned above, the valuation that a private company can raise money at likely isn’t the same price that the same company would trade at in a secondary market.

Continuing from the above example, if the company was then sold for US$35 million a year later, what would Fund A’s position be worth? On their books, Fund A would have marked up their investment by 4-5x (50m/10m post-money valuations, the lower end taking into consideration dilution).

However, when they actually exit the business, the second funding round would first get paid their US$30 million (3x liquidity preference x $10m investment), leaving US$5 million for the remaining investors. Fund A’s 8 per cent position would now be worth US$400k (8 per cent of US$5 million), which is less than they had invested. It’s likely that they received preference shares, so they would get their investment back, but it’s still a far cry from the $5m that they said it was worth to their investors.

This is an extreme example but shows how there could be a significant difference between the TVPI and DPI when push comes to shove because of the positioning of the cap stacks. What looked like a 4-5x TVPI was something closer to a 1x DPI when realised (depending on whether it was a participating preferred).

The DPI dip

There are likely a lot of funds in this situation, where they might not have done the cap table calculations and instead relied on the movement of the share price to guide their internal valuations with no regard for their position in the preference stack.

Also Read: Southeast Asia startups secure funding for logistics, anime, sustainability and more!

When they look at exiting their positions, they realise that they need to win the lottery with an irrational buyer stepping in and paying above the odds for the business so they can realise the TVPI that they have been marketing. Faced with that conundrum, they would obviously prefer to let the investment ride in the hopes of some windfall in the future rather than accept the reality that their DPI will never get anywhere near their current TVPI.

Final thoughts

This results in funds holding onto positions longer and being unwilling to return capital to investors. If they were to return capital, their Internal Rates of Return (IRRs) would start to converge and potentially dip below those that an investor could have achieved by investing in the S&P500 but with a significant amount of additional liquidity.

Those investors are frustrated with the current situation, and they don’t have any capital to recycle back into new funds. This leaves us in the present predicament that we face with fewer investors deploying into funds, fewer funds being deployed, and fewer startups raising capital to grow and expand.

—

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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The post Fewer funds, fewer startups: The funding squeeze in Southeast Asia appeared first on e27.

Dear reader,

Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, has secured a monumental US$6 billion in Series B funding from Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz, marking a significant milestone for the company founded in July 2023.

This capital infusion, following a report of a potential US$6.5 billion round, will enable xAI to advance its infrastructure and product lineup. xAI’s flagship product, Grok, a rival to ChatGPT, is now open-source, emphasising Musk’s commitment to “truth-seeking” AI technology.

This move sets xAI apart from competitors like Alphabet and Microsoft-backed OpenAI. Notably, Musk has also legally challenged OpenAI for straying from its original open-source mission.

The fresh funding position xAI among elite startups attracting substantial investment, mirroring recent significant raises like Alibaba’s US$1 billion investment in Moonshot AI and Alpha Intelligence Capital’s US$250 million fund.

xAI’s upcoming product announcements are highly anticipated, promising to further disrupt the AI landscape.

Sainul,
Editor.

========

NEWS

Musk’s startup xAI nets US$6B to take on rivals like OpenAI
The investors include Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz; xAI has developed Grok, a ChatGPT rival powered partly by data from X; The AI startup has now made the Grok-1 model open-source to spur further improvements.

aCommerce cut net loss by half, grew revenue 18% in 2023
The Thai e-commerce enabler posted a total revenue of US$200M for 2023; Meanwhile, its net loss narrowed by 54.9% to US$4.6M during the same period even though the company increased its total expenses by 14%.

Prominent ByteDance investor preps new US$300M AI-centered fund
Source Code Capital, founded by former Sequoia China investor Cao Yi, holds roughly US$5B across its yuan and dollar funds; Aside from ByteDance, it has also invested in the likes of food delivery platform Meituan and electric scooter manufacturer Niu.

Google to invest US$350M in India’s Flipkart, valuing co at US$37B
Flipkart has been a source of IPO speculation since Walmart took over the company, which competes with Amazon.com in India; Earlier this month, executives at Walmart said they are “looking and exploring” for the right time for Flipkart’s IPO.

