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Having children is one of the happiest moments most people will ever enjoy, but it’s also when you need to first think the most seriously about death. The joyous excitement and freneticism that surround birth is paired with the grim reality of life insurance policies and the act of considering the finite valuation of your remaining days. It’s not fun, but it’s the… Read More
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We’ve heard from sources that Slack, the super-hot collaborative communication startup, is launching a new way to download third-party apps. This would be a big move for the startup, valued at $2.8 billion, that could help bring it out of the realm of being a charming new entry to a potential powerhouse in collaboration software. Initially just a channel for communication among teams,… Read More
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Here’s our newest round-up of the featured startups on our site this week. If you have startup tips or story suggestions, feel free to email us. Enjoy this week’s list!
Wifigen sells itself to businesses, such as restaurants, cafes, and stores, as a way to offer wifi to customers while getting back a wealth of data on those visitors from their social media logins – such as demographics, preferences, and frequency of visit.
Mumbai-based StitchMyFit lets women upload their measurements and order clothes from the startup’s partner boutiques in customized designs. Buyers get their clothes delivered to their homes, and their numbers are then stored for all future orders.
Eatigo allows people to make restaurant bookings and get discounts of as much as 50 percent. But unlike usual deals sites, the startup sends discounted customers to restaurants during off-peak hours such as before or after the lunchtime or dinner rush.
Delhi-based Civilsdaily is a education and media startup that offers news with context, not keywords. The company offers information on events online and in a mobile app in flashcard format, simplified down to bullet points for easy consumption.
Bangalore-based HapPay cuts down the paper trail and number of staff members required to handle employee expenses. Instead, the service consolidates them into a Visa card that allows the reimbursing company to remain more in control of their expenses than if it had used a card obtained through a bank.
Indonesian education tech startup Ruangguru is an online platform connecting tutors to students. Lessons offered include school subjects, music, sports, foreign languages, and more. The startup boasts high-quality tutors, picking them among top university students and experienced teachers.
Mumbai-based Customer360 provides live chat and mobile in-app tools on the cloud for customer support. The startup announced its acquisition yesterday by US-based Interactive Intelligence, a provider of cloud-based customer engagement software, for an undisclosed amount.
Bangalore-based MockBank helps users prepare for the tests for various government job positions, from stenographers to IT officers. Jobs in the public sector, banking, and insurance are also part of the roster.
Magnet is a WeChat app and separate SDK that aims to bring ecommerce-like convenience and insights to brick and mortar shops. For instance, users can skip the lengthy concession lines, using a Magnet-fueled WeChat service to order and pay for food and drinks straight from their phones.
StrollUp is a Delhi-based startup that helps create local outings through its app. It has a list of 1,500 places in Delhi might surprise even long-time residents of the Indian capital. It also has 1,000 options for Bangalore. Besides, it curates 100 plus events to attend every week in each city.
New twist in Vietnam’s online food delivery battle: Foodpanda gets acquired by rival
Creepy attack shows things are getting rough in China’s online lending sector
The year ahead: 2016’s most anticipated shakeups in India’s startup scene
A tale of two continents: The opportunities between Australia and Southeast Asia
NinjaVan’s new service Ninja Collect lets you pick up your ecommerce parcels yourself
These 3 teams represent Singapore’s new push for tech-based senior care
Are rickshaw ride apps a flop in India? Uber’s withdrawal raises big doubts
(Update) Jakarta governor gives Uber green light to operate in the city
Indiegogo sets up program to help Chinese startups crack the US
Uber gets on Sri Lankan roads, moves ahead with expansion plans
This guy quit his job as president of a NASDAQ-listed tech company to build a smart bike
Like RSS? There’s always our Asia startups RSS feed!
This post 24 startups in Asia that caught our eye appeared first on Tech in Asia.
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Image by Jonathan Lidbeck
Rocket Internet-backed Vaniday, an online beauty and wellness site, announced today that it is formally launching operations in Singapore. The startup, which has been in existence for about nine months, is already present in Brazil, Italy, Russia, Australia, and the UAE, and counts the city-state as its first port of call in Asia.
Vaniday raised US$17 million in a series A round earlier this year. Founder Maxime Legardez tells Tech in Asia that a part of that cash will be used to finance the Singapore expansion, but declines to reveal specific numbers.
The marketplace starts with 500 salons live, including prominents names like Kim Robinson and Action Hair.
“In terms of beauty, Singapore is a huge market for Vaniday,” asserts Maxime. “There are over 18,000 salons spread across the country and we hope to get them all on our site soon.”
However, it won’t exactly be smooth sailing for the startup. It’ll have to compete with well-funded rival Vanitee for dominance in Singapore. This should be an interesting space to follow in the months ahead.
Maxime says they’re trying to position Vaniday as a mobile-first startup, and Singapore’s high rate of smartphone penetration means it is well-positioned to take advantage of this dynamic. “Consumers are online, mobile, and eager to transact, which bodes well for us,” he adds.
