Here’s a way to support the Southeast Asian startup ecosystem.

Supporting startups, from the ground-up

• #SupportStartups is a joint initiative between 500 Startups, Openspace Ventures, and Cocoon Capital. As the name reveals, the effort aims to do just that — to support startups in the Covid-19 crisis.
• The Business Times ran a story on the movement, in which Vishal Harnal, Partner at 500 Startups says, “This initiative is our way of standing up for our inventive companies in their time of need and encouraging entrepreneurs to push ahead and not give up.”

• The site hosts promotional activities and offers from startups across Southeast Asia, all in one place for the convenience of businesses and consumers. Thus far, there are about 50 businesses listed on the site.
• The initiative is also supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Slash.

3D printing to the rescue

• OhmniLabs, the telepresence robotics and 3D printing startup, gave out 3D-printed face shields to hospitals in the Bay Area to help alleviate the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

• In an announcement on Facebook, co-founder Thuc Vu also said that they’ve deployed telepresence robots for patients to virtually get in touch with their families.

• To help ease loneliness among seniors in quarantine, these robots have also been activated at companion care organizations to enable virtual visits.
• OhmiLabs on its website says its telepresence robots are remotely controlled, providing families with full autonomy over how they choose to communicate.

Best practices for founders

• Founders, by now you must know that these are uncertain times. Weathering the storm seems daunting, but not so much if you know how to steer the boat.
• Through expertise and insights, early-stage investors from across India have collated a list of best practices and housed it all under one site.
• The documents — covering Scenario Planning to Fundraising — are comprehensive and filled with succinct, practical pointers.

Famous families in Indonesia’s tech industry

• KrASIA in this piece details the five illustrious families that are actively involved in accelerating Indonesia’s tech economy.
• You might already be familiar with the names. Notable ones are The Riady Family and The Widjaja Family.
• However, we think there are many more Indonesian families who are also involved and committed to their causes.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Daily Markup! You can also find us on our official website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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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