AVPN, Google.org launch US$15M fund to equip workers in APAC with AI skills
The AI Opportunity Fund will identify and select non-profits and social enterprises that reach out to the workers impacted by the workforce transitions caused by AI.

India’s Zypp Electric nets US$15M to expand EV fleet
Japan’s Eneos led the Series C round; Zypp aims to make last-mile delivery sustainable and emission-free through its fleet of 21K electric scooters; The electric-vehicle-as-a-service provider aims to raise US$50M in total for the round.

Y Combinator’s Garry Tan supports some AI regulation but warns against AI monopolies
Tan said he was “overall supportive” of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) attempt to construct a GenAI risk mitigation framework.

Gate.io arm shelves HK crypto license application amid regulatory hurdles
It’s now the third firm tied to a global exchange to back out from the market’s rigorous regulations; Consequently, Gate.HK has paused new user registrations, deposits, and promotions in Hong Kong.

Vietnam’s proptech startup WeSale bags seed capital from Hitseries CapitalHitseries Capital
WeSale is proptech platform connecting partners, individuals and organisations to project owners and developers; The startup will use the money to develop and upgrade the platform, expand markets and develop new products and services.

FEATURES

Pixlr can transform classrooms into creative studios: CEO Warren Leow
The Pixlr platform’s suite of AI-driven tools allows creative exploration and experimentation, fostering an engaging learning environment.

Southeast Asia startups secure funding for logistics, anime, sustainability and more!
This funding spree highlights the diverse and promising startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia.

FROM OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Optimising collaboration with security: A guide to protecting your business data
Proactive measures can minimise cybersecurity risks, creating a safer environment for your team’s productivity and communication.

Asia’s role in climate change: Risks, rewards, and the road to net-zero
As a region that is rich in natural, human, and technological capital, Asia is well poised for a net-zero future.

Electrifying Southeast Asia: Unleashing the radical potential of electric vehicles
When investors express interest in the electric vehicle sector, it’s essential to understand precisely where they are directing their investments.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

These 7 tech titans are empowering your business with reliable cloud services
The popularity of cloud services stems from various factors, including cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and scalability.

The essentials of mapping a customer journey across digital assets
For a digital platform, optimising the customer journey is the key to extracting the maximum value out of them.

A paradigm shift on the Z axis: How Gen Z is shaping the new work culture
Gen Z, armed with digital prowess and a vision for a brighter future, is forging new paths by prioritising personal happiness over tradition.

Building trust through partnership: How collaboration enhances reputation
Building your client base directly is one of the primary ways in which a strategic collaboration may help your company expand.

If there is one thing investors are afraid of, it is lack of commitment from founders
Many startup founders treat their venture like an egg: if this one fails, they’ll go hatch another.

Women and AI: How startups can prevent gender bias and promote responsible use of the tech
Gender bias within AI is quite a complex topic in and of itself, but startups can play a more active role in preventing that.

Sustaining the work: How businesses can take a step forward in their move towards net zero
As tackling the impact of climate change becomes more urgent, the next critical decade must focus on pathways.

The post Ecosystem Roundup: Musk’s startup xAI raises US$6B | APAC gets new US$15M fund to equip workers with AI skills appeared first on e27.

Over the past three months, we’ve welcomed over 450,000 users from around the world. For many of you, the homepage is your first stop, and we want to make that first impression count. We’ve listened to your feedback and worked hard to enhance the platform.

Our goal is to provide a seamless and engaging experience, whether you’re diving into insightful articles, exploring innovative startups, connecting with potential investors, or browsing new job opportunities. We believe these updates will make your time on e27 even more enjoyable and productive.

As we continue to grow and support individual contributors, startups, investors, and other key players in the ecosystem, it’s essential to provide a platform that showcases their work effectively. With this latest update, we’ve focused on improving the visibility and accessibility of content, making it easier for our global audience to discover and engage with valuable information. From company profiles to job listings and events, we’ve streamlined the way you find what you’re looking for, ensuring you never miss out on important updates and opportunities.

