Zayne Seah

2015-10-06 12:00:04

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With a busy and hectic working schedules, most Singaporeans living in this urban metropolis don’t have the time to clean up after themselves. After a tiring day at work, most of us just want to laze on the couch and munch on chips instead of picking up the crumbs. Singapore is a “clean and green” city, but this city isn’t magically maintained by civic-minded Singaporeans. It’s public cleanliness is upheld by an army of 70,000 professional cleaners twice the size of the Singaporean military force. Now, even private spaces have to be upheld by an armada of part-time cleaners.

Cleaning startups that are sprouting all over the country seem to be capitalising on the city’s growing demand for cleaners by creating “Next-Gen” fuss-free online platforms for you to book your next cleaning session. A quick Google search will reveal to you the countless number of businesses that have been set up, offering almost identical services. We’ve covered a variety of them, including The Sunday Crew, Helpling, and Sendhelper. To be honest, this market seems fairly saturated.

But despite all this, there’s still a new startup that’s joining the fold — Fuss.sg. Will Fuss.sg be able to survive this competitive market? Let’s compare some of these startups to see how they differ.

Fuss.sg

Credits: Fuss.sg

Fuss.sg, like many other cleaning startups, simply requires you to; 1. Register, 2. Book an Appointment, 3. Pay Online. After which, an independent cleaner would arrive at your home to perform the necessary cleaning services for a flat rate of $20/hour. Pretty standard.

Pricing:

Champ: Helpling

Credits: www.fuss.sg

For one-off booking fees, Helpling, TheSundayCrew and Fuss.sg provide the same rates at a flat $20/hour. However, Helpling and TheSundayCrew offer cheaper rates for recurring weekly/bi-weekly cleaning services at $17/hour(Helpling) and $18/hour(TheSundayCrew). So, pricing-wise, Helpling seems to be the cleaning service of choice.

If you choose to cancel your booking, these cleaning startups will penalize you in different ways. Helpling will freeze your account (no more part-time cleaners for you) if frequent cancellations are being made whilst Fuss.sg will refund you your booking fees minus $15(which means a cancellation fee of $15). Provided you aren’t a frequent cancel-er, Helpling still seems to offer a better deal.

Customer Service:

Champ: None

All these cleaning services claim to thoroughly vet through their cleaners through face-to-face interview and only employ Singaporeans or Singapore Permanent Residents, so you will most definitely have a cleaner that is legally permitted to work in Singapore cleaning your home. All these cleaners will also not bring along their own cleaning supplies so do make sure you house has the necessary supplies needed.

All of the cleaning startups provide customer service that seek to help you with your queries as soon as possible. If you are unsatisfied with your cleaning session, simply contact customer support and they will arrange for another cleaner to be sent to your house to perform the service free of charge. It’s pretty standard across the board.

Convenience:

Champ: Helpling

Credits: www.helpling.com

These cleaning services all allow you to book your appointments online, no difference there. However, Helpling has a mobile app, which increases the convenience of these bookings, so you truly get the Uber-Cleaner experience.

Conclusion

This market is most definitely saturated. These startups offer similar prices (with minor differences) and almost identical promises. Having more startups in this overcrowded market isn’t a good news for new competitors or incumbents as new entrants will merely increase the supply and reduce profits for each firm.

Fuss.sg doesn’t seem to be any different from the existing companies out there and in fact, offers less attractive pricing packages. It’s also clear that Fuss.sg’s biggest competitor is Rocket Internet’s Helpling, and currently they don’t seem to be faring well against them. So if it wishes to succeed, it has better step its game up and offer a wider variety of services or something else to differentiate itself from the crowd.

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Justin Lee

2019-01-02 11:30:43

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• MedKad is a medical benefit management system that has its own mobile application which allows employers to efficiently manage their staff’s medical benefits.

• They currently have over 1,300 panels with 5,000 users from 60 different companies.

Falling sick can be troublesome especially when you’re employed. Most of the time, you already won’t be feeling well and you still have to make your way to a clinic and register yourself, and then wait for the doctor to call you in.

On the other hand, with the traditional medical benefit system, employees might take advantage of these procedures by falsely claiming for medical leave and benefits. In 2014 alone, an estimated RM8 billion was lost due to employees taking fake MCs (medical certificates).

