Tag: Southeast Asia

Manila, Philippines – IdeaSpace Foundation Inc. (IdeaSpace), the non-profit organization that supports the startup ecosystem in the Philippines, has announced the 15 startups that are advancing to its ‘2021 Acceleration Program’ – a project that aims to support startups in developing stable, scalable, and sustainable businesses through mentorship, funding, and networking opportunities.

The 15 chosen startups have stood out at the pre-acceleration phase and prevailed after pitching their business ideas to a judging panel composed of executives from the IdeaSpace team and the MVP Group of Companies, along with selected investors and startup founders.

In the health, wellness, and fitness sector, online marketplace for fitness Fitscovery, fitness coaches online marketplace Splore Fitness, and online concierge pharmacy XalMeds, as well as picture exchange communication platform Pic-A-Talk will be advancing on the program.

Meanwhile, living sustainability start-ups such as cleantech company Circula Recoon, online laundry services Dirt Bag, and virtual shopping mall Oh My Genie! are also moving to the next round of the program.

Also joining the program are start-ups that promote hassle-free remote work, namely, human resource-tech-enabled solution Betterteam, long-chain referral-based job platform Pasajob, and career progression platform Xperto, as well as free smart POS platform Peddlr.io, and e-signature platform Twala.

And lastly, several e-commerce platforms will also advance on the program, including auto and motor parts e-commerce platform Pieza PH, community-supported fishery platform Fishbee, and product-centric software provider Instahomes.

These chosen startups will be undergoing a four-month program consisting of access to mentorship, workshops, and legal services, among others, and will receive a ₱100,000 cash grant. At the end of the program, IdeaSpace will be selecting three startups to invest in through its Opportunity Fund.

Katrina Rausa Chan, IdeaSpace’s executive director, said that startups in the 2021 cohort for the IdeaSpace Acceleration Program offer the solutions, the technology, the innovations, and the businesses that have the potential to propel the country forward and shape the new normal. 

“IdeaSpace has always invested in ventures with great teams and forward-thinking ideas. We can’t wait to see them scale up their businesses, help people, and create longer-lasting impact in their respective categories,” said Chan.

Meanwhile, Rene Meily, the president of IdeaSpace, shared that every startup in this cohort delivers digital-first solutions and they need that now more than ever. 

“We’ve seen the variety of the industries that these startups represent, which only goes to show that no matter your category, you will have to quickly adapt in these changing times and find ways to integrate digital in your products and services to provide relevant solutions. We are excited to see how they grow throughout the program, IdeaSpace and QBO will be with them every step of the way,” said Meily.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – BigPay, the digital portfolio and fintech company under AirAsia, has announced that it has finalized its funding, now amounting to US$100m, which entails the company to push through its vision of becoming a ‘challenger bank’ in the growing banking ecosystem in Southeast Asia.

Said funding was led by SK Group, one of the leading conglomerate groups, headquartered in South Korea.

Founded in 2017, the company, which is present in both Malaysia and Singapore at the moment, offers a prepaid debit card which can be used to spend anywhere Visa or Mastercard is accepted, local and international money transfers, micro-insurance, bill payments and a budgeting tool. BigPay has launched as well a series of products for its users focused on long-term financial health and accessibility.

According to Salim Dhanani, co-founder and CEO at BigPay, said funding speaks to the company’s vision to expand their product sets, along with growing the model to new markets. He added that they target to expand to Thailand and the wider ASEAN market, but for now, they will focus first in launching key products: fully digital personal loans, transactional lending and an offering for MSMEs.

“Our ethos has always been clear. We want to launch financial products that are not only simple and convenient but transparent and accessible to everyone. We are ready to embark on the next stage of our journey with SK Group and we will continue to provide fair financial services to communities across Southeast Asia,” says Salim.

The funding from one of South Korea’s largest conglomerates and tech innovator further strengthens AirAsia’s digital endeavor as it accelerates the scope of growth for its digital businesses, including logistics and financial services.

“We are happy to be joining forces with BigPay as we’ve had a keen interest in fintech and digital banking for a long time. SK Group will be able to make a significant contribution to BigPay in both technical and consumer service aspects given our experience and resources,” said Jung Kyu Kim, chief representative at SK Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Tony Fernandes, CEO at AirAsia Group, commented, “I am excited for this great partnership with SK Group and for their belief in BigPay’s mission to bring inclusivity to financial services. This is the first investment into one of our portfolio digital companies and a testament to our digital growth story – we don’t anticipate it being the last.”

