From ride-sharing to map-sharing
- Good things are meant for sharing, especially in an increasingly connected world! 500-backed superapp Grab has made its in-house technology, GrabMaps, available as an enterprise service for B2B customers.
- GrabMaps already fully powers Grab’s services in 7 out of 8 countries they operate in, but it’s not just another location-based tool. It aims to address the hyperlocal navigational needs in Southeast Asia, where back alleys and narrow side streets often do not show up on conventional maps. A study revealed that GrabMaps had a 4x lower error rate and 10x lower latency compared to a leading 3rd party provider.
- Co-founder Hooi Ling Tan said, “We’ve invested to turn this intelligence into a competitive advantage, allowing us to serve our users and partners with a great experience, at the same time driving efficiency and cost-savings for the business.”
- The company plans to serve Southeast Asian tech platforms, telcos, logistics companies, e-commerce platforms, and even government agencies.
- Read the full announcement here.
Paying homage to a childhood memory
- “Sometimes things have to happen in your life to have a huge impact,” said Gillian Tee, Founder & CEO of Homage. “I had a caregiver who took care of me and she was someone I loved deeply and she passed on when I was 11.”
- That’s how the 500-backed company was born, and the rest, as they say, is history. According to Gillian, Homage’s technology-driven care platform mobilizes the largest-trained and curated pool of caregivers operating globally across Asia Pacific today.
- What’s more? “Out of the pool of 9,000 carers that we have, 70% are women,” she added. “We’ve delivered more than a million hours of caregiving; using technology we’ve empowered everyday people like you and me to deliver care to someone and support them in the small things.”
- Homage is also ensuring that it is providing better care across various levels of society, from the developing, middle income, to the developed.
- Read the full interview here.
Ripe for disruption
- Smart Berries is outsmarting the pressing problem of food wastage, thanks to 500-backed intelligent supply chain company Escavox.
- Earlier this year, the berry company was grappling with rising rejection rates from retail customers due to the temperature of the fruit on arrival. Escavox’s new feature, Decision Support, revealed temperature fluctuations during specific points in the shipping process.
- These insights were then shared with logistics partners so they can address it immediately to salvage the situation before the produce goes bad.
- “We enabled Smart Berries to target these areas and regain operational control,” said Escavox Chief Customer Officer Nicola Sanderson.
- Read the full article here.