Realising that there was a problem in the existing system, a Malaysian company called MedKad is looking to change that by creating a mobile app which will enable employers and companies to cost-effectively manage their staff medical benefits with speed and efficiency.

Improving The System

The idea for MedKad came about in June 2016 when the co-founders met up to discuss ways to improve and manage corporate medical benefits as well as to help solve problems of late payments made to the panels with their existing system. The mobile application “MedKad” was released in September 2017 and was officially launched in January 2018.

The core founders consist of four main people: Ezuan Yaacob, the CEO; Ahmad Azlan, the Chief Strategy Officer; Abdul Malik, the CFO and Fareez Idham, the COO.

MedKad CEO Ezuan Yaacob/ Image Credit: MedKad

The team has previous experience in the medical benefit system with Ezuan, Azlan and Malik having past working experience with GLCs. They were frequent users of their company medical benefits which were managed by a Third-Party Administrator (TPA). As for Fareez, he previously worked for a TPA company and was in charge of his company’s medical benefits in-house.

“MedKad is designed based on our own bad experience as patients, as HR, and also as a panel,” said Ezuan.

Hence their solution to that was emphasising on better control, better monitoring and increased transparency, which will lead to an improved utilisation of company medical spending.

According to the MedKad team, the market for this industry is estimated to grow to RM156 million in 2019. With their current target market ranging from startup companies with less than ten employees to SMEs and big corporations.

“We started in January 2018 with mostly startup companies and by Q3 2018 we secured companies with staff in the number of hundreds and in Q4 2018 we secured companies with staff in the number of thousands,” he added.

Their current future goal is securing a company with staff in the numbers of five digits (tens of thousands).

What Is MedKad?

To use it, employees will have to download the MedKad mobile app which is available for both iOS and Android. Then when the mobile app is opened, it will generate a QR Code for verification during their visits to MedKad panels (GP Clinics, Hospitals, Dentals and Optical Centers) nationwide.

Once the credentials are verified by their panels using the web application, the employees will then be able to proceed with the consultation and receive their medicines as prescribed; no payment is required.

Hence, for employers, the benefits of using MedKad compared to traditional methods is that there are no hidden fees and no capital expenditure required—it’s based off a self-funding pay per use model. Employers will also get real-time notifications when an employee uses the MedKad platform at any of the panels.

For employees, they won’t need to carry around physical cards as everything is done through the mobile app and you can find the nearest panel through the app.

As for panels, the biggest problem that panels face are that it can take a while for them to get payments. Reimbursement can take place anytime from 3 to 12 months after the doctor has seen the patient. Some Managed Care Organisations MCOs and Third Party Administrators (TPAs) only pay when prompted, while others “inadvertently” miss a payment or two in between. Then the doctor is tasked to audit and trace all pending payments and in extreme cases, beg for payment.

Explanation Time: An MCO/TPA will monitor, receive, audit and consolidate all medical bills from panel clinics, specialist clinics and hospitals prior to billing the company. The MCO/TPA will monitor the medical benefits usage to ensure that the employees receive the best medical service at their panel clinics and hospitals.

Which is why as an MCO, MedKad guarantees that the platform will have faster disbursement of claims of up to 5 business days.

The Path Forward

The business has seen an increase in investment across the years. Since it was established, the founders invested RM250,000 towards the development of MedKad with further grant support coming in from Cradle Fund, TERAJU and SME Corp, bringing the total amount of investment to RM850,000. On top of it all, MedKad also received RM500,000 angel’s invesment in 2017.

Being a part of Cyberview’s Living Lab Accelerator Programme, MedKad managed to gain access to Cyberjaya’s community and were able to further validate their services and features.

“With CLLA, MedKad has managed to cover 80% of panels and we currently have more than 500 users in Cyberjaya. On top of that, CLLA provides mentoring and coaching sessions for the founders towards building a successful startup,” said Ezuan.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the team as there were obstacles faced especially when they had to convince clinics and hospitals to become their panels.

“We faced resistance due to the various problems in relation with the current systems,” he explained.

However, they focused a lot of effort on securing their early adopters (panel clinics) and made sure that they made the disbursements within the five business days as agreed.

Ezuan explained that the secret to expanding to more panels was thanks to the good service and commitment to their promises. Word spread fast and sure enough they started to secure more clinics on board due to recommendations from their early adopters.

