Startup Kobster brings entire office supplies range online

According to the report by the Global Industry Analysts, the worldwide office writing and marking instrument market is expected to reach almost $22 Billion by the year 2017, with paper based products holding the key share share. The growth is expected to be powered by the demands from Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific region of the world.

A number of regional startups have sprung up, with a one-stop solution for all the office supplies. Brainchild of Vineet Neeraj, the Chennai based venture Kobster,  is looking to tap fast into this segment. With a clear focus on the small and the medium enterprises, home businesses and startups, Kobster provides offices with everything, ranging from office stationery to vending machines to cleaning equipment and thus providing a unique proposition to the offices.

The office supply market is currently unorganized in India with emergence of no key player. Kobster is looking to simplify the process by cutting the middleman and the need to manage multiple vendors for the products by sourcing all their products from them. Kobster maintains an inventory of the fastest selling products and provides a credit account policy where the enterprises can apply for credit on their purchases for  7-21 days (though this feature is currently limited to Chennai only).

Soon they will be launching an e-procurement software which will be tightly integrated with Kobster website. The idea would be to make the entire purchase as transparent as possible for the corporations. By having an approval process in place within the company between the administration and management, all the purchases would be forwarded to Kobster.

Kobster is not alone in making use of this opportunity in the office supply segment. We have seen the rise of Indian startups looking to tap into this niche sector, with the presence of eSupply and 1Click1Call both of which bring their own unique offering to the tally. While the former focuses purely on the organizational procurement, the latter provides supplies for both offices and the schools. This sector is surely seeing a lot of activity not only with the B2B model, but also by directly engaging with the consumers by expanding the share to school supplies and stationery.

Recommended Analysis: The Online Education and Stationery Market in India

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TechLaunch 2012, the NUS technology unconference, happens next Saturday

Next Saturday, the Industry Liaison Office of NUS is organising its annual TechLaunch.

TechLaunch is an unconference around NUS technology, an ideation venue for imagineers, inventors, makers, developers, hackers, self-starters, entrepreneurs and people with great doses of curiosity and mental wanderlust. At TechLaunch you will have the opportunity to mingle with creatives playing with the latest NUS IT technologies.

The event has two main parts. TechLaunch starts off with a casual event networking and team formation, followed by idea drafting. In the second part, teams will work on an idea to transform NUS technologies into products or services. The best team which successfully turns the NUS technologies into real products or services will be awarded with attractive prizes from Microsoft, Research in Motion, as well as Amazon Web Services.

On top of the team formation and pitching, TechLaunch will also showcase a range of technologies in the fields of data mining, semantic analysis, image and video analysis, biometrics, interactive video, e-business, fashion, e-health, gaming, surveillance and many others.

Event Details:

Date: 15th September 2012

Time: 10am – 6.30pm

Venue: NUS Engineering Auditorium

Address: 9, Engineering Dr 1, Singapore, Singapore

Agenda:

10.00 Registration/Networking/Tech fair

10.30 Main presentation (inside the auditorium)

11.30 2 Ideation segments.

13.00 Pizza is ready. Mingle during lunch to put together a killer team.

14.00 Pick and choose technologies and build and idea based on them. Work on your idea, extend it, and create a poster to explain your product/service. Put up your poster and get ready to vote.

16.30 Take a look at the team posters and vote for the best. If your poster is among the best you will get to pitch.

17.15 Pitch your idea in front of a panel of experts and win prizes.

You can register for the event at the Techlaunch2012 Eventbrite page.

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TechLaunch 2012, the NUS technology unconference, happens next Saturday

Next Saturday, the Industry Liaison Office of NUS is organising its annual TechLaunch.

TechLaunch is an unconference around NUS technology, an ideation venue for imagineers, inventors, makers, developers, hackers, self-starters, entrepreneurs and people with great doses of curiosity and mental wanderlust. At TechLaunch you will have the opportunity to mingle with creatives playing with the latest NUS IT technologies.

The event has two main parts. TechLaunch starts off with a casual event networking and team formation, followed by idea drafting. In the second part, teams will work on an idea to transform NUS technologies into products or services. The best team which successfully turns the NUS technologies into real products or services will be awarded with attractive prizes from Microsoft, Research in Motion, as well as Amazon Web Services.

On top of the team formation and pitching, TechLaunch will also showcase a range of technologies in the fields of data mining, semantic analysis, image and video analysis, biometrics, interactive video, e-business, fashion, e-health, gaming, surveillance and many others.