He added, “SK Group is second to none when it comes to innovation and experience, so we truly believe they can share their expertise and know-how so that this investment can mark the beginning of a new exciting digital banking era.”

Manila, Philippines – HUAWEI‘s video streaming platform, HUAWEI Video, has just announced the expansion of its on-demand streaming service, offering a wider array of premium local and international video content for its users in the Philippines.

Through the expansion, HUAWEI Video has added content offerings from various media companies, namely, ABS-CBN, Paramount Video, CJ E&M, and The Explorers, among others.

The new content offering includes Filipino series such as ‘On the Wings of Love’, ‘One More Chance’, and ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’, as well as ‘My Ex and Whys’, and for avid western movie lovers, the app features titles such as ‘Star Trek’, ‘No Strings Attached’, and ‘Transformers’, as well as ‘A Thousand Words’, among others.

Meanwhile, fans of Korean dramas can now watch ‘What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim’, ‘Reply 1988’; ‘Search WWW’, and ‘Familiar Wife’. They can also enjoy a wide selection of documentaries produced by a team of explorers, media professionals, scientists, and artists.

And lastly, the app has also added Chinese and Cantonese series such as ‘Unforgettable Love’, Use for My Talent’, ‘Stop! Miss Hua’, ‘Healing Hands’, ‘Virtues of Harmony’, and ‘Line Walker’, as well as ‘War and Beauty’, and ‘Triumph in the Skies’.

“HUAWEI’s vision is to bring connectivity to everyone, and we are thrilled to expand our HUAWEI Video offerings in the Philippines, connecting customers to even more quality entertainment and a better viewing experience, all at their fingertips,” said Shane Shan, HUAWEI’s director of consumer cloud service for APAC.

HUAWEI Video has also announced that during the limited period between 8 and 15 August, users will be enjoying the HUAWEI Video+ subscription plan at a discounted price of ₱8 for the first month. Subsequently, they can renew their subscription at ₱210 each month. 

In addition, the platform will be rolling out a ‘Free Movies Weekend’ promotion, which offers a curated list of western and local movies for free over the weekends during the month of August.

Bangkok, Thailand – Mediabrands’ culturally-driven media agency, Initiative in Thailand, has just announced a new leadership appointment, promoting former chief strategy officer of Mediabrands Thailand, Sora Kaitkanarat, to the position of chief executive officer.

The appointment comes after the promotion of Kaitkanarat’s predecessor, Malee Kittipongpisal, who will assume the role of executive business consultant at Mediabrands Thailand through 2021.

Kaitkanarat brings with him more than 23 years of specialized experience in advertising, brand consultancy, and media. Prior to joining Mediabrands, he has previously worked as the managing director of communications firm HAVAS, the lead strategy and business development of advertising and marketing company Lowe Lintas Thailand, and the strategist at Dentsu Young & Rubicam.

In his new role, Kaitkanarat will be spearheading the rapid expansion of the organization’s core competencies, to cement its position as the brand business growth partner. He will be using the agency’s approach to rapidly interpreting and activating on cultural data signals – Cultural Velocity™ – to help clients cut through and resonate in a dynamic and disruptive era.

“I look forward to driving progressive solutions for our clients and working even more closely with our business partners. Great work starts with a happy workforce and my overriding ambition is to lead Initiative Thailand to be the best place to work in the market for our talent,” said Kaitkanarat, regarding his appointment.

Meanwhile, Leigh Terry, the CEO of Mediabrands APAC and the CEO of Initiative APAC, commented that Kaitkanarat is both a passionate strategist and a true entrepreneurial leader who has a track record of driving business development and innovative solutions in the Thailand market.

“It gives me great pleasure to witness the development of our own brilliant talent and to be able to appoint this key leadership role from within our ranks. Sora has been a strategic driving force behind the strong track record of the Mediabrands Thailand network and will continue this strong forward momentum for the Initiative brand,” said Terry.

Dr. Tharaputh Charuvatana, Mediabrands Thailand’s group CEO, said, “I am confident that he will help build the third decade of Initiative Thailand’s success, following his notable predecessors Khun Wannee and Khun Malee.”

