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• People Experience Lead at 500-backed Carousell, Qiyi Liao, penned an article titled ‘5 things we’ve learnt about wellbeing in the workplace in 2020’ on the startup’s takeaways from the unprecedented experiences of that year.

• While its team’s transition to Work From Home (WFH) had been seamless as a large number had already been on a flexible work arrangement, the extended period of remote working still took a physical and emotional toll after several months.
• To address the issue, the startup set up a WFH guide for employees and covered topics such as setting up work hours and communicating expectations with managers.
• Carousell also had to ramp up on its employee engagement, organizing regular check-ins to understand how each team is doing and what support is required.
• One of the common sentiments shared was the decrease in social interaction, so teams organized virtual lunches and games on Slack.
• Before the pandemic hit, Carousell started ‘Wellness Wednesday’ during which a focus is placed on wellbeing from a physical, emotional, mental and financial perspective. During WFH, emotional and mental wellness received a heavier emphasis.
• The startup also learned that some employees could focus better in the comfort and privacy of their own homes, while others missed the ease and convenience of being in the same space as their colleagues.
• So it took a flexible approach to working arrangements, allowing some to carry on with WFH while they allowed others to return to the office while complying to local regulations.
• Qiyi concluded the piece, saying, “A simple check-in from your co-workers, asking “How are you doing? Is there anything we can help you with?” can sometimes create a huge impact. You never know what your coworker is going through at that moment, and sometimes, these little check-ins may just help uplift someone spirit at their most vulnerable point in time.”
• Read the full article here.

Robots for good

• 500-backed OhmniLabs shared highlights from 2020 in helping people around the world respond to the pandemic, leading the startup to win the Commercialization Award in the Silicon Valley Robotics “Good Robot” Industry Awards.
• Over 40 hospitals use Ohmni Robot for patient care and patient access, from allowing families to visit quarantined patients and to introducing siblings to newborns remotely. A total of 4,730 hours of calls have been clocked in by the robots.

• The startup was featured in The Guardian as one of the top 5 robots helping to tackle the coronavirus.
• The Ohmni Robot has also helped other industries maintain operations amid the pandemic. An art gallery in Miami and New York, US recorded US$70,000 in sales and closed a commission worth US$80,000 while a furniture store in North Carolina, US books 10–15 virtual consultations a week.
• In education, the Ohmni Robot is used in over 500 schools worldwide. “It takes a lot of skill as a teacher to make sure that you’re including the people on the screen,” shared Professor David Wicks, Seattle Pacific University, an Ohmni Robot user. “And robots — they have a good social presence. On Zoom, you kind of get forgotten about.”
• In sports, over 30 football, soccer, and hockey teams are able to connect with fans thanks to OhmniLabs while a university in Tokyo went viral for its unique, robot-driven graduation ceremony.
• Read all the highlights here.

Fast fashion

• 500-backed fashion analytics and insights platform Omnilytics released an infographic recording its key highlights from 2020.

1. Developed the Fashion Retail & the Covid-19 Crisis report within the first week of global lockdowns
2. Upgraded the Competitor Benchmarking and Trend Performance modules on its platform to cater to users’ specific needs
3. Launched the free Covid-19 dashboard to help brands make better decisions in an uncertain climate
4. Ran its first digital Fashion Summit led by industry experts from ASOS, M&S, and Macy’s, among others, which was attended by over 1,000 people
5. Expanded to Brazil and Japan

• Get the full infographics here.

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500 Startups is a venture capital firm on a mission to discover and back the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, help them create successful companies at scale, and build thriving global ecosystems. In Southeast Asia, 500 Startups invests through the pioneering 500 Southeast Asia family of funds. The 500 Southeast Asia funds have backed over 240 companies across multiple sectors from internet to consumer to deep technology. It continues to connect founders with capital, expertise and powerful regional and global networks to help them succeed.

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