Event Details:

Date: 15th September 2012

Time: 10am – 6.30pm

Venue: NUS Engineering Auditorium

Address: 9, Engineering Dr 1, Singapore, Singapore

Agenda:

10.00 Registration/Networking/Tech fair

10.30 Main presentation (inside the auditorium)

11.30 2 Ideation segments.

13.00 Pizza is ready. Mingle during lunch to put together a killer team.

14.00 Pick and choose technologies and build and idea based on them. Work on your idea, extend it, and create a poster to explain your product/service. Put up your poster and get ready to vote.

16.30 Take a look at the team posters and vote for the best. If your poster is among the best you will get to pitch.

17.15 Pitch your idea in front of a panel of experts and win prizes.

You can register for the event at the Techlaunch2012 Eventbrite page.

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Six Entrepreneurship Lessons from The Dark Knight’s Joker [Knows competition inside-out]

Apart from being the best of the Batman trilogy by Christopher Nolan—and the timeless Joker performance by Heath Ledger—The Dark Knight has also has some serious lessons for entrepreneurs. The case in point is none other than the Joker, who is easily the most effective villain Batman encounters. Criminal or eccentric, the Joker is a model entrepreneur that takes his gang from negligence to omnipotence within a very short time. Can entrepreneurs learn some lessons from him?

Sure, but before we begin, let’s put a smile on our faces . . . *Why so serious?*

1. The Joker knows the competition inside-out: He knows Batman not the way the other criminals know him; the Joker knows the mind of the Batman. He knows what rules Batman will never break, and uses this “secret knowledge” to cause him much agony. This secret knowledge also saves him in the scene where the Batman is riding his bike straight at the Joker and he’s mumbling, “C’mon. Hit me. I want you to do it, I want you to do it”. Well, he knows Batman will never kill, and uses it to unsettle the Dark Knight.
2. The Joker is persuasive: There comes a moment in every entrepreneurship when only persuasion can save the deal, or the company. The Joker is persuasion personified, which he uses to full effect to brainwash Harvey Dent into adopting the character of Two Face. This proves to be the critical moment of the movie, and presents long-term problems for Batman and the police.
3. The Joker is outrageous in his risk-taking: The Joker takes reckless risks. He’s not the mouse that squeaks and runs from one corner to the other. Consider what he does when Gamble (at the start of the movie) puts a bounty on his head. He stages his own death, gets right into the heart of the mafia’s den, and slices Gamble to death. Later in the movie when he’s talking to Harvey Dent in the hospital, the Joker raises the stakes by handing Dent a revolver. He could have got himself killed—considering that Harvey Dent blamed him for what happened—but he knew in order to score big he’d have to shatter Dent’s good side . . . and he’s willing to bet his life on it!
4. The Joker has large goals: What does the Joker want, really? He’s not the ordinary petty criminal (which he proves by burning the money). He wants to “upset the established order” and thinks that the Batman would be a lot of “fun” in accomplishing these aims. He thinks big and plans big – hence his big successes.
5. The Joker is an intelligent employer: When the Joker finishes off gamble, he doesn’t hire his men right off the cuff. He wants to try them out first, and only the fittest (the land man standing in a broken-billiards-cue-stabbing match) would make it to his team.
6. The Joker never stops to have fun: The best way to approach life, no matter what your aims, is to have fun at it. So we see the Joker always laughing and cracking jokes, and trying to make others smile. That they don’t get the humor is not his problem; he’s too busy having fun!

Having problems with your venture? Think that inspiration is drying up? It’s time to borrow a trick or two from our beloved Joker.

*Why so serious?*

[About the author: Ankush Thakur is a freelance writer who likes to wear different hats. He can be reached at www.ankushthakur.com]

Image source: Wikipedia

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Shanda’s Daguan is a Flipboard Clone with Bookmarking Features

Shanda’s Daguan news app aims to give readers a new meaning to, and experience of, reading. It is basically a mobile newsreader, where it provides a wide range of news and stories on topics such as lifestyle, fashion, technology, food, travel, etc. The Flipboard clone mainly provides the same services as Flipboard itself – except for one, which is connecting fellow readers in the community.

The Daguan app has a bookmarking feature that collates the user’s “liked” articles in a reading corner, where the user can keep a collection of it and also making it easier for the user to re-visit the articles. Users can also follow other users to check out what they read. In this way users are able to connect with other users, and build and strengthen the entire reading community.

