muru-D Singapore kicks off third cohort

By Digital News Asia October 3, 2017

Ten startups from six countries take part in six-month programme
Four come from Singapore and two from Malaysia

muru-D Singapore kicks off third cohort

TELSTRA-backed accelerator muru-D today announced the 10 startups from six countries across Asia, including four from Singapore, that have been selected to join its latest six-month programme.

muru-D Singapore’s third cohort includes startups creating a variety of solutions from artificial intelligence, and virtual reality to B2B technologies for real estate, financial freedom and advertising.

The selected teams also seek to address needs common across developing markets – for example, empowering micro-businesses in nascent e-commerce environments and connecting tenants in tough housing markets.

muru-D Singapore head Paul Meyers said: “Selecting the top 10 companies for this year’s cohort was a difficult process, which speaks to the overall quality of startup talent across the region. We are excited at the prospect of working with these diverse teams by providing them with the tools required to solve the world’s most challenging problems.”

The 10 startups were chosen from about 200 applicants from 15 countries, of which 22 were selected for a two-day bootcamp, after which the final companies were selected.

Through the six-month acceleration programme, based out of muru-D’s Amoy Street offices, the successful startups will each receive a S$75,000 (US$55,222) investment, mentorship, training and international networking opportunities.

During the programme, muru-D will help the startups refine their business models, solutions and go-to-market strategies, while helping them gain access to smart capital and value from technology transfer with Telstra and its network of partners and customers.

muru-D will also be adopting a new financing instrument for this cohort: the SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) which simplifies terms for fundraising and ensures that muru-D continues to attract the best digital talent from across Southeast Asia.

muru-D is the first accelerator programme to adopt the SAFE in Southeast Asia.

Julie Trell, Head of muru-D, judge and mentor at Singapore’s bootcamp, said: “Diversity is a topic that’s close to my heart, and I’m very proud to see that we have five female founders in the teams selected for this year’s cohort. We’ve also seen very promising talent from across the region during the bootcamp, which is testament to the regional startup ecosystem’s healthy growth trajectory. The passion, energy and potential I’ve seen has been inspiring. We’re excited to help these startups grow into sustainable global businesses solving big challenges.”

The 10 startups selected for muru-D Singapore are:

CarePod, Singapore – CarePod offers airlines and travel logistic partners with both a high-tech pet travel pod as well as software to make pet air travel safer and more comfortable.
doong.com.vn, Vietnam – Doong is a rental sharing platform that disrupts the medium-term housing market by providing a streamlined process for millions of tenants to connect & rent in groups.
Idem Labs, Singapore – Idem Labs helps hotels to manage and market events through its cloud-based-software.
InsightzClub, Malaysia – InsightzClub is a programmatic platform that connects buyers of market research with suppliers.
Jambro, Pakistan – Jambro is a mobile application that enables musicians around the world to find and connect with like-minded enthusiasts.
Know, Singapore – Know is a mobile application that helps to enhance workplace productivity through services such as real-time training and task management.
ShopUp, Bangladesh – ShopUp is a social commerce platform that empowers small and micro businesses to leverage on social media to grow their online sales.
SUP.AI, Singapore – SUP! is a messenger app that leverages artificial intelligence and social networking data to help connect users with friends who are available and in close proximity.
Vokabee, Thailand – Vokabee is language learning software that uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to personalise lessons to the user.
VR Lab Bhd, Malaysia – VR Lab offers the V-prop Touch system and platform, which allows property buyers to virtually visit and interact with properties anywhere, in real-time.