With the world under social distancing, esports is enjoying the spotlight.

ESPL secures another partnership

• Just weeks after announcing a partnership with India’s PayTm First Games, 500-backed Esports Players League (ESPL) has scored yet another tie-up. This time in Latin America.
• Three prominent esports platforms in the region are in the mix: Arena Esports Pro Gaming, Mexico’s premier esports experience brand, grassroots esports community BroooTV in Ecuador, and Versus Esports, a vibrant esports community that spans Panama and Colombia.

• With over 45 million viewers in the Latin American market and profits of over US$32 million, this partnership looks to boost the fastest-growing region for competitive gaming to even greater heights.

• Besides, with ESPL’s efficiently deployable and scalable ecosystems for amateur competitive gaming, the region can expect a new wave of esports athlete to emerge.

engageSPARK reaches out to rural communities

• engageSPARK, the 500-backed software startup with the aim of reaching rural communities through scalable mobile messaging, has been offering its services at a discount to NGOs and government agencies to reach marginalized communities.
• The company is working with the International Organization for Migration to provide accurate and timely information pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic to Rohingya refugees.

• Leading humanitarian organization for children, Save the Children, is partnering with engageSPARK on two projects in the Philippines. The first is an information drive surveying 600 beneficiaries about their preferred mode of receiving Covid-related news
• The second project is a 30+ question survey asking around 400 beneficiaries regarding the quality of hygiene kits they receive.
• For more information on the work engageSPARK is doing to help those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, go here.

Fighting Covid-19 with IoT

• 500-backed FOX-TECH enables traditional businesses with perishable goods to improve safety compliance and reduce profit losses through their easy-to-use data analytics solution.
• In such a time where food safety is taking precedence, FOX-TECH’s TEMPHAWK solution has been acknowledged in the fight against Covid-19 by the Global Organization of Smart Cities.

• TEMPHAWK is an end-to-end solution for optimizing quality and safety in the food and beverage industry.
• Easily set up and multi-language supported, the feature provides temperature readings from -40°C up to 125°C and humidity level (0 -100%) wheres data is promptly sent to mobile phones or wearables like the Apple Watch every 10 minutes.
• For more information on FOX-TECH and TEMPHAWK, go here.

Google x Apple

• Apple and Google have embarked on a collaboration for the ages. The long-time rivals are working together to create an ambitious Covid-19 contact tracing software that uses Bluetooth in people’s smartphones to detect when they come in contact with someone who’s already tested positive for coronavirus.
• Just yesterday, the tech giant released screenshots which they called illustrative concepts. Do note that these visuals don’t necessarily reflect the exact software that public health authorities will use, but instead is a blank canvas to start without having to create something from scratch.

Stay tuned to tomorrow’s Daily Markup!

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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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