Mark Dixon is founder and CEO at Regus. Since founding Regus in Brussels, Belgium in 1989, he has achieved a formidable reputation for leadership and innovation, and has revolutionized the way businesses approach property needs with his vision of the future of work. Follow him on Twitter at @RegusBlog.

“Entrepreneurship is not a job, nor even a calling – but a hunger.” – Luke Johnson, entrepreneur and investor.

It says a lot about the enhanced status of the entrepreneur that one of the best-selling books of 2011 was the biography of Steve Jobs. This success was, of course, partly due to the huge popularity of iPods, iPads, iPhones and other products made by Apple, the company Jobs came to embody. But it is also indicative of the increasing fascination with and glorification of “the entrepreneur”. Suddenly, it seems, everybody wants to be one. Moreover, commentators, policymakers and even politicians of all sorts hail entrepreneurs as the saviours of the world economy.

So, how do you get to join this pantheon? The good news is that there is no set type. A new book produced by Regus entitled Growth in a Difficult Decade and based on interviews with more than 60 successful entrepreneurs reveals that they come from all corners of the globe, from all kinds of backgrounds and are active in a wide variety of business sectors. However, it is true that they tend to share certain attributes.

For example, entrepreneurs need to be dedicated and persistent. They also need to have a positive attitude and be prepared to take tough decisions. It almost goes without saying that entrepreneurs are self-confident. Successful ones are not arrogant. They listen to customers and to people who have done the sorts of things they are seeking to do – often through having mentors. They are also ready to hire people who are better at certain aspects of the business than they are. But if they have an idea they will not be easily dissuaded from pursuing it.

Indeed, one of the most common pieces of advice offered by entrepreneurs to others thinking of following in their footsteps is not to hesitate about getting started. It might be valid to start a new business as a side-project to your day job just to test the idea. But generally running a business is so all-consuming and unpredictable in its time demands that it is best to devote yourself to it as soon as possible. After all, the chances are that if you have thought of an idea somebody else has or will as well. If you waste time pondering whether to give it a go they could beat you to market. Many more entrepreneurs regret not starting sooner than wish they had waited longer.

One key reason for starting a business early is that when you are young you have less to lose in terms of a career, house, savings and the like. Moreover, with all the emphasis on encouraging enterprise, there is also a lot of support for young entrepreneurs. Many business schools have courses aimed specifically at would-be entrepreneurs, while even schools and universities are introducing students to the principles of enterprise.

Nor should would-be entrepreneurs necessarily be put off starting out in the current economic climate. It is generally acknowledged that a business that can survive tough times should prosper when conditions improve. There is also likely to be less competition.

Many people are worried about the technicalities and the financial aspects of running a business. But this need not be such a problem. Thanks to the internet, there are all sorts of cheap and scalable services that can help with everything from building a website and writing a business plan to setting marketing targets and organising the payroll. Moreover, because of the increasing willingness of individuals to invest in start-ups – whether through established funds or increasingly common “crowdfunding” models – entrepreneurs are no longer so reliant on banks for funding.

Much is made of the importance of innovation. But, as Jim Clifton , chairman of the polling organisation Gallup, says in his book “The Coming Jobs War”, critical though innovation is, “it plays a supporting role to almighty entrepreneurship”. This is because – thanks to all the attention it has received – there is a “worldwide oversupply of innovation” but entrepreneurs are rare.

Steve Jobs, it has often been pointed out, was not so much an inventor as an adapter of technology. His gift – like that of many successful entrepreneurs – was seeing a potential market for something before others. It is often said that businesses need to respond to customer needs and wants. And that is true. The business of business is to satisfy, even delight, customers. But the strength of Apple has been that it anticipates customer desires.

The Steve Jobses of the future will take that lesson to heart. They will have the vision to see opportunities that others do not, the zeal to do what it takes to make that vision a reality and the determination to keep growing, even when less mortals might feel they had already achieved and accumulated enough. As Luke Johnson, the entrepreneur and investor, says in his “Financial Times” column offering advice to entrepreneurs [4 Jan 2012]: “Entrepreneurship is not a job, nor even a calling – but a hunger.”

Image Credits: Shutterstock

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Making big decisions in business often requires a lot of information and data. While the decision-making process can sometimes be left to A/B testing, market surveys and even consensus among executives, big data plays a big role in the choices that companies now make.

But while big data has been a buzzword in the enterprise market, not all businesses have big enough data sets, and the cost of running such campaigns can be prohibitive. Sometimes, there is value in bite-sized pieces of data and information, especially if it can scale. This is especially an important proposition in markets where mobile devices are the primary means of connectivity.

Here’s where Decision Fuel comes in. Decision Fuel offers a “fresh approach to market research” by offering its enterprise customers cost-effective campaigns that will help in the decision making process. The Hong Kong-based startup is the first startup on the portfolio of Shanghai-based crowdsourced investment platform SeedAsia.

Read also: SeedAsia launches membership-based fund, seeks startups to finance

Decision Fuel was part of Startup Marketplace at Echelon 2013. e27 sought some words from co-founder and CEO Patrick “Paddy” Corr, who shared on why the startup can offer a disruptive model for decision-making among businesses.

Tell us more about Decision Fuel. From what we know, you offer big data analytics to help enterprises with their marketing and decision-making. What’s your unique selling point or differentiator?

Decision Fuel is a disruptive and highly scalable mobile technology platform. It helps organizations make better, faster and more informed decisions by making the task of generating tailored customer research dramatically faster and simple. Short, simple research can be deployed in minutes using Decision Fuel to a specific target audience anywhere in the world, via any mobile device and on virtually any topic. To date, the platform has fielded over 15 million responses in 26 countries. The platform works on devices from the most advanced smartphone, to basic feature phones – a main factor in the key consumer markets of Asia.

Decision Fuel has created an entirely new and intuitive way to gather tailored customer data. Buyers of research and insights have a significant need for tailored, reliable data delivered within the fast cycle times and highly iterative approach of how companies function today. The product is also designed to make it easy for those who are NOT research experts to launch and run credible research, with minimum fuss. The platform is also designed with intuitive self-serve SaaS delivery in mind, making Decision Fuel a very scalable platform targeting a substantial unmet need across a broad range of companies/organisations.

With the immediacy and access of mobile surveys, Decision Fuel shines when traditional research methods fall short (too slow, too expensive or unable to reach target customers). The opportunity is significant: worldwide, US$36  billion spent annually on consumer research (most of that on quantitative research). Of that, the burgeoning consumer markets of Asia are the core growth area. Tapping the benefits of mobile are widely acknowledged as the major disruptive change set to shake up the consumer insights sector.  Optimized for mobile and with deep experience of Asia, Decision Fuel is perfectly positioned to take full advantage of this major industry step change.

Tell me about your team? What’s the history behind your team and product?

Decision Fuel’s team is based between Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. The company has an exceptionally capable and experienced team with expertise in business management, market research, software development and sales in Asia and beyond.

The founders, Patrick Corr and Colin Marson, have been long term buyers and users of market research across a range of industries. Both have spent over 12 years in Asia Pacific, as management consultants, then working in senior corporate management roles (in media and FMCG respectively). They wanted to create an insights product that solved problems they faced on a regular basis as managers. Decision Fuel was about creating reliable, fast-turnaround research that fits with how organizations operate day to day.

The company’s Chairman, Adrian Chedore, is Hong Kong based and was the founder and Global CEO of Synovate (a top 5 global market insights firm, acquired by Ipsos for US$810 million in 2011).

What’s Decision Fuel’s business model? How about sources of revenue?

Decision Fuel has two core product areas: (i) paid access to mobile consumers using Decision Fuel surveys and pre-selected mobile panels; and (ii) paid access to Decision Fuel technology (allows clients to build and run exclusive respondent panels using existing customer databases).

Tiered subscriptions drive revenues in both of the core product areas, using a range of channels to market including (1) direct accounts, (2) reseller/partner network, and (3) direct SaaS (software-as-a-service). The scalable SaaS platform will become an increasingly key driver of revenues.

Who is your main target client? Do you have geographical targeting, or are you open to expanding to the region or globally?

Decision Fuel is designed for senior decision-makers, marketers, analysts, strategists and business development teams in consumer-facing companies (e.g., consumer goods, media owners); advisors & investors (e.g., PE/VC firms, hedge funds, consultants); media and research agencies; and non-corporate clients (e.g., business schools, local government, NGOs).

Decision Fuel is also ideal for situations where traditional research is either to slow or too expensive. Decision Fuel targets becoming “part of the fabric” of making decisions, and the target client list includes those who do not carry out traditional research today.

Decision Fuel launched in mid-2012 and is generating real traction. Its paying client base already includes P&G, Nike, Colgate, several WPP and Publicis agencies and hedge funds/equity analyst teams. The company has a particular focus on emerging Asia, but also sees a strong global growth story.

Can you tell us something about support from SeedAsia? Apart from SeedAsia’s crowd-funding, do you have other institutional investors?

Decision Fuel is the first company selected by SeedAsia to list on their platform. We are excited about being selected and look at the listing and the partnership as a great channel to introduce Decision Fuel to new investors, and to bring a compelling new funding mechanism to Asia.

The Decision Fuel founders bootstrapped the company through initial development and raised initial seed funding in two tranches from individual investors. Total funding to date of US$1.5 million has moved Decision Fuel into full commercial operation (commercial launch mid 2012), and the platform has now fielded 15 million questions across 26 countries worldwide.

The company is now actively raising its next capital round, from either larger angel investors or institutional. This next tranche will help the business achieve the next round of key milestones, including further rollout of the platform in Asia and emphasis on simple SaaS delivery.

Featured Image Credits: Shutterstock

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Last evening, Norton by Symantec held a media-only session with bloggers and journalists in Singapore. It was to discuss (and probably, educate) the top online shopping tips and best practices when security is at stake. Eugene Teo, manager of Symantec Security Response shared that there is still a large majority of Internet users who do not use anti-virus solutions. It is, of course, worrying that one in three consumers find it safe to conduct online transactions, and even more so when 29 percent shop through free or unsecured Wi-Fi connections.

While the meeting was useful and great for understanding how cybercrime could attack anyone, there was just one thing that bugged me throughout. The ones who are silly, gullible and careless enough to not use anti-virus softwares are not on them. And there doesn’t seem to be an effort to reach out to these people in Symantec’s target audience.

Why are people averse?

Well, I could bore you with more statistics like the total net cost of cybercrime, but I don’t think that’s of any use to consumers. Even if I were to report a record-high 99 percent of Internet users getting bombarded with malware, you wouldn’t care about anti-virus solutions if you aren’t already a customer. It’s not even about the price of the software. It’s about complacency.

It’s time to think about why people are so averse to anti-virus softwares, and Symantec, I don’t just mean you. I am referring to every single kind of paid and free online anti-virus available under the Sun. There are a few reasons, and I got these from asking people in the tech community. Some reported that since they were using an Apple product (in this case, a MacBook), they don’t think about getting some sort of protection against viruses. Others noted that it either slowed their computers or are too difficult and complex to use. While they all have their different reasons — here’s three from me. Firstly, I’m way too lazy to go download or install something which protects me from some sort of digital catastrophe. Secondly, I dread installing softwares which require me to type a whole lot of details and press many buttons. I like my things simple, period. And lastly, these anti-virus softwares always seem to stop me from visiting completely legitimate websites (which somehow do not have the padlock of safety). That being said, please do not try to hack me just because I don’t have an anti-virus software installed on my MacBook — I only have incredibly cute lolcat photos on here.

If we think of Norton as a preventive, defense measure against cybercrime, what’s similar and has done very well in educating normal folks like you and me in getting protected? Hint: It’s in the headline. Durex, the international condom maker company has made the boring, unattractive contraceptive so sexy and less of a taboo. Of course, there are people who refuse to put one on — it is almost very often the same group of people who believe they are “lucky” and will not contract, well, a virus. And of course, there are people who choose not to use a condom because of their religious or personal beliefs but that’s another matter altogether. You could comment, “That’s not fair. We all know sex sells.” Yeah, but look, many people are deterred from using such contraceptives because of the bad experience they have from it — it’s not comfortable; could be troublesome; and can’t even be used more than once. Similarly, that’s the same kind of experience a large majority of people get from using anti-virus softwares! The consequences are of a different scale, as well, but as much as Durex protects the users from a virus (or a child), so does Norton. So did Durex do right that Symantec should learn from?

Brand messaging and getting dirty

Durex, as seen from its ever-pervasive advertising and marketing, is not afraid to get out there and get its hands dirty. The most recent campaign, still ongoing actually, The Durex Experiment, gets Internet users to vote their countries as having the most adventurous lovers. A mere click on the company’s Facebook page reveals some 618,000 in likes. Symantec, on the other hand, has a pretty average 37,000 in likes.

Durex, in my opinion, has done it right using brand messaging and advertising. It portrays its brand as “fun”, “love” and “interested in its users”. Its advertising has long showed that by using such contraceptives, users will not be hindered from having a good experience and instead, get even more value out of it. By getting involved with gender equality movements, like the one it supported in Brazil, or its customization of 220,000 condoms for the international AIDS conference three years back, it got off its pedestal of just being a supplier and led people to think that Durex genuinely cares.

In contrast, Symantec’s Facebook page is shrouded with lengthy messages which include warnings about getting hit by cybercrime. There’s really no use in telling people how easy it is for them to get attacked online. Unless they have faced the virus once, they won’t even care about it. What is more effective is to show consumers how their personal information, websites and credibility could be compromised or get down to their level and let them know how much Symantec cares (which I think is what Durex is up to, instead of hopping around telling consumers how many people have been having babies because they don’t use contraceptives).

Dare to try something different

Instead of heaving an overly loud sigh about how it will take a long time to educate consumers on using anti-virus softwares, how about actually taking risks and making a difference both online and offline? If we take a look at Durex, in 1950, it produced the first lubricated condom. In early 2013, it created an SOS Condom delivery which will send these contraceptives to users discreetly (and swiftly). Just recently, it started a Funderwear campaign which Durex prided as “the future of foreplay”. What is, of course, commendable is that Durex is always thinking of new ways to reach its audience. A blogger had asked last night about how Symantec will be reaching out to their consumers and let’s just say that the lackluster response given was not encouraging.

Yet, of course, let’s give Symantec some credit: it is trying. Last year, it launched a huge malware scare on the Android platform, which Computer World reported:

“In actuality, it appears the apps cited by Symantec were guilty only of poor design and annoying advertising methods: The apps in question delivered intrusive ads and placed ad-related bookmarks into a phone’s browser, including one for an ad-based search utility that was also placed as a shortcut on the device’s home screen. All of these things, however, were well within the apps’ legitimate and clearly stated permissions; the apps could easily be uninstalled, had no access to sensitive data, and — while unquestionably obnoxious — showed no signs of being “malicious” or in any way virus-like.” — JR Raphael, writer at Computer World

It also has been upping its game with good infographics, mildly entertaining commercials, and endless warnings. But besides telling consumers that they shouldn’t be putting “password” as their password, and not going on public Wi-Fi networks, perhaps there should be a way for them to get to consumers without being such a nag.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Flocations, a Singapore based online travel startup, has just shared their latest update: the recently (and quietly) pivoted startup now sends more than S$1.5 million (US$1.2 million) business value to its travel partners monthly. In the past month, the company has also “grown 120 percent organically”. The exact growth is unclear: it could be traffic growth (which could be either page views or uniques) or revenue growth.

We have been keeping a keen lookout for Flocations, and they have come a long way: What started off as a Startup Weekend idea took off all the way to raise a seed round of funding from TNF Ventures. Initially branded as a visual plane ticket meta search play has since pivoted to a tour package aggregator earlier this year, on 25th March.

We wanted to do a piece back then when Flocations did the pivot, and sought some words from CEO and cofounder Tudor Coman.

• What motivated the change in business model to travel packages?
• Why the change in decision to exclude visual search, which the company has been working on for the past 2 years?
• Travel package space is a competitive space. Any thoughts on that and how is Flocations aiming to differentiate itself?
• Does the “pivot” (for lack of a better word) require any clearance from TIS? What is the “paperwork process” like when dealing with TIS when you guys pivoted?”

We did not get a response, though, as Tudor asked us to wait for the official release. ”How about you hold off so we can get a proper PR?” he emailed back. We have received no word yet from Flocations after one follow up in April.

What motivated the pivot?

One of the questions we asked Tudor was what motivated the pivot. While we have yet to hear from Flocations since April, it might be motivated by revenue. As Bernard Leong wrote in SGE, “if you want to win in Southeast Asia, you have to be revenue-first, period.” Its previous flight search model has a much weaker revenue model than the current tour package aggregator model.

Why? Typically, airlines do not work with or sell their inventories to third party websites because of various reasons, primarily distribution cost and merchandising. Though this might change in the future (here’s a fascinating report on that), until that happens, it will be hard for companies like Flocations to run any affiliate models based on travel meta searches.

Hence, it makes much more sense for Flocations to pivot to a tour package listings website, which I assumed to be running on an affiliate model. Other than the revenue model, what Flocations was focusing on with their flight price search was merely just a feature and not a business model. This is echoed during Startup Asia 2012 by Eric Koh, co-founder of Travelogy as well as current CTO of JobsCentral. Eric was one of the judges for the final Startup Asia pitch where Flocations was pitching then.

“My comment was that searching for flights by budget was just a feature and not a business model. There are no barriers to entry, if they proved that consumers do want to search by price, expedia and the flight companies could add that feature in a matter of days. Furthermore, these flight companies will have accurate data, whereas flocations had to scrap the prices and therefore their data may be outdated.” – Eric Koh

It was a matter of time before Flocations figured that out, which might explain the recent pivot into a tour package aggregator.

