As 2015 draws to a close, we’re introducing the 12 startup businesses making Southeast Asia a better place – from aiding educational platforms in Singapore, creating a seamless content marketplace in Malaysia, to creating a business around diabetic treatment in Vietnam. This is our all-star batch of 2015 JFDI Discover alumni, writes Crystal Neri
Since 2012, we’ve had over 1,000+ founders from 42 countries all over the world enrol in our preaccelerator to get guided help for their businesses. Check out the map above that shows where JFDI Discover founders live. Read more about them below:
1. Kinsheep (Singapore)
Kinsheep Team: (from left) CEO Ritchie Ng, COO Andre Tan and CTO Varun Patro
Kinsheep started with the idea that a location-based social network could help improve the quality of professional interactions. The team is generous crediting the structured learning that JFDI Discover offered as key to winning the prestigious VaSCo grant from National Singapore University worth SGD $10,000. “It helps you ensure that your idea morphs into an MVP people want, gain beta tests, launch your application and conquer the world,” says Kinsheep CEO Ritchie Ng. “We made friends, people that will use Kinsheep. We definitely recommend this to others.”
2. Teach!Mi (Russia)
Teach!Mi consists of a group of enthusiastic Russians, who are aiming to create an educational platform for students in Singapore. They are currently developing a mobile app to help students, parents and teachers study different practical subjects and find solutions for problems within seconds. “Meeting and communicating with the other teams was definitely my favourite aspect. We were able to learn a lot from each other,” recalls Teach!Mi cofounder Marina Chibirova. In just 7 months after joining JFDI Discover, the Teach!Mi team raised SGD140K.
3. Fleet (Singapore)
Fleet Inc is looking to create a time-sharing function where users only have to go through a 5-step process to set appointments with friends and peers. Lester Phua, co-founder of Fleet Inc says this about JFDI Discover, “The program provided us with a working template to track our progress and to crystallize the theories encapsulated within the program. Such knowledge cannot be found in books and is best learnt through an experienced teacher.”
4. Plugged (Philippines)
Plugged cofounder RJ Mangubat on stage at Cebu’s Startup Weekend Pitching session
Plugged is a web/mobile application that aims to help local musicians in Cebu, Philippines further their careers. “JFDI Discover helped us strengthen our approach to our startup idea. As a founder, I learned how to validate the problems that we are trying to address and have reaped the benefits of creating a Lean Canvas business model,” says Plugged cofounder RJ Mangubat.
5. FirstRide (India)
Learning how to measure progress systematically was the key insight that team FirstRide, which aims to positively impact the lives of people by helping them inculcate ‘Safe Riding’ as a habit. Here’s our feature on FirstRide cofounder Vijay Kumar Reddy.
6. Shoppes I/O (Philippines)
Shoppes I/O aims to help home-based, micro, and small businesses connect better with shoppers and local communities. Though he’s experienced and determined, Shoppes I/O founder Dean Marc still finds guidance from friends, mentors and JFDI community invaluable.
7. Zinmed (Healthcare / Vietnam)
When Hoang ChuDuc brought Zinmed Diabetes – a Vietnamese startup that aids diabetics in managing their treatment – to the JFDI Discover Program, it was the hands-on support of mentors that helped to teach the team a better way to connect with customers.
8. Property Trakker (Singapore)
Gaven Henry, founder of Property Trakker
It is very easy to get excited about a new idea but it is always essential to take a step back and see the bigger picture. Gaven Henry was able to validate his idea, solidify his business model and get feedback from mentors through the JFDI Discover program. After the program, his startup won funding from LeoTech.
9. Stash (Philippines)
Stash to fix inefficiencies in healthcare services in the Philippines
Ernani Omar Cruz founded Stash to fix inefficiencies in healthcare services in the Philippines. The JFDI Discover program gave his team confidence to execute fast, knowng that even in a healthcare environment, failing and learning would be OK.
10. Execuvite (Singapore)
Dave Osh and James Barwick have a huge vision for their startup Execuvite, now alumni of JFDI2015B Accelerate. Execuvite is an online marketplace and a SaaS platform that enables companies to execute cross-functional projects. “JFDI Discover that helped us in systemising our processes and focusing on the most important things,” says cofounder Dave Osh.
11. Catjira (Malaysia)
Richard Moh, co-founder of CatJira (formerly Rebaem), a digital content marketplace to find, hire and collaborate with social media creators. The team took part in the JFDI Discover program and was greatful for the community support during the difficult early-stage period.
12. RabbitReads (Vietnam)
“Imitation is the highest form of flattery, but clones kind of get it wrong because we are promoting individuality and being proud of being yourself”. Vinh Nguyen who founded RabbitReads – an online forum for consumer product reviews – learned to embrace that wisdom and recommends it to any startup founder. “We found JFDI Discover particularly valuable as we now better understand what a venture company expects to see from a startup,” adds Vinh.
Crystal Neri writes content and handles social media at JFDI Asia. Say Hi to her on Twitter, @nericrystal.