I feel that this particular feature of the app does make it more convenient for the readers to communicate and connect, something that I have not seen on Flipboard yet. If you are a frequent reader and if you are interested to connect with other reading fanatics, you might want to download this app, which is available on iOS.

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Finding amazing food with Wongnai, Thailand’s Yelp

Thailand based Wongnai was launched back in 2010, allows users to review restaurants and discover good food in Thailand.

After Hungrygowhere’s S$12 million acquisition by Singtel earlier this year, we have discovered another similar startup in Thailand which offers the same service. Positioned as the Yelp and Hungrygowhere of Thailand, Wongnai operates with the vision of helping people discover great food around in Thailand. Launched in 2010, Wongnai has seen an amazing growth of over 400 percent this year alone. The team is bootstrapped and has just started to look for funding to further expand their business.

Founders with successful track record

Wongnai is cofounded by Yod Chinsupakul, who is currently the CEO. Yod graduated with an MBA from UCLA Anderson where he also completed his undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering. Prior to starting Wongnai in 2010, Yod spent four and a half year with Thomson Reuters. Yod also cofounded a small website called trustbeat.com while he was studying in United States. On top of being an active online entrepreneur, Yod is also very much an offline entrepreneur. He is also the co-owner of a few restaurants in Bangkok, which helps him a lot in understanding the food business. Definitely the right skills and attitude in running a startup.

The cofounder of Wongnai is Mr Pattrawoot Suesatayasilp, who serves as the CTO. Pattrawoot has more than 10 years experience in website development. Prior to Wongnai, Pattrawoot cofounded First Vision Advantage when he was in college. First Vision Advantage is now under the global FIVA umbrella brand.

Inspired by United States based Yelp

As both the cofounders spent some time in the states, they were inspired by United States based Yelp. Recognizing there is a need for restaurant review website everywhere in the world, they came back to Thailand and cofounded Wongnai. ”It’s obvious that this is a very useful service and we know people will need it.” shared Yod in an email interview with e27.

When asked about the  current opportunities for business listing sites in Thailand and its key challenges, Yod is optimistic. “I think the industry is just getting started. Currently there are enquiries almost every day from local businesses asking to be advertised on our website and our mobile apps; a year ago we barely had any. Similar to the Internet and mobile advertising market as a whole, business listing in Thailand has big room for growth. People are just realising now that people do spend more time on their smartphones than any other media out there.”

“The challenges I would say is the “local” nature of the business. We have to be in the area to talk and explain the benefits to local businesses. We have to be physically there to have a better chance therefore it can be hard to scale,” says Yod.

Growth and traction of Wongnai since launch

Wongnai only started to get more traction in 2011 to  2012. The team has had a tough time in 2010. However, things turned to the brighter when they saw over four times growth in terms of traffic and number of users in 2012 alone. Generally, the locals are receptive towards Wongnai. As a result, there is a very active community on Wongnai where users help each other to discover the best food in Thailand.

 

Startup ecosystem in Thailand

Yod also shares an optimistic view on the startup ecosystem in Thailand. “It’s totally different now in the last six months. It’s much better now. When I first started, there was next to nothing; now if you look around there are networking events, pitching sessions, incubators offering supports, coworking spaces for startups, media focusing on the startup news, so it’s good. However, I still think the ecosystem only goes as far as our region (basically ASEAN). I think, apart from the select few, we are not yet there to compete globally in terms of ability and resources.”

Three obstacles of starting up in Thailand

Focusing more on the topic of global competence, Yod mentioned three fundamental obstacles Thailand startups face. “I think there are primarily three obstacles. First, I don’t think we are built to be innovative.  We can trace this back to the Thai education system where voicing your opinion is almost prohibitive. You are conditioned to be good listeners but not a thinker or a speaker. Of course there are some exceptions but from what I observed, the more innovative Thailand startups received education and/or had experience overseas.”

Yod followed that up by saying the community lacked support from the government. “The recent Khun Suek vs Samurai event was the first event that is held by a government agency. Even for that event, it was originated from the Samurai side (a Japanese company – Samurai Incubator). Other than that, we haven’t had any real support.”

Yod ended off with the obvious one: the language barrier. “Basically English is not our first language.”

The e27 team will be going over to Thailand next week for our inaugural Founders Drinks Bangkok to learn more about the Thai startup ecosystem and find ways to continue to support the developing scene.

 

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Finding amazing food with Wongnai, Thailand’s Yelp

Thailand based Wongnai was launched back in 2010, allows users to review restaurants and discover good food in Thailand.