Also Read: Introducing the new Contributor Dashboard: A streamlined approach to article management, monitoring, sharing, and writing

Let’s walk you through the new features and improvements:

Redesigned top contributor sidebar

Our contributors are essential to the e27 community, sharing their insights and expertise. To better showcase their work, we’ve revamped the top contributors sidebar. Now, you’ll see a clearer display of our most popular contributors and their latest articles.

Easy-to-read featured and latest posts

Finding great content is now simpler with our improved featured posts and the latest post sections. We’ve made headlines more readable with better fonts and provided concise, informative snippets so you can get a quick preview of each article.

Quick way to discover investors and startups

We’ve redesigned the investors and startups widgets to help you quickly find new and exciting profiles. With detailed information and quick filters, you can easily browse through investor and startup cards. Plus, you can connect directly from the cards themselves. For a deeper dive, our investor and startup databases are just a click away.

Convenient way to check the latest events and jobs

Our new jobs and events widgets make it easy to find what’s happening. We’ve added detailed info and quick filters to help you sort through the latest listings. You can register for events or apply for jobs directly from the cards. Companies can also easily add their own events and jobs through direct links.

New spotlight for e27 partner events and programs

To highlight our partner events and programs, we’ve created a new carousel widget. This easy-to-navigate feature lets you explore our latest partnerships and participate in exciting opportunities.

These updates are all about giving you a smoother, more intuitive user experience with a consistent and responsive design.

Check out our revamped homepage and see the improvements for yourself.

—

Image credit: e27

The post Introducing e27’s revamped homepage: A fresh way to discover articles, startups, investors, jobs, and events appeared first on e27.

As the tech industry continues to expand, so does its environmental impact. From data centres consuming massive amounts of energy to the electronic waste generated by obsolete hardware, the carbon footprint of our digital lives is significant. However, the principles of DevSecOps — integrating security and operations into development processes — can be harnessed not just for efficiency and security but also for sustainability.

This article explores how DevSecOps can contribute to environmental sustainability, practical steps for implementing green practices in daily work, and case studies of companies that are leading the way in sustainable DevSecOps.

How DevSecOps can contribute to environmental sustainability

• Optimising resource usage
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): By using IaC, teams can automate the provisioning of resources, ensuring they only use what they need. This reduces the likelihood of over-provisioning, which often leads to unnecessary energy consumption.
  • Containerisation: Containers are more efficient than traditional virtual machines because they share the host system’s kernel. This means they require less overhead, leading to reduced energy usage.
• Efficient code practices
  • Code optimisation: Writing efficient code can reduce the processing power required to run applications. This not only speeds up performance but also decreases energy consumption.
  • Automated testing: Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines that include automated testing can ensure that only code meeting certain efficiency standards gets deployed, preventing resource wastage.
• Data management
  • Data minimisation: Reducing the amount of data stored and processed lowers the energy required for storage and computation. Implementing data lifecycle management helps in deleting unnecessary data.
  • Energy-efficient algorithms: Choosing algorithms that require less computational power can significantly cut down energy usage, especially in data-intensive applications.

Implementing green practices in your daily work

• Adopt cloud-native solutions
  • Serverless architectures: Use serverless computing to automatically scale resources based on demand. This ensures that you only use the resources needed at any given time.
  • Green cloud providers: Choose cloud providers that prioritise renewable energy sources and have strong sustainability commitments. Providers like Google Cloud and AWS have initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint.
• Optimise CI/CD pipelines
  • Pipeline efficiency: Streamline CI/CD pipelines to minimise the number of redundant processes and tests, reducing the overall computational load.
  • Scheduled builds: Instead of running builds continuously, schedule them during off-peak hours when energy consumption is lower or batch them to reduce frequency.

Also Read: ESG frameworks and standards: Cutting through the complexity for private markets

• Energy-efficient development environments
  • Virtualisation: Use lightweight virtual environments instead of resource-heavy local machines for development and testing.
  • Remote work policies: Encourage remote work to reduce commuting emissions and utilise energy-efficient home office setups.