Singapore – The digital property marketplace in SEA, PropertyGuru Group, has successfully completed the acquisition of digital property advertising firm iProperty Malaysia and real estate portal thinkofliving Thailand.

PropertyGuru, which has a presence across Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, empowers property seekers with more than 2.8 million real estate listings, in-depth insights, and solutions that enable them to make confident property decisions.

With the acquisition, PropertyGuru will now be owning all of the shares in global digital firm REA Group’s entities in Malaysia and Thailand, which include Malaysia’s iProperty and Brickz, and Thailand’s thinkofliving and Prakard. In exchange, REA now has an approximate 18%2 equity interest in PropertyGuru.

Furthermore, the acquisition will be accelerating PropertyGuru’s ambition of building SEA’s property Trust Platform, a platform that connects the region’s property markets into an efficient ecosystem that builds trusted relationships between agents, consumers, developers, valuers, and banks by driving greater transparency and efficiency.

iProperty Malaysia and thinkofliving will be continuing to operate separately, and in the coming months, PropertyGuru will be working to ensure the smooth integration of the businesses while delivering the same market-leading value and services to property seekers, agents, and developers. This will include leveraging collective strengths in technology, innovation, and data to offer consumers access to information and insights to support their homeownership aspirations in the region.

Hari V. Krishnan, PropertyGuru’s chief executive officer and managing director, commented that they are delighted to bring two strong businesses into the group, and together, PropertyGuru believes that they are better positioned to deliver even more innovation to property seekers, equipping them with the insights they need to make confident decisions. 

“By combining PropertyGuru’s strengths in technology and proprietary data with iProperty.com.my’s footprint and relationships with developers and agents, we can digitize the Malaysian property ecosystem and accelerate our goal of creating Southeast Asia’s property Trust Platform. We look forward to working together to serve property consumer preferences in Southeast Asia,” said Krishnan.

Meanwhile, Owen Wilson, the chief executive officer of REA Group, said that the completion of this transaction creates the most compelling PropTech group in Southeast Asia. 

“As the digitization of the property market continues to accelerate across the region, PropertyGuru is perfectly placed to build on its leadership position and capture future growth opportunities. We look forward to being part of this exciting journey,” said Wilson.

PropertyGuru also said that coupled with its market leadership across the region’s five major markets, the group will be positioned to capture the significant opportunities in the region, which deems to become the fourth-largest economy in the world by 2030.

Manila, Philippines – With the goal of continuing to further tech-up Filipino businesses, UBX, the fintech unit by UnionBank that provides opportunities and access for all by building digital financial solutions for individuals and SMEs, has just recently launched ‘Sentro Build’, to enable the growing community of merchants that gather in well-known marketplaces. 

‘Sentro Build’ is the latest version of UBX’s ‘Sentro’. ‘Sentro’ is an online shop builder for entrepreneurs and MSMEs, while the new ‘Sentro Build’ provides marketplace owners, organizers, and their communities an easily customizable online marketplace.

Merchants can join the ‘Sentro Build’ via an invite to the marketplace from the marketplace owner or by applying to become a seller to the marketplace, while customers can simply visit the marketplace website to look through the merchandise.

Through ‘Sentro Build’, marketplace owners have full control over the appearance and branding of their marketplace through the platform’s easy-to-use administration features. It has a built-in payment gateway powered by Bux providing multiple payment options via over 50,000 over-the-counter channels, online banking, and e-wallets, as well as debit, and credit card payments. In addition, it has pre-integrated delivery services powered by MrSpeedy.

“There are many industries affected by the pandemic. Those severely impacted include the events, expo, and bazaar segments. Traditionally, this industry required physical gatherings which might not be happening any time soon. We have the technology that can now empower companies to create their own online marketplaces,” said Bjorn Pardo, UBX’s head for SME Ventures and Sentro’s lead for Venture.

According to UBX, the events industry was one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, and traditionally requiring mass physical attendance, events, and expos have been severely restricted.

With this, ‘Sentro Build’ has kicked off with Themes & Motifs last 24 July 2021. Behind the launch are the organizers of The Wedding Inspirations Co. and the original Philippine Wedding Expo. The virtual Bridal Fair national roadshow and its online mall dedicated to the wedding industry is called ‘The Bridal Marketplace’.

