The tides are turning

• Competition in the airfreight industry is fierce and it seems small forwarders are surpassing their much larger counterparts.
• This is based on insights from 500-backed Cargobase’s CEO and founder Wiebe Helde. He revealed that top 25 forwarders are only winning 30% of the ad hoc airfreight business they bid for on the platform, down from 53% in Q1.
• “The lack of automated quoting with the top forwarders is costing them heavily and, in consequence, benefiting the smaller players. As a result, we are seeing increased efforts from the top 25 to connect to their quoting engines,” Wiebe said.

• The flexibility of micro forwarders allows them to adapt and integrate with external systems better, which is a plus-point in today’s evolving shipping landscape.
• “Most of the top 25’s automation is focused on pre-agreed business, or with their own customer-facing platforms,” he added.
• Spot-buy airfreight is surging as of late. Cargobase recorded growth in transaction volume by 240% while revenue has risen 273% from a year earlier — by far the highest on record since incepting seven years ago, according to the company.

A worldwide shift

• Having amassed nearly 400,000 reviews, 500-backed abillionveg sought to understand the sentiment on the ground through its latest report, “The Era Of The Conscious Consumer”.
• And it has found that consumers are not only becoming more selective of the establishments they frequent, but also discerning of the values those businesses uphold.
• Putting those observations in numbers, 73% of global consumers are likely to change their consumption habits to reduce their impact on the environment, and 57% of them would boycott a brand that doesn’t share their social and ethical values.

• Consumers in Singapore and Argentine are most vocal among the countries abiillionveg surveyed. More than half of Singapore consumers feel strongly about the role of businesses in preventing harm to the environment. Meanwhile, 80% of them are willing to pay higher prices for socially conscious products.
• Breaking down the requests made directly to companies from users, abillionveg revealed that more than 60% and 40% of consumers’ feedback called for more vegan options for dishes and products respectively. For products, packaging (21%) and product attributes (29%) are also important.
• The report (check it out here) provides an interesting overview of the current state of conscious living and based on data, it’s certainly trending upwards.

The inside scoop

• 500 Startups and ABD Ventures are launching a two-part workshop, as part of the Asian Development Bank’s Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS).
• Based on the official website, SEADS’ main objective is “to help crystallize thinking on relevant and critical issues