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The online disruption of journalism continues apace! Today The Tab, a hyperlocal news site aimed at young people and written mainly by “grassroots” (read: unpaid) student journalists, has raised $3 million from Balderton Capital to build out its business. This is The Tab’s first fundraise and the startup — originally founded in the UK — will be using it to expand… Read More
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Stealthy London-based fintech startup Curve has closed a $2 million seed round from a rather notable list of early backers. Read More
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If you are based in Hong Kong, there is a high chance you’re part of the Facebook group swap-it-hk. In the forum of 46,000, members post used furniture or clothes for a chance that someone will be interested in picking up the item at a pre-set cost.
This Facebook group, which is now tied in to Singapore-based Carousell, should not be confused with Swapit, but both are similar in motive.
Swapit was launched earlier this year by entrepreneur Patrick Kosiol. The local marketplace and app announced today that they have raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Aria Ventures, a division of The Aria Group (ARIA).
The idea came when Koisol, who had previously been building apps for over 10 years in different variations, received news that he was going to be a father.
“At the time, my colleagues introduced me to a buy-and-sell group, and I managed to find some baby products. But there were many pain points to that whole process to get what you want. We thought we could build an app that would make it much easier to make it clear what you want,” says Koisol, who has been living in Hong Kong for the past eight years.
Also Read: Infographic: New web platform to bring Carousell’s listings to larger audiences
One of the pain points Koisol experienced was the process of picking up items. Let’s say you could find that ideal couch, but now you have to deal with the tricky logistics and costs of transporting it halfway across the city.
“If you’re in Sheung Wan [East side] you don’t want to buy something from Chai Wan [West side]. You want to be close, and you need direct communication,” says Koisol.
This is the “hyperlocal” component in his app, which encourages trading with people nearby.
“We believe Carousell and Duriana [Malaysia-based competitor] are much more passive products in the sense that they don’t have a proactive component to reach out to potential clients nearby,” says Koisol.
With the funding, Swapit will look into expansion outside of Hong Kong, into other densely-populated APAC cities.
Aria Ventures is a division of The Aria Group, a Hong Kong-based family office that provides early stage seed funding to technology startups globally. Kevin Kwong, CEO and Managing Partner at ARIA, will join Swapit’s board of directors.
Swapit has participated in the SoftLayer Catalyst, Microsoft BizSpark and Facebook’s new FbStart programme.
Also Read: [Updated] Mobile marketplace Carousell raises US$6M led by Sequoia Capital
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South African e-health startup CenHealth has partnered emergency services provider ER24 to use technology to speed up emergency response times, aiming to close the gap between patient information and emergency services and provide paramedics with rapid access to lifesaving information.
Disrupt Africa reported in January CenHealth launched what it claimed to be the most advanced public health record system in the country. The app allows users to keep an electronic version of their health records, storing information from weight and height to allergies and allowing South Africans to keep a health diary of all doctor appointments.
Users of CenHealth can now access ER24’s pre-hospital emergency care, including emergency stabilisation, medical emergency care transportation by road and air to the nearest hospital and trauma assistance. The service works in conjunction with CenHealth’s emergency profile, through which users enter important details such as allergies, medication and next of kin – all of which help paramedics respond more speedily and accurately in the event of an emergency.
The partnership is the first of its kind in Africa, where most patient’s records are in paper format, making critical information unavailable in an emergency.
Puseletso Mompei, CenHealth’s new business director, said the startup was passionate about offering users value added services, in conjunction with their digital health record.
“Our vision is to centralise the health experience for users. While having the ability to create, store and manage your health history from any device is empowering, we believe that this should integrate with real-life situations and allow user’s access health related services,” Mompei said.
The service is available for a fee of ZAR30 (US$2) per month, and is bundled with other new services, including a camera feature to allow users to upload images to their digital record. Users can also pay a discounted annual fee.
“Access is a priority for us, so keeping the price friendly was important,” said Mompei.
