Startup

In this instalment of our Startup Feature series, we speak with Oliver Duric from Grezzy, one of our BizSpark startups. Grezzy is a software platform in the health and fitness space that connects people, tracks activities, motivates to be active and compete with the goal of living healthy. Grezzy has also recently moved into Microsoft’s office premise at One Marina Boulevard, as part of the BizSpark Residency program. For those who are curious to find out more about BizSpark Residency following the recent news releases (like this and this), read on! [caption id=“attachment_20630” align=“alignnone” width=“769”] Oliver Duric from Grezzy, seated at his co-working space in Microsoft Innovation Centre[/caption] ...

Echelon Asia Summit 2015 is an annual tech conference organized by e27, a platform for tech start-up founders, businesses, investors and industry leaders in Asia’s tech industry. The summit celebrated the best of our Asian start-up scene, and took place this year from 23 - 24 June 2015 at Singapore Expo Hall 3. Over the 2 days, there was an estimated 2,500 attendees coming from start-ups, venture capitalists, corporates and the media. Echelon aims to be the focal point for Asia’s technology leaders, innovative businesses, bold investors and forward-thinking industry representatives to leverage on future trends currently shaping Asia’s internet and mobile markets, and this is also achieved through keynote sessions, workshops and panel discussions with over 70 speakers from all around the world. Delegates also had the opportunity to forge new alliances with Asia’s most noteworthy start-ups and investment players, and build long-lasting investment, trade and market-access partnerships. The different booths and showcases were grouped into a few zones around the exhibition hall, including Top 100 Start-ups, IoT Showcases and Drone Zone. Nicholas, May and I from the Microsoft Developer Experience and Evangelism team joined in the summit and here are some of the highlights! [caption id=“playme” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Augmented reality application by Playme [/caption] [caption id=“vibease” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Stay Intimate Beyond Fantasy by Vibease [/caption] [caption id=“6estates” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Real-time digital ethnography by 6Estates[/caption] [caption id=“workshop” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Enthusiastic participants during a workshop by IBM [/caption] [caption id=“workshop” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Workshop on start-up culture [/caption] [caption id=“3divi” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] 3-D computer vision by 3DiVi [/caption] [caption id=“neopop” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Light up your pet with Neo Pop [/caption] [caption id=“xbox” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Challenge your friends to a game on Xbox [/caption] [caption id=“doob” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Chill out with doob bean bags [/caption] [caption id=“dronematters” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Fly some drones with Drone Matters [/caption] [caption id=“refershments” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Recharge with some refreshments [/caption] [caption id=“qlipp” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Perfect your tennis swings with Qlipp [/caption] During the summit, we also had the opportunity to interact with some of our Microsoft BizSpark start-ups who were actively sharing their awesome ideas to the attendees. They shared about their entrepreneurship experiences thus far and also their roadmap for the subsequent journey. Their enthusiasm and passion in what they do sure inspire us a whole lot! If you have a start-up idea and would like to embark on one, be sure to check out our Microsoft BizSpark programme, where you can get up to $750 per month of FREE Azure cloud services for 3 years for up to 5 developers, and also free software and tools such as Visual Studio and Microsoft Office!

InnovFest Singapore 2015 was a 2-day festival held over 2 days (28 - 29 April) at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre. The event featured Asian innovation and brought the best ideas together. 1,500 entrepreneurs, investors, government agencies and researchers had the opportunity to meet, share their knowledge and network. [caption id=“innovfest_001” align=“aligncenter” width=“5184”] InnovFest - where Asian innovation meets the world[/caption] The Guest-of-Honor, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, the Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation initiative, shared in his opening address about the importance of innovation for our survival. He also took pride in sharing how half of Singapore’s cabinet ministers are engineers, and also how our very own Prime Minister can code. [caption id=“innovfest_002” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] Dr. Balakrishnan had the opportunity to interact with the innovators[/caption] I had an amazing experience of talking to different innovators and sharing about Microsoft BizSpark, a program which gives startups 3 years of free stuff – software, service, tech support, and Azure cloud services. As I was roaming around different booths, I had the chance to check out all the new and really cool apps, innovations and cutting edge technologies! Some of the interesting ideas include a a watch that helps hook people up with the opposite gender located nearby, a smart home that can automatically light up your room with using a Kinect sensor based on your identity and profile, a bicycle with wheels that depicts engaging displays. [caption id=“innovfest_003” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] Bicycle that displays advertisements[/caption] [caption id=“innovfest_004” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] Smart home using Kinect sensor[/caption] [caption id=“innovfest_005” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] Startup Gamurai showcasing their awesome product[/caption] [caption id=“innovfest_006” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] Nicholas sharing with start-ups about Microsoft BizSpark[/caption] Apart from exhibitions, there were also workshops and panel discussions on the latest trends in global & Asian innovations, keynote speeches and a series of satellite events. We have our very own Director of Developer Experience & Evangelism of Microsoft Singapore, Mr. Nobuhiro Ito, sharing about the secrets of Asia’s User Goldmine together in a panel discussion. [caption id=“innovfest_007” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] Panel Discussion on Discovering Asia’s User Goldmine[/caption] [caption id=“innovfest_008” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] Workshops in InnovFest[/caption] Attendees were treated with a wide variety of delicious food, ranging from an international buffet spread to local delights such as chicken rice and nasi lemak, and also awesome tasting coffee. Over lunch, we also had the opportunity to network with different attendees and exchange ideas around the table. [caption id=“innovfest_009” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] Buffet Spread for lunch[/caption] [caption id=“innovfest_005” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] The roundtable setting facilitates discussions among attendees[/caption] [caption id=“innovfest_005” align=“aligncenter” width=“1919”] The Cortana boys[/caption] With so many mind-blowing ideas, amazing people and a constant spread of sumptuous meals, it is no doubt Asia’s most exciting innovation conference. I’m definitely looking forward to attending the next one, are you?