Of course, the tour package space is not without its competition. One of the players in this space quietly focusing on serving the needs of its customer is Travelogy. Travelogy runs tourpackages.com.sg and tripzilla.com, both which provide direct competition to Flocations.

Who’s thriving better?

Here’s a quick overview of both companies. Back in 2011 during the Web in Travel conference, while both pitched to be part of the bootcamp, Travelogy got into the finals, gaining the recognition from one of the main conference focusing on the travel space. Travelogy then went on to take the iJams grant with SiTF (zero equity) while flocations joined the JFDI accelerator, giving up some equity to refine their flight search. Following that, Travelogy went ahead with the iJams Reload scheme with Crystal Horse (S$250,000 or US$198,444). Flocations subsequently raised a S$700,000 (U$555,643) seed round from TNF Ventures and SingTel Innov8.

Bear in mind that Flocations has spent almost two years refining their flight search idea, and decided to pivot to a tour package listings site at the end of March. In just 3 months, Flocations currently provides more than 2,850 tour package listings on their platform, sends more than S$1.5 million (US$1.2 million) business value to its travel partners monthly. This clearly is a good sign of traction. Assuming a 5 percent conversion rate and then a 10 percent commission cut, that’s easily S$7,500 (US$5,950) of income per month for Flocations, and the number grows proportionately with the number of listings on its platform (until it reaches saturation point).

Tripzilla, on the other hand, currently lists over 5,500 tour packages on their Singapore site. TripZilla’s Malaysian portal has been in the works since October 2012, and now has 69 travel agencies on board with over 3,000 packages and itineraries.

So who is performing better? We will let you be the judge of that.

Read also: TripZilla launches in Malaysia with 69 travel agency partners

If Flocations didn’t enter the space, other competitors will come anyway

Is Travelogy worried about Flocations entering the space? Cofounder Winnie Tan told us that she is more “inclined to view this in a positive manner.”

“Having more players will help to educate the local travel industry faster and move the advertisers online. In effect, I believe collectively we may be taking bigger bites of the travel advertising dollars that were going into traditional marketing channels (like print, outdoor advertisement, tv & radio etc.). Furthermore, we believe our business model and the online advertising channel is vastly superior to traditional media channels for travel. If Flocations didn’t enter the space, other competitors will come anyway.” – Winnie Tan, cofounder of Travelogy

So while the reason behind Flocations’ pivot remains unclear, one thing’s for sure: there is definitely enough room for two players (probably more out there) in the multi million dollar travel industry.

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APEC Start-Up Accelerator Leadership Summit 2013 is an exclusive, invitation-only platform for startups throughout the Asia-Pacific region to form business relationships with global key players in Silicon Valley and throughout the world.

The event will be held on August 13-14 in Sheraton Grande Taipei Hotel. 30 startups and 200 top executives/officials from the APEC region will be invited to challenge current assumptions regarding how public and private sectors collaborate to build sustainable startup ecosystems in the APEC region and to recognize how startups can more effectively find new markets, customers, business models, revenues, and profits.

Day 1 (August 13), the APEC Start-Up Accelerator Leadership Summit Day, will utilize a format of symposium style discussions and structured networking sessions in order to generate visionary commentary.

Day 2 (August 14) will be the Intel APEC Challenge-Demo Day providing a platform for startups at various stages who seek internationalization, corporate partnerships, funding and opportunities to showcase their business strategies and products in front of global VCs and industry influencers.

Event details:

• Start: Monday, 12 August, 2013 07:00 p.m.
• End: Wednesday, 14 August, 2013 10:00 p.m.
• Venue : Sheraton Taipei Hotel, Taipei
• Register here
• Organizer : Small and Medium Enterprises Administration, Taiwan; Intel; Taiwan Institute of Economic Research; Yushan Ventures

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SingTel, a major Singapore-based telecomm conglomerate, has just announced that it will offer Shopify’s e-commerce solution in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India. Available from S$17 (US$13.46) per month, the solution is an easy and affordable way for individuals and SMEs to set up beautiful online shops within minutes and accept secure credit card payments for goods and services.

What does the partnership entail? SingTel will be working with payment providers in each country to enable transactions in local currencies by September 2013. What this means for merchants is that they will be able to streamline their order fulfillment process and enjoy attractive shipping rates in the coming months. They will also be able to enjoy local hotline technical support 24/7.

To help merchants with their online marketing efforts and enhance the functionality of their storefronts, SingTel will also offer a range of optional services such as search engine marketing, social network integration, inventory management and email marketing capabilities. The pricing of these services is still unclear.

With the recent e-commerce boom in Southeast Asia, it was only a matter of time before players like Shopify enter the scene. With Shopify’s web-based solution, digital storefronts can be set up and ready for business with a few clicks of the mouse. Merchants can customize their online storefronts, keep track of orders and manage customer data via a web browser.

Of course, this also means that Livejournal will have to compete head on with Shopify. Many of the local blogshops are based on the international blogging platform. For many of these local merchants here in Singapore, getting a simple platform to display their items and reach out to customers free of charge has proved to be rather lucrative. One example would be a couple who earned some S$30,000 monthly revenue (US$23,758) with their blogshop. Shopify is definitely eyeing this slice of the e-commerce pie in Singapore, with the backing of SingTel.

And this would probably explain Shopify’s discreet meetup for its users tomorrow here in Singapore.

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During my last visit to Ho Chi Minh City for the Vietnam Satellite, I managed to meet up with TOPICA Edtech Group to learn more about what they are doing to support the local technology startups in the country. TOPICA’s activities over the years have helped produced 18 promising startups, supported over 40 community events and helped raised awareness about technopreneurship and provide training activities.

Recently, TOPICA’s senior director, Chau Dang, was in South Africa for the Global Forum on Innovation & Technology Entrepreneurship to share more about their activities to support young Vietnamese technology startups. I caught up with her after she returned from her trip to find out more about it and what else the local ecosystem needs.

TOPICA Edtech Group provides online degrees, working with seven universities in Vietnam, and English programs on top of its venture into technology startups. TOPICA runs Founder Institute in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and is a board member of Launch and Mobile Monday, two of the largest startup communities in Vietnam. TOPICA is currently setting up joint ventures to expand into Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Founder Institute in Vietnam

TOPICA has successfully completed two Founder Institute intakes in Vietnam from 2011 to 2012. With over 150 registered applications, TOPICA Founder Institute has seen 20 graduate founders and 18 graduate companies from its two batches. According to Chau, some of the notable graduate companies includes mobile content platform Appota, customer relationship management tool Biaki and medical social network Yton, footwear online retailer Giaytot, mobile dating app Tapmee and point-of-sales cloud software provider S3.

To continue to help these technology startups build their connections, TOPICA supports these entrepreneurs in attending international competitions to increase their exposure such as DEMO Asia and Intel DST Challenge.

Getting startups the exposure and guidance they need

Doing a startup is more than just executing an idea. TOPICA also helps to get information about startup best practices out to the local community. TOPICA has organized an online startup course, allowing CEOs from leading technology companies to discuss with founders on a particular topic each week for six weeks. The sessions were held on Facebook and tutors and learning materials were made available by TOPICA. Three weeks after the online course was launched, TOPICA saw 572 registrations with 843 video views and 1,297 slide downloads.

Another challenge that TOPICA noticed was the difficulty for founders to find the right co-founder, especially from the tech sector. This does not help with most of Vietnam’s technical brains being from the northern capital, Hanoi, and the business minds are mostly situated in southern Ho Chi Minh City, a situation well explained by Anh-Minh in his article. To help overcome this, TOPICA has held co-founder dating sessions. Chau shared that the co-founder dating session saw about 100 startups and managers attend with around 11 founders and 40 potential co-founders being given to opportunity to meet up.

In total, TOPICA has either directly organised or support more than 40 startup related events since 2011.

What Vietnam’s tech startup ecosystem needs

Chau shared her opinions on what the local tech startup ecosystem needs in order to continue growing. According to her, the lack of funding is still significant. Not only does the local community need to create more opportunities and platforms to connect startups with investors, but also have mentorship and coaching session available for them. According to Chau, Vietnamese startups are strong in technology but most need a boost in their marketing or their ability to sell. Pitching platforms will help the startups as a lot of them do not know where to find the funding they need or who to talk to about it in the local community.

Other than the startups, Chau also talked about educating local investors about technology startups and what are good ideas to invest in. Chau mentioned that there is a significant angel investor group in Vietnam, most foreign investors with a mix of locals. However, until about three years ago they were all more interested to invest in real estate and the stock market. With the recent inflation, especially in property, technology startups are beginning to present themselves as a more attractive opportunity.

With over 50 percent of the population made up of the younger group, a hardworking culture, affordable mobile data (US$2 per month), Vietnam seems ripe for more technology innovation to take place. With a few more key elements in place, we would probably see more successes coming out from the country soon.

Featured Image Credits: Shutterstock

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Viddsee is an online platform for sharing and watching independent short films. While video sharing platforms like YouTube are already popular, Viddsee differentiates itself by providing a curated experience, focusing only on the stellar films. Users can then watch these short movies according to country, and then provide their rating and comments.

Noting that 40 percent of its users watch films on mobile devices, Viddsee’s founders have recently launched an improved version of the website, in order to improve the viewing experience for this set, as well as attract a bigger audience from within Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. e27 met with Viddsee co-founders Derek Tan and Ho Jia “Jian” at Echelon 2013, where they demonstrated their latest mobile web app. The mobile web version was launched to the public on June 17th.

The Viddsee website itself provides an adaptive experience, meaning that it adjusts to whichever screen resolution and format being used by the viewer. Users only have to go to www.viddsee.com, and the site will adapt to provide the best interface, whether it’s a desktop computer, tablet or smartphone.

What’s so good with a mobile experience?

Viddsee has shared some trends among its target market so far, and the founders’ observations are that users from some 98 countries are fond of watching six to 10-minute films. The top categories are Family, Love and Loss. Providing easier access on mobile devices will help address short attention spans, and will be useful among users in the region who primarily access the Internet through their mobile devices.

Read also: Viddsee sees growing audience of 60K globally with 150 short films

The mobile web version allows users to give micro-ratings, which can refer to the story, acting, camera and sound production of the movies they have watched. Viddsee also encourages engagement and exchange — the new version lets users carry on conversations through their existing social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

No native app yet, but focus is on growing the community

There is a debate between whether a native app or a mobile web version is the best way to address a smartphone and tablet audience. On one hand, an adaptive design lets users have the best experience even as they switch devices and screen sizes. It’s easier for developers to build on these platforms. However, native apps provide a more direct access to the application – straight from a user’s home screen or app drawer.

Viddsee’s founders told e27 at Echelon that a native app is in their plans, although the focus at this point is growing the community of users and improving engagement. “The decision of launching a web version is really driven by the consumption of our users with 40 percent coming from mobile devices,” says Jian. To improve its visibility, the Singapore-based startup has been participating in local and regional film festivals, which includes partnerships with the Singapore Short Film Awards. Viddsee was also among the exhibitors at our recently-concluded Echelon 2013.

Are you looking to watch good-quality curated short films from around the region? Check out Viddsee now from your desktop or mobile device.

The post Viddsee launches mobile web app, looks to grow community appeared first on e27.

Sydney Dev Camp is a ten-week intensive program to teach Ruby on Rails to aspiring web developers and startup entrepreneurs. As our student, you will work with and be mentored by the industry’s top programmers. We make web development fun and help our graduates get amazing jobs.

Event details:

• Start: Monday, 8 July, 2013 09:00 a.m.
• End: Friday, 13 September, 2013 05:00 p.m.
• Venue : Sydney, Australia
• Register here
• Organizer : Peter Argent

The post [Australia] Sydney Dev Camp appeared first on e27.

On Monday night, Hore Network, the community behind a number of Indonesian mobile and web developer initiatives, formally announced its name change to HoRepublik and introduced a number of new apps which will be launched within the next month or two. Led by developer evangelist Deddy Avianto, the group held a public gathering to socialize the apps that it has built so far.

Taking advantage of the semi regular gathering held at Obsat at Rumah Langsat in South Jakarta, Avianto and his band of engineers and designers spoke about the apps and services that they have developed over the past several months which vary from t-shirt printing to behavioral tracking.

Avianto had informed us that HoRepublik is an informal collaborative community, one that leverages the skills and networks of its members to enhance and sharpen ideas in building technology-based products and services. Membership in the group is strictly informal but they all work for the common benefit to raise each other’s profile through quality technology-based products.

The first app to be profiled was Pintails, the app which won the inaugural AngelHack Jakarta event earlier this month. Team leader Vincent Putera as well as developer Asep Bagja Pradana spoke about the creation of the app during AngelHack and what they want to foster from bringing the app to the market.

Read also: Indomog to distribute online game vouchers through Alfamart outlets

Second in line was Sabloon, a custom online t-shirt printing service similar to Tees but partnering with local t-shirt companies spread across the country to minimize logistics. According to founder Ibnu Maksum, he initially explored a collaboration with Tees to localize its printing services but negotiations stalled so he decided to go ahead with his own version. The service has yet to go live but it should be ready within a few weeks starting with Jakarta and Maksum’s hometown of Serang in Banten.

Third one to present was Inmoto.in. Co-founder Daus Gonia built this hashtag-powered photo printing service with three other team members so people can have keepsakes or mementos when they attend certain events or spent time at certain public places and want to have something physical to remember it by. While it was initially built for brands or companies to be deployed at their events, the service is gaining popularity at wedding ceremonies.

Next up was Sneakit, a social media monitoring tool which was developed out of Bermain.net. While Bermain.net was built out of curiosity, the team behind Sneakit took it further to create a suite of services which allows individuals, companies, and organizations to track particular social media campaigns. It lets campaign administrators to track keywords, sentiments, and popularity of the event through a set of graphs, charts, and figures.

Traco is another monitoring tool that was announced on Monday night except this one tracks website traffic and interaction to assist developers and site managers improve their offerings to better respond to how consumer behavior. Event tracking in this context is about finding out how site visitors or app users interact with the website or app. The team claims the results are comparable to Google Analytics but says it’s actually a complementary service rather than a competing one. Traco will see a soft launch at CommunicAsia in Singapore this week.

The last app of the night was Social Play. The music sharing app which we covered a little while ago received an update last week and is now closer to the complete 1.0 version imagined by Avianto. Between our coverage and last night, the team added personal profiles of Social Play users which reveals a musical preference and activity of its users bringing it closer to last.fm. The team is also working on building Social Play as an event promotion platform.

Strong Portfolio

All in, this collection of applications and services seems to be a strong starting portfolio for the group, perhaps even stronger than the many of the ones that have gone through the local startup incubators or accelerator programs in terms of product maturity and viability. What has yet to be tested though is market acceptance.

All of the products already have existing competitors, whether direct or otherwise, which means good news as the business cases actually exist for them and they do work, at least for the existing services, but it also means convincing the market to switch to these new ones instead based on their own merits and advantages. This would be the biggest challenge for the group from this point on.

Read also: Zocial Inc looks to expand to Indonesia by July, partners MNC Group

Most of the products on show at Obsat on Monday night showed solid designs, immediate monetization paths, clear problem definitions and solutions, and a seeming lack of need for early stage investors due to direct revenues or cross subsidies from other projects. The teams tend to have a complete set of designers, business people, and programmers, and the ones that don’t, already have the advantage of being able to rely on others in the group to jump in and provide assistance.

We should be able to see by the end of the year how far these products have come and whether they are as solidly developed and marketed as they seem to be today. The success of these products could raise the profiles of Indonesian developers and improve market confidence of the ability of Indonesians in creating viable digital products.

The post Hore Network Changes its Name to HoRepublik, Introduces a Portfolio of Diverse Apps and Services appeared first on DailySocial.

Featured Image Credit: Fist on Indonesian Flag / Shutterstock

The post Hore Network is now HoRepublik with new portfolio of apps and services appeared first on e27.

Join us for a two hour incorporation tour sponsored by Plug-in@Blk71. Everything a foreigner or local director should know about how to incorporate and run a company in Singapore during the first month of operation.

This is the definitive event for those who are serious about starting a company in Singapore in the next six months. In particular we canvas problems directors face hiring foreigners, and the types of solutions that work.

Event details:

• Start: Tuesday, 25 June, 2013 6.30 p.m.
• End: Tuesday, 25 June, 2013 8.30 p.m.
• Venue : Block 71 Ayer Rajah Crescent #02-18 Singapore 139951
• Register here
• Organizer : Futurebooks

The post [Singapore] Starting a company in Singapore at Plug-in@Blk71 appeared first on e27.

Shortly after it confirmed a merger with Singapore-Dine, online food delivery platform foodpanda has just announced that it is collaborating with dining app Picky.

Founded by the same people behind the successful movie booking app Popcorn, Picky helps users find places to eat, and now, these users can also order meals from their preferred restaurants via foodpanda easily.

You might remember Picky: the food discovery app which is backed by a six figure private investment. Users can browse the list of foodpanda’s restaurant partners under the “Eat-at-home” tab on Picky, and click the delivery button to get seamlessly linked to foodpanda’s mobile site.

Earlier last week, Rebate Networks-backed DealGuru spins out its new Asian food delivery business, effectively challenging foodpanda head on for the online food delivery market space. The new food delivery subsidiary “Food Runner” operates the Room Service Deliveries brand, which claims to have more than 50,000 registered users and delivers several million dollars’ worth of restaurant food annually.

Read also: DealGuru’s response to foodpanda: a newly rebranded Food Runner

We also noted on the article that foodpanda currently has delivery services from 101 restaurants. Room Delivery Services, on the other hand lists 70 restaurants on their website.