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India-based restaurant discovery and food ordering company Zomato has today announced its newest update to its online ordering system, which includes a live chat option.
Zomato’s ordering chat system via its Android app.
The feature, which has only been made available for customers in India and UAE, will allow users to chat with the team behind Zomato, if they need any assistance or to deal with various issues while ordering food off the platform.
According to a press release, the chat feature was built into the system through Zomato’s partnership with Konotor, a company that specialises in user engagement platforms.
Also Read: Custom-made: Online concepts made in India just for India
The contact centre is open from 9 AM to 11 PM India Standard Time across all Indian and UAE cities the company is operating in.
“With this update, we’ve focussed on improving and simplifying the communication flow between users and Zomato during the order process,” said Tanmay Saksena, Global Business Head – Online Ordering, Zomato.
Long operating as a food discovery platform since it was founded in 2008, Zomato started operating a food-ordering platform in May this year. It now has operations out of 23 cities, and claims to have more than a million restaurant listings on its platform.
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For many, the emergence of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are a godsend. Their open platforms enable anyone; from the novice inventor, to big companies such as Oculus Rift to crowd source the necessary funding that will fuel their dreams.
Successful campaigns like the Pebble Time smart watch (which received a total funding of US$20,338,986 at 4,067 percent of its goal) paint a beautiful narrative of innovation powered by people.
There is, however, a dark side. Consumers enraptured by seemingly groundbreaking products fail to understand that developing a product still involves a highly complicated technical process. For amateur entrepreneurs with a skeleton crew, this task is even more daunting and many throw in the towel after many delays and failures.
Here are five high-profile crowdfunding campaigns of 2015 that, like the wings of Icarus, became engulfed in the flames of over-ambition.
The CST-01 watch was to become the world’s thinnest watch at 0.80mm, displaying the time using e-ink in a stainless steel shell.
Despite exceeding its funding goal, raising more than US$1 million on Kickstarter in 2013, the CST-01 project encountered many issues with the manufacturing process.
Its numerous delays and missed deadlines were, at first, attributed to the need to fine-tune its parts and a longer-than-expected time to analyse samples from different manufacturers.
Then, there were problems with the quality of the batteries. The CST-01 team also underestimated the speed of production.
To compound the already growing mountain of problems, its manufacturing partner, Flextronics, demanded an additional US$1.2 million in 2015 to continue production (its engineer had to sleep out of a van at Flextronics’s parking lot). At this point, it claimed to have 135 units ready for shipping, although there was no evidence they were ever shipped. Many backers also doubted the claims.
Also Read: Why Chinese crowdfunding sites aren’t really for entrepreneurs
The final nail in the coffin was when Flextronics demanded that CST-01 withhold any comments about its manufacturing challenges or risk having the shipment of its products halted. The numerous updates on CST-01’s campaign page effectively rendered any possibility of an agreement null.
With the project sunk, CST-01 sought to liquidate its assets and make its development blueprints and documentation open source. No further updates were posted beyond that.
Singapored-based startup Pirate3D didn’t want to just democratise 3D printing, it wanted to develop a 3D printing ecosystem. It had a cloud-based component which would allow the Buccaneer 3D printer to print any 3D object sent from a web-enabled device. But as the saying goes, you have to learn to walk before you run.
Launched in 2013, Pirate3D hit its funding goal of US$100,000 on Kickstarter in just 10 minutes, before bagging a total funding of US$1.4 million. Hopes were high and it promised to include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) support once it hit the million-dollar mark.
However, Pirate3D soon backtracked on that promise, claiming that ABS was potentially toxic. Other promised features, including a heated bed, automatic bed calibration, automatic filament feeding and air filtration system, were also left out. There were also numerous delays due to manufacturing issues.
Also Read: Hardware startups in Korea succeed on global crowdfunding sites
Despite this, Pirate3D raised US$2 million from investors in Singapore and Germany earlier this year. In an interview with Tech in Asia, it said it planned to use the funds to fulfil outstanding orders and expand new markets. It also had a larger, commercial 3D printer in the works.