After Hungrygowhere’s S$12 million acquisition by Singtel earlier this year, we have discovered another similar startup in Thailand which offers the same service. Positioned as the Yelp and Hungrygowhere of Thailand, Wongnai operates with the vision of helping people discover great food around in Thailand. Launched in 2010, Wongnai has seen an amazing growth of over 400 percent this year alone. The team is bootstrapped and has just started to look for funding to further expand their business.

Founders with successful track record

Wongnai is cofounded by Yod Chinsupakul, who is currently the CEO. Yod graduated with an MBA from UCLA Anderson where he also completed his undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering. Prior to starting Wongnai in 2010, Yod spent four and a half year with Thomson Reuters. Yod also cofounded a small website called trustbeat.com while he was studying in United States. On top of being an active online entrepreneur, Yod is also very much an offline entrepreneur. He is also the co-owner of a few restaurants in Bangkok, which helps him a lot in understanding the food business. Definitely the right skills and attitude in running a startup.

The cofounder of Wongnai is Mr Pattrawoot Suesatayasilp, who serves as the CTO. Pattrawoot has more than 10 years experience in website development. Prior to Wongnai, Pattrawoot cofounded First Vision Advantage when he was in college. First Vision Advantage is now under the global FIVA umbrella brand.

Inspired by United States based Yelp

As both the cofounders spent some time in the states, they were inspired by United States based Yelp. Recognizing there is a need for restaurant review website everywhere in the world, they came back to Thailand and cofounded Wongnai. ”It’s obvious that this is a very useful service and we know people will need it.” shared Yod in an email interview with e27.

When asked about the  current opportunities for business listing sites in Thailand and its key challenges, Yod is optimistic. “I think the industry is just getting started. Currently there are enquiries almost every day from local businesses asking to be advertised on our website and our mobile apps; a year ago we barely had any. Similar to the Internet and mobile advertising market as a whole, business listing in Thailand has big room for growth. People are just realising now that people do spend more time on their smartphones than any other media out there.”

“The challenges I would say is the “local” nature of the business. We have to be in the area to talk and explain the benefits to local businesses. We have to be physically there to have a better chance therefore it can be hard to scale,” says Yod.

Growth and traction of Wongnai since launch

Wongnai only started to get more traction in 2011 to  2012. The team has had a tough time in 2010. However, things turned to the brighter when they saw over four times growth in terms of traffic and number of users in 2012 alone. Generally, the locals are receptive towards Wongnai. As a result, there is a very active community on Wongnai where users help each other to discover the best food in Thailand.

 

Startup ecosystem in Thailand

Yod also shares an optimistic view on the startup ecosystem in Thailand. “It’s totally different now in the last six months. It’s much better now. When I first started, there was next to nothing; now if you look around there are networking events, pitching sessions, incubators offering supports, coworking spaces for startups, media focusing on the startup news, so it’s good. However, I still think the ecosystem only goes as far as our region (basically ASEAN). I think, apart from the select few, we are not yet there to compete globally in terms of ability and resources.”

Three obstacles of starting up in Thailand

Focusing more on the topic of global competence, Yod mentioned three fundamental obstacles Thailand startups face. “I think there are primarily three obstacles. First, I don’t think we are built to be innovative.  We can trace this back to the Thai education system where voicing your opinion is almost prohibitive. You are conditioned to be good listeners but not a thinker or a speaker. Of course there are some exceptions but from what I observed, the more innovative Thailand startups received education and/or had experience overseas.”

Yod followed that up by saying the community lacked support from the government. “The recent Khun Suek vs Samurai event was the first event that is held by a government agency. Even for that event, it was originated from the Samurai side (a Japanese company – Samurai Incubator). Other than that, we haven’t had any real support.”

Yod ended off with the obvious one: the language barrier. “Basically English is not our first language.”

The e27 team will be going over to Thailand next week for our inaugural Founders Drinks Bangkok to learn more about the Thai startup ecosystem and find ways to continue to support the developing scene.

 

The post Finding amazing food with Wongnai, Thailand’s Yelp appeared first on e27.

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Starbucks Gets Even More Social in China, Lets Fans Follow in WeChat App

Last month, the hugely popular messaging app WeChat – or “Weixin” as it’s called in China – opened up to brands and celebrities so that people can follow them just as they would on Sina Weibo or Twitter. And now Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) is quite possibly the first global brand to jump aboard this new social marketing platform and has signed up for WeChat.