Is the food delivery space that lucrative, and will it have a big enough pie for both foodpanda and Food Runner? Having operations in both Singapore and Malaysia, Food Runner will be expanding to other parts of Southeast Asia, a food delivery market that Michael Brehm of Rebate Networks expects will hit US$390 million by 2015. However, foodpanda is already strengthening its Southeast Asia foothold by establishing presence in five countries in the region, namely Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

foodpanda’s strategy: expanding discovery channels through strategic partnerships

Locally in Singapore, it seems like foodpanda is actively beefing up its discovery channel through partnerships with other existing players. This collaboration with Picky is the third new partnership after Singapore-Dine and RedMart. Breaking down the channels, Singapore-Dine is an existing food delivery online platform and RedMart has extensive experience in the delivery and logistics space. Picky now fits the “mobile discovery” channel for foodpanda, though prior to this partnership, foodpanda also launched its own mobile app and teamed up with Singapore mobile loyalty app Perx to expand its reach.

With other existing food discovery platforms out there such as Burpple or Yelp who have been around longer, these platforms would probably have more data points. So why Picky? Lee Ken Ming, CEO and founder of Picky shared in the press release: “Our recommendation service represents a complement to foodpanda’s food delivery service and vice versa, enabling users not only to decide on where to eat, but to also order and have their meals delivered to their home or office. All customers will benefit from the synergy of this partnership.”

Chinmay Malaviya, the Singapore country manager for foodpanda, told us that there will also be a revenue share between foodpanda and Picky for every successful referral. “I am excited that foodpanda expands its market leadership in Singapore with a further strong partnership. With this cooperation, two successful startups join forces to make Singaporeans’ lives much easier.”

Singapore food tech space land grab: No clear winners yet

Taking a closer look at the food tech space in Singapore, we are clearly seeing several players shaping and leveling the playing field. foodpanda is actively forming their congregation of food delivery networks by partnering with strategic partners as well as active mergers. dealguru gobbled up Asian Food Networks and launched their whole new Food Runner subsidiary. On the flip side, the delivery arm of HungryGoWhere, Gourmet To Go (formerly known as “HungryDelivery“) along with their sister sites are just going about everyday normally. Yelp is actively building up their community of users in Singapore, and Burpple is set to unveil a whole new feature in two days’ time: both have yet to team up with any major players yet. Not forgetting other key players especially those in the restaurant reservation space such as Chope and Reserve.it (which partnered with HungryGoWhere).

While both foodpanda and Food Runner claims to be the leader in the food delivery space, Burpple, Yelp, HungryGoWhere, and Chope can still level the playing field for any players, even new entrants. Although foodpanda recently raised more than US$20 million funding from a group of investors, these players would still give foodpanda a run for its money in Singapore.

Ever wonder why everyone is chasing the money around food? It’s simple, really: as Dave McClure puts it: It’s kind of a big boring industry, but a lot of people eat.

Read also: Dave McClure hungry for food tech, 500 Startups heading east soon

The post foodpanda announces new partnership, but are they really the leader? appeared first on e27.

Join Futurebooks for a two hour introduction to bookkeeping hosted by JFDI.Asia. The session will cover everything you need to do-it-yourself bookkeeping in the first year of operation.

An overview for first-time directors of companies who plan to start a company in Singapore in the next 6 months.

Event details:

• Start: Wednesday, 26 June, 2013 06:30 p.m.
• End: Wednesday, 26 June, 2013 08:30 p.m.
• Venue : 71 Ayer Rajah Crescent #05-16 Singapore 139951
• Register here
• Organizer : Futurebooks

The post [Singapore] Bookkeeping appreciation. Hosted by JFDI.Asia. appeared first on e27.

Based in Sydney, Oneflare is a marketplace that helps connect individuals with local service businesses that best suit their needs. For individuals and families, Oneflare saves time in searching for the right local business, helps find someone trustworthy and reliable, and ensures a fair price. For businesses, Oneflare provides timely, pre-qualified leads so operators can focus on the job at hand, while helping to grow reputation. Top categories on the site are cleaners, electricians, plumbers, removalists, pest control, painters, accountants, bathroom and kitchen renovators, landscapers, and gardeners.

Let’s look at some of its numbers

According to the press release, Oneflare has raised the funding following its recent growth: the company has seen a 1,300 percent increase in total traffic in the last 12 months. With over 130,000 unique visitors per month, Oneflare has more than A$16 million (US$15.2 million) in jobs requested. It also currently have over 30,000 businesses registered in over 250 service categories on its platform.

When dwell deeper behind the numbers, Oneflare told us that the average transaction amount for each job is between A$400 to 500 (US$381 to 476). While Oneflare can opt to take a percentage cut from the jobs, it charges businesses a monthly subscription plan, similar to a SaaS model. This model is slightly different from peer to peer task outsourcing platforms, such as US-based TaskRabbit, Sydney-based Airtasker or Singapore-based TaskAmigo. Typically, these platforms take a small commission for every successful match: Taskrabbit takes a 15 percent commission, Airtasker charges a fee of A$2 (US$1.90) plus 5 percent of the task’s value to the Runner, and TaskAmigo charges commission in the range of 10 to 35 percent. Due to this commission-based model, the revenue projection might fluctuate every month. Oneflare on the other hand, uses the SaaS model: the basic plan starts at A$24 (US$23) per month, and you have the option to go for the advance plan (AU$49 or US$47) and the professional plan (AU$99 or US$94).

“We’re now cash flow positive so this funding is really about scaling and becoming the number one marketplace for consumers and service businesses to find each other.” – Marcus Lim, Co-Founder and CEO, Oneflare

Read also: TaskAmigo: 5 challenges for the P2P outsourcing market in Singapore

To ensure the quality of each business and service providers, Oneflare has several processes in place which act as “background checks”:

The new AU$500,000 (US$475,950) is invested by Les Szekely from Grand Prix Capital, Garry Visontay, Principal Sydney Seed Fund and Dr. Jeffrey Tobias, Director The Strategy Group. Les, Garry and Jeffrey have formed a small investment syndicate, and have previously jointly invested in DesignCrowd.

Capital will be used for scaling online user acquisition growth, continued marketplace innovation, and driving revenue growth.

Will it work in Singapore?

While Oneflare has been gaining some traction from Australia, will it work in Singapore? Similar to Oneflare, Quotations.com.sg has long been around, but we have not heard much activities from their end. Perhaps the verticals which contributed to Oneflare’s growth of traction is not applicable in Singapore. Cleaners, electricians, plumbers, removalists, pest control, landscapers, and gardeners — when was the last time you needed their services in Singapore? Most of these are taken care of by the management council of the apartment and condominium you are staying in. Today, over 80 percent of Singaporeans stay in the public housing by the Housing Development Board, where it is common to have town councils take care of property management.

This is exactly why Quotations.com.sg chose to focus instead on the Automotive, Education and Property vertical, and it’s probably a good idea for Oneflare to continue focusing and thriving in Australia, where there is a strong demand for the local businesses listings on their platform.

The post Oneflare raises US$476K, but Singapore not likely a target market appeared first on e27.

A board member at Startup Weekend, Nick Seguin is also a mentor at Brandery and Awesome Inc, where he shares his entrepreneurial experience and exposure with founders and funders for their benefit. Based in Ohio, USA, he flew down to the city of Bangkok for this year’s Startup Weekend Bangkok (SWBKK). Organized by HUBBA and powered by Kauffman Foundation (where Nick also spent time as manager of entrepreneurship), SWBKK 2013 saw 90 participants get together under one gymnasium roof and pitch their ideas at the end of 54 hours this May.

We had the opportunity to correspond with Nick via email and find out what he thought about the Thai tech startup ecosystem.

1. What was your impression of the tech startup ecosystem in Bangkok (or Thailand) before SWBKK?

To be honest, I didn’t have an impression of the tech startup ecosystem prior to the event. At least not a personal one. I had heard that it was immature, but beginning to buzz, but that was from others. I had also heard that many of the successful tech entrepreneurs were expats, or at least Thais who had spent significant time abroad — mainly the US. So, if I had to formulate an impression, it would probably be very nascent, and led by non-locals.

2. Did your impression of the scene change after the event?

I did meet a number of successful tech entrepreneurs (judges and mentors), and it does seem that many of them have connections outside of the country. That said, many of them are Thai, or a good percentage Thai. And they choose to live and work here. I think that’s incredibly important — they see the potential of the economy, the market and the people and have voted with their feet. They are building businesses in Thailand and in the region.

I was also very impressed by the level of talent and enthusiasm for startups at the event. While it may be a small percentage representation of the total population, with access to the internet and the global startup community support, it’s clear that young entrepreneurs in Thailand are “in-the-know” and looking at opportunities just like entrepreneurs around the world. The big questions, I think, will be around actual execution of ideas (more action, less talk) and then support — by customers, by mentors, and by everyone in Thailand. Support and champion your entrepreneurs.

So, while the scene does seem to be just beginning to hit its stride, there are many people and community pockets (like HUBBA!) that get it and that are committing everything to helping growth.

3. What do you think budding entrepreneurs in Thailand require in order to be successful, as compared to their counterparts worldwide?

Some of this is probably in my answer to #2. I also think that more groups, people and communities like HUBBA are important. Entrepreneurship is difficult and lonely — more so than non-entrepreneurs understand. Support and community are hard to measure, but so important.

I think they need to make sure they are trying many things and are willing to fail. Not many entrepreneurs are successful on their first go of it, so getting repetitions in, and not being afraid to fail, are very important. You learn so much.

I think entrepreneurs here need to think about real business problems too. Apps and games are interesting, and can make money, but the important companies – the sustainable ones – are those that solve very real problems for many many people.

I also think that entrepreneurs in Thailand need to start local, but think about how to expand to the region. the SE Asia region is incredibly linked and accessible for businesses. Models need to be built that can address the region as a whole.

All of the above said, it is not much different compared to entrepreneurs around the world. Many of the things that need to be done are universal.

The “community” at SWBKK 2013

4. Are there resources for these startups to tap into even after SWBKK?

There is abundant information online — many of them are already doing this, but with an internet connection these days, the equivalent of university courses and more are easily available to entrepreneurs. They can read, watch video, work through material. Of course, none of this is a substitute for learning by doing.

Other resources include:

• Startup Digest,
• NEXT,
• and of course, Hubba Thailand.

5. What are your thoughts on the winner and runner-up of SWBKK?

At the end of the day, the event is about changing individuals’ lives. Of course, great projects, products and companies are born here, too, but really we’re focused on changing communities and people. In that vein, I think both teams were very successful. People who didn’t know each other Friday at 10 AM are now friends and colleagues and have built something together. There aren’t many other places or events in the world where that happens. I think both teams were examples of good complimentary skill sets coming together and working well.

Specifically about the companies:

LocalTipz is a great collection of skilled people — lots of expats who have experience in these types of businesses. It was great to see them build the business model, validate with customers and actually build a prototype. Great execution. Their concept brings together some important behavior: up and down-voting like Reddit and short form like Twitter. [I am] excited to see how they advance it.

JazzPay is the coolest thing here is the skills of the founding team. Security, IT, e-commerce and payments backgrounds makes this team well-versed to build something meaningful. They will need to focus on growing partnerships and of course building a prototype as fast as possible. Their concept seems to be especially promising in the Thai market where credit card penetration remains low, but online payment is needed constantly.

6. What can we expect to see with regard to SW’s involvement in SEA in the near future?

We’ve focused on MENA in the past six months and will continue to increase that focus. There are hundreds of millions of people in just the Southeast Asia region whom we would love to support through the Startup Weekend model. Our model has always been built on great people: organizers and volunteers who can execute great events, build community, and extend the underlying motivations of the organization. Not just anyone can run a Startup Weekend. Aim and Note are incredible examples of community organizers and startup activists. People love them, trust them and want to be a part of what they are creating. Our goal is to continue to expand events into as many cities as possible, and as often as possible in the region.

After SWBKK 2013 …

Startup Weekend Bangkok has ended but that’s not the end of your startup journey in Thailand. Just like what Nick said in his responses, there is an abundance of resources out there. One of which is Echelon Ignite 2013, which will be happening in September this year. It is a two-day conference gathering tech, businesses and thought leaders of the industry to focus and discuss the tech ecosystem in Thailand. Register your interest here!

Read also: Startups in Thailand share about facing challenges and resolving them

Image Credit: Startup Weekend Bangkok

The post “Entrepreneurs in Thailand need to start local but think regional” appeared first on e27.

When we first saw this infographic from Lenovo, we chuckled a little. Their new Table PC, the Lenovo IdeaCreation Horizon made its debut at the brand’s recent Touch launch, priding itself as the “World’s First Table PC for the Home”. Besides aiming to create shared computing experiences, this piece of innovation is also probably the most versatile screen you will ever see.

If you’re bored of work, and need to relax and renew, there’s really no need to go on a 5D4N retreat in a secluded island somewhere (although you most certainly can!). Change it from that mundane 8.6kg hardware which you use to surf the net to a sexy gaming table with a 10-point multi-touch ability. Throw in a few friends (it allows four to use simultaneously), couple of beers and comfy plastic stools, and there you have it — your own games night. If you own some swanky nerf guns, you could also use the screen as a handy nerf gun target board.

Not the sort for games? This is probably not the best idea but go get your suit and prepare to host a classy dinner party, serving your guests their food on the 16:9 widescreen backlit screen. I’m not too sure how you would clean up after but it seems like a pretty interesting idea.

Personally, a gaming table would help when getting a few friends over for board games. Since many of these traditional board games have been digitized into apps on the smartphones or tablets, it’d be great if we could play them on a bigger screen. The dinner table thing? It’s good to know, but I think I’ll keep to my trusty porcelain plates instead. Thanks for the suggestion, anyway, Lenovo!

Check the infographic below for more uses:

The post This versatile innovation lets you hold better nerf gun parties appeared first on e27.

Zocial Inc, a social monitoring tool, has just announced yesterday that it will be expanding to Indonesia with its new partnership. Working together with MNC Group, an Indonesian media conglomerate, Zocial is planning to launch two key social media management tools, namely ZocialEye.com and ZocialRank.com, reaching out to more than 248 million consumers.

With this move into Indonesia marking Zocial’s maiden step out of Thailand, the company shared that it has plans to deploy its localized platform to the rest of Southeast Asia in conjunction with the new ASEAN Economic Community in the future. Zocial founder Pawoot Pongwittyapanu stated that Indonesia is a clear choice with its large — and incredibly social — audience, at more than 51 million users, according to the company.

Zocial shared that its first target would be to improve its system and understand customer behaviors on various social networks. This will require them to differentiate word sentiments — be it positive or negative — in Bahasa Indonesia.  The system, enabled to monitor conversations revolving around a brand or product, can also research information to find out what customers like or dislike about the service or product.

Partnering with MNC, Zocial will send employees from Thailand to Indonesia to get a good idea of what their customers are like in the largest country in Southeast Asia. The role of MNC, Pawoot explains, will be under sales and marketing, which includes data research and analysis for their customers. While they will have Thais to support the team in Indonesia, he is looking at having everything run by their local team with support from their headquarters. Zocial expects to form a team of about seven to nine people in the first three to six months.

Image Credit: Mass Relevance

The post Zocial Inc looks to expand to Indonesia by July, partners MNC Group appeared first on e27.

Almost everybody has heard about the term “business model” at one time or another. Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur dedicated a whole book to the term, and became quite famous doing so. Steve Blank and Bob Dorf referred to it for what seemed like a million times. Ash Maurya built his lean canvas on top of the business model canvas, and everybody asks for the business model when you pitch your startup. But what actually is the definition of the term “business model”?

The answer might surprise you – there is none. Or at least none that can be widely agreed upon. Ask your friends in the community, your employees, co-founder(s) and you will likely get something like “how we create value” or “how we make money”. That’s not wrong, but it’s a limited view. A business model is actually a very complex thing. I have encountered this problem of terminology numerous times, lately at Startup Weekend events.

When you listen to the pitches, everybody say something similar to this “our business model is…” and in most cases they actually are speaking about the revenue model, well, not even that, but the revenue stream.

Is this a big difference? Yes. Does it matter? Kinda.

For the sake of the argument, we should to settle for one business model definition. There are probably 20 different ways to look at the concept of business model but let’s define the term according to Osterwalder and Pigneur, because most people use the business model canvas and are used to its structure.

“A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value” – Business Model Generation, p.14.

Three things are important: Create Value. Deliver Value. Capture Value.

This means much more than just: “how do I get compensated for what I do?” The business model view is a holistic one, depending on how you run your business with all its implications, from partners to customers, from back-end work to front-end delivery.

What’s worth noting is that a business can have several business models. Look at OEM manufacturers in Thailand. OEM is very challenging because the brand always wants to save money and continuously asks for lower prices. At the same time, the manufacturer faces increasing labor costs, higher energy expenses and resource prices.

Read also: Startups in Thailand share about facing challenges and resolving them

OEM manufacturing does not seem to be very sustainable. If costs are too high, the big brand will just go to the next cheaper country, sometimes even neglecting quality. OEM manufacturers have to find a sustainable business model that will keep them afloat when the brand moves on. A solution is to create services around what they do anyway — manufacturing. Often OEM manufacturers have an expertise and production capability in this product that their customers don’t (any more). Around this expertise, services that allow being sustainable can be created.

The “only” thing the company has to do is to leverage its internal knowledge. In essence, there are now two business models, the “OEM model” and the “service model”. A famous technology example is Amazon and what they did with Amazon WebServices.

Without going into detail how the business models look like, it’s probably agreeable that they differ in certain parts and overlap in others. Knowledge is probably the most obvious one; if you have services around the things you produce, you will utilize similar if not the same knowledge.