Case studies of companies leading the way in sustainable DevSecOps

• Google Cloud
  • Carbon-neutral data centres: Google Cloud has achieved carbon neutrality and aims to run on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. Their data centres use advanced cooling techniques and AI-driven optimisation to minimise energy use.
  • Sustainable software development: Google promotes practices such as optimising code for energy efficiency and reducing the computational cost of applications.
• Microsoft Azure
  • AI for Earth: Microsoft’s AI for Earth program supports projects that use AI to solve global environmental challenges. Azure also operates with a commitment to be carbon-negative by 2030.
  • Green software engineering: Microsoft encourages the use of principles from the Green Software Engineering community, which focuses on reducing carbon emissions through software design and deployment.
• Salesforce
  • Sustainable development goals: Salesforce has integrated sustainability into its core values, committing to net-zero emissions across its value chain and 100% renewable energy for its global operations.
  • Eco-friendly DevOps practices: They utilise efficient data centre operations, promote the use of energy-efficient coding practices, and engage in regular sustainability audits to ensure ongoing improvements.

Final thoughts

Incorporating sustainability into DevSecOps practices is not just beneficial for the environment but also for business efficiency and innovation. By optimising resource usage, adopting green development practices, and learning from companies that are leading in sustainability, DevSecOps teams can significantly reduce their digital footprint.

As we move towards a more eco-conscious future, the integration of sustainability into every aspect of technology, including DevSecOps, will be crucial in driving long-term environmental change.

By adopting these practices, not only do we contribute to a healthier planet, but we also pave the way for a more sustainable and efficient technological landscape.

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Kipin was recently recognised in TIME Magazine’s World’s Top EdTech Companies 2024, a list of 250 shortlisted global edutech startups. Working with Statista, the list was based on a formula evaluating financial strength and industry impact. Kipin was the only Indonesian edutech startup shortlisted and was ranked sixth in Southeast Asia.

In an email interview with e27, Steffina Yuli, the Chief Business Officer of Kipin, explains the company’s mission and the solutions it provides for students in Indonesia.

Kipin enables schools, teachers, and students to implement digital school digitalisation at all education levels anywhere in Indonesia, whether in urban, rural, or remote areas with no internet access. One of its solutions is Kipin Classroom, which can operate in a hybrid (online and offline) manner.

Apart from offering study materials such as textbooks, video lessons, tryout exercises, and literacy comics for elementary to vocational levels, Kipin School features a unique offline-online exam system.

“Compared to traditional alternatives, our platform is highly scalable, seeing five times growth in the past year and can be used even in areas with limited internet connectivity. Additionally, we are fully aligned with the Ministry of Education’s curriculum and provide the content required for daily curriculum learning,” she says, adding that pilots have shown over 65 per cent increase in reading and writing scores.

Also Read: From gold rush jeans to digital skills: Edutech’s Levi Strauss moment

In developing their solutions, Kipin consulted over 300 teachers, educators, and school administrators, centering their product development process around user feedback and continuous improvement.

“We start by identifying the key challenges faced by students and educators through extensive research and immersion in schools. Our development team then collaborates to design and prototype solutions that address these challenges, deploy them in our pilot schools and iterate on them to ensure they really work. Each iteration is thoroughly tested in real classroom environments to ensure it meets the needs of both students and teachers,” she says.

In the recent years, since the appointment of former Gojek CEO Nadiem Makarim as Minister of Education, Indonesia has been pushing for the digitalisation of its education system, starting with the founding of initiatives such as GovTech Edu.

Kipin’s solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly with the national curriculum, providing digital versions of government-approved textbooks and learning materials.

“By offering these resources in a digital format, we help schools transition smoothly from traditional to digital learning environments. We are one of the official partners of the Ministry of Education as well as the Ministry of Communications. We believe that private sector, Indonesia-made solutions can have a powerful role in supporting government efforts to increase digital education and standards nationwide.”

It operates in B2B business model of selling products and services to schools, governments, and large corporations or non-profits that fund schools.

Also Read: Nagoya University: Asia’s extensive network of innovation, research, and education

In reaching out to their potential users, Kipin actively engages with Indonesian teachers through platforms such as YouTube. It also runs a teachers ambassador programme (DuKi) where young teachers learn about digital education and gain certification; it has produced 1,200 graduates.