When asked by MARKETECH APAC how ‘Sentro Build’ helped Themes & Motifs transition virtually, Pardo said, “Themes & Motifs events are primarily done physically in malls and convention centers. Now with their marketplace up and running, they can virtually conduct their own bridal fair from anywhere in the Philippines. Also because of the marketplace we’ve built, customers can easily view and check out their purchases within the marketplace.”

Meanwhile, Sharon Fabian, the managing director of Themes & Motifs, shared that ‘Sentro Build’ allowed them to quickly establish TheBridalMarketplace.com, a comprehensive online mall for soon-to-weds that capitalizes on Themes & Motifs long-standing partnership with big and reputable names in the local wedding industry.

“It provided us with full integration to pandemic-friendly payment methods and a seamless connection to a product delivery system. Also, its easy-to-use e-commerce platform is perfect for our online bridal fair roadshow which showcases different wedding suppliers in different regions of the Philippines,” said Fabian.

Aside from ‘Sentro’ and ‘Sentro Build’, UnionBank’s UBX has also launched other digital platforms, namely, digital transformation package ‘i2i’, end-to-end payment platform ‘Bux’, online lending marketplace ‘SeekCap’, and technologies for visionaries ‘Q Lab’.

Singapore – With employee well-being a key factor in determining an organization’s success, AXA Insurance has decided to launch its new ‘Better Me Business’, an employee benefits solution designed for SMEs and start-ups in Singapore.

The new ‘Better Me Business’, which is part of the company’s enhanced #BetterMe employee benefits proposition for businesses of all sizes and needs, features a wide range of plan and rider options that cater to different coverage needs and budgets. It also goes beyond medical benefits to include supplementary health and wellness services that can help boost employee satisfaction and productivity, and it does not come with any minimum group size requirement. 

Firstly, companies and their employees will get comprehensive coverage without the constraints of sub-limits, allowing them to have greater certainty about how much of their medical bills will be covered if they have to undergo major or minor medical procedures.

Another employee benefit is a range of health and wellness services that are more often associated with larger companies, such as a chronic disease management program, mental support through in-person or virtual consultations, and fitness and wellness experiences at exclusive rates, as well as discounted health screening packages.

Meanwhile, employees can also get an added layer of personalization with the option to enhance their coverage according to their needs, such as critical illness insurance, personal accident insurance, and general practitioner coverage, as well as specialist coverage, and dental coverage.

And lastly, the solution offers both the company and employee the convenience of accessing policy information and services through a one-stop HR portal and MyAXA app. They will be able to easily track claims and generate reports on the platform, which helps to reduce administrative work and increase efficiency.

Julien Callard, AXA Insurance’s managing director for Retail and Health, shared that they want to better serve enterprises by offering a comprehensive employee benefits solution which not only takes care of their employees’ health protection needs for peace of mind, but that can also help improve their physical and mental well-being. 

“Companies who invest in the well-being of their employees can benefit from improved productivity and performance, and importantly build a stronger and more resilient workforce,” said Callard.

Jakarta, Indonesia – In its effort to digitize the logistics industry, Transporta, the Indonesian-based transport management system startup, has launched a free trial of its transport management system (TMS) for SMEs in the logistics sector.

Transporta’s solutions give a bird’s eye-view of logistics operations through a centralized cloud platform, which enables truckers to maximize the speed of their daily operations and utilize resources such as routes, truck space, and petrol usage.

The initiative aims to assist SME truckers, with 20 or fewer trucks in their fleets, to swiftly adapt to the country’s digital migration and rise in e-commerce activity, allowing them to use the firm’s TMS services at no charge for up to 75 trips per month.

According to Transporta, the initiative also seeks to tackle two problems plaguing SMEs’ logistic processes. First is the sudden influx of e-commerce orders from retail customers, which results in SME truckers transporting goods in half-full trucks at a moment’s notice, with empty haul back to origin city and barely any route optimization. And secondly, SME truckers losing out to larger fleets due to the low level of digital adoption and the high cost of logistics solutions.

Emma Hartono, Transporta’s chief operating officer, shared that TMS solutions are expensive, bulky, and more tailored for large-scale fleets, and with this, SME truckers are left in a hard place, doing business manually with Excel. 