Since the business model is a holistic one, it won’t tell you what kind of patterns a company has to follow. Usually it’s – all complexity aside — the same things that have to be done over and over again. Again, just as with the relation of company to business models; one business model can have several patterns.

The revenue model on the other hand is the way a company gets compensated for what it does, which is usually payment. That actually means it’s a different concept or a sub-concept (depends on what you read) of the business model. However, the revenue model depends on the business models, or more correctly, on the business patterns. The revenue model is not even the way you get compensated, it’s – just like the business model – the holistic view on how you get compensated. The revenue streams are how you get compensated. A revenue model consists of one or many (similar to the relationship of BM and BP) revenue streams.

Read also: How should startups build and grow their companies?

Often, you will have one revenue stream for one business pattern. It’s not necessary though, you can have the same revenue stream for different patterns. SaaS for example often allows you to pay one subscription fee for different business patterns in one sum. So even while there are different patterns the company gets compensated through one revenue stream.

The business pattern determines the revenue stream. There is a causal relationship. That means if the pattern doesn’t allow a subscription based stream, you will have to change to something that makes more sense. Since the business model and the revenue model are not directly but indirectly (through patterns and streams) connected, you have lots of freedom to create combinations that fit. Now you can go into subscription, freemium or whatever you want and do fit.

What does this difference in terminology mean for you when you pitch? Honestly, nothing. You are all fired up, probably nervous as hell, and concentrated on selling the next big idea. Sure, it will show that you know your stuff but in day to day conversations everything is used synonymously anyway. It’s more important before and after.

I am an advocate of Business Models thinking. Understand the whole concept and its implications provides you with a way to better understand and discuss it with you co-founders and (potential) stakeholders. The Business Model view allows you to get an overview and start to dig deep into certain aspects without losing sight of the big picture. Don’t get too hung up on Osterwald and Pigneur though (still, read it!), it’s just one of many ways to look at Business Models.

Books to consider:

Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business model generation: A handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Blank, S., Dorf, B. (2012) The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company. Pescadero, CA: K & S Ranch.

The post The Business Model and Revenue Model, do you know the difference? appeared first on BangkokStartup.com.

Featured Image Credit: Man walking on Chart / Shutterstock

The post Business model? Revenue model? What’s the difference? appeared first on e27.

Apple announced iOS 7 last week at Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco along with OS X Mavericks and at the same time released the first developer beta versions of both operating systems. Neither OS will be available publicly until later this year but of course, there are people who just couldn’t wait. If you have no business testing unfinished software, you really shouldn’t install a beta software. Let me tell you why.

My 19-year-old son has iOS 7 on his iPhone. “Where did you get the $100 for a developer account.” Looked at me with disdain. “Torrented it.”

— Robert Scoble (@Scobleizer) June 17, 2013

For most people, the excitement happens mainly around iOS 7 and there was a rush to install the beta even though it’s still doesn’t work properly. You should know that many developers still haven’t even installed it, so you shouldn’t bother either.

You also should know that Apple’s beta software expires after several weeks, requiring you to install a new version before the current period ends or your phone will be dead because you can’t install older versions of the software. This repeats until the public version is out.

Today’s iOS 7.0 beta 1 (11A4372q) released to developers expires on Wednesday July 24, 2013 @ 12AM (GMT). #TheMoreYouKnow

— iH8sn0w (@iH8sn0w) June 10, 2013

Even publicly released software is often riddled with bugs, so when it comes to beta software, expect a metric ton more of them coming your way. This of course applies universally with every software on the testing stage. Some companies label their products as beta as a get out of jail free card for when users complain of issues but when Apple says a software is in beta, it really means it.

When Apple says it’s beta software, it means things will break. Data will be lost. Apps will not run. Certain features are missing, and those that are there are likely to not work properly anyway. You’ll see more restarts, resets and freezes. You’ll see things showing up when they’re not supposed to and you’ll see things not showing up when they’re supposed to.

Local music sharing app Social Play is set to have its public launch tonight and it has undergone several weeks of testing on iOS 6 and older. When tested on iOS 7, guess what, it doesn’t work. And because the launch is tonight, the developers haven’t got the time to even take a look at what’s changed in iOS 7 let alone making sure their app works on the new OS. Across the world, similar scenarios are playing out affecting mobile software developers big and small.

Your favorite apps are unlikely to work properly on beta OS because there’s plenty of changes under the hood that affects how applications interact with the operating system and the hardware. There are some that will work, but many will not.

Like the Social Play engineers, developers behind third party apps are unlikely to have their apps ready for iOS 7 at this point, given that it’s barely a week after the start of WWDC, but of course iOS 7 is still three or four months away from showing up under Software Update, there’s still some time left to get ready.

In the meantime, leave beta software to the testers and the engineers, and maybe to daring bloggers who sacrifice their devices so you don’t have to. There’s no need to “review” a beta software because seriously, how dumb are you to review and complain about an unfinished product?

Yes, having the latest thing is exciting. It’s something new and awesome. But when that new thing keeps breaking all the time, you’re going to be cursing, swearing, and generally unhappy about it, so why use it?

If you’re a software developer and you come across bugs in the software, you’ll file bug reports to the vendor, which in this case would be Apple. If you’re not a software developer and don’t have a developer account, you will have a barely working device that restarts at random and runs out of battery sooner than it’s supposed to.

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WITNext Summercamp aims to inspire and coach a new generation of talent to build a fulfilling career and make money in travel and tourism. It will comprise:

• A high-level conference that addresses key trends and issues in recruitment and talent management in travel; shares personal stories of industry leaders; and brings out insights from young talent

• A series of Bootcamps run by experts to arm you with the right skills and knowledge to build a fulfilling career or launch a start-up

• A “Job Bazaar” in which candidates can meet with mentors and travel companies looking to recruit talent

Event details:

• Start: Friday, 21 June, 2013 09:00 a.m.
• End: Friday, 21 June, 2013 06:00 p.m.
• Venue : SMU (Singapore Management University) Admin Building, 81 Victoria Street, Singapore 188605
• Register here
• Discount Code :Free Entry
• Organizer : Web in Travel

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Caught the latest Superman movie? Starring the charming Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel, many questions have been thrown at this fictional character. Questions like: If Superman were indestructible like they say he is, and his body impervious, how the hell does he shave? There have been many answers, from Kryptonian razors to grinding his face on railway tracks. But here’s another question from us at e27: How would the Man of Steel get online in Singapore? Erm, through super Wi-Fi, of course.

The term “Super Wi-Fi” was coined by the US Federal Communications Commission back in 2010. Last September, ZDNet reported on how this sort of speedy connection could and will go commercial in Singapore, pointing out that there is an industry group called the “Singapore White Spaces Pilot Group” (SWSPG) which is made up of founding members Microsoft Singapore, StarHub and the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) who will deploy three commercial pilot programs on TV white spaces (TVWS) or known as Super Wi-Fi.

Well, it really isn’t just Wi-Fi. It’s a form of “wireless network running on unused or underused spectrum known as “white spaces”, according to an article published by Business Insider. And today, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) announced the start of a public consultation on the use of TVWS here in Singapore. This comes after news of IDA’s latest OneMap solution with new service, PopulationQuery which allows a more systematic way of using data, and will certainly mark clear efforts in trying to develop Singapore as a more connected, tech-savvier nation.

This availability of radio-frequency spectrum will help play a part in Singapore where there is a 3G-crunch. The advent of LTE connection has reduced this, but a large majority on this island nation who are still on 3G networks. IDA’s press release notes that the TVWS technology will “enable opportunistic use of under-utilized spectrum within the TV broadcast spectrum channels in a cost-effective manner.” This will also see better outdoor wireless coverage, better built penetration and a high-speed connection.

This definitely isn’t new, but Singapore stands as one of the few, alongside giants like the US, to explore the feasibility of this innovative use of spectrum resources. The public consultation will also allow IDA to better understand the industry’s needs and improve the given regulatory framework to make sure it is in line with international best practices. Moreover, they will also have to localize it to Singapore’s market and business environment.

Leong Keng Thai, director-general (telecoms and post) of IDA also shared, “This public consultation is important for us to better understand the market demand for TVWS technology and applications, industry’s needs and technology challenges, which will enable IDA to develop a regulatory framework that would facilitate the introduction of an innovative technology that would achieve greater spectrum optimization and the bringing about more innovative solutions and applications for consumers and business users.”

Featured Image Credit: Actions & Comics 

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Price comparison site Telunjuk today announced that they have closed a round of funding from Japanese company Venture Republic. The capital obtained from this round of funding will be used to improve services, in Telunjuk’s aim to become the best shopping reference for Indonesian consumers. 

The site is run by two co-founders, Narendrata and Redya Febrianto who both met during college, and were working for a telco company when they decided to built their own startup. Back then they received funding and mentorship from the now-deceased Project Eden in Jakarta late 2011. The site was built with help from a few freelancers, and started out as a comparison site for laptops, phones and plane tickets.

Drata, who is CMO at the startup, said that “The integration between human touch and technology will become our strength in helping consumer to find the best products from the best online shops.” With this investment deal, a representative from Venture Republic will join Telunjuk’s board seat together with the founders and Project Eden, while the founders still keep majority ownership of he company.

Kei Shibata, Venture Republic CEO, said in a statement “This is our first investment in Indonesia. We’ve known Redya and Drata as amazing founders and complete each other. With minimal cost, both founders were able to achieve a lot. With our experience in the shopping search engine industry, we’re very excited to support them towards success.” In Japan, Venture Republic has invested in the local vertical search engines such as Coneco.net, Travel.jp, and Hotel.jp.

The post Price comparison site Telunjuk gets funding from Venture Republic appeared first on DailySocial.

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As I stepped out of the office to get myself some lunch, I was greeted with an overpowering smog of haze. PSI readings in Singapore have reached the “unhealthy” range at 80 at 12 noon. Channel News Asia notes in their photo set: “People with heart and lung diseases, children and elderly are advised to reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.” A quick search of the hashtag “haze” on Facebook will reveal the laments of Singaporeans under unusually cloudless skies.

While there is no point in going outdoors to retrieve information and understand environments in this weather, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) today launched a new data service which aims to drive social innovation and deepen co-creation efforts with citizens. The service, PopulationQuery, was announced by Guest of Honor, deputy prime minister and minister of finance, Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the eGov Global Exchange today. It is heartening to see that the government wishes to better use data to catalyze ideas and services.

Their one-stop geospatial data platform, OneMap, will feature the new service which gives the masses free and easy access to Singapore’s demographic landscapes. Using graphic and visual representations by displaying the population data on a map by residential zones or commercial areas, it will generate new insights and assist users in decision making. The press release notes, “For example, it can show the best places to set up a business, and attributes of the area when considering whether to purchase a property. It can also provide more information for research and analysis purposes.”

For a long time now, the problem with data collection is that most of the time, people do not know how to use the data correctly. I believe that this solution, matched with more data from the government, will help startups and businesses make better or more informed choices. The government’s one-stop data portal will also work toward making all data sets machine-readable by end 2013. This will mean that information can be “sliced and diced” easily. IDA suggested, “For example, a mobile app developer can pull real time data such as transport or weather data, for use in developing his application.”

Photo Credit: ST/Desmond Wee

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Indonesian convenience store franchise Alfamart has announced an agreement with local online payment company Indomog to begin selling MOGPlay cards, its brand of electronic game vouchers. Previously, Indomog has been selling game vouchers at 7-Eleven and Lawson outlets, as well as several supermarket chains and ATMs. With Alfamart on board, Indomog adds 7,000 new locations in which gamers can purchase vouchers for online games.

Indomog chief of operations Lucky Hakim confidently said that the addition of Alfamart will easily triple or even quadruple its revenue from selling online game vouchers by the end of the year. “We can’t share our sales figures but we easily sell upwards of half a million vouchers per month,” a figure that was corroborated by the company’s head of finance Vincent Iswaratioso during the press conference and public signing in Jakarta on Thursday. The company is selling its MOGPlay vouchers in IDR 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000 denominations (US$2, 5 and 10, respectively) at Alfamart locations.

“Alfamart has a wide network across Sumatra, Java, Bali, and Sulawesi. With this partnership, we expect gamers and digital content consumers to be able to acquire MOGPlay vouchers a lot more easily,” Hakim said.

Read also: Indonesian e-commerce market size to double in 2013 to US$8B

Alfamart’s general manager corporate communications Nur Rachman explained that Alfamart agrees to sell Indomog’s vouchers as a service to its customers. “Being community driven stores, we would like to offer greater convenience to our customers.” Currently there are 1,000 Alfamart outlets that have been equipped to sell MOGPlay cards and the companies are rolling out the cards to the remaining 6,000 outlets over the next several months. “We also have Alfamidi and Alfa Express outlets within our network and we plan to eventually roll out the vouchers to those locations as well.”

Hakim admitted that it’s a great undertaking to train staff from 7,000 outlets but the two companies are happy to do it. “Right now we can say that almost all stores across Java have either begun selling or ready to sell our cards, and the process to get Alfamart stores outside of Java up to speed is already underway. We actually initiated the partnership a little while ago but wanted to make sure we have enough stores on board before announcing it publicly.”

Indomog is currently still the sole authorized partner for Zynga credits in Indonesia. Despite the troubles faced by Zynga, Indomog’s support for a diverse range of games and services has helped to minimize the effects but the company did not disclose the breakdown of sales or percentage of Zynga and Facebook credits among that of other publishers. “We can’t disclose the breakdown, our publishers won’t be happy if we do, it’s not something we can share,” Hakim said. Lyto, Megaxus, Wave Game, Kreon, Asiasoft, and Qeon Interactive are just some of the online game publishers that partner with Indomog.

Aside from online game credits, the MOGPlay cards by Indomog can be used to purchase Facebook credits, music from KlikMusik, MelOn, MusikLegal, and digital magazines and comic books from WayangForce and Ngomik. The company also sells vouchers to facilitate payment for public utilities such as water, electricity, landline phone, Internet, pay TV, as well as mobile phone credits.

The Alfa retail group in May of this year announced a partnership with Malaysia’s MOL to sell its online vouchers across its Alfamart, Alfa Express, Alfamidi, and Lawson brands of retail outlets.

The post Indomog Adds 7000 Alfamart Outlets to Its Distribution Channels for Online Game Vouchers appeared first on DailySocial.

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We are back! For Founders Drinks this month, we are delighted to have Roger Chang, the co-founder and CEO of Pirate3D, with us to speak about his recent Buccaneer Kickstarter campaign.

For those unfamiliar with Pirate3D and Buccaneer, Pirate3D is a Singapore-based startup focusing on creating a full 3D printing solution for home consumers. The end product, the Buccaneer is an easy to use 3D printer.

Founded by Roger Chang, Brendan and YouJun, Pirate3D received a seed funding round from Red Dot Ventures last year. Shortly after the funding round, the team launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise even more so they could mass produce the 3D printer. Not only was the campaign a huge success, it hit its funding milestone (US$100,000) in just 10 minutes after its launch. With two more weeks to go, the Buccaneer campaign has currently received more than US$900,000 from over 2,000 backers, and is well on its way to hit the US$1 million dollars mark.

Register now at our EventBrite Page

At our upcoming founders drinks, co-founder Roger will share with us his thoughts on 3D printing, what some of its use cases are and why are they bullish about the 3D printing vertical. Other than that, Roger will also talk about what you should do to create a successful kickstarter campaign and the things you should look out for.

Following our previous Founders drinks, it will be a paid event: Tickets go at S$20 (US$15.96) and come with two complimentary drinks (either beers or Coca-Cola). There will also be a lot of time for everyone to mingle around and network. On top of that, this is also a great time to meet with the e27 team, and for us to connect with you, our reader and community partner.

Event Details:

Date: 27^th June 2013

Time: 6:30pm – 8pm

Venue: Shuffle Bar, Clarke Quay

Address: 3D River Valley Road, #02-03, Clarke Quay, Singapore 179023

Register now at our EventBrite Page

The post June Founders Drinks: Raising US$900K in 2 weeks with Kickstarter appeared first on e27.

As part of an annual initiative to recognise innovative and exciting ICT Application / Solution in Singapore, SiTF (Singapore infocomm Technology Federation) is organizing the SiTF Awards 2013 and calling for nominations!

The SiTF Awards, championed by the industry, is an important accolade to the infocomm innovations in Singapore, with 12 categories covering Cloud solution, Digital Media, E-Government, Emerging Technology, General Application, Infocomm Productivity, Interactive Ideas, Mobile Applications, Start-up, Student as well as the Most Popular Mobile Apps Awards and the $1M Challenge Award that looks to invest in one best tech startup in Singapore.

The Awards provide startups, local enterprises, MNCs and institutions with the opportunity to showcase their innovative product and services and acts as an excellent platform to create awareness, seek investors and identify business partners.

Presiding over the competition is a carefully selected judging panel comprising distinguished individuals; amongst them are luminaries of ICT industry, venture capitalists, investors and academia. Nominees who participate in SiTF Awards will receive professional feedback on their submissions from the judging panel.

Since its inauguration in 2009, the SiTF Awards have continued to serve as a bedrock for local innovations and piping the local winners to regional platforms such as the APICTA (Asia Pacific ICT Awards) at which our representatives from 2012 had an outstanding showing.

For more details and to submit in your nominations (closing date 28^th June), visit www.sitfawards.com

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Last month, True Corporation, one huge Thai media conglomerate, finally took their first step into the booming startup ecosystem with incubation program, True Incube. Not only were we pleasantly surprised and excited that another major player has showed their support through working hand-in-hand with co-working spaces and experienced mentors, we wanted to know what they thought about the landscape. Of course, their move alone, after dtac and AIS’s venture into the scene, was enough for us to determine that they realized the endless potential in Thailand and its startup ecosystem.