The company works with foundations such Tanoto Foundation and Octava Foundation and have represented Indonesia at the Y20 Summit 2023 and the Global World Summit Awards Winner in Learning & Education.

Expanding across the archipelago

Kipin is run by a team of over 50 dedicated professionals that include business development, educators, software developers, content creators, and support staff.

It has raised undisclosed funding from venture capital firms and angel investors which has supported the acceleration of its product development and user acquisition.

“Looking ahead, we do have plans to raise additional funds to scale our operations further and enhance our product offerings. We are actively exploring partnerships with investors who share our commitment to making a positive impact in the education sector.”

This year, Kipin aims to further expand its reach in Indonesia.

“We aim to expand our school network and enhance our platform with additional features such as AI-driven personalised learning paths and more interactive content to further engage students,” she says.

“We also plan to establish partnerships with more educational institutions and government bodies to support the national digitalisation agenda towards Indonesia Emas 2045. We believe that quality education is everyone’s responsibility – and with the help of our partners, governments, and companies – we can achieve a better and more equal education for all.”

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Image Credit: Kipin

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Nonprofits, charities and non-governmental organisations face a multitude of challenges that require agility, digital innovation and resilience to navigate effectively. From the accelerating pace of technological change to fundraising uncertainty, nonprofits must reconsider adopting new strategies in order to respond to the increasing demands of the communities they serve and support. 

These impact-focused organisations are responsible for finding solutions for some of the toughest challenges we face in society today. From addressing poverty to environmental protection and supporting vulnerable communities in need, it is these organisations that need the tools that improve capabilities the most.

It has become more difficult to protect from cyber security risks, increasing costs of conducting business, seeking new sources of funding, and responding to the demand for more transparency and accountability. 

Digital transformation and innovation can help organisations make accessible optimisations to amplify the impact of the causes they support. 

Here are three examples of nonprofits adapting new strategies this year — we hope these inspire new ideas for your organisation to generate more impact.

Segmenting fundraising and communications strategies in a digital world 

One organisation exemplifying the transformative power of new strategies via technology is Indonesian-based Alam Sehat Lestari (ASRI). Dedicated to identifying new ways to encourage landscape reforestation, ASRI has built a unique incentive mechanism in local Indonesian communities. 

The organisation identified that extreme poverty, inadequate healthcare accessibility and limited livelihood options compelled individuals to resort to illegal logging, exacerbating deforestation. ASRI collaborates with governments and local community members to provide vital health services in exchange for a commitment to reforest landscapes. For example, locals can contribute tree seedlings instead of cash payments for health services. 

Also Read: Asia’s role in climate change: Risks, rewards, and the road to net-zero

In 2023, ASRI collected more than 150,000 seedlings from medical payments, forest “guardians”, and partners, nurturing seedlings in nurseries before planting them in degraded forests. However, many of ASRI’s reforestation projects have come to a standstill due to tighter budgets, restricted project funding allocations and a reduced capability of donors to donate.  

Funding is often allocated for specific projects, making it difficult for organisations like ASRI to continue their work. The team’s total reforestation target was 52 hectares, but a reduction in income meant that the organisation now only has the capacity to reforest 10. 

“It’s so important for us to diversify our income sources – not just from grants, but identifying other sources. We never know when a donor might cut off their support – this makes it difficult for us to run our activities, and we’re forced to seek new avenues for donations,” shared Febri, Director of Resource Mobilisation of ASRI. 

Evita, Grant and Partnership Manager of ASRI, shared the need to communicate the importance of donating to operational funding. 

“It is also difficult for us to get funds for operational costs. Many donors just want to fund the key and eye-catching projects but forget that operational funding is very important to support the success of all projects,” said Evita. 

To respond, ASRI built out a digital communications and fundraising strategy with segmented goals and targets to bring in new funding. Avenues include crowdfunding campaigns, coordinating events with advisors and supporters, reaching new and existing donors via digital marketing campaigns through social media and email marketing, and identifying at least 10 new grant opportunities to diversify income. 