It marks the very likely start of a flood of companies onto WeChat in China. The app has over 100 million users registered around the world. But aside from the numbers, the appeal of the messaging app is that those users are very likely to be young, monied, and urban – and that’s the kind of Chinese consumer that everyone’s after.

Starbucks is promoting its WeChat presence on its China homepage using the distinctive customized QR codes (pictured below) that are integral to the messaging service. Scanning that QR code lets you add Starbucks as a contact; and then by sending an emoticon to consent to getting messages from the coffee retail chain, the Starbucks social invasion of your contacts list is complete. The American chain begins by sending a short music video promoting some overpriced fruit tea drink with a fancy name, and some other occasional missives will presumably follow.

Admittedly, the whole need to find and scan a QR code is a little awkward, but that’s the WeChat system for brands as it stands. For friends it’s easier, as their personal WeChat account is linked to a phone number, so they can be added automagically. So, for now, the QR code element is a stumbling block to this new marketing channel taking off.

Hopefully now that major brands are on WeChat – in addition to their other presences on Sina Weibo, Renren, and a few others – they’ll use it in some innovative ways, like by involving WeChat users in special deals, perhaps via sending coupons as messages (or QR codes!) within the app. WeChat is different from Twitter and Weibo in not having a real-time stream of information to browse, so it’s going to require some different thinking and social marketing strategies.

The post Starbucks Gets Even More Social in China, Lets Fans Follow in WeChat App appeared first on Tech in Asia.

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Voice blogging service Bubbly introduces filters, aims to be Instagram for voice

19 million member strong Bubbly launches the ‘Instagram of Voice’ with version 2.0 of  its iOS App. With version 2.0, Bubbly adds voice filters, giving users a fun and creative way to style their posts and interact with friends and followers.

Most of us have heard about Twitter, the microblogging service which allows you to send tweets of 140 characters of less to your followers. Old news. What’s more interesting than Twitter is the rise of voice blogging service around the region. Bubbly, a leading voice blogging service with over 19 million users and hundreds of celebrities across the globe, has just released a major update today: Voice Filter.

New features and updates

Bubbly was launched back in March. With the new positioning as the ‘Instagram of Voice’, users of Bubbly can now spice up their voice posts by applying filters such as “Helium”, “Echo Chamber”, and “Synth”. Users simply record their message on their iPhone, choose a filter to revamp the sound and vibe. Users can then post the filtered voice ‘bubble’ to their account to share with friends, fans, and followers. On top of the new filters, the new Bubbly 2.0 also features some new updates. Bubbly posts now enjoys Facebook timeline integration, allowing users to like, record or listen to a post via Facebook. The new Bubbly app also features a delete function where you can delete or redo your previous post.

Singapore’s market is too small, focusing on the rest of the Southeast Asia market

When asked about the user demographic breakdown, Bubble Motion, the company behind Bubbly app reveals that the app downloads in Singapore are relatively small. Due to the small market, Bubble Motion has not focused on the Singapore market to date with no local celebrities or mobile advertising campaign. However, Southeast Asia overall is their second largest market. Southeast Asia is also by far the fastest growing region, especially from Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. This coincides with Bubble Motion’s earlier funding announcement by Japan’s Largest VC, JAFCO, to continue rapid global expansion. With the new fund, it will be used to push deeper into countries like India, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines as well as the broader global market such as Hollywood.

Growth of Bubble Motion and the rise of voice microblogging

Bubble Motion CEO Tom Clayton told us that they have been building cutting-edge social messaging services since their inception several years ago. In December 2010, Bubble Motion partners with XL Axiata to deliver voice blogging to Indonesia. Shortly after that, they inked a deal with Indonesia’s Telkomsel in July 2011. Since then, Bubble Motion has grown rapidly and most recently partnered with JAFCO to further strengthen their foothold in Japan. Tom also told us that voice microblogging is growing because of the authenticity of voice. “The beauty of BubbleBlog is that voice is authentic (you can’t fake it being from someone else), voice conveys emotion and nuance (tone can be hard on email or text), and voice isn’t constrained by character limits.”

Press Release

****

SINGAPORE (September 6, 2012) – Bubbly, a leading voice blogging service with over 19 million users and hundreds of celebrities across the globe, today launched a major update of its app, allowing for a deeper voice experience. Users can now spice up their voice posts for by applying cool filters like “Helium,” “Echo Chamber,” and “Synth.” Users simply record their message on their iPhone, choose a filter to revamp the sound and vibe, and post to their account to share with friends, fans, and followers.