Via an email interview with True Incube incubation program manager Virachai Chusakulporn, we got to understand what True Corp thinks of the ecosystem and what they are looking for in these startups.

1. How would you describe the startup ecosystem in Thailand right now? How would you compare it to a year back?

The current situation of start-up ecosystem in Thailand is on the rise, as we have lot of foundation in place. An example of foundation is the digital consumer market in Thailand is booming, based on the users on Facebook and LINE. Several parties are jumping to enhance the startup ecosystem. We have many co-working spaces ready to host startups in many cities. Seed funds are readily available, either by a growing number of venture capitalists or mentorship driven accelerator/incubator programs. All major telecom operators now establish some form of incubator program. Lastly, the number of startup communities and events is noticeably increasing.

Compared with last year, the startup ecosystem has been more active than ever. People are now more excited to join startup related events such as Startup Weekend, Echelon Satellite, and so on. If you went to Echelon 2013 in Singapore, you can definitely see a big crowd of Thai people at the event. Thai people also cheered the loudest when Thai team NoonSwoon went up for pitching. In summary, the interest in start-up is definitely rising with investors eager to join demo days at various incubator programs.

2. I read the True Incube website and realized that there were a set of topics for applicants to follow like content and media entertainment, e-commerce, online education, digital marketing, e-payment, and other technology-driven products. Would you say that these are trends startups should pick up on?

Actually, the reason we posted these five areas is that we want to help start-up grow and we believe our asset at True Group can definitely contribute to these areas and help entrepreneurs build a successful business. However, we do not limit ourselves to these five areas only. Any applicants with technology-driven products can apply and join our program.

3. What sort of qualities or characteristics do you think the startups should possess should they want to be selected?

We looked for applicants with the following characteristics.

• Committed
• Determined and persevered
• Passionate
• Smart
• Has domain knowledge

4. What would you advise the startups to do if they want to be selected and eventually shortlisted for the finalist spot?

Our advice is if they really have a dream to build business, stop “thinking” and follow their dream by start “doing”. All we need is a group of persons who have qualities described earlier with courage to stand up and start doing something about it. Show us the passion in building your business.

5. I saw that there will only be four mentors. Is this list confirmed or will there be more mentors in time to come?

There will be more mentors joining our incubator program. We are looking at at least five mentors as we want each of them to mentor their own team and guide them to success. In addition, we will also have advisors joining the program. The roles of advisors will be to give lecture and guidance on specific topics that they are expert in. Advisors will be coming from our key partners such as 500Startups, successful entrepreneurs and business executives from tech companies.

6. Will this be a yearly effort to help startups or will this just be an one-off thing?

Our mission is to help entrepreneurs create successful business and to enhance start-up ecosystem in Thailand. We are definitely in this for long term and will be looking to have two batches per year starting next year.

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Geeks on a Plane toured through Southeast Asia and had a weekend stopover in Bangkok. It is fair to say that this marks one of the most important and exciting weekends in Bangkok’s relatively short startup history. Geeks on a Plane then included Dave McClure, Khailee Ng, and they also hosted investors from Japan, Malaysia, and the region and beyond.

On Friday evening, Ardent hosted the folks from overseas at their office. Saturday, it was both dtac accelerate and HUBBA who co-organized a conference at the S31, and on Sunday, Launchpad and TechinAsia hosted the final installment before the Geeks would fly off. However, True Incube will have its Pre-Orientation Session on Tuesday, which is linked to McClure’s 500 Startups.

Dave McClure (Twitter) is the first Silicon Valley investor to come to Thailand for business and this will undeniably put Bangkok on the global startup map, at least on a short term. Silicon Valley will notice his trip to Asia. Others might follow, but only time will tell. As Krating Poonpol pointed out in his energetic presentation: Thais don’t know when to stop, Thais keep fighting. The community just finished round one.

During his presentation Dave provided insights into the investment strategy and practices at 500 Startups. He briefly explained the relationship between Lean Startup and Lean Investment, and how especially Cloud Computing changed the startup game significantly. More important though, Dave emphasized on the importance of using existing platforms, business models and real problems to advance or optimize existing businesses. You don’t have to disrupt to be successful; you just have to make life easier for some. During Q&A he admitted that, for several reasons, the Valley sometimes breeds products and ideas that are sort of off and that it’s likely that developing countries are solving more relevant problems.

When the crowd broke up into discussion groups it became however clear that there is not much knowledge about investment. Khailee Ng (Twitter) and Wee Jonn Leow had to educate quite a bit, nobody dug deep though. The real problem seems to be somewhere else anyway. One participant mentioned that there is no experience in customer development. How does one actually build a product for customers, or find the customers at all? How do you decide what is noise and what is advice? These are the steps before investment.

It showed that the community, apart from few individuals, might not be ready for it. Does an event like this come too early then? Yes and no. During brief conversations, it became clear that investments will be made during this weekend. Whether this is an investment to establish relationships, show goodwill, create more excitement and show commitment to Thailand, or because the startup is just excellent remains to be seen. Whatever the reason, it gets Thailand in the game. What more can we ask for at this point in time?

Then, again. I spoke with Takeshi Ebihara (Rebright Partners) who told me that the situation in Bangkok reminds him of Indonesia two years ago. Very vibrant, events every day. It slowed down significantly, even though some good exits and startup examples exist. A weekend like this will increase the hype, helps to keep the momentum. Maybe the basics were missing? Customer development, Built – Measure – Learn. Is it possibly the case for Thailand?

Thailand is lucky to have dtac, True and AIS investing in accelerator programs and educating those interested. With the support of SIPA it is possible that the government support will be more focused and effective than in the past. Currently missing are efforts from universities. Apart from Bangkok University there has not been major academic effort. Thammasat has a (so-so) related program, but universities like Kasetsart or Chulalongkorn, and King Mongkut need to up their game. There are reasons for Silicon Valley and Singapore to be such dominant hubs, and part of that is Stanford and NUS. Currently though, Disrupt University is the only course that really addresses startup education. MBA programs were once again, rightfully, trashed during the dtac event, but universities are not too eager to give up their cash cows just yet (to be fair, nowhere around the world).

The community has shown that it can pull off great events – no doubt – and create a buzz. Now the question is if it is sustainable. That is always the much more difficult part, but then again, Thais are stubborn. And to paraphrase Khailee Ng: “it seems like you are on the right track”.

The post Geeks in Bangkok appeared first on BangkokStartup.com.

Feature Image Credit: Thai Tuk tuk / Shutterstock.com

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Someone once said this in a conference: “In the jungle, it’s not the lions and tigers that will kill you. It’s the mosquitos.” And indeed, those darn insects are merciless. As dengue cases in Singapore leapt to an odd 9,000 plus in just six months, researchers at local Nanyang Technological University (NTU) might just have a way to predict where and when the disease might strike. The social-media based system, known as Mo-Buzz, can even forecast the attacks weeks in advance. This could very well potentially help monitor the outbreaks and prevent more from happening.

According to Channel News Asia, all you have to do is snap a photo of the breeding site on your mobile devices and it will send a report geo-tagged to your location to its system and show it live on Google Maps. Mo-buzz can also identify potential dengue breeding grounds by using data from past weather reports and dengue incidents. The system can also send users relevant information educating them about preventing dengue, and these then can be shared using social media platforms.

Principal investigator of Mo-Buzz, associate professor May O Lwin, said that health authorities can alert the public before the outbreak even starts, getting the information from Mo-Buzz. She added, “And at the same time, it is a source of information that they can get real time and be part of the civic engagement where information about the different types of dengue breeding grounds can be fed back to the public.” However, the app is still yet to be implemented, according to Straits Times. There does not seem to be a fixed date for release but I do think this will aid in curbing the outbreak which has already taken two deaths with it. This does appear to be the most efficient way and least time-consuming way to manage the hotspots and control the epidemic.

Image Credit: Nanyang Technological University

Featured Image Credit: I Believe in Advertising

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This past weekend Jakarta was host to AngelHack, a global hackathon event spanning 30 cities with more than 6,000 participants. The Jakarta event was held at IDC Indonesia, home to the country’s primary data centers, located at Duren Tiga in South Jakarta. One winning team was chosen from the 29 projects that were built over 24 hours. There was no central theme, no immediate cash prizes, but the winning team earned the right to a 10-week mentorship program and participate in AngelHack Accelerator program in San Francisco as well as attending TechCrunch Disrupt in September.

Nearly 110 developers, designers, and business-oriented people participated in AngelHack Jakarta to build apps and services, and set out to prove whether they’re good enough to represent the country in in the global challenge.

The winner of AngelHack Jakarta was Pintails, a mobile commerce app built by a team put together by Vincent Putera, winner of BlackBerry Jam Asia 2012. The app is a marketplace which allows people to sell and buy items from their closest network of friends and relatives.

The winning team — Pintails

During his pitch as a finalist, Putera explained that the real purpose of the app is to have people connect with each other, and commerce is one of the easiest ways to link people.

Putera said that in many situations, people find themselves knowing friends or relatives who want to sell things and at the same time, also knowing others who want to purchase the same items. The app will make it easy for those in the middle to connect these two and get the trade to happen.

Trust is an important factor in trade especially when it comes to online commerce, and for strangers to conduct online trade, it requires a great deal of trust to be placed in the part of both the seller and the buyer. “Having a mutual friend facilitating the trade tends to add a great deal of that trust, which forms part of the reason behind making the app,” added Putera.

Putera’s team consists of developers Radita Liem, Asep Bagja Priandana, Michael Jaensen, and designer Victor Koesoemadi. Both Koesomadi and Jaensen work with Putera at Inspira, the studio that built Soccer Ticker, the winning app at BlackBerry Jam Asia last December.

Highlights

Some of the highlights of the apps, services, and concepts that came out of the event are Reline, a subscription service for encrypted phone calls; Torakku, which lets people track and disable their vehicles if they’re missing; FingerJobs which uses LinkedIn to quickly match job seekers and companies, organizations, or individuals looking for talents; FoodZilla, essentially Shopify for restaurants; and Nawaran, a mobile marketplace app that lets you bargain for prices using gestures on your smartphone.

Reline was especially scrutinized by the judges as the subject of the project was certainly a sensitive one. The team of two demonstrated how they can tap and listen in to a regular phone call over the mobile network and by using their creation, that conversation can be encrypted which stops others from listening in. Marshall Utoyo of Asia Pacific Venture Partners insisted that what they built would be used by terrorists and criminals and a heated debate ensued between those who stood on privacy concerns and those on Utoyo’s side. Unfortunately, there was no time to continue the debate.

Read also: Discover the (not so) hidden gem of Southeast Asia

Clouderry, a suite of apps providing realtime sales auditing solution built by a team of four, won the Amazon Web Services challenge for best use of Beanstalk. The project lets companies keep track of product inventory and sales in real time using a collection of mobile applications for both field employees and upper management.

Remco Lupker, co-founder of Tokobagus who now runs video advertising company Ambient Digital Indonesia, was one of the judges at the event. He praised the quality of apps and talents that emerged during the weekend. “It was the best group of talents I’ve seen in a while and I’m very impressed with what they built in such a short time.” He scrutinized Pintails and Nawaran during the second round of pitches, having built, run, and maintain an e-commerce website himself for a number of years. Clearly the field was dear to his heart.

Aryo Ariotedjo, managing partner at venture capital Grupara was seen talking to a number of teams, outside of his capacity as one of the judges. “I’m already looking at a couple of projects that I’d like to have in my portfolio if the team members are serious in continuing their projects after AngelHack.”

The 29 projects went through two rounds of judging facing nine judges. On the first round, the judges were split into four groups, each having to evaluate up to eight random teams, presenting for three minutes each. From the 29, a top 10 was selected to go to the second round and this time re-pitching their projects before all nine judges.

The list of all 29 projects and the people who built them can be seen on the AngelHack Jakarta page at Hackathon.io and some photos are available on DailySocial’s Tumblr site and through @angelhackjkt.

Image Credit: Daily Social

The post Social Commerce App Pintails Wins Inaugural AngelHack Jakarta Challenge appeared first on DailySocial.

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Cubie Messenger has just announced on their blog that they have successfully integrated Fortumo in 44 countries. Fortumo is one of the leading providers of mobile payment platforms in the world. The partnership allows Cubie Messenger users to pay for their purchases through their mobile phone bill, rather than by credit card.

The 44 countries includes:

• Australia
• Austria
• Belarus
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Colombia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Kuwait
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macedonia
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Paraguay
• Panama
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• Saudia Arabia
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Ukraine
• UK

According to Cubie Messenger’s International Messenger, James Hill, Fortumo is also used by Rovio and Badoo. The integration with Fortumo in Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia went live earlier last week and Cubie Messenger has seen a “massive uplift in transactions” from users in these countries. James shared that the increase in transactions saw one sticker pack bringing in the same revenue in a day via Fortumo that their pervious top seller did in its first week on just iTunes and Google Play.

Cubie Messenger is still waiting approval from authorities in Canada, Ireland and South Korea for the integration with Fortumo there. Cubie Messenger is currently seeing close to eight million downloads with the fastest growing markets being the US, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and Latin America.

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After his previous article on e-commerce in Indonesia, Minh Bui is back in Jakarta again to attend Web in Travel Indonesia. He discussed with some entrepreneurs from hot travel startups and VC firms as well as to conduct a round table discussion about travel in Indonesia from different perspectives. Guests include:

Ferry Unardi – Co-founder and managing director of Traveloka.com: A Harvard MBA drop-out, he started Traveloka.com, a travel meta search engine in Indonesia with two others in October 2012. They are all veterans from top tech companies in Silicon Valley. Now, Traveloka serves more than two million flight searches per month. 

Marshall Utoyo - Chairman and CEO at Asia Pacific Venture Partners: Marshall created an investment company at the age of 21 with colleagues from college. Asia Pacific Venture Partners is a Micro-VC that combines Silicon Valley know-how with a network across Asia-Pacific, based out of Singapore, that invests in technology startups in the region.

Peter Goldsworthy – Founder and CEO of Burufly: Peter Goldsworthy was the country manager for Admax Network from 2007 to 2011 for Indonesia and Malaysia. He launched Burufly because he was tired of people thinking Bali was the only place in Indonesia. Burufly is Indonesia’s first social travel site, with 400,000 registered members.

Let’s start with Q&A about destinations, travelers’ portrait, social media and mobile, and growth: trend of Indonesia in the next five years:

Destinations in Indonesia

1. Bali is very famous for travelers, so are there any other domestic destinations that can play a role of a key destination together with Bali? What are they?

Ferry: Based on our data, outside of Bali, the cities of Medan, Jogjakarta, Surabaya, and Padang are becoming great alternatives as they each offer a completely different experience for travelers.

Marshall: Lombok and Wakatobi, because both are exotic diving places, and luxury hotels start to ‘look’ into those lands.

Peter: The two hot prospects looking at the base data we have on “social engagement” are Lombok and Raja Ampat. Jakarta is famous for business travelers and is definitely heating up as the international business community have taken notice of Indonesia’s strong economy. Other spots like Belitung, Karimunjawa and other beautiful islands would be in everyone’s bucket list if they were a) easier to get to and b) marketed to the world better. If the government (local or national) can help with improving the infrastructure and subsidize the cost of getting there, Raja Ampat would be the #1 hot spot in Indonesia.

2. What are top three popular destinations for traveling abroad?

Ferry: Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok

Marshall: Singapore, Seoul, and Phuket

Peter: We don’t cover international yet, but it is pretty obvious that Singapore, Thailand and [the] Middle East (Mecca) are the most frequently talked about on social media.

Travelers’ portrait

1. The middle class people in Indonesia are growing up in recent years, so who are they?

Ferry:  A lot of Indonesians are traveling for the first time, thanks to the competitive rates that local airlines are now offering.

Marshall: They are the ones that recently graduated and land a job. They usually travel to Bali and to small islands near Java island.

2. Do Indonesian travelers like to book online? and what could make they feel more confident to book a site?

Ferry:  A lot of Indonesians are already booking their flights and hotels online. As there are more reliable services available for them to use, we should see an even more tremendous growth in online booking traction in the coming years.

Marshall: Yes, they book online, they’re confident when there’s a lot of other active user that gives suggestions, and/or give comments to the site. Plus the interface [helps].

Peter: Travel Agencies still are the big fish in the travel space. To make users feel more confident you have to make the entire experience more worthwhile, creating sustainable value (beyond savings) for consumers. That is why we are focusing on content first,  giving people the ability to make then get input from a community of experts.

3. How can they make a payment for online travel sites? And what are the estimated percentage of some popular online payment methods? 

Ferry: Although the majority is still using bank transfer, we can already observe a shift towards using credit card to complete their online travel transactions. In terms of the percentage, we’ve seen a roughly 60-30-10 split between bank transfers, credit cards, and other online payment methods.

Marshall: Credit cards 30 percent, wired transfers 25 percent and direct 45 percent (data is estimated).

Social media & Mobile

1. Indonesia is a very “social” country. What is the role of social media that makes the most impact to travelers’ decisions? How do we increase transactions from social media channels?

Ferry: That’s something that we are still working on today. We believe social media has a great potential in driving transactions but so far we haven’t cracked the code yet.

Marshall: They impacted a lot, a lot of people don’t know where to go even though they have the time and money to do it, and so by giving advice on where to go and how much to spend on social media, that’ll make them wanting to go to certain place. To increase it, simply channel it into a portal that connects those cravings into sets of trips.