“Transporta is here to offer help to these SMEs. Our long-term vision is to change highly-manual traditional logistics processes via digitalization, while emphasizing building a community and digital footprint of truckers,” said Emma.

Apart from its TMS solution, Transporta also offers a telemetry system to track each truck in every fleet, providing accurate and updated location information for all assets and building a digital footprint for SME truckers. A key upcoming feature is a community platform to share payload information among SME truckers, which connects to WhatsApp group chats, allowing SMEs to quickly combine their respective fleets and maximize routes to bid on and fulfill larger orders.

Transporta has also announced that it will be debuting its cost-efficient TMS in August, with plans to onboard 10,000 trucking companies over the next three years.

Manila, Philippines – In line with the upcoming 8.8 Mega Flash Sale, Shopee has launched the new ‘Livestream Flash Sale’ and ‘In-app Business Insights’, features that aim to help sellers gain more viewers and boost their sales during streaming sessions on Shopee Live, the e-commerce’s dedicated in-app live streaming feature where merchants promote their shops and products directly to shoppers.

For the consumers, the new ‘Livestream Flash Sale’ in-app feature enables bargain hunters to land more deals and real-time discounts offered by shoppers online. On the seller side, they can now easily view their live stream data to acquire useful insights to help them strategize and further enhance their live streams. 

In addition, the new ‘In-app Business Insights’ feature allows live streamers to view their live stream data to acquire useful insights to help them strategize and further enhance their live streams. It also lets streamers gauge what their viewers like and what the best-selling products are, so sellers can cater their product selection to viewers’ preferences and achieve better sales.

Shopee Philippines’ Director, Martin Yu, was quoted “We will continue to support them by providing the necessary tools to help them engage with their customers more. Shopee will continue to offer Filipinos a fun and interactive experience.” 

Shopee said that the newly launched features are just two of the many things users can look forward to the nearing 8.8 Mega Flash Sale. Until 8 August, users can also get free shipping vouchers, enjoy daily flash promos, and exclusive deals when checking out using in-app e-wallet ShopeePay.

Manila, Philippines – More consumers are now relying on e-commerce platforms for their daily needs amid the pandemic, and with this, RUSH, Globe’s 917Ventures loyalty and e-commerce solutions provider, has partnered with GrabExpress, to be its logistics partner for the merchant deliveries.

RUSH enables SMEs to grow their presence in the digital space by providing customized and easy-to-use programs. According to RUSH, its white-label apps and services are utilized by over 100 companies with 27 million registered users. In addition, RUSH’s eStore allows merchant partners to do more than just selling and engaging customers, as it also looks for proactive solutions to improve business’ operational processes including logistics.

The partnership entails that GrabExpress will now be integrated into the RUSH eStore platform, allowing businesses to book a delivery partner, meet orders, and do cash-on-delivery (COD) – which is still the most preferred mode of payment in the Philippines. 

According to RUSH, one of the features of its RUSH eStore is the ability of merchant partners to expand or reduce their kilometer radius coverage with just one click. This allows businesses to reach more customers and gauge their distance, giving merchants control over coverage and delivery pricing. The new partnership will be amplifying this important feature since Grab deems to have the widest reach in Metro Manila and key cities all over the country.

Paolo Castaneda, RUSH’s chief operating officer, shared that RUSH understands how the last mile delivery experience can highly affect one’s repeat purchase behavior, and logistics is not just a nice-to-have, but a must for businesses going digital.

“Our partnership with Grab is a testament to our commitment to ensuring that our merchant partners meet their on-demand orders and keep their customers happy,” said Castaneda.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Kubota, the CEO of RUSH, said, “RUSH remains steadfast in helping businesses enter the e-commerce field easily by providing the best-in-class technology and impactful synergies, at a fair price point against the market. With Grab on the RUSH eStore, we are making it seamless for our merchant partners to manage last-mile delivery.”

Jacqueline Maye Lim, Grab’s head of GrabExpress for the Philippines, commented that the partnership with RUSH is a clear expression of their long-term commitment to supporting the growth of many businesses, while providing meaningful livelihood opportunities to many delivery partners. 

“We are grateful for the trust and the opportunity to work alongside RUSH in this meaningful endeavor and we look forward to continuing supporting many Filipinos towards the recovery of our community and our economy,” said Lim.