By expanding their communications efforts to bring funding in for operational and non-restrictive funding pools, ASRI is building a longer-term, more sustainable approach to their fundraising efforts. 

Strengthening cybersecurity to prevent loss of income 

While increasing avenues for funding is critical in order for nonprofits to survive, preventing loss in income is equally as important. Cyber security is one of the biggest risks facing nonprofits – in Infoxchange’s 2023 Asia-Pacific NGO Digital Capability Report, 1 in 6 organisations reported they experienced a cyber security incident in 2022. Organisations must take an approach of prevention for ‘when’ they will be attacked, not ‘if’. The risks cannot be ignored. 

Many nonprofits have smaller budgets than private, corporate and government organisations. This often means vital areas like cyber security are deprioritised – or assumed to be the role of IT staff. Cyber security is every staff member’s responsibility, particularly for nonprofit staff who are stewards of highly sensitive data, including personal and financial information. 

The Singapore Association for the Deaf, an organisation committed to providing support for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members, recently underwent a cyber security assessment program amidst rising cyber security concerns. 

The team developed a roadmap to consolidate their cyber security capabilities to update outdated systems, improve policies and processes and prepare them for potential breaches. This involved ensuring only authorised users have access to systems, applications and data, implementing risk management and compliance processes to ensure information is managed and appropriately governed, and undergoing a “tabletop security exercise” – preparing them for a crisis via a simulation that examined opportunities for data breaches. 

“Our process of digital transformation has highlighted the importance of prioritising data protection and security in today’s digital landscape. Organisations must stay vigilant and adapt their practices to evolving threats, technological changes and regulatory requirements,” shared Hock Sik, IT and Facilities Manager of the Singapore Association for the Deaf. 

By embracing stronger cloud solutions, retiring outdated systems and implementing robust cybersecurity protocols and plans, the association has managed its ability to mitigate the risk of financial loss, ensuring the continuity of its ability to generate impact.

Streamlining collaboration to better clean up the environment 

For many non-profits, often one of the biggest challenges is not having a streamlined, collaborative environment. Cloud collaboration technology, more commonly known as Microsoft SharePoint or Google Workspace, can dramatically improve an organisation’s ability to increase productivity and collaboration to create impact. 

Also Read: Why these startups focus on informal plastic waste workers in the fight against climate crisis

Zero Waste Malaysia is a 49,000-strong member community organisation based in Malaysia that is advocating for sustainable development whilst aiming to increase the local community’s awareness of sustainable living. Teams provide resources, education and access to advocacy groups as a part of their mission to build a waste-free and sustainable future, and drive social and system change in Malaysia. 

But managing thousands of people across the country is no easy feat – operations, onboarding and training for such a large entity is a formidable task. This year, Zero Waste Malaysia underwent a comprehensive overhaul of its digital platforms via a digital transformation plan that involved a process of migration to fully cloud-based platforms. This has dramatically reduced unnecessary time needed for administration so they can better focus on their mission. 

“We work predominantly online and have no office, so we produce a lot of online educational content for groups, teachers and others. With only four full-timers, none of whom are experts on data security, we needed to come up with a more time-effective system that takes into account data security and access for different groups,” shared Tasha, Senior Programme and Communications Officer, Zero Waste Malaysia. 

By centralising resources and enhancing the security measures of these resources, the team has been able to improve their collaboration among volunteers, optimising their workflows, increasing their time to execute advocacy and membership growth, and bolstering its impact on waste reduction initiatives.  

Embracing innovation for enhanced impact 

Digital transformation is about far more than just introducing new and innovative tools like ChatGPT. It’s about digitalising, automating and improving processes and systems, creating more efficient ways to generate impact. 

These case studies underscore the transformative potential of technology and communication strategies in order to empower nonprofits to navigate contemporary challenges and maximise their social impact. By embracing a culture of learning and innovation, nonprofits can utilise these tools to make a bigger difference for the communities and causes they support. 

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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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The post Digital transformation for nonprofits: 3 strategies for success appeared first on e27.