Peter: It is about experimenting, seeing what messages (hard sell, soft sell, branding etc) work with your social audience.  Twitter is a longer term approach, whereas Facebook you can just hijack growth fast with ads and posting on other pages.  Our learnings so far is that twitter delivers a more genuine audience, how that translates to conversions is yet to be seen.

2. Mobile, specifically smartphone, is very popular in Indonesia. What is the role of mobile to your company strategy?

Ferry: We see smartphone as the way of the future for online travel-related transactions. However; as of today, the majority of mobile users in Indonesia are using feature phones, which are not as great for transactions. So, we’re definitely keeping an eye on how the mobile usages evolve over time.

Growth & Trend

1. What are the key factors to grow or to limit the growth of online travel industry in Indonesia?

Ferry: I’d say that key factor lies in the online travel players themselves. Some of the services that are available today are just not reliable enough for a lot of people to use and that might limit adoption. Also, payment is still somewhat an issue. As those sites are getting more reliable, and more people have access to credit cards and other online payment options, we should see a faster growth in online travel transactions.

Marshall: User interface (grow) and uncompetitive price (limit)

Peter: Quality of startups in travel space. If there a batch of bad ones, it could taint the industry.

2. Do you see any trend for Indonesia tourism next five years?

Ferry: Indonesian’s cities will become more connected than ever before as there are more flights connecting them, and as a result, we should see an explosion in domestic travel.

Marshall: It heads into more luxurious segment. Affordable luxury is the new backpack.

Peter: Bali will become saturated with hotels, prices will decrease (hopefully) of hotels and tourists will still flock there.  Both locals and inbound tourists will look beyond Bali, with sites like Yogyakarta, Lombok, Gili’s, Raja Ampat and some of the great dive sites becoming hot spots.

Image Credit: Bali Pura / Shutterstock

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iSnap, developed by Singapore-based company Knorex, is an augmented reality application that has been successfully implemented across eight major regional newspapers. The company has just announced that it will be part of Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd (ETPL) collaboration with Asia News Network (ANN). EPTL, the technology transfer arm of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the news aggregator platform, which has 22 Asian news-reporting publications under its umbrella. This collaboration will kick off at Media Exploits 2013 in Singapore on October 1st.

Through this arrangement, ETPL and ANN will look to collaborate via joint development, exchange of technological information, and marketing events. Key areas will include human language (speech and text) processing, mobile imaging, video processing and analytics. Knorex, a startup under A*STAR has progressed a long way since its founding three and a half years back. Its very first customer was The Star, an English-language tabloid-format newspaper in Malaysia.

Read also: Waygo is the Most Promising Startup at Echelon 2013

Justin Tan, director at Knorex, presented how exactly iSnap helps newspaper gain reader engagement and tune content and provided a walk-through that explained the process. Users can access iSnap from the various official news publication apps. From there, they only need to hover their devices over the news article or advertisement and within mere seconds, relevant content like videos, photos and sharing functions will appear. One example was an Heineken advertisement on The Star, where users were able to play with a 3D-constructed beer bottle, watch related videos and share these with their friends and family. News and advertising has gone beyond just merely presentation of facts, information and media. It is now all about engaging their audience in a positive way.

Its smartphone-driven solution enables newspaper readers to scan editorial and advertisements in iSnap-enabled newspapers to get extra content, such as 3D images, video clips, photo galleries, product catalogues and contest forms, all on their devices. Not only does this help newspapers better engage their readers, it also allows them to find out real-time what their readers are interested in and tune their content accordingly. iSnap-enabled newspapers have all seen their mobile app downloads and usage jump by over 100 percent in under three months from their respective launches. These newspapers have also generated new sources of revenue that amount to over S$3 million (US$2.3 million) in total, to date.

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Opera Software announced today its expansion into Asia Pacific with its new regional head office in Singapore. The new office will hold Opera’s operator and advertising business, technical support and marketing activities in the region. The new Singapore office will be the Asia Pacific hub for operations in Southeast Asia, South Korea and greater China.

Having been in the browser industry for more than 17 years, Opera browsers are now used by over 300 million people globally each month. The Opera Singapore office will be led by Fabrizio Caruso, Opera Software’s Senior Vice President for Asia. Fabrizio will be working with operators and brand advertisers in the region to help them reach more mobile internet users, while developer Opera’s advertising business in Asian markets.

Read also: Amobee opens new Asian headquarters in Singapore, partners TMN

“Asia is the most dynamic and thriving mobile market in the world, and there are tremendous opportunities for operators and brands to reach and engage consumers through mobile devices,” Fabrizio said in a statement. “With people spending more time accessing the internet on their phones, mobile advertising is the field that marketing agencies, publishers and operators are increasingly looking into. It no longer means sending intrusive and irrelevant ads to a consumer’s phone; instead, it’s about reaching the relevant audience and the ability to track results through various mobile content, such as websites, apps, mobile app stores and even the browser itself. We plan to use our Singapore office as a hub to fuel the mobile internet and advertising economy in APAC.”

Tove Selnes, Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Opera Sofware, also mentioned in the press release that this move will ensure better support for partners.”Opera has offices in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan to provide client support and grow our user base. In addition to these four countries in Asia, we have seen huge growth of our operator business in APAC recent years. It makes sense for us to also have an office in Singapore so that we can offer quicker support to our partners. Singapore offers a business-friendly environment, and its strategic geographical location is perfect for Opera a regional base to expand its Asia-Pacific presence.”

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Updates: Revised the portion on Frederic Levy’s presentation to more accurately reflect his sentiment.

The Philippines has a growing and thriving startup community. And even while almost everyone knows everybody else in such a small community, there are still things you’d like to learn from your colleagues, partners or mentors that might be helpful in your own journey as an entrepreneur. This May 30th, startup founders from Metro Manila and beyond gathered at Aracama Filipino Cuisine, a quaint restaurant/bar at the heart of Fort Bonifacio, for good conversations and drinks.

e27 partnered with Kickstart Ventures in organizing the invitation-only event for tech startup founders and members of the startup community. The event kicked off with a warm welcome, cold drinks and hot discussions, even amid some minor logistical difficulties.

We had three speakers, all of them expounding on their own experience as a tech entrepreneur, but with each focusing on one of three big aspects of the startup: the launch and seed investment, getting to Series A, and the exit.

Have a good deck, a good MVP and always be ready to pitch

First on the agenda was a talk on starting out and scaling up by Kalibrr co-founder and CEO Paul Rivera, who was likewise among the panelists at our recently-concluded Echelon 2013 conference. Paul said that he didn’t expect Kalibrr to fly at first, and the opportunity to pitch for funding came in by chance.

Before founding Kalibrr, Paul owned a business process outsourcing (BPO) company, which helped him gain insights on the gaps and needs of the local BPO industry. Prior to his talk, Paul told e27 that while the Philippines is a primarily English speaking country, our locals still suffer from so-called “Filipinisms” — usually grammatical inconsistencies that result from transliteration. While these phrases may already be common use in the country (such is the case with “Singlish”), these are unacceptable in the BPO industry, which requires standardized speech that matches that of the company’s clients in other countries and cultures.

After his stint with his BPO company, Paul had already developed a training program for assessing skills and capabilities, as well as training BPO employees or potential ones for their improvement. It so happened that a friend knew an angel investor and asked him to pitch the product. It was a good thing he had a presentation deck ready, Paul said.

“Have a f***ing good deck, a good MVP and always be ready to pitch,” he advises startup founders. With this, Kalibrr got a US$100,000 seed investment at a US$2 million valuation, plus another US$100,000 at a US$3 million valuation three months after.

In September 2012, Paul traveled to Silicon Valley to seek additional connections and investments. He did get a lot of rejections, but two firms eventually called back: Learn Capital and Y Combinator, with which Kalibrr spent 14 weeks of incubation. The startup also received several hundred thousand dollars in additional seed investment.

A key advantage here is that Kalibrr already has local validation from its target market in the Philippines. This gives it a better chance at making it big as a global brand.

A few additional words of advice from Paul:

• While in incubation stage, don’t talk to investors yet.
• First, build code. Then, meet users. Third, exercise.

Paul stresses the value of exercise among startup founders, saying nothing good can come out of over-stressed engineers.

Kalibrr is now raising a Series A round, and is focusing on building a big new feature into its product, as well as raising more capital.

Take the money, but always think of the next step

Next, CashCashPinoy founder and CEO Frederic Levy shared his story in raising capital for CashCashPinoy, and what happens after Series A. Long before Groupon and MetroDeal were established here, CashCashPinoy was already selling vouchers for discounted services. However, the e-commerce company has made a big move to actually selling physical goods, which Frederic says is very, very different and difficult.

Prior to CashCashPinoy, Frederic founded Netbooster Asia (now Movent), a digital marketing agency in the Philippines, which eventually expanded to the rest of the region. Frederic established CashCashPinoy in 2010 while at Movent as a test lab to see if there was enough interest in e-commerce in the country.

In 2011, CashCashPinoy shifted from selling only service vouchers to selling real goods, which Frederic says is a very different business altogether. At this point, the company needed cash to support this business, which required a warehouse, more staff and improved logistics.

At that time, though, there were no tech startup incubators, and CashCashPinoy had to slug it out on its own in terms of finding funding and connections. Frederic says it was “tricky to find funds locally” back then, but he credits his foreign contacts, from whom he was able to raise capital. The startup raised seed funding of US$320,000 from Business Angels in 2011. CashCashPinoy raised a US$1.4 million round in 2012 from existing investors, including its co-founders. Frederic and his two partners exited Movent this January to WPP for several million dollars.

Frederic offers a few tips on raising your Series A. Firstly, though, he admits that the definition of “Series A” may differ from industry to industry, since some industries might require bigger capital, while some would not.

• The Funding is just the start of the story. It’s not a sign of success. If founders consider the investment as an end, and not only as a mean, they’re making their first big mistake. Getting funding is just a sign that you were able to convince people that you and your project are valuable. That’s already something, but that’s not so much, in fact.
• Always think of your next step. Even as you have already raised funding, you have to think about what’s coming next. You might not be able to raise another round, which can result in terrible consequences for the business or company. We’re not yet in Silicon Valley. Knowing who can be a potential financing partner for a serie A, B, etc., is already a challenge in itself.
• Focus on the product, too. Don’t just focus on money, but also in building the product. Your priority must still remain the company and its business. Don’t let the funding part become your only priority.
• Being the “Cinderella story” should be the challenge number 1 for each startup in the Philippines. Frederic says that, currently, foreign investors are still looking for the rags-to-riches story, which can provide validation that it can be done.
• If you have an offer which doesn’t match with your initial expectation, consider it seriously. In a few months’ time, the situation (or terms) might be different.

Lastly, the Frenchman advises entrepreneurs that unless you have the money in the bank, it’s not a done deal.

Pirates of the airwaves

Last but not the least is the interesting story of Jay Fajardo’s most recent exit. We know Jay to be co-founder and CEO of ProudCloud and of LaunchGarage, along with CFO Tony Abello. But in a previous life, he also co-founded Airborne Access with Tony. AA was a mobile hotspot provider that was popular in the early to mid 2000′s.

In his talk about the exit and after, Jay shared the story of Airborne Access, which was gradually acquired by the biggest telecommunications company, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT). He stresses the point gradual, because in the case of acquisition by a telco, this is a bit of a paradox, too.

Chance also played a big part in Airborne Access’ exit, as the duo learned of insider news of Globe Telecom planning to launch its own WiFi hotspot network over a few rounds of beer. Upon learning of this, the duo immediately got in touch with their contacts in PLDT seeking a meeting. They pitched their product, and they were acquired.

In 2003, the PLDT acquired a 20 percent stake in Airborne Access. Two years later, PLDT took an additional stake, for a total of 51 percent. After another two years, PLDT increased its stake to 70 percent until it finally bought out the entire company.

Jay notes that the two-year cycle coincided with the PLDT board’s meetings. However, he stressed that they consider their “exit” to have been in 2003, even as PLDT only owned 20 percent back then. In the telco industry, even an initial stake of 20 percent would already mean you’re an untouchable, and that no other telco is likely to invest in your firm, too.

There was also the thinking whether they’re still co-founders and owners, or already employees of the telco. At 51 percent stake, it was mostly the latter.

Jay also shared of the interesting story of how Airborne Access “pirated” the launch of Globe’s own WIZ wireless hotspot product in Globe’s own home territory at Ayala Center. As the Ayalas usually exclude competing utilities from their properties, the Airborne Access team had to beam in their Internet connection through precisely-aimed microwave signals. During Globe WIZ’ launch, Globe only had one working hotspot, while Airborne Access had dozens around the area.

Still, Jay said the advantage was theirs in the end. They had an inkling that the business model for Wi-Fi was moving toward free in a few years time (or freemium, as is the case with restaurants offering free access to customers), and that data-enabled smartphones would eventually rise in popularity, thereby reducing the value of Wi-Fi hotspot subscriptions.

Interestingly, Airborne Access has died out, while Globe’s WIZ service is still up and running to date. Such is the life of a startup, Jay notes. A couple of lessons:

• Love your beer. You never know when a social gathering can (indirectly) lead to a big business deal.
• Do your due diligence. This is especially important when big telcos are scrambling to gain an advantage over each other.

Check out May Founders Drinks photos on Kickstart’s Facebook photo album.

The post Updated: May Founders Drinks in Manila: Your startup from launch to exit appeared first on e27.

Bullish that e-commerce can truly take off in the Philippines in spite of the challenges, JuanStore.com aims to combine two of the biggest passions of Filipinos – social media and shopping – into a winning strategy.

A startup incubated out of Hatchd Digital and launched in May, JuanStore.com provides a complete platform that allows sellers to quickly set up an online store and bring their own social networks into the ecosystem. As the company puts it: “You bring your friends. We bring everything else.”

“We’re adding credibility to each point of sale by linking the sale with the advice provided by friends and contacts,” Timothy Go, Business Head of JuanStore.com and Hatchd Digital, told e27. “Likewise, being a reseller network online, we’re giving people the chance to earn money with very little barrier to entry — which we feel will be our own virtual sales force that we can use to reach more people quickly.”

e-Commerce is nothing new to Go, co-founder and former managing director of Rocket Internet-backed online store Lazada Philippines. (Disclosure: the author is a former Lazada Philippines employee.)

He said, however, that what differentiates JuanStore.com from other e-commerce sites is that it leverages on the social networks that its sellers have already built and allows them to customize their online store fronts to reflect their personalities and interests. Instead of the traditional method of searching for products, he believes the online shopping habits of Filipinos are changing and they want a more social, curated experience based on the recommendations of their friends and tastemakers.

Social media, of course, is big in the Philippines, which is estimated to have over 30 million Facebook users, ranking eighth globally. The country also has roughly 10 million Twitter users, placing it at number 10 worldwide.

As a reseller, store owners can earn as much as 10 percent commission for each product they sell, with all items being provided by JuanStore.com, which will then remit commissions via PayPal or as prepaid load.

Still, no matter how bright the prospects for e-commerce may be for the Philippines, the industry still needs to overcome challenges, as shown by the demise of Multiply after it failed to successfully reinvent itself from a social networking site into an e-commerce company.

How does JuanStore.com plan to reassure customers and investors that this startup won’t meet the same fate and that the future is bright for ecommerce in the Philippines?

“We have a great team, strong leadership and are passionate about the digital industry,” Go said. Leading the team together with Go as JuanStore.com directors are Hatchd Digital and MoAnima chairman Manny Ayala and Xurpas president and PinoyExchange.com co-founder Nix Nolledo.

“We aren’t your typical e-commerce marketplace or retailer, so we recognize the challenges of educating our users and customers but we have the right mix of talent and experience to adjust and adapt to anything. Our existing investors are also experienced technopreneurs in their own right, so we feel that this is not going to be just a flash in the pan, but a future stalwart of the industry as they continue to guide us in scaling the business,” Go added.

One of the biggest challenges for online stores has been logistics, as most customer complaints are over delays in delivering the products they ordered. Go said this is why JuanStore.com prioritized partnerships with strong logistics providers.

Of course, another big challenge for any online store is the fact that Filipinos love hanging out at the mall and window shopping. Many still prefer physically inspecting and comparing products and talking to sales representatives as part of the whole shopping experience. What is JuanStore.com doing to reach out to this market segment and make online shopping more compelling for them?

“The goal for us it to have great photos, great layouts and provide access to products that might be difficult to find,” Go said. “We also provide a great social media link to the buying and selling process — which has seen strong positive feedback. We have a lot of great features and products that are already in the pipeline that we know will really excite all our customers.”

At the end of the day, only time will tell if JuanStore.com can succeed in making Filipino online sellers and customers the company’s best friends.

Image Credits: JuanStore.com

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Submit a 90-second video to Elance explaining your startup idea, and you could go home with US$5,000 in Elance credits, plus a meeting with two investors.

Do you want to win US$5,000 worth of Elance credits and get to meet two of their investors, Paul Hsiao from NEA and Dan Marriott from Stripes Group? Well, you’re in luck because June happens to be startup month at online freelancing marketplace Elance,  and they want to fuel your boldest, craziest ideas.

Simply submit a 90-second video by June 16 (11:59 PDT) explaining your startup idea. Then get judged by the Elance community, who would then vote for the ideas online, helping them to narrow it down to the top six finalists. Each finalist then gets five minutes to pitch their idea online to a panel of judges.

While your video does not have to be “a slick Hollywood production,” it does have to convey the startup idea you have in a short amount of time. Elance’s criteria states that the video has to explain three points: what your startup idea is all about, what makes your startup idea unique, and the people behind this wonderful idea.