With the new Bubbly iPhone app available for download here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bubbly-voice-blogging-social/id462545005?mt=8, users can personalize their voice posts and infuse a new set of artistic elements, expressing themselves in a fun way. There are twelve filters to start: Noise Reducer, Boost It, Synth, On Stage, Grab a Mic, Witch, Villain, Helium, Echo Chamber, Sci Fi, Slow Mo, and Hyper Speed. Unlike other social media sites, Bubbly lets users post updates using their voice — allowing for real feeling and emotion to come through when listening to what others have to say. Bubbly version 2.0 augments this authentic feel with a playful and creative touch.

Bubbly 2.0 also announced several awesome new updates:

• Single Sign-on with Facebook and Twitter: Get up and running on Bubbly in no time, while connecting with your other social networks
•  Timeline Integration: Bubbly posts can now show up on the Facebook timeline, allowing users to like, record, or listen to a post via Facebook
• Multi-tasking: Users can now return to the main feed while their audio posts are being uploaded
• Delete: Want a re-do? The ability to delete posts is another added bonus with the app

“With Bubbly now being used around the world, we wanted to add a touch of personalization that anyone can appreciate. Our new voice filters allow users to play with different variations of their posts and get creative, while retaining the authenticity of voice blogging,” said Tom Clayton, CEO of Bubble Motion. “The Bubbly voice filters give users more options for self-expression – not to mention, it’s a lot of fun.“

The Bubbly 2.0 app is currently available for iPhone here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bubbly-voice-blogging-social/id462545005?mt=8. 

About Bubble Motion

Bubble Motion is pioneering social communication for mobile phones. Bubble Motion’s Bubbly is a social messaging service where people share SMS and voice updates with friends, family, fans and followers. Bubbly is like ‘Twitter with a voice’ and brings social networking to mobile phones.

The post Voice blogging service Bubbly introduces filters, aims to be Instagram for voice appeared first on e27.

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Voice blogging service Bubbly introduces filters, aims to be Instagram for voice

19 million member strong Bubbly launches the ‘Instagram of Voice’ with version 2.0 of  its iOS App. With version 2.0, Bubbly adds voice filters, giving users a fun and creative way to style their posts and interact with friends and followers.

Most of us have heard about Twitter, the microblogging service which allows you to send tweets of 140 characters of less to your followers. Old news. What’s more interesting than Twitter is the rise of voice blogging service around the region. Bubbly, a leading voice blogging service with over 19 million users and hundreds of celebrities across the globe, has just released a major update today: Voice Filter.

New features and updates

Bubbly was launched back in March. With the new positioning as the ‘Instagram of Voice’, users of Bubbly can now spice up their voice posts by applying filters such as “Helium”, “Echo Chamber”, and “Synth”. Users simply record their message on their iPhone, choose a filter to revamp the sound and vibe. Users can then post the filtered voice ‘bubble’ to their account to share with friends, fans, and followers. On top of the new filters, the new Bubbly 2.0 also features some new updates. Bubbly posts now enjoys Facebook timeline integration, allowing users to like, record or listen to a post via Facebook. The new Bubbly app also features a delete function where you can delete or redo your previous post.

Singapore’s market is too small, focusing on the rest of the Southeast Asia market

When asked about the user demographic breakdown, Bubble Motion, the company behind Bubbly app reveals that the app downloads in Singapore are relatively small. Due to the small market, Bubble Motion has not focused on the Singapore market to date with no local celebrities or mobile advertising campaign. However, Southeast Asia overall is their second largest market. Southeast Asia is also by far the fastest growing region, especially from Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. This coincides with Bubble Motion’s earlier funding announcement by Japan’s Largest VC, JAFCO, to continue rapid global expansion. With the new fund, it will be used to push deeper into countries like India, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines as well as the broader global market such as Hollywood.

Growth of Bubble Motion and the rise of voice microblogging

Bubble Motion CEO Tom Clayton told us that they have been building cutting-edge social messaging services since their inception several years ago. In December 2010, Bubble Motion partners with XL Axiata to deliver voice blogging to Indonesia. Shortly after that, they inked a deal with Indonesia’s Telkomsel in July 2011. Since then, Bubble Motion has grown rapidly and most recently partnered with JAFCO to further strengthen their foothold in Japan. Tom also told us that voice microblogging is growing because of the authenticity of voice. “The beauty of BubbleBlog is that voice is authentic (you can’t fake it being from someone else), voice conveys emotion and nuance (tone can be hard on email or text), and voice isn’t constrained by character limits.”

