A version of this article first appeared on beSUCCESS.
If you’re among those who think that social networking is becoming too noisy and intrusive, then here is a solution to communicate with your partner in a private, intimate way.
Between is an app developed by South Korean startup VCNC. It provides a quick chat option between couples, a photo album and messaging functions.
Although there are other similar mobile apps gaining popularity, Between is by far the most successful based on the number of downloads. It was judged the best mobile app at the TNW Conference in Amsterdam and they won second place in The Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) 2012 G-Startup Competition held in Beijing. Read more
The Impact Forum 2012: Igniting Capital Markets for Social Good is a global conference focusing on examining the latest developments in the Impact Investing and Social Enterprise space in Asia Pacific. It will be held in Singapore on the 25th and 26th of June 2012, and will be a unique opportunity to learn, engage, and deepen experiences and relationships in the Asian impact investing space.
Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX) and Shujog are holding this forum in conjunction with the Asian Development Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation, and the support of the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board with the purpose of:
- Celebrating Asia’s leadership role in Impact Investing
- Strengthening the bonds in the network of like-minded individuals and institutions in the field
- Exploring the importance of stakeholders such as accounting firms, law firms, governments and financial institutions in impact investing and philanthropy
- Imparting a deeper understanding of impact investment, impact measurement and market readiness of Social Enterprises around Asia.
Attendance at the Impact Forum will be an opportunity to be exposed to:
- Regional trends that are driving momentum for Impact Investment
- Exclusive showcases of Asian Social Enterprises to global Impact Investors
- Structured opportunities to connect global Impact Investors and Ecosystem Partners with promising Social Enterprises throughout the region
- Global media coverage of innovation, community, and leaders that are shaping how capital markets are creating social good
Event Details
When: Monday-Tuesday 25-26th June 2012
Where:
Plenary and Breakout Sessions will be held at:Shaw Foundation Theatre, 2/F Shaw Foundation Alumni House, 11 Kent Ridge Drive, Singapore 119244
Lunch, Tea breaks, and some breakout sessions will be held at: Kent Ridge Guild House, 9 Kent Ridge Drive, Singapore 119244
Startup Genome, an organization on a mission to encourage data-driven decision-making to entrepreneurs, has introduced a new tool aimed at investors.
Investor Compass is a follow-up to Startup Compass, which launched last August to help entrepreneurs avoid making mistakes about scaling their businesses. It uses data from 3,200 high-growth tech startups, and now has a user base of over 17,000 companies.
The new tool complements Startup Compass by visualizing data from companies that are already using the latter. Angel investors and venture capitalists can use Investor Compass to track how their portfolio companies are doing, based on comparisons with key performance indicators. Read more
Viki, a Singapore-based global video site, has announced this week that it has signed deals with Warner Music Group (WMG), LOEN Entertainment and SEED Music Group, as well as other labels and agencies, to stream thousands of music videos from hundreds of artists on the website.
The music videos are being streamed on Viki.com to users in the United States, Canada, Europe, as well as most countries in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. The content will roll out in other markets later this year.
Featured artists include global superstars and emerging talent from diverse genres and multiple languages. They include K-Pop and rap artists IU, Drunken Tiger and Brown Eyed Girls. Read more
This article was republished with permission from the author’s blog.
“What are you doing here in (insert country), you should be in Silicon Valley.”
Do these words sound familiar to you?
In Asia, it’s very common for Founders with great ideas to either run their companies in boot strap mode or relocate to Silicon Valley. Even great talent is expected to take huge pay cuts when they join a startup.
We don’t need a scientist to figure out the primary cause of this issue. This is primarily because of the scarcity of risk capital in Asia. Entrepreneurs with good ideas have to slog for cash. One key factor that gives wings to the dreams of most Silicon Valley startups is the free flow of capital that lets them dream big…really big.
Silicon Valley is blessed with excess capital. And, that is probably why failure is embraced.
But how do they get that kind of money? What is the source? Who are these Limited Partners (LP)? Read more
From 29th May onwards, the Singapore chapter of TiE will hold a Luncheon Business Networking Connection every Tuesday to get together people of the community: TiE Members, Guests and Partners are entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs, professionals or students, interested in networking with mentors and industry veterans, in gaining knowledge about their field of interest, and in learning from the stories of successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Current members and partners come from a diverse set of industries including IT, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Banking and Finance, Biotech, Legal services, Hospitality among others.
Who should attend?
Business Angels, Private Equity Investors, Venture Capitalists, High Net Worth Individual Investors, Start-Ups, Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Growing SMEs, Business Incubators, Business Consultants, Legal Professionals, Business Technologists, CEOs and Senior Management.
Fees/Day:
TiE Charter Members: Complimentary*
TiE Members: S$5.90^
TiE Student Members:S$15.90
TiE Partners: S$15.90
TiE Non Members & Guests: S$15.90
* – TiE Charter Members are getting complimentary access as they paid S$ 2000.00 for membership.
^ – TiE Members are getting discount on fees as they paid S$ 200.00 for membership.
Event Details
When: Every Tuesday, starting from 29th May 2012
Time:12:15pm till 1:45pm
Where: Pita Pan, Marina Bay Sands, #01-87, 2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018972
Tonight Thursday 24th May at 730pm, you are invited to come join us for drinks with serial entrepreneur and investor, Leslie Loh of Red Dot Ventures, after his talk on “How the hell can we raise money” co-organized by SGE and Tanguy Lesselin of Cartouche, supported by Microsoft. We’ll be meeting at Harry’s Bar, The Sail, 4 Marina Boulevard, #01-31 The Sail @ Marina Bay [map]. Please register here.
Whether you are an investor or entrepreneur, the book “Venture Deals” by Brad Feld from the Foundry Group and TechStars and Jason Mendelson, also of the Foundry Group, serves as a reference for those who are involved in fundraising.
While venture deals can be complex depending on the context around the players (entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, lawyers, investors syndicate and mentors), the term sheet and other structures which are required, this book serves a good overview of the subject but one has to bear in mind that it’s very US-centric, and not everything is applicable here in Southeast Asia. Read more
Together with professional social network LinkedIn, personal branding expert William Arruda has identified nine minutes as the optimal time needed to manage your career every single day without added stress or pressure.
The length of time was picked because it gives people “complete focus, and educators to psychologists agree that the ability to focus one’s attention on a task is crucial for the achievement of one’s goals.”
Singaporeans, however, overestimate the optimal time needed to be spent on this task.
Over 81 percent of Singaporean professionals believe the ideal amount of daily time spent on progressing their careers should be over 30 minutes, according to a research by IPSOS Mori and Catalyst, which surveyed 3,200 working professionals globally, including 400 in Singapore.
Empathy is an underrated trait that entrepreneurs need to have. It helps not only in understanding your customers and building a better product, but also in managing your employees and making them feel satisfied at work.
A good way to understand people around you is to talk less and listen more. In product testing, for example, interfering too much in the process might lead users to try the product to please you, rather than display their true feelings. Jesse Pickard is the CEO of MindSnacks, a company that makes mobile learning games.
The 
From 29th May onwards, the 
Tonight Thursday 24th May at 730pm, you are invited to come join us for drinks with serial entrepreneur and investor, Leslie Loh of Red Dot Ventures, after his talk on 