The qualifying videos will be posted online, and from June 17 to 23, netizens can vote on their favorites once a day. After the top ten finalists have been chosen, the Elance team will further narrow the field down to only six contestants. Then, the order of the top three winners will be decided. The runner up will receive US$2,500 in Elance credits while the third place will get US$1,000 in credits. The other seven semi-finalists will win US$500 in credits. This contest is limited to startups less than two years old, with less than US$250,000 in outside funding.

The panel of judges include Brett Kopf (Remind101), Elizabeth Tse (vice president of operations, Elance), Kevin Zittle (GoVoluntr), Paul Hsiao (NEA) and Dan Marriott (Stripes Group).

Featured Image Credit: Sports Cup / Shutterstock

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While Singapore has been ramping up its investments in the digital, marketing and creative sectors, ensuing in rapid job creations and a shortage of talent, a report released by font talent, a digital, marketing and creative sector recruitment agency, revealed that median salaries for the respective areas are declining.  but median salaries have declined since the beginning of the year. Its ongoing salary survey compares wages, benefits and retention rates between sex, job function and country.

The Asia director of font, Karin Clarke explained that many of these new jobs created across the digital, creative and marketing sectors are entry-level positions. “Businesses and agencies, are taking on more work, running more social media and website campaigns as well as traditional above-the-line marketing campaigns. They need fewer people to oversee projects, and more people to do the work.”

While marketing, as suggested by Karin, is traditionally a female-dominated industry, there has been a sudden shift towards male dominance. This could be due to more roles requiring IT or digital experts, roles which have been leaning towards hiring males. Data from the survey also showed that within the marketing managers title, male median salary is S$82,500 (US$65,700) while females only earn about S$60,000 (US$47,780).

Men are more loyal? 

Men all around the world in these industries are clinking glasses right now, in celebration of that fact that they are more likely to stay in their jobs than women. Contrary to popular belief, men are more loyal than their female counterparts. The study showed that men were sticking around their jobs longer than women do, revealing a good 55 percent of them being in the same job for six years or more. This is as opposed to only 45 percent of women lasting the same duration. Anna Clark-Hall, Singapore country manager for font, suggested that this could give rise to men attaining a higher position in the company. “It’s when you’ve been in a company for five years or more that you really start to command those big salaries,” she says.

While women now might take offense at font’s new survey, Anna added that this could be due to women with family commitments favoring a more rounded work-life balance, which reduces their chances of achieving pay parity. That being said, Karin sees evidence of women being more likely to leave their job without another job to go to, while men might prefer security. She said, “It’s similar to the way in which many men will only leave relationships if they have another one to go to, where as women are more inclined to leave with nothing to go to.” Her statement did leave me thinking, do we ladies really do that?

Papa, why don’t you have paternity leave?

The latest survey also revealed that paternity leave and flexible working hours remain a low priority in these sectors. While more men in Singapore are offered flexible working conditions than women, only 17 percent of them surveyed have paternity leave benefits weaved into their contracts. Anna said, “It’s surprising, given Singapore’s focus on growing the population, that paternity leave is not more of a priority for employers.”

Featured Image Credit: Empty Pockets / Shutterstock 

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This year, in recognition of the growing developer community in the country, Freelancer.com will hold the Manila Dev Challenge. The event will be held online on July 20, 2013.

The contest, designed by the Freelancer.com Engineering Teams, will distinguish run of the mill coders from those with innate talent and the keenest of critical thinking and problem solving skills. Regional Director of Engineering, Adric Schreuders, has high expectations for the participants. “This competition is not for the faint of heart,” he intones. “Those who can rise to the challenge will be the real innovators of the field, in league with the top developers in the world. We’re not just looking for people who can code; we’re looking for engineers who can drive the evolution of the industry.”

The Manila Dev Challenge will consist of a preliminary round to assess general software development knowledge and ability, and a final round to evaluate more intricate problem solving and algorithm implementation skill. Developers with the top results in the preliminaries will be invited to compete for PHP 200,000 (US$15,498) in prizes at the finals in Makati.

To register, go to http://challenge.freelancer.com. Stay tuned for details of a pre-event meet-up on the site.

Event details:

• Start: Saturday, 20 July, 2013 09:00 a.m.
• End: Saturday, 20 July, 2013 06:00 p.m.
• Venue : preliminaries will be held online.
• Register here
• Organizer : Freelancer.com

The post [Philippines] Manila Dev Challenge appeared first on e27.

Collaboration is one of the key things that will help grow a startup ecosystem. Philippine-based incubator Kickstart Ventures is getting into high gear with collaborating with venture builders around the world in order to broaden the sights of startups in its portfolio. After partnering with Pollenizer and launching Pollenizer @ Kickstart in the recent weeks, Kickstart now announces a partnership with SingTel Group companies.

The collaboration will provide Philippine startups a better and faster way of accessing key markets in the Asia Pacific region, mostly in the mobile space. The SingTel Group will implement purpose-built programs that can help startups scale, with a path to SingTel’s market of about 468 million mobile customers across telcos in its portfolio throughout Asia Pacific and Africa.

Kickstart itself is no stranger to the SingTel Group, being a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom, which is a joint venture between the 180-year old Ayala Corp and SingTel. Other members of the Singtel family that are building ventures across the region include SingTel Innov8 in Singapore, AIS The Start-Up in Thailand, and the Optus-Innov8 Seed Program in Australia.

SingTel Innov8 CEO Edgar Hardless cited the gaps in the local ecosystem and said these can be addressed through support, mentorship and resources. “There are a lot of passionate people with great ideas who want to start businesses but struggle because they don’t have the necessary support in the ecosystem. This is where SingTel Innov8 and other SingTel Group members can collaborate to nurture and create our own ecosystem in this part of the world.”

Edgar further echoes Kickstart’s goals of aiming for a global audience. “We want the Kickstart portfolio companies to be successful in the Philippines, and help them expand into other parts of the region.”

Kickstart president Minette Navarrete highlights that the venture builder aims to build bridges across markets and encourage engagement between startups and the business community. Seven startups from the Kickstart Portfolio – Apptivate, AVA, Kalibrr, Lifebit, My Legal Whiz, Work Inspire and ZAP — were in attendance at Echelon 2013 to connect and mingle. My Legal Whiz was, itself, part of the top 10 pitching startups that vied for the Most Promising Startup award.

Minette stresses the value of bridging the divide between startups and established business entities. “What we do is empower the startup founders to give them a better chance for success.  With the help of other companies within the SingTel Group, we are able to open the door for founders: the founders’ pitch, close the deal, execute, and hopefully win big.  But getting the door to open is really hard if you’re unknown and don’t have an existing relationship, and getting business is tough if you can’t demonstrate prior experience.”

The post SingTel Group to help Kickstart portfolio tap into global markets appeared first on e27.

BellaDati One Event on Agila Data Analysis will introduce agile business reporting and analysis with human touch. We will show you how to create beautiful reports, get Big Data on your fingertip or to the pocket and become analytical hero within minutes. So bring your data and get more insights on your sales, marketing, financial or virtually any business data.

Event details:

• Start: Wednesday, 19 June, 2013 09:00 a.m.
• End: Wednesday, 19 June, 2013 01:00 p.m.
• Venue : 30 Cecil Street, Level 26, Prudential Tower, Singapore 049712
• Register here
• Organizer : BellaDati

The post [Singapore] BellaDati One Event on Agila Data Analysis appeared first on e27.

Simon Dale, SAP’s head of technology and innovation, Asia Pacific and Japan, shares about the complexities and challenges faced when handling big data.

Big data comes with big responsibilities. Well, it does have its fair share of power, complexities and challenges. SAP, headquartered in Germany, deals largely with business management software, solutions, services for improving business processes. It also has 60 odd companies under its venture arm’s  portfolio, including LinkedIn, Redhat, and Box.

SAP also has an interest in Big Data, and stated in a report: “Many people, when they hear ‘Big Data,’ think ‘big business.’ Not SAP. Via our Startup Focus program, we are actively working with young companies, helping them take advantage of our revolutionary HANA in-memory Big Data platform. We’re discovering that some of the most adroit users of Big Data can be five-person startups.”

Though big data has been difficult to define, Simon Dale, SAP’s head of Technology and Innovation, Asia Pacific and Japan, shared with e27 how it could be difficult to embrace as well.

1. What are the three main challenges for a business focused on building real-time, Big Data products and how does SAP/SAP Ventures’ portfolio companies handle them?

The three are:

• Resources with the right skills and experience
• Choosing technology that will scale
• Building a viable business model around big/real-time data

For example, Sogamo in Singapore is already demonstrating that SAP HANA and the program can help a startup scale and support a business model based on real-time analytics. SAP not only brings the technology, but also support skills to help transfer the requisite knowledge to fully utilize the features of the technology and develop a distinctive solution.

2. From your opinion, do major industry players and startups fully understand the power and complexities of Big Data? What are some examples of of good and bad handling of Big Data?

It’s getting very hard to define what big data really is, and exactly what the business value of doing something with it is.  However, SAP has now helped over 400 companies to evaluate the business opportunities around big and real-time data by taking them through the Startup Program using SAP HANA, and many examples can now be seen on the SAP Marketplace.

3. How does SAP handle the challenges of Big Data and how does the Startup Focus Program help bring this experience to young companies?

SAP has two solution portfolios to help: Database, and Analytics. With our SAP HANA database technology supported by the Startup Focus Program, we bring the power and scale of a proven in-memory database to serve the many different areas of opportunity in doing something with big data. The program provides free access to SAP HANA for up to a year, along with free training and support for migration and development.

In addition, basic and predictive analytic capabilities built into SAP HANA allow sophisticated use of big data to deliver unique insights and value, over and above just querying big data and delivering reports. Areas of opportunity here are those such as real-time offers in games and recommendations on e-commerce sites, as well as predicting consumer behavior to optimize marketing spend.

Also, SAP has an Analytics portfolio which can further leverage SAP HANA to provide even further capability and depth to what can be achieved by using big data in a smart way.

SAP is a Regular Sponsor of Echelon 2013. Follow the hashtag #echelon2013 to join the Twitter conversation. View the full coverage here.

Featured Image Credit: Big Data / Shutterstock

The post Big Data: SAP discusses the complexities and challenges appeared first on e27.

Andrew Stott is a Partner at Olswang Asia. He advises companies, financial institutions and individuals on international public and private M&A, investment deals and strategic joint ventures.

There has been a lot of buzz from the startup sector. While they’re not all disruptive, they’re often found improving existing concepts.

Echelon 2013, Asia’s largest tech startup conference opened in Singapore last week, giving 50 entrepreneurs a chance to showcase new innovations, mingle with other startups and potential investors. For 10 lucky startups, they had six minutes to give the pitch of a lifetime to become Asia’s Most Promising Startup.

Globally the most disruptive tech trends are still in their infancy – wearable technology is getting off the ground with the Pebble and the much talked about iWatch, 3D printing is operational but has not yet widespread into homes (other than those of tech journalists!), cognitive control and “The Internet of Things” remains something of a gimmick. These are technologies that have the potential to change the world, but they will require time in the market and the public consciousness for their uses and full potential to become apparent.

In fact, the areas seeing the most activity in the startup sector are not the disruptive technologies, but those building on (or often “mirroring”) existing concepts in social, mobile and enterprise where the big boys have invested vast sums to create an “infrastructure” off which entrepreneurial innovation can parasite. Mobile is where it’s at and if you don’t have an app, quite frankly, you are no-one. The biggest winner at this year’s Echelon was Waygo, an app that allows Chinese to English menu translation – a lot of people will be interested to buy the app and there is a significant potential for international scale and lateral growth (Hindi, French etc). Groupon as an example recently snapped up its Southeast Asian imitator, Beeconomic.

Read also: Is the daily deals space still viable?

We are also seeing a lot of movement in ancillary services such as mobile marketing (Decision Fuels being a good example of an offering using technology to meet instant feedback demands from brand-owners to hedge fund sentiment engines) and the “applification” of the sales process, from ungainly web pages to in-content mobile marketing and one or two clicks taking you from an article on fashion to the completed purchase of the latest must-have bag.

Social, despite difficulties in matching acquisition and IPO pricing with monetization models, is not going away and through photo-sharing growth, development and demand for rich media coupled with the increasing smartphone penetration is only going to grow – arguably it has become an essential utility which is now being integrated at source into apps, televisions, X-Box One, wearable tech and the like. Asia loves social, so I would expect to see entrepreneurs in the region focussing on innovative “social-conscious” products and services deriving from, or playing off, the networks; whether that be new games, new sub-networks (such as Fanatix), analytics engines (Starcount) or video/rich media offerings.

There remains room for new startups to emerge as global players, but most recently we have seen this occurring where the startup acts as a market maker or a positive disruptor (in the sense of taking something that exists but giving it a different twist or impetus and making it “buyable”), such as Air BnB (in the world of peer-recommended places to stay) or Reebonz (in the Asian online-offline, luxury-bargain fashion world). In areas where a startup could have a disruptive influence and challenge an incumbent, the big boys simply acquire and absorb the new technologies such as Twitter’s acquisition of Vine….although from a startup perspective isn’t that result the holy grail?!

Singapore has specifically identified technology and intellectual property as key areas of focus, and in its IP Hub Master Plan, released in April 2013, states its objectives of developing an innovative and world class environment for tech businesses, tech funds and the IP industry.

Read also: Dave McClure: We’re only scratching the surface of SEA’s opportunities

Singapore has been courting tech businesses for years and is by far and away the leader in Asia in terms of where the big boys choose to sit. However, the startup sector has suffered from a lack of support and focus and as a consequence has taken longer to flourish with funding (in terms of investor awareness of tech offerings and understanding of how to value such businesses) remaining an issue. Incubators and angel investors have the initial stages well covered, thanks in large part to generous and dedicated government-linked support, and the large funds and financial institutions cater to the later-stage businesses, but there are still too few venture capital funds supporting the startups looking for their second or third tranche of investment at the $500,000 – $5 million level.

All players in the market remain hopeful that the announcement of the IP Hub Master Plan will change that and accelerate the level of sector-investing by the government, local, regional and international funds as they buy into Singapore Pte Ltd’s view of the future.

One thing is for sure: those new investors won’t find a lack of offerings! The technopreneur bug has struck in Singapore and other Southeast Asian jurisdictions with a new generation of entrepreneurs willing to reject the traditional career trajectory of going into MNCs, or the family business and risking everything to develop their products and ideas. Media articles across the region are highlighting the many successes, not just in tech but across the startup scene, and hubs like Block 71 in Singapore are attracting the best in local and foreign talent supported by incubator-investors such as Red Dot, TNF, IncubAsia, JFDI, Soft Ventures and Innov8 nurturing talent through its early growth.

It is an incredibly exciting time for startups in Southeast Asia; certainly the sector is not as mature as opposed to the US, but with the government’s support and headline events such as Echelon which continues to raise the region’s profile, and draws funds and entrepreneurs in, the future looks very bright indeed – not only for lawyers who focus on this space!

Read also: PH Satellite winner Mylegalwhiz: legal work need not be tedious

The post Room remains for new startups to emerge as global players appeared first on e27.

mobcast inc, a mobile sports gaming platform, recently announced that they have gained over 200,000 members in 67 days in South Korea. The Japan-based company launched their original soccer game, mobasaka in South Korea three months ago, and have a total of 500,000 members in the country right now. They have been doing just as well in their home country, Japan, reporting 3.3 million members after four years of operations.

Update: mobcast acquired a portfolio company under B-dash Ventures. The games platform has also entered a Limited Partnership with B-dash Ventures, who is an investor in e27.

CEO Yabu Koki recently came to Singapore and met with e27 for an interview. He said that in 2013, they will be aiming to reach out to 30 million people in Japan and 300 million globally. After this, in the very same year, they will be working on their second phase targets: 100 million in Japan and seven billion all around the world. Although their primary focus is still real sports games, they will also be reaching out to anything and everything sports-related, puzzle games and ticket reservations.

He also added that the company uses four different methods to attract users. Firstly, they use existing broadcast channels to reach out to members. By creating sports spots in TV news programs and commercial firms for sports TV programs, mobcast is able to tap on its ginormous pool of subscribers. Secondly, apps allow the platform to provide new services and invite users onto their platform. This also enables them to go global and exhibit games overseas. Thirdly, they use the standard forms of web advertising on sports-related websites like Goal.com. They also make use of traditional search engines like Yahoo! and Google to facilitate advertisements. Lastly, mobcast rewards users who invite their friends to play the game, giving players an incentive to help spread the word.

Business has also been looking optimistic for mobcast as they shared that their sales and operation profit (OP) numbers have been growing quite steadily. In FY2012, they hit JPY 1.127205 million (US$11,689) but are looking to earn JPY 3.32 million (US$ 34,340.09) in FY2014. Update: in FY2012, they hit JPY 4.9 billion (US$51.1 million) revenue  with JPY 1.1 billion (US$11.5 million) ordinary income, and in FY2013 they are looking to hit JPY 8 billion (US$83.5 million) in revenue and JPY 1.7 billion (US$18 million) in ordinary income.

Besides Japan and the recent expansion to Korea, mobcast has also expressed interest in several Southeast Asian countries, namely Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. Aside from these, the company will also be working towards launching in Europe and the US by the end of 2014. But it isn’t just a random year that they’re planning to enter Southeast by. Yabu explained that this will coincide with the World Cup happening in that very same year.

Social + soccer fever = success

What’s one thing that has brought people of different races, religions and nationalities together? Sports. Of course, there is an abundance of different sports ranging from baseball to swimming, but the the soccer fever is one that has surpassed its very creators in Britain numerous centuries ago.