Singapore, April 20, 2015 – SPRING Singapore and Intel Singapore today announced a joint initiative to support startups and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) interested in developing products and services in the Internet-of-Things (IoT) and Wearable segments. The goal of this initiative is to establish an ecosystem of Singapore companies capable of developing world-class IoT and wearable products and services, based on Intel technology. The initiative is being managed under SPRING’s Partnerships for Capability Transformation (PACT) programme, of which Intel is a supporting member. Under PACT, Intel works closely with SPRING to identify SMEs and provide business and technology guidance. Currently, there are nine local startups and tech innovators that are part of this initiative including T-Ware, ConnectedHealth, Newton Circus, gridComm, Trilogy Technologies, NexTan, RFCOM Technologies and Design Exchange. These companies have strong industry expertise in healthcare wearables, IOT solutions for remote patient/elderly monitoring, home energy management systems as well as expertise in wireless technology, manufacturing and user experience design. Jointly, the members will identify projects and business opportunities in Healthcare, Home Energy Management and Assisted Living verticals. The Centre of Innovation for Electronics located at Nanyang Polytechnic will also provide consultation and engineering support for this initiative. “SPRING is highly supportive of Intel’s mentorship role in this initiative. Building capabilities in IoT and Wearable technologies is a complex undertaking and we value the expertise and guidance from companies such as Intel. Through this collaboration under the PACT programme, SPRING will work closely with Intel to continue identifying projects and capability development programmes to support candidates in this initiative. The PACT programme, jointly administered by SPRING and Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), encourages mutually beneficial partnerships between large organisations and SMEs in various capability building areas,” said Fung Mok Wing, Director, Partnerships for Capability Transformation (PACT), SPRING Singapore. “We are pleased to be a part of the PACT programme and look forward to working with SPRING on this initiative, enabling solutions and platforms catering to industry needs,” said Sumner Lemon, Intel Country Manager for Singapore. “IoT is a rapidly growing market but faces scalability hurdles. By establishing a well-connected ecosystem with common goals focusing on verticals, we believe the Singaporean companies and tech innovators will be able to accelerate the development of products and solutions in the IoT and Wearable segments”.

In the next installment of our Startup Features, we talk to Alex Chan from Babbobox, one of our BizSpark startups. Babbobox is a Singapore startup that deals with Cloud DMS (Document Management System) allowing people to collaborate and manage their document life-cycle better. Is this your main occupation? Yes. Even though I have vested interest in some other businesses, but I started Babbobox, therefore, no effort will be spared for Babbobox. ...