Reality soon hit the startup as irate backers demanded a refund. A supposedly malfunctioning script set the refund date almost two years away, further infuriating the backers.
In October, Pirate3D announced that it was struggling to raise money to fulfil its remaining orders, which stood at 60 percent.
In a Facebook post on October 19, 2015, Pirate3D pleaded with its backers for more understanding and empathy.
“I wish to assure our backers, supporters and the public that we will do all we can to make the necessary amendments to move forward; we have learned much from our growing pains and are pivoting to implement even more productive ways to meet the challenges we encounter. Our production pipeline now includes a more compact and competitively-priced 3D printer,” read the post.
Like many other failed crowdfunding campaigns, backers of of the US$99 Robotic Dragonfly Micro Aerial Vehicle had to endure a protracted series of delays and excuses before being informed that their wait was in vain.
Despite being funded in 2012, backers had to wait for three years before being told that the project had suffered serious financial problems because of complications in the manufacturing process.
US-based TechJect Inc sought to refund its backers, albeit slowly, and blamed the delay on Paypal and Indiegogo. It is still seeking to complete the project with some additional modifications to the device such as a more ergonomic design.
Also Read: ANTSDAQ, Alibaba’s online equity crowdfunding platform, launches beta version
“We have everyone’s best interest at heart and if nothing comes of it, we will give out all the company’s Dragonfly IP with full license authority to all our campaign backers for use, re-sale and more as they please to instigate recovery against their loss,” read a post on its campaign page.
ZANO is another drone crowdfunding project that had its wings clipped. The drone had everything going for it. It was compact enough to fit in your palm; featured an HD video camera and even claimed to be able to operate autonomously via your smartphone. It also raised a whopping £2,335,119 (US$3.52 million) of funding last year.
According to a BBC report, however, the drone was beset by problems. It had trouble staying airborne and the video quality was low. Shipment of the product was also given priority to those who had pre-ordered instead of the initial backers.
The company behind ZANO — UK-based Torquing Group, said that ZANO’s problems occurred mostly in the production phase.
For example, its production models weighed 15 grams more than its prototype, therefore affecting its performance. This led to redesign decisions such as the introduction of lighter plastics and larger propellers.
Also Read: Asia’s developing economies lead world in crowdfunding: Allied Crowds
This, however, failed to halt ZANO’s downward spiral. Last month, former Chief Executive Ivan Reedman announced his resignation from Torquing Group, citing “irreconcilable differences” and “health issues”.
Torquing Group says it is doing its best to fulfil its obligations but, for now, the drone is grounded for the long haul.
In theory, the Goji smart lock looked really promising. It could purportedly attach to any metal or wooden door and be unlocked or locked using your smartphone. It also had 256-bit encryption and multiple layers of security.
The Goji smart lock received widespread coverage from major publications such as the Rolling Stone, CNN and CNET and raised US$313,000 on its Indiegogo campaign in mid 2013.
So what went wrong?
Reading this far down, you probably would have guessed it — Manufacturing issues, production delays, yadda yadda.
Despite its problems, Bielet Inc managed to raise an additional US$800,000 on equity crowdfunding platform Fundable.
Its last update was in August on its Facebook page. In the post, Bielet posted screenshots of a working model of the Goji smart lock and promised a roll-out by November 2015. Further down in the comments section, it added that the team was “definitely still working on it” and that they “do feel (although can’t promise) the end is near.”
Also Read: Rewards-based vs equity crowdfunding — what works better?
Hardly reassuring statements, coupled with the fact that that November has come and gone and all that Bielet Inc has delivered so far is radio silence.
Honestly, would you entrust the security of your home to a company that has consistently failed to uphold its promises?
One backer summed up his frustrations rather succinctly in a Facebook post today: “WHAT IS HAPPENING? WHERE IS MY GOJI? ITS (sic) BEEN ALMOST 2 YEARS!!!!!!!!”