Vaniday’s Maxime Legardez
Currently, users have three different channels through which to book appointments: website, mobile app, or a dedicated hotline. Appointments do need to be booked at least two hours in advance, but Maxime says they’re working to bring this down to be as instantaneous as possible.
Beauty professionals will soon impart advice to customers when needed. This will either be through online chat, or the helpline. And, in terms of categories, it’s concentrating on every aspect of beauty and wellness. These include hair appointments, nails, pedicure, manicure, massage, and spa treatment.
“We want to make the entire experience extremely convenient and fast. No more looking at Google, trying to track down the phone number, and looking at reviews before deciding. This is a very 19th century way of doing things. Life of consumers should be much more easier and convenient,” says Maxime.
Rocket’s certainly on a roll in Asia. A couple of weeks ago it announced the launch of budget hotel startup Zenrooms. It’s also said that it will bring four new startups to Asia every year – with the trend showing no signs of slowing down.
This post Rocket Internet’s marketplace for salons and spas launches in Singapore appeared first on Tech in Asia.
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Photo Credit: Pabak Sarkar
What would I look for in an online women’s magazine? Great travel places for those of us with gypsy feet, top tomes in fiction, enticing recipes and restaurants, gadgets that can help women be superwomen, and profiles of those who have shattered the glass ceiling – give or take a few pieces on fashion. And that is why POPxo gets my goat.
The Delhi-based website was launched in 2014 by two women with impeccable credentials – Priyanka Gill, a graduate of King’s College London, and Namrata Bostrom, a former Rhodes Scholar who studied at London Business School. Last month POPxo snapped up US$2 million in funding from top venture capital names IDG Ventures, Kalaari Capital, and 500 Startups.
Targeted at young Indian women, it claims to get over 2.5 million readers every month. “It’s about POP culture, it’s POPular, it’s fun, dynamic, and energetic – all that the modern Indian woman needs.” That’s the promise. But when I click open the website, I am on unexpected terrain.
Photo Credit: studio tdes
The stories on the home page go something like this: “9 signs you’re the most chilled out girlfriend ever”, “7 things his body language reveals (even if he doesn’t)”, “7 amazing bra secrets for girls with bigger boobs”. Phew, this is pop.
What after boobs, bra, and boyfriend? Bollywood, of course. Celebrities sell – so be it POPxo’s write-ups on weddings, or photo features on fitness, or relationship tips, actors and actresses are right up there.
I try another day, and here’s what I see: “Get hairless underarms…By microwaving them”. I swallow hard. I can think of a hundred critical things that Indian women need, but this!
Am I being a moralist or a feminist or some such thing? Indian women battle patriarchal prejudices every day. They get paid less than men at work in big cities like Bangalore, female foetuses get terminated in rich south Delhi neighbourhoods, female infants are killed hours after birth in Punjab and Haryana, girl children are looked upon as a burden as their parents have to pay fat dowries to marry them off, and women face horrifying sexual violence. The issues are endless.
Does the 18- to 30-year-old, who would be a college-goer or a young professional or a newly married housewife, not want to read about reality? I’m curious.
POPxo has a clear line: It is about beauty, fashion, lifestyle, and relationships. It doesn’t pretend to be anything else. And it works.
“We discovered articles discussing high-end fashion did work, then we discovered that beauty is always a bigger win than fashion, then found lifestyle, relationships, and stories related to feminine hygiene and sexual health all worked really well,” Namrata was quoted as saying by Forbes.
The founders say they stepped into a space that was waiting to be filled. Women make up 29 percent of internet users in the country. Internet usage among women in urban India is growing at the rate of 39 percent compared to 28 percent among men, according to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International. Before this year is over, India is expected to have 402 million internet users.
Little wonder that there has been growing interest from venture capital firms in digital media. Earlier this year, youth-oriented platform YouthKiAwaaz raised INR 40 million (US$599,000) from Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur-led Quintillion Media.
“The evolution of digital content targeted specifically at the modern Indian woman is both essential and full of potential,” Vani Kola, managing director of Kalaari Capital, said after the firm’s investment in POPxo last month.
The women’s website is striking when the iron is hot. And it sure knows how to use technology.
“We have expanded rapidly, adding a Hindi site, producing our own videos, releasing our mobile app, and massively expanding our social following across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and all the platforms our audience cares about,” Priyanka was quoted as saying by Mint.
It also ties up with brands like Tanishq, Lakme, and Whisper. Not only does that fetch advertising revenue but also engages the woman reader.
Plus, POPxo’s competitors don’t fare any better in terms of content. When I dig into an IDiva or a Femina, what greets me is the same hackneyed glamorous, fluff stuff that most Bollywood movies are made of.
The online avatar of Woman’s Era, which has been around since my grandmother’s time, however, is a bit of a revelation to me. With sections on tech, travel, fiction, theatre, and business, this is what I would say has kept up with the times. And its 2.4 million readers would probably agree.
Photo Credit: pestbarn
POPxo’s success perhaps demonstrates that the English and Hindi speaking, 20-something woman in tier-one and tier two cities of India is an aspirant. She aspires to look good on social media and off it. She wants to talk about sex, sexual health, and relationships – subjects that have for long been taboo in India. Which is a great thing.