Press Release

****

SINGAPORE (September 6, 2012) – Bubbly, a leading voice blogging service with over 19 million users and hundreds of celebrities across the globe, today launched a major update of its app, allowing for a deeper voice experience. Users can now spice up their voice posts for by applying cool filters like “Helium,” “Echo Chamber,” and “Synth.” Users simply record their message on their iPhone, choose a filter to revamp the sound and vibe, and post to their account to share with friends, fans, and followers.

With the new Bubbly iPhone app available for download here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bubbly-voice-blogging-social/id462545005?mt=8, users can personalize their voice posts and infuse a new set of artistic elements, expressing themselves in a fun way. There are twelve filters to start: Noise Reducer, Boost It, Synth, On Stage, Grab a Mic, Witch, Villain, Helium, Echo Chamber, Sci Fi, Slow Mo, and Hyper Speed. Unlike other social media sites, Bubbly lets users post updates using their voice — allowing for real feeling and emotion to come through when listening to what others have to say. Bubbly version 2.0 augments this authentic feel with a playful and creative touch.

Bubbly 2.0 also announced several awesome new updates:

• Single Sign-on with Facebook and Twitter: Get up and running on Bubbly in no time, while connecting with your other social networks
•  Timeline Integration: Bubbly posts can now show up on the Facebook timeline, allowing users to like, record, or listen to a post via Facebook
• Multi-tasking: Users can now return to the main feed while their audio posts are being uploaded
• Delete: Want a re-do? The ability to delete posts is another added bonus with the app

“With Bubbly now being used around the world, we wanted to add a touch of personalization that anyone can appreciate. Our new voice filters allow users to play with different variations of their posts and get creative, while retaining the authenticity of voice blogging,” said Tom Clayton, CEO of Bubble Motion. “The Bubbly voice filters give users more options for self-expression – not to mention, it’s a lot of fun.“

The Bubbly 2.0 app is currently available for iPhone here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bubbly-voice-blogging-social/id462545005?mt=8. 

About Bubble Motion

Bubble Motion is pioneering social communication for mobile phones. Bubble Motion’s Bubbly is a social messaging service where people share SMS and voice updates with friends, family, fans and followers. Bubbly is like ‘Twitter with a voice’ and brings social networking to mobile phones.

The post Voice blogging service Bubbly introduces filters, aims to be Instagram for voice appeared first on e27.

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Tips on Pitching For Funding

Product innovation is one of the main issues on which investors are focusing when deciding whether to finance a project, says Jimmy Jia, Associate at Mercatus Capital, a Singapore based business incubator. A profitable idea needs to be scalable. The size of the markets to be captured by the idea is also among the important issues taken into account by investors.

Defensibility of a business – such as intellectual property, copyrights, trademarks are also taken into consideration when they evaluate a business idea at Marcus Capital, shares Mr. Jia.

From the investors` point of view, the experience and execution capability of the team is also essential. If the team is young and it is looking for funding for the first time, then strong enthusiasm and realistic expectations are a must, too.

Young entrepreneurs who look for funding must be prepared to answer the question, why customers would buy the product? A structured and reasonable answer is halfway to success to get funding, as it demonstrates a well-defined market and clear strategy, reveals Mr. Jia.

Earlier this year Mr. Jia was invited to speak at the Generating Ideas event in Jakarta, which is one of the promotional events of the Asia-wide Pitch It! competition for young creative entrepreneurs. He had the chance to interact with some bright and talented young entrepreneurs and noticed a common mistake made by them: underestimating the importance of a clearly defined target client, and as a result creating a one-size-fits-all product. The problem with this approach is that the entrepreneur starts focusing on too many targets and loses focus of the core business, according to Mr. Jia.

Other factors taken into consideration during the investment pitch are: understanding the competition globally; having realistic expectations about how fast the company can succeed, and how much the company is worth.

Getting funding for a start-up business is not an easy process, though there are some key steps which investors follow when deciding whether to incubate it. Mr. Jia shared some insights on this topic:

- Understanding the real picture of the business, identifying the market potential, competition and the product value proposition;

- Building the core strength of the business and putting up the right corporate structure, business model, revenue mode and promotional plans;

- Breaking down the tasks to the operations level, tying up the action plan with resources and people involved;

- Preparing a financial plan for budgeting and fundraising.