MedKad currently has over 1,300 panels, 5,000 users from 60 different companies, and are continuously working hard to increase this number nationwide.

Based on the markets response, Ezuan foresees huge potential in MedKad, which is why he has set their target to have 20,000 users in 2019.

“2019 will be an exciting year for us as we plan to expand our services outside Malaysia since we have received demand to be present in neighboring countries,” said Ezuan.

• If you would like to know more about MedKad, you can check out their website here.

Feature Image Credit: MedKad

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Dale John Wong

2018-08-09 15:07:50

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• For the third installment of Dear VC, ST Chua of SunSEA Capital addresses two interesting queries from our readers—how to convince VCs to invest into an ambitious idea, and how to grow as a startup in the digital marketing sector.

###

Dear VC,

I once scared away an investor because our project was too big, and we probably asked for too much. If a startup with bigger potential than Facebook appears, what is the right amount to ask for?

We’re building something huge related to government policy with regards to the fourth industrial revolution that will affect the country’s ecosystem and infrastructure but requires a huge investment to start with.

In line with the new government plan for Vision 2020, we have come up with a new innovation similar to GST collection that is more sustainable and will replace the income loss from abolishing GST. It sounds like a massive project that requires the government’s approval, but the returns are also very high and has the potential to disrupt the industry.

Do investors look at ROI, sustainability, or the effect on citizens? If we propose this to the government, we could get funding from the Ministry of Finance, but it’s more likely that we’ll get rejected because we are a new startup. But we feel this is good for city planning and the well-being of the public, so how do we get our idea out there and get funding?

We are trying to reinvent the tax system but it’s not an easy process. Do you have any suggestions for us?

– Kenny

Hi Kenny,

I applaud your ambition!

For your project, I would suggest that you try building up a test case to validate all your assumptions. Try to work out a small use case and build a prototype. If it works, then the business model is validated, which makes it easier to go for investors, a bigger community or city, followed by the government.

For this there are many startup accelerators or angel groups that you can approach to mentor you for market validation.

Investors (including government ministries who are even more cautious as they’re handling public funds) or even grant providers are likely to look for returns, as most investors have a specific investing period for which they need to deploy the money for investment and execute an exit within the fund’s period.

Another factor you may want to take into consideration is that government approvals will take time and if it’s above a certain cost, you will first need to be an approved vendor by if you approach any ministries.

Lastly, I would like to also suggest that you re-evaluate the descriptor of “bigger potential than Facebook”, as that will immediately throw off investors

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(who are usually realists) as it might signal wishful thinking. The probability of topping Facebook is very low.

###

Dear VC,

I am currently running a startup digital marketing agency that focuses on helping small businesses digitalise their business processes. We build e-commerce sites that focus on conversion and retaining customer loyalty digitally.

We realise that many businesses in Malaysia that are making over RM50,000 or even over RM100,000 still use WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger as their sales channels—this requires a human to serve the prospect/customer and is a waste of resources and money.

Simply put, there are actually a lot of businesses that aren’t aware of the benefits of e-commerce.

This year is our first year, and we’re focusing on trying to proof the concept, and so far we have built over 20 e-commerce stores and have worked with over 40 brands/businesses (consulting, running, and strategising paid ads for them).

We are not competing with big agencies, we have our own market. We have made over RM100,000 revenue in our first six months and we started this business with zero capital.

Since we are also marketers, we know how to build sites that are marketing tool-friendly like SEO, SEM, Facebook ads, and email. We would like to know on how to grow our agency and how investors currently view this gap.

– Azahin

Hi Azahin,

First and foremost, congratulations on running it lean and gaining some revenues and traction without coming up with any capital. Personally, I highly encourage founders to not depend on external capital when thinking of any

businesses

to start.

Making it sustainable should be a priority for startups and founders should only set their sights on external capital when they need to scale.

On your question on how to grow your agency: grow your clients and go deep to produce

solutions

that address their pain points. In our region, messaging commerce—some call it conversational commerce—is a big thing and it works for many.

Reasons for this can be plenty, ranging to pure familiarity, to some who have been jaded or had bad experiences spending money building their own e-commerce platforms. Many expected immediate results when the fact is driving traffic to any new e-commerce site requires money, patience and resources.

So one way to think about it is how can you make it easier and better for them?