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Facebook has launched its Internet.org Innovation Challenge in Africa, looking to recognise African developers working on apps, websites and services for learning and economic empowerment and rewarding winners with US$150,000.
The Internet.org Innovation Challenge in Africa is open to developers across Africa, with Facebook to present an Innovation Challenge Award of US$150,000 to the app, website or service judged to be the best in each of the two categories.
Each Innovation Challenge Award winner will also receive a package of tools and services worth up to US$60,000 from Facebook’s FbStart program, while two other apps, websites or services in each category will receive an Impact Award prize in the amount of US$50,000.
The launch of the African challenge follows the conclusion of the Internet.org Innovation Challenge in India, which recognised people making the internet more relevant to women, students, farmers and migrant workers in India.
“The Internet.org Innovation Challenge in Africa supports our vision of a connected world by recognizing those who are working on solutions that aim to improve education and economic health of communities in Africa,” says Ime Archibong, director of strategic partnerships at Facebook.
“We’re looking forward to seeing how African developers are providing real value for their communities. By connecting people and empowering them with access to services and information, we can help them achieve extraordinary things and help them to enhance their lives.”
All entries must be received by May 1, 2016, with winners to be announced in August or September.
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Eight African startups and organisations have been named among the 2015 Nominet Trust 100 (NT100), a global celebration of the most inspiring uses of digital technology for social good.
Included among the African startups selected are Rwanda’s motorcycle taxi-hailing app SafeMotos, Kenyan pay-as-you-go solar provider M-KOPA Solar, Kenyan maternal health startup Totohealth and Cameroonian mobile health platform GiftedMom.
The other African organisations selected were Botswana Innovation Hub, women in tech support organisation AkiraChix, Cameroonian medical tablet CardioPad, and Ghanaian agricultural communication tool Esoko.
Complied each year, the 2015 NT100 was put together from a combination of over 500 public nominations and in-house research, which produced a shortlist of 150 projects.
This shortlist was then presented to judging partners of ten tech and charity organisations, including the Big Lottery Fund, Comic Relief, Creative England, Facebook, Latimer Group, Nominet and O2 Telefonica, who decided on the top 100.
Projects featured in the NT100 use technology to tackle some of the world’s biggest social problems, including support for refugees in Europe, healthcare, social inclusion and emergency response to natural disasters.
“It is fantastic to see that the incredible danger of traffic accidents across Africa is becoming more and more recognised. We are deeply honoured to see our hardwork and passion appreciated and look forward to leveraging the Nominet 100 Trust recognition to keep raising awareness of what is, after HIV/AIDS, the greatest killer on the continent of Africa,” said SafeMotos co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO) Peter Kariuki.
The selected African projects are rubbing shoulders with global projects such as Google’s Project Loon, which aims to deliver internet connectivity to developing countries via large air balloons, and Wayfindr, a project led by the Royal London Society for Blind People (RLSB), which allows visually impaired people to navigate via an audio smartphone app.
“Remarkable people all over the world are embracing technology to combat some of the most pressing social challenges we face today,” Vicki Hearn, director of Nominet Trust, said.
“This year in particular, the resourcefulness of organisations helping those in urgent need is hugely inspirational. Initiatives supporting the communities devastated by the Ebola outbreak and the Nepal earthquake are powerful examples of how imaginative use of digital technology can enable us to respond swiftly to rapidly evolving crises.”
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African mobile learning startup Sterio.me, which was created during AMPION precursor StartupBus Africa in 2013, has closed down after failing to find a sufficient product-market fit.
Disrupt Africa reported last year on Sterio.me, which was born on the five-day StartupBus hackathon between Harare, Zimbabwe and Cape Town, South Africa the year before last.
The startup aimed to engage learners outside the classroom via mobile to reinforce in-classroom learning. A “sterio” is a pre-recorded interactive lesson delivered via an SMS-triggered inbound voice call to the learner, which is accessible to learners even with feature or basic phones and does not require internet access.