Pitching for funding is a complex process that requires good planning, clear and realistic vision about the execution process of the business idea. However this cannot be achieved if the entrepreneur is not passionate. Investors are looking for people with sparkle in their eyes who are ambitious and driven. Thus, the first successful step to find funding is to believe strongly in the idea that you want to sell, says Mr. Jia.

Jimmy Jia is an Associate at Mercatus Capital. As a generalist, he is actively involved in various sectors with keen interest in Healthcare, Interactive Digital Media, and Creative Products. He is also part of the mentorship team under the Spring Incubator program. Prior to Mercatus, he worked at Dulwich College Management International as a finance analyst in Shanghai where he focused on new business development and financing. Jimmy graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison with a B.B.A in Finance, Investment and Banking. He is a Singapore Government Scholar and fluent both in Mandarin and English.

Written by Sandra Peev

About Pitch It!:

It is a platform to uncover the best idea(s) in Asia’s creative industry for funding. Pitch It! looks for ideas or concepts which have yet to be realised/concept stage/in prototype or early development stage, and have the potential to be further developed.

About Asia on the Edge:

Asia on the Edge is a regional platform aggregating creative entrepreneurs and arts practitioners with the aim of incubating new ideas and trends of Asia and Asian origins. AOTE 2012 will gather 300 creative entrepreneurs from Singapore and Asia for a 3-day conference in Singapore from 7th to 9th September.

Sandra Peev – Guest Contributor

Sandra is a marketing specialist with experience in starting up business in Europe. She was part of a start up team for a management consulting company in Europe, where she gained a first-hand experience on building a business from scratch. Before moving to Singapore at the beginning of 2012, Sandra also worked as a Project Manager at one of the leading and fastest growing communication agencies in Central and Eastern Europe. She is a passionate traveler and relishes exploring exotic destinations. Sandra is a travel correspondent for the US based Reach the World Foundation and blogger for INSEAD Business School.

The post Tips on Pitching For Funding appeared first on SGEntrepreneurs.

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Telcos get close to mobile wallet services in India but no cigar yet, RBI rules out mobile wallets by network operators

Even as the United Kingdom gave a go ahead to mobile wallet payment scheme proposed by a consortium of operators on Thursday, India’s central bank has saddled operators with yet another regulatory measure which will create more hurdles for operators looking to offer make mobile wallet services in the country. Yesterday at the sidelines of an industry summit, H R Khan, the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) told PTI

“We don’t want to permit cash-out facility by the mobile network operators (MNOs). We are very clear that they should not bypass the banking regulations. However, mobile wallet facility can be given to them if they work as business correspondents of banks.”

According to draft guidelines for prepaid payment instruments in India prepared by the RBI, only banks which have been permitted to provide mobile banking transactions by the RBI will be allowed to launch mobile mobile wallets & mobile accounts. If an operator wants to offer mobile wallet service, it needs to get into a partnership with a bank (like Airtel & Axis bank). As of now, prepaid balance on a mobile phone can only be used to buy mobile value added services and is useful for little else. Buying anything else using mobile prepaid balance needs explicit permission from the RBI.

At the industry conference where Mr Khan made the Indian government’s stance clear on mobile wallets, Bharat Poddar, partner and director at Boston Consulting Group had pushed for mobile wallets as an alternative to savings account. In his presentation “Mobile Wallets:  Alternative to savings accounts?” (embedded below) he proposed that mobile wallets can be used as a payment channel independent of the bank account, that they can be used to store value or card information and be used at point of sales, fund transfer and bill payments.

At present, in India, the only telecom operator which offers something close to a mobile wallet is Airtel. The operator has partnered with Axis bank to offer Airtel Money through which one can send money to other Airtel money customers, recharge mobile phones, digital television and pay utility bills. India’s largest bank, the State Bank of India has also launched similar services called SBI Mobi Cash. Nokia had tried launching m-commerce in India through Nokia money in 2010 but soon pulled the plug on the service. The service has not been very successful in the country where a large section of the population does not even have access to banks.

On Thursday, three of the largest telecom operators in the UK  got a green signal from the European Commission to offer mobile wallet services to consumers. Vodafone, Everything Everywhere and O2 had made the bid to offer mobile wallet services through a project dubbed Project Oscar. The services were in direct competition to Google’s near field communication (NFC) chip based mobile wallets and Google was one of the companies opposed to the move.

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