The first SaaS conference dedicated to businesses in Asia took place on 29th January 2015. It featured numerous panels, fireside chats, workshops, and round table discussions by distinguished industry leaders, including Gary Luton (Salesforce.com), James Fitzgerald (ServiceNow), Cameron Priest (TradeGecko), and Ivan Gomez (Microsoft Office). I was fortunate to be able to attend the conference and pick up a few key lessons along the way. 1. Culture of Transparency. Both panelists, Joel Gascoigne (Buffer) and Jon Yongfook (Beatrix), shared their experiences with promoting transparency in their organizations. Joel advocated mailing lists that fellow employees can subscribe in order to keep track of conversations and to learn from the knowledge being disseminated. There are no issues with accountability (i.e. “you are supposed to read this”) as employees do not have formal titles and the focus is on individuals wanting to take ownership by keep tracking of discussions that mattered to them. On the other hand, Jon focused on work-life balance where employees are expected to follow a routine of completing their work on time so that they are able to take time off to relax on the beach. 2. Increase SaaS market adoption in Asia. Panelists, such as Ivan Gomez (Microsoft Office) and Gary Luton (Salesforce.com), highlighted key issues in adopting SaaS in Asia such as infrastructure and government regulations. However, the key challenge is cultivating trust between SaaS providers and customers. Traditionally, software providers only need to service their customers periodically to renew licenses, and to up-sell and cross-sell products and services. However, with a diverse marketplace and rising customer expectations, SaaS providers are expected to continually demonstrate customer success. They will need to work closely with customers to ensure that their suite of products and services address corporate challenges and deliver value for their businesses. Value can be defined as either reducing costs or increasing profit margins. To facilitate market adoption, SaaS providers can deploy local teams in key markets as they will not be able to fully anticipate how the market will react to their messages. Ivan cited examples of using customized fonts and avoiding the morning traffic as unexpected drivers of SaaS adoption in markets such as Thailand and Indonesia. 3. Beyond $1 Million in Recurring Revenue. James Fitzgerald (ServiceNow) highlighted the difficulty of breaking into the Asian market without a brand and an ecosystem to support SaaS products and services. Generally, Asians are more risk averse which creates difficulty in hiring talents and convincing customers to adopt SaaS. James suggested the use of “5 Whys” to discover the customer’s core issue that is creating a barrier towards change. A “proof of concept” can also be introduced into sales and marketing activities, where customers are encouraged to share their biggest challenge and to invite all stakeholders to participate in product trials. It enables SaaS solutions to “speak for itself” and demonstrate its value to the customers. 4. Best Practices of SaaS Giants. Industry giants, such as Salesforce.com and Anaplan, shared their best practices in SaaS markets. One of the most important practices is to continuously focus on customer trust and success that will help to drive a high level of customer innovation and engagement for the ecosystem. This key factor of success is demonstrated in Anaplan’s rapid expansion into 11 countries within 6 months. The company built upon their ecosystem via an app market and partnerships with SaaS leaders such as Salesforce.com and Blue Jeans. 5. Key Metrics for SaaS Startups. Beside the typical metrics of customer acquisition and retention rates, panelists stressed the importance of MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) as an important measurement of success which can be further broken down into segments (e.g. MRR for new customers and existing customers) to facilitate A/B testing, such as pricing adjustments. However, SaaS startups should devote time and energy to manage these high-level metrics and ensure that they are relevant to employees. Otherwise, these metrics will become a white elephant that is only displayed and mentioned in the presence of management. To avoid this pitfall, SaaS startups can allow each project team to identify and present their own metrics that are important for their customer segments. I enjoyed myself at the conference where I learnt a lot from industry leaders and made various new connections for future collaborations. In my opinion, the conference was a success and I am looking forward to the next edition. What do you think of SaaS Business Asia Conference 2015? Please share your experiences in the comments below and provide your suggestions on the next event that we should cover.

The .NET Developers Community Singapore will have the second meetup. Join the community and meetup. This month the community will share on developing web using .NET. The event will be at *SCAPE The Colony on January 28, 2015, 7.00 PM - 9.00 PM. If you want to know or learn .NET, this community is the best place for you. [caption id=“attachment_19000” align=“aligncenter” width=“722”] *SCAPE The Colony[/caption] Here is the details; http://www.meetup.com/NET-Developers-SG/events/219106052/ Lucky member can win one Western Digital Passport Ultra 1TB (White) door prize for free. ...

Hi All, I would like to invite you to join this Azure Community in Singapore. We will be having the first meetup on February 10. If you want to meet the Microsoft Azure experts, masters, developers, Microsoft MVPs and wants to be friends with them and can learn/share knowledge, than this is the place to be. Come and join this first meetup and bring your friends as well so you be able to know the Azure community member in Singapore. Here is the Agenda for the meetup: ...

Hi there, We would like to invite you all to join the .NET Developers Community Singapore.The community is for anyone who are passionate/interested in developing software application in .NET ecosystem and its related technologies. If you happen to be a C#, WPF, ASP.NET, WebAPI 2.1, SignalR, Roslyn, Microsoft Azure, server-side, .NET enthusiast, etc. the community is certainly for you and you should join in. Development using .NET is very exciting, easy and it’s open-source now. We welcome to all developers for the new era of .NET related development and for non .NET developers as well. Try .NET. .NET Core in Linux and Mac The .NET Core project is under the stewardship of the .NET Foundation. We believe that to be a critical part in promoting and advancing the .NET Core stack. You can create all of back-end codes and client side using C# and .NET for cross-platform and multi-platform (Xamarin, Unity 3D, Mono, etc.). One framework, one language that works for all platform and devices. ...

In the next installment of our Startup and Developer feature series, Spiffy talks to Nicholas Yong, the founder of BridgingMinds, a BizSpark startup. BridgingMinds is a Singapore startup with a recent unique take on online learning systems for companies called LeanersHive. I’ll leave it to Nicholas to tell you more! Describe yourself in three words. Why? Never say DIE! As an entrepreneur and startup, we are constantly finding way to gain acceptance of our new products and services to our clients. It is an up hill battle and many may fall due to the many factors. Strength of character and never say die attitude is what keeps us going strong and listening to our clients on what’s need to be done. ...