Sterio.me spent some time honing and building its product in Lesotho, with a view to rolling out in other African countries, but has now called it a day.
“Ultimately we couldn’t find product-market fit in a way that not only covered social impact – as many teachers wanted to use our platform – but also covered costs – via telecoms, ministries and other means – within the timelines these deals took to close and the runway we had available,” Sterio.me founder and co-chief executive officer (CEO) Christopher Pruijsen told Disrupt Africa.
“Our approach required more intense partnerships – with less easy market entry – and thus also increased our risk on this front.”
After its launch, Sterio.me was bootstrapped for nine months,but it eventually raised US$40,000 in funding from the Start-Up Chile accelerator as well as EUR15,000 (US$16,000) from the Cheetah Fund, a crowdfunding platform open to African innovators, which is sponsored by the Dutch National Postcode Lottery Fund.
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The average U.S. individual online time spent with social media is estimated at 1.77 hours every day – split between an average of four active accounts. This is growing rapidly, and as such has contributed to an explosion of available digital content and information sharing.
Facebook users send 31.25 million messages and view 2.77 million videos a minute.
Over 300 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute.
There are 6,000 tweets per second and 500 million tweets per day.
100 billion emails are sent per day.
It has furthermore been reported that the human attention span is reducing, now under 8 seconds, which is less than a goldfish. The ability to multi-task has however reportedly improved, as consumers adapt to a fragmented world of constant online stimuli. With a wealth of information and increased time spent multi-tasking between multiple accounts this can mean some content is quickly overlooked or lost.
Memsaver’s integrated application provides a hub for this information – allowing users to save their favorite content, create lists and share information, looking to drive improved online experiences.
We spoke to James Hare, CEO and founder of Memsaver to find the story behind the creation of this software, and his views on our developing online habits.
James, what current trends do you see in the realms of data and social networking?
Right now, we are in a golden age of apps for news discovery, social networking and cloud storage. But trying to find and curate the things we actually value in all that data is a total disaster. Most people pull their online content from a variety of platforms that have no way of communicating with each other.
This makes it very difficult for the average internet user to save all of the content that they value. Cloud storage and social media have dramatically improved how we collaborate with friends and colleagues, but they have also lead to a surge of data meaning often your favorite content could be overlooked, or quickly forgotten.
How does Memsaver look to solve the issue of data overload?
Memsaver is an online hub that allows users to save all of their favorite online content- email, social media posts, photos, and files- in one place. What makes Memsaver special is that it synchronizes across 12 apps- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, Soundcloud, YouTube, Tumblr, Google Drive, Gmail, Dropbox, Vimeo, and Evernote- so you don’t ever have to worry about losing online content again, even if comes from a bunch of different sources.
Memsaver creates a private space for users to collect and interact with their most important memories. Our service means a user can filter out the noise to view and republish their favorite content, no matter where the original data lives. It’s an easy way to find and follow everything, everywhere.
How did you come up with the idea for Memsaver?
I was inspired to create Memsaver whilst participating in a 10-day meditation retreat. During this time, I was banned from going online or using technology. With no distractions, my thoughts turned to how much of our online presence had been compartmentalized into silos that don’t communicate with each other. I realized that that there was no reliable system that can pull together information from across various platforms into one simple place. I saw this as a massive problem and the underlying cause for why so much important information gets lost. This is how I came up with the idea of Memsaver. I wanted to build a platform that could curate collections of my favorite online memories in one screen.
What are your plans for the future development of Memsaver?
Right now, we are focused on expanding the functional capabilities of our platform. We have built both a mobile and web app in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. Memsaver currently works across 12 different platforms, and we are working to expand this as well. As online tendencies continue to evolve and fragment we aim to support this with constant integrations. It is in this way we plan to act as a net, ensuring improved digital experiences – and making sure that the best parts are never lost.
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