As for investors, different investors have different mandates and focus areas. Some may want technology to scale and in your case, it is tough to scale as it is quite human-resource intensive along with lots of on-ground customer engagement. You may want to look at how you can automate things.

That being said, there are some strategic investors who may want to extend their footprint to your market, but whatever it is, focus on doing your business well and continue to build customer loyalty while attracting new ones.

A big question that you will have to address is how do you differentiate your startup from the hundreds of digital marketing

agencies

in the market? What are the factors that make you stand out? By identifying this crucial point, you would be able to gain more market share and investors.

###

ST Chua is a serial entrepreneur with global experience in venture investing, venture building and exits. He is currently the principal for Sun SEA Capital, a US$50 million VC fund based in Malaysia that focuses on growing and mentoring scalable technology startups in Southeast Asia via Series A funding rounds.

ST is also a strategy and business development consultant, having graduated with an MBA from INSEAD, France, and he believes that blockchain will power the next revolution, helping propel forward efficiencies for people, planet, and profit.

• Dear VC is a series where we get experienced venture capitalists to answer startup, funding, and venture capital-related questions from our readers. If you have a question you’d like to ask, please fill out our questionnaire here.

• You can also find more investor insights by reading our previous Dear VC segments here.

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Annabelle Jeffrey

2016-10-21 14:43:03

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The popularity of e-scooters in Singapore is on the rise – sales have been reported to have increased by 300% this year.

With more people expressing their interest in these mobility devices, a Singaporean startup has decided to seize their opportunity and rent out e-scooters to people in the little red dot.

Telepod, A Rent-A-Scooter Startup

Telepod’s website

Telepod is a local startup founded by 4 friends from Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU), one of whom is a finalist in Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) engineering competition in innovative transport solutions.

The team created Telepod as a multi-purpose e-scooter sharing platform. The app rents out the scooters via three different categories – travelers, commuters and business.

According to The Straits Times, the group is planning on launching a pilot system with 20 and 40 e-scooters by the end of the year at startup incubator Social Innovation Park in Punggol.

The project will allow people to rent and ride the e-scooters at Punggol Waterway area.

To rent the e-scooters, users are to book them through Telepod’s app. After scanning a QR code located on the docking station, the scooter will then be unlocked for use.

Their two-day trial at Republic Polytechnic saw their scooters being rented over 200 times at a price of $2 for 10 minutes.

Telepod’s project is also currently on display at a three-day conference – the Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition at Suntec City Convention Centre which ends on 21 October.

Safety Measures Put In Place In Light Of Recent Accidents

Telepod’s e-scooter trial at Republic Polytechnic/ Image credit: Telepod Facebook

With the rise of e-scooters in Singapore, it also entails the potential dangers that come with having one.

There has been a rise in e-scooter-related accidents, and it seems like even the LTA has found the need to step in. Recently, two e-scooters were seized for speeding and reckless riding as stated by a report on Channel NewsAsia.

Hence, regarding safety measures of their scooters, the Telepod team have capped the speeds at 25km/h to limit the speed users can travel at.

However, the responsibility of safety still does not solely fall on the team.

Chan Jit Yen, the 26-year-old co-founder of Telepod, explains that riders play a huge part as well.

“The e-scooter is not dangerous; it’s how the user uses it.”

Starting At The Right Time

Telepod’s project exhibition at Suntec City/ Image credit: Telepod Facebook

Despite its shortcomings, the idea of using an e-scooter is actually brilliant.

It reduces travelling time for users and is a convenient enough size to carry around, even in public transport.

If used carefully, the usage of these scooters can be beneficial to many Singaporean’s daily lives. If anything, Telepod has come at just the right moment with their service.

Why so? Well, first up, an e-scooter isn’t cheap.

According to Escoot’s website, the prices range from $400 to $2,400! This is where Telepod’s service can be handy – it allows users to try them out before making the decision to splurge. It also provides those who aren’t as well-off a chance to “own” an e-scooter. At least for a little while.

Needless to say, riders just need to be responsible of their speed and wary of their surroundings. Even if the Telepod’s scooters are at a capped speed, reckless or careless riding can still result in accidents.

Hence, we might just need to have more rules governing the use of e-scooters, as ‘un-fun’ as it seems.

Because in the end, we all want the same thing – to have fun and be safe.

Feature Image Credit: Telepod Facebook

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