She wants to feel like a Bollywood celebrity and treat herself like one. She wants her hair to shine and her leather jacket to be perfectly worn, get her manners right and charm the pants off everyone. And that’s a great thing too.
But when I think of the power to transform that POPxo packs in, I think of all those off-line lives that are not beautiful, fashionable, or stylish. That fight battles daily and lose them. And I think of what those lives could be if their stories could be brought online.
I think of notions of beauty that are so uniquely Indian, and whether these need to be stubbed out in the chase for westernised notions of glamor.
And after all this thinking, I think I want to skip the popcorn.
Tech in Asia reached out to POPxo, and then to one its founders, two weeks ago and has yet to hear from them.
This post Bras, boyfriends, Bollywood: why I say boo to this site for modern Indian women appeared first on Tech in Asia.
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For years, we’ve heard whispers of shoppable video. Imagine watching your favorite TV show or a music video online and being able to instantly purchase an item that appeals to you, from a shade of lipstick to a particular pair of boots. But it seems the trend is finally coming to fruition. Interlude recently raised $18.2 million from MGM, Warner Music, Samsung, Sequoia Capital,… Read More
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The rumors have been confirmed: Alibaba Group, China’s biggest online shopping company, is buying Hong Kong’s influential English-language newspaper, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) as well as the SCMP Group’s listed operations.
Also Read: Alibaba allegedly buying SCMP
Other publications which will fall to Alibaba’s influence include magazines Esquire, Elle, Cosmopolitan, The PEAK and Harper’s Bazaar.
The deal was announced late on Friday followed by a letter to readers penned by Joseph Tsai, Alibaba’s Executive Vice Chairman. “Alibaba is in an excellent position to leverage technology to create content more efficiently and expand distribution without borders,” he writes.
Tsai also states that Alibaba will remove the paywall that currently blocks unsubscribed members, as well as rev up SCMP’s digital content.
The news has sparked concern over what will become of the paper’s editorial objectivity in covering Beijing and China-related issues.
“Great news for Hong Kong Free Press,” comments Ha Ying-sang on an article on the topic published by independent media outlet, Hong Kong Free Press.
In a separate interview with the SCMP, Tsai addressed issues over concerns over the future of the paper and potentially slanted content, stating:
“We have to have the readers’ trust. That will depend on reporting that is objective, balanced and fair. If we don’t have that trust, we cannot build up our readership. Even though we are the corporate owner, we will let the editors decide the editorial policy and direction of coverage for any story. That’s our basic principle.”
Regarding the buy, Hong Kong Journalists Association published a statement on their website: “The Hong Kong Journalist Association is concerned that a control of South China Morning Post by Alibaba Group will further compromise press freedom in Hong Kong.”
The news comes after Alibaba’s acquisition of video service Youku Tudou, in a deal estimated at US$4.8 billion. Alibaba is acquiring SCMP from Malaysian typhoon Robert Kuok for an undisclosed amount.
Wang Xiangwei, SCMP’s first mainland-born Editor in Chief, stepped down on November 6 and will be succeeded by his Deputy, Tammy Tam.
Also Read: [Updated] Alibaba officially launches US$129M Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund
Image Credit: GongTo, Shutterstock
The post Confirmed: Alibaba buys Hong Kong’s SCMP appeared first on e27.
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Normally when a business signs up a new client, it’s a cause for celebration on both sides. That hasn’t always been the case for John Jersin and his artificial intelligence startup Connectifier.
On multiple occasions right after finally convincing hiring managers to use his high-tech recruiting tool, Jersin has received the same bewildering question from new customers: Will this end up eliminating my job, or, you know, destroying my entire industry?
Such is the nature of working in the artificial intelligence field today. “They understand that this technology is powerful enough that they need to take advantage of it, but they are a little bit concerned about the impact it may have on their industry in the long-term,” says Jersin, CEO of Connectifier and a former Google product manager. Read more…
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‘Tis the season for giving — even into the six figures and even if it hurts
Despite the worst oil slump in decades, Hilcorp Energy Co., one of the largest privately held oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the U.S., has awarded every single employee working with a $100,000 bonus — or close to it, depending on how long they’ve been working for the company
The $100,000 was prorated based on time of service over the past five years, and was distributed amongst all employees at the company, regardless of job level or title. Read more…
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A bunch of tiny sponges could change the way first responders treat gun victims and wounded soldiers.
Oregon-based startup RevMedx designed the XSTAT 30, a syringe-like device inject blood-absorbing sponges into a wound, sealing it in less than a minute, as reported by Popular Science. The FDA approved the device for civilian use in a press release on Dec. 7.
See also: 5 Types of Health Apps You Should Avoid
When medics respond to gunshot victims, the goal is to keep the patient alive until they can be properly transported to a treatment center. The way they do that is by treating the bullet wound with gauze and applying pressure. A medic must pack gauze directly into the wound cavity, sometimes deep in the body, and keep pressure on the wound. Read more…
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