TREND REPORTS
(Infographic) South Korea’s Startup Funding Trends 2015
[Investing]
2016/02/14 11:10
Startups attracted over US$1.7 billion in disclosed funding last year, according to Tech in Asia’s database.But local investors agree that this number vastly underestimates the actual transactions, due to difficulties in collecting data such as language barriers and the lack of a local deal reporting system. Nonetheless, there is a lot we can gather from our data, which encompasses most of the...
(Video) i.Dummy : New Breakthrough in Mannequin Technology
[Tech]
2016/02/14 11:09
Shape-shifting dummies could change garment fitting in a big way.Anatomy just went robotic. A new robotic mannequin called i.Dummy is designed to model clothing. This familiar structure that mimics the human body is far from being inanimate; panels on the device can alter the form factor to simulate different body shapes in real-time. This “fitting avatar” enables users to adjust and achieve...
(PDF) Mckinsey - Cutting Through The Noise Around Financial Technology
[Business]
2016/02/14 11:08
We estimate there are today more than 2,000 start-ups offering traditional and new financial services. Here's how banks should respond.Banking has historically been one of the business sectors most resistant to disruption by technology. Since the first mortgage was issued in England in the 11th century, banks have built robust businesses with multiple moats: ubiquitous distribution through bran...
8.08 Billion Red Envelopes ! Chinese Digitize Lunar New Year Traditions
[Business]
2016/02/14 11:07
On the day of the Super Bowl 50, Chinese people celebrated their Lunar New Year by sending out 8.08 billion red envelopes on social networking app WeChat. On top of that, 791,405 participants split Alibaba’s RMB 215 million (USD 32.7 million) cash reward at the turn of the Lunar New Year.According to WeChat’s latest data release, on the single day of Feb 7, Lunar New Year Eve, 420 million peo...
Who's Spending And Saving Around the World ?
[Consumer]
2016/02/14 11:06
Once we’ve covered our essential living expenses, how do we spend the money left over? Whether we stash our spare cash for retirement, invest it to try and make more, or purchase new products, strategies differ around the world.In the fourth quarter of 2015, saving and investing intention levels were highest in Asia-Pacific (61% and 37%, respectively), as was spending on holidays/vacations (44...
Mobile Payments Startup Payleven Raises Another $10M
[Investing]
2016/02/14 11:05
Payleven, a mobile payments startup originally incubated in 2012 at Berlin’s Rocket Internet, says it has raised a $10 million growth round from a selection of existing investors — Holtzbrinck Ventures, ru-Net, B Cinque, New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and MePay — as well as new backer Seventure Partners.Today’s round brings the total raised to date by Payleven to $51 million, with no valua...
(Video) IllumiBowl Lights Up The Pot, Saves Stray Sprays of Pee
[Product]
2016/02/14 11:04
The IllumiBowl is a $13 light that attaches to your toilet. It lights up when you walk in and it turns off when you leave. It isn’t uncommon to be awakened mid-slumber by a bladder that’s every too demanding. That’s the time we bravely tread to the toilet with the confidence of a sharp shooter and do our business without bothering to put the light on. Of course, who’d like a flash of bright...
Easyjet To Trial Hydrogen Hybrid Airplane Tech
[Tech]
2016/02/14 11:03
A hydrogen fuel cell charges batteries in the aircraft, using energy captured by the plane when braking. EasyJet has announced plans to test a hybrid hydrogen fuel system. The concept was conceived by students at Cranfield University and could save around 50,000 tonnes (55,115 tons) of fuel a year, as well as the associated CO2 emissions. It would recover energy from braking when a plane lands....
10 High-Profile Brand Partnerships That Struck Gold
[Business]
2016/02/11 11:07
These top 10 were a win-win for brands and consumers alikeStrategic partnerships between brands can be a mutually beneficial relationship. Partnering allows established brands to reach new markets, gain greater distribution and dovetail on their partner’s previously established momentum. 2015 saw no shortage of innovative brand partnerships come to fruition.1. Apple + HermesApple defines its H...
(Patent) Google Wants to Deliver Packages From Self-Driving Trucks
[Tech]
2016/02/11 11:07
A new patent awarded to Google today suggests that the search giant is looking into developing self-driving delivery trucks, just as Amazon readies its autonomous delivery drone fleet.Google’s patent outlines what it calls an “autonomous delivery platform” for delivery trucks. The trucks would be fitted with a series of lockers that could potentially be unlocked with a PIN code sent to the p...
Gartner Says Worldwide Wearable Devices Sales to Grow 18.4% in 2016
[Business]
2016/02/11 11:07
Will wearables be the next big thing after smartphones? Not if Gartner's predictions are right.According to new research from the firm, as charted here by Statista, smartwatches are the fastest-growing category of wearable devices, with annual sales expected to double (or more) by 2017. Wristband wearables like the Fitbit are expected to grow about 50%. Every other category is predicted to have...
These Direct-to-Consumer Brands Are Disrupting the Beauty Industry
[Business]
2016/02/11 11:07
Considering its obsession with the new and innovative, the beauty industry has remained surprisingly stagnant over the past half century, with 70 percent of the $60 billion makeup market still under the control of just 10 conglomerates. Something that has changed drastically, however, is buyer behavior. Whereas older generations of consumers pledged loyalty to one or two department store beauty...
