Tales of Startup Inspiration: Keeping It Real, Keeping It Free

May 21, 2015 by Patrick Kosiol

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After explaining the idea behind swapit and why we launched it as an invite-only beta, I’d like to talk a bit about why we are keeping it free.

Back in March I was pitching swapit to the vetting committee of the British Chamber of Commerce’s Business Angel Programme. It was a great experience. While being only 2 months into our invite-only beta at that time, I didn’t have all the right answers to their Q&A and therefore, we didn’t make it past that vetting process. We will be back there though, definitely! Anyhow, their feedback was absolutely great and one in particular was very interesting.

“How do we make sure people use swapit instead of Facebook Groups, AsiaXpat or other forums online that are free?”

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Filed Under: Columns Tagged With: Patrick Kosiol, startup talk, SwapIt

Hong Kong’s First Blockchain Hackathon: What to Expect at HackCoin 2015

May 19, 2015 by Inggrid Yonata

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Hong Kong’s startup scene is still very young and too few computer science graduates decide to build something of their own or join a small young team that truly wants to change the world. However, one amazing thing about Bitcoin is that it is permission-less. Anyone can build applications the way they are used to by downloading the necessary code and running it on their own machine; not by filling out application forms and waiting for approval. While Bitcoin and encryption at large is perceived to be complicated, many frameworks already exist that make developing on top of it easy and safe. We need to create opportunities for young coders to build on top of this technology and show how quickly the applications for the next generation of financial services can be developed.  We need a blockchain 2.0 hackathon.

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Filed Under: Columns Tagged With: Bitcoin, Gatecoin, Hackathon, hackcoin

HR Technology and Asia’s Talent Market: A Battle Worth Winning

May 12, 2015 by Richard Hanson

A recent report on “The Reality of Asia’s Talent Market” by CEB Asia, highlighted a triple threat to realizing the region’s growth potential. “Rising Costs and Competitive Pressures” combined with “Talent Scarcity” and “Leadership Productivity and Retention Risks” were identified as the main challenges facing Asia’s companies and HR Departments.

So, how to combat these threats? One thought is that the emergence of HR technologies in Asia might level the playing field and give organisations the tools they need to fight back. Indeed, the conclusion of a recent whitepaper by Thomson Online Benefits on HR trends in Asia, was that “In 2015 Tech Adoption is a Must for HR”.

Technology – A Double-edged Sword?

One area of the HR Technology ecosystem that has seen slow but steady evolution is Talent Acquisition and Recruitment.

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Filed Under: Columns
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