The World Cup is an international tournament that takes place every four years, and to call this event anything less than grand would be an understatement. Soccer (or football, to purists) players throughout look forward to this very date and train to win the Cup. Needless to say, fans all around the world are either at stadiums rooting for their own or at home cheering in spirit.

Nothing unites people like soccer fever

Not only are Southeast Asians passionate about sports (or soccer). Just like everyone else on this Earth, they are big on social gaming. While the other continents cower in fear of their privacy being infringed on, we here in Asia rejoice in “shares” and “likes”. At Echelon 2013, Bubble Motion CEO Thomas Clayton identified that chat apps like LINE and WeChat are doing so well in Asia precisely because of our population densities and tastes. People are constantly squeezing in, and not having enough personal space. So when social mobile apps were presented to users here on a rectangular retina screen, we are more than happy to give data, add friends and use the app to present our views.

The melding of social gaming and the soccer fever in Southeast Asia is brilliant. Being one of the few sports-only gaming platforms, mobcast has targeted their crowd very well and will likely be able to reach their targets if they do their marketing right. Yabu also opined that his indirect competitor, Mobage, has too diverse a focus, and their attempts to get into music and movies as well might “be a good thing” but could very well jeopardize themselves. GREE, however, is “trying to succeed in the US, but [is] having trouble in Japan.”

Is Japan still hot for gaming?

Japan has always been a leader in gaming technologies. However, Yabu said that it has been defeated by Korea when the largely online crowd turned to the Internet for games. “Back in Japan, it is really good at package games. Large companies in Japan are bad at online games. In Japan, [there is] skill in producing and planning.”

However, things can still change if Japanese companies collaborate with Korean and Taiwanese companies to make better games. The latter two, according to Yabu, are great in producing online games and can work hand-in-hand with Japanese companies who have been skilled in producing hardware and offline games.

It is good to see that mobcast is heading global with their sports games, and I believe their success in the Japanese market could be carried over and give them an edge internationally.

Feature Image Credit: Silhouette of fan / Shutterstock

Image Credit: AHMAD FAIZAL YAHYA / Shutterstock.com

The post Here’s why mobcast’s plan to enter SEA using World Cup 2014 is smart appeared first on e27.

SingTel-owned Amobee, a digital advertising company, just announced today that it will be opening its new Asian headquarters here in Singapore. In addition, the California-based agency also stated that it will be partnering up with the Touch Media Network (TMN) to enter the digital-out-of-home (DOOH) market. TMN is headquartered here in Singapore, and is a company which deals with in-store interactive advertising displays. Together with Amobee, the two will be working towards changing “in-store shopping experience with innovative digital advertising solutions.”

Julian Corbett, CEO of TMN, shared with the media present at the new office that about 75 percent of people change their decisions to buy something while in the store. Of course, I believe that this could be due to several reasons, but there is nothing to turn their minds around except perhaps stellar customer service or peer pressure. However, if advertising could just get people to stop in their tracks and say, “I really need to buy this,” the said advertisement would have done its job. Traditional mediums of advertising are great, but change is here.

Well, chief marketing officers all around the world often make use of the four Ps (price, place, promotion and obviously, product). Trevor Healy, CEO of Amobee, said, “Their purchase funnel was originally easy (4Ps) but now it looks more like a plate of noodles.” When their consumers are multi-screens focused and have every right to choose what they want to look at, how do you market to them without joining their league and go DOOH?

Using the Amobee PULSE platform, one which is able to offer brands and retailers the ability to drive in-store traffic via mobile advertising campaigns, followed by interactive brand experiences with in-store digital displays. This will ultimately increase sales and up in-store purchases. But just how will consumers be engaged? Is it just going to be a moving ad? Will that be engaging?

Well, Aneesh Karve, product manager at Amobee, showed all of us the three different displays. The first, presented on a wall, resembles that of an information station at any shopping mall. However, users can get directions, deals, and find the shops in a very systematic manner. They can also download the app which will be made available on both iOS and Android. Don’t have a smartphone? Amobee shared that users can also get an SMS from the station should they want the promotional code for a certain deal.

The second display allows the user to fully interact with what I think is a Kinect set, moving their arms to view a car fully. This is as opposed to watching a television commercial which often only allows the consumer to see the car in one angle. And what I really didn’t expect was that when the consumer raises his or her hands, the car turns into one of those Transformer sets and mimics the motion.

Well, the last display set was one which I think would garner the most likes when it comes to normal folks like you and me who like some sort of privacy. Julian shared that this uses any sort of Android tablets which engages the shoppers with fun activities like flicking the screen to hit the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream tubs or using the built-in camera of the display that senses gestures to play games. At the end of the day, when shoppers win, they don’t go home empty-handed. With their mobile phones, they can either get a confirmation SMS or take the QR code with their smartphones to receive the reward, which could be a discount code or freebie.

Trevor added that since Amobee has always been big on mobile, this is their chance to “drive entirely new experiences across consumers’ digital engagements” while going into a new market. While this product will first be rolled out in Singapore come December 2013, he shared that it will be followed by a global launch.

However, Singapore will definitely be the litmus test for Amobee to see if this is indeed a good move. “If it doesn’t make it in Singapore, it’ll never make it. We like to put things in early, learn and revise. We don’t put an Apple approach [...] like “We know what is right”. We want the consumers to tell us what they like.” It is also noteworthy that the app available will not have push notifications, which many companies swear by.

Even though Singapore will be the very first country to see this happening in, Trevor noted that within Asia, after the city-state, Tokyo and Australia holds the most potential when it comes to DOOH.

The post Amobee opens new Asian headquarters in Singapore, partners TMN appeared first on e27.

Rebate Networks-backed DealGuru spins out Asian food delivery business.

Shortly after it announced its new e-commerce line back in April, Rebate Networks-backed DealGuru spins out its new Asian food delivery business. The new food delivery subsidiary will be called “Food Runner”. According to the press release, Food Runner, will operate the Room Service Deliveries brand, which has more than 50,000 registered users and delivers several million dollars’ worth of restaurant food annually.

You might remember, back in October 2012, DealGuru acquired and absorbed Asian Room Service, the parent company of Room Service Deliveries under its umbrella of businesses. It seems like in less than a year, DealGuru decided to spin off Food Runner as a separate stand alone entity.

Lance Frey, CEO of Food Runner, who was also CFO at DealGuru, explained the rationale for the stand alone. “The business has been growing strongly. We felt it had reached a point where it made sense to operate with the greater flexibility and focus that a separate business provides. While we will continue to improve our position in Singapore and Malaysia, the next big opportunity is expansion into other Southeast Asian markets, adding millions of consumers to our reach.”

Earlier in May, Rocket Internet-backed foodpanda just confirmed that they are merging with Singapore-dine to increase its delivery services in the city-state. While the merger claims to provide its customers food delivery services from more than 200 restaurants island wide, as of the time of writing, according to its website, it only offers delivery services from 101 restaurants.

Read also: foodpanda confirms merger with Singapore-Dine

Room Delivery Services, on the other hand, did not reveal the number of restaurants which will be offering deliveries under their service. A quick check on their website showed that they are currently listing 70 restaurants, though we expect that to increase soon with the launch of its newly rebranded Food Runner.

The food delivery space is definitely heating up in Singapore. With smaller players joining up to become different main players, will we see more mergers soon? Another group of food delivery network seems to be made up of Gourmet To Go, which has partnered with Thai To Go (Thai food delivery) and George Delivery (authentic Penang food). Traditional outlets or fast food chains usually have their own in-house delivery fleet, and it will be equally as interesting to see if any of them choose to list their delivery services on platforms or aggregators such as foodpanda or Food Runner.

The post DealGuru’s response to foodpanda: a newly rebranded Food Runner appeared first on e27.

Smartphones and mobile devices have opened up a lot of possibilities for accessibility. This does not only involve communication, but also in interfacing with the real-world environment. Augmented-reality applications, for instance, help identify objects or describe scenes through object or facial recognition. A mobile app promises to do the same, but with a focus on visual impairment. In this case, identification is crowd-sourced.

Lend an Eye is an Android app that does just what the title suggests. Developed by Singapore-based Grey Group PTE Ltd, the app extends the concept of Skype or FaceTime chatting by letting the visually-impaired user “see” through the eyes of another person, all done through the smartphone’s main camera. “The app not only helps them get from point A to B unsupervised, but also enables them to make choices the way we do.”

Operation is supposedly simple. The app has two versions: one for the blind and another for the volunteer. The visually impaired user activates the app through a double-tap on the screen, and several volunteers are contacted simultaneously. The one that answers the call first then gets to guide the user from what is seen through the smartphone camera, presumably through talking them through their tasks or their way.

Read also: Braille Cell Phone wants to help the blind communicate better via text

The app is available on Google Play (blind and volunteer versions available) and will soon also launch on the iTunes App Store for iOS. I suppose one could simply do a Skype call, but having to fiddle with onscreen buttons to find the appropriate contact and selecting the rear camera will defeat the purpose. Lend an Eye also adds value by offering a platform for volunteers to offer assistance to the visually impaired.

But as with any crowdsourcing platform, numbers will have to work with the app, in order for it to be effective. With 50 to 100 installs as per Google Play since its May launch, the app will have to attract more users to be “eyes” for the blind. As such, I’m not sure if this would be a good tool for guiding the visually impaired while walking down the street at this point — given safety considerations with traffic and the environment — but it can make a difference when trying to identify or describe objects.

The post Crowdsourcing sight for the visually impaired with Lend an Eye appeared first on e27.

When I was growing up, toys were expensive. And expensive toys were considered “cool.” The supposedly cool kids sported their Tamagotchis and Nintendo Gameboys, while I had to rock my new pack of counterfeit Pokemon trading cards and play on the free-for-all slides wistfully.

As I grew older, new toys, dolls and plushies came into play. They were all very interactive with the like of Baby Alive being the number one thing girls wanted for Christmas and their birthdays. Oh, and yes, the young girls in their make-believe world could feed their doll, talk to them and have the “babies” make facial expressions back. Everything was nice, albeit just a little creepy.

Then today, Roam & Wander, a children entertainment studio, released their newest creation TuTu on Kickstarter, the global crowdfunding platform. The pink plush bunny rabbit, also a little unnerving to anyone who has seen 2001′s Donnie Darko — a film starring a large demented bunny — has a total of 30 days to hit its goal of US$25,000.

Read also: Roam & Wander helps digital kids enjoy the real world through toys

When we checked out the respective rewards available on the Kickstarter page, we were left a little puzzled. With a minimum of US$35, pledgers could receive a TuTu plush toy, all five core toy accessories, and the full version of the TuTu iPhone app. At first I thought that was rather cheap, but upon considering the other big children toys brands like Mattel and Hasbro, I would say US$35 is probably affordable for an interactive plush toy that comes along with other accessories.

We spoke to Jason Warren of Roam & Wander to find out more.

Entertainment first, education second

There are many interactive plush toys out there in the market which allows children to get a response from their dolls. Some of these are positioned towards education and giving kids a head start even before they enter kindergarten. However, TuTu isn’t one of them. Jason explained, “I’ve positioned our studio around entertainment; we’ve put fun as the top goal, with education second. Our hypothesis is that kids (and more generally, humans) bond more closely with anthropomorphic stuffed animals than with purely digital characters, and will have more fun (and maybe care a little more) by helping TuTu learn as a physical character than they would as a digital avatar in an iPad game.”

There will be five touch toys that will come along with TuTu. Jason added that they are planning to add more. The studio has designed 3D-printed and prepared additional toys that they will be playtesting with kids this summer. “We will be publishing updates to add more content to TuTu, and to add support for the new toys.”

These toys will enable interaction between the child and TuTu. For example, when the child picks up a toy toothbrush from Roam & Wander and scrubs TuTu’s (probably bad-smelling) teeth, the character reacts in a positive manner.

There are currently three price tiers for TuTu. In order for them to reach the Kickstarter goal, they would be needing about 600 total orders. This includes a limited number of discounted versions for US$35, a limited number of get-the-very-first-units with rush delivery (will come weeks before the main deliveries) for US$125 and the main purchase option for US$45.

Judging from the colour of the rabbit — a sweet pastel pink — I asked Jason if this is targeted at boys, as well. He replied, “TuTu is a pink rabbit. With the 125 kids who participated in our playtesting in Taiwan, there were some boys that liked playing games with her, but for the most part the reaction from girls was the strongest.”

At Echelon 2013, though, where Roam & Wander exhibited their prototypes, TuTu was also a hit among the grown-up ladies. Jason told e27 that even the ladies at his office often used the prototypes as iPhone cases, attractive plush toys that these were. (And yes, plush toys offer good protection against drops, but not against cuddles.)

Key differences between Roam & Wander toys and other dolls

Jason shared that there are two key differences when it comes to Roam & Wander toys and other interactive dolls. Firstly, the characters grow and mature along with the kids who take care of them. “With the progress and unique personality the characters develop stored in the cloud so kids can continue to play with ‘their’ TuTu even if they buy new/different dolls.” Secondly, mobile devices have become very engrossing for kids who are now growing up in a digital era. Also, “they provide a fantastic creative canvas for delivering interactive experiences.”

Check out their informative video here:

The post Meet TuTu, the pink plush bunny rabbit that helps kids get creative appeared first on e27.

The first publicly available estimates of the Indonesian eCommerce market since 2011 suggest that online transactions will hit US$8 billion this year — doubling in size from 2012 — as millions of internet users hit the web and begin shopping online.

eCommerce in Indonesia is still in its early stages, and there’s still limited data. But the data that does exist points to a story of extraordinary growth.

Vela Asia’s research team has combined publicly available information from sources like eMarketer and the Association of Indonesian Internet Providers to build a picture of Indonesia’s growing online revolution.

The last publicly available estimate of eCommerce market size, from Veritrans and Dailysocial in 2011, picked the market at US$0.9 billion in 2011.  This more recent data suggests that the total value of online transactions, including travel, marketplace and B2C websites, hit US$4 billion the following year.  The total is forecast to more than double to US$8 billion in 2013.

Indonesia’s growth story is built on a number of factors: 20 percent year on year increases in internet users, rapidly growing discretionary spending among the middle class, and the entry of a number of high profile eCommerce players within the last 12 to 18 months.

Fast e-commerce growth rates are not unusual in rapidly developing countries. McKinsey research from March this year pointed out that China’s online market had grown by a compound annual growth rate of 120 percent for ten years.  Indonesia, in comparison, is tipped to double its market size in 2013 but then scale back growth to a more manageable CAGR of 54 percent through to 2016.

While the opportunity is large, local e-commerce businesses report that succeeding online in Indonesia can be challenging.  The country has well-reported issues with infrastructure, including limited online payment methods, relatively low internet penetration and the logistical difficulties associated with fulfilling online orders in an archipelagic nation.

Those online stores that do succeed, like Tokobagus.com and Lazada.co.id, have adapted Western business models to the needs of the local population.  They are being joined by a growing list of e-commerce players hoping to be part of a remarkable online growth story.

Image Credits: 123rf.com, velaasia.com

The post Indonesian e-commerce market size to double in 2013 to US$8B appeared first on e27.

EST is the club in association with NCCU IMBA students & alumni. On May 3, 2013 we became the officially business partner of StartUp Jobs Asia (SUJ). The main objective of The Entrepreneurs Society of Taiwan (EST) is to expand the knowledge & networking. Inspire & foster the socially responsible to become an entrepreneur. We see these events as an opportunity to expand our knowledge and continue networking and learning from innovative entrepreneurs.

This time we have speakers from various background to share valuable experience.

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SPEAKERS:

- Chris Yu & Joseph Wu, Founders of bYappy Digital Media Group
- Stefan Schneider, CTO of Top Admit
- Sebastian Ang and David Vega, Co-Founders of One People Co. ltd.
- Mike Zhan, CEO of Smart Space (Singapore)
- Stephanie Yu & Doug Ma, Founder of Chocoforall

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PROGRAM DETAILS:

7:00 pm: Registration

7.30 pm: Presentations and Q&A

#1 Chris Yu & Joseph Wu, Founders of bYappy Digital Media Group
Topic: How bYAPPY help end users to manage their time and the pioneer of the platform for Interactive Voice Response (IVR) in the mobile APP industry.

#2 Stefan Schneider, CTO of Top Admit
Topic: TBA

#3 Sebastian Ang and David Vega, Co-Founders of One People Co. Ltd.
Topic: Introducing Linqapp and the unconventional way of raising funds.

#4 Mike Zhan, CEO of Smart Space (Singapore)
Topic: TBA

#5 Stephanie Yu & Doug Ma, Founder of Chocoforall
Topic: TBA

8:45 pm: Networking Session

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VENUE:

4F CLBC (Ching Long Business Club)
293 Fuxing South Road, Section 1, Taipei City
復興南路一段293號3樓之1

(about 3 minutes walk from MRT Da-An Station, same location as our past event)

Learn more about CLBC:

https://www.facebook.com/CLBC.tw

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Come join us for an interesting evening and partake in a unique opportunity to hear meaningful insights from entrepreneurial people, followed by our usual networking session. So mark your calendars, prepare your business cards and be ready for our Entrepreneurial night!

Click join in our facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/381875511923060/
Further details to be announced

[EST is the Business Partner of StartUpJobs Asia: http://www.startupjobs.asia/]

Event details:

• Start: Friday, 21 June, 2013 07:00 p.m.
• End: Friday, 21 June, 2013 10:00 p.m.
• Venue : 4F CLBC (Ching Long Business Club) 293 Fuxing South Road, Section 1, Taipei City
• Register here
• Organizer : The Entrepreneurs Society of Taiwan

The post [Taiwan] Different Stages of StartUp by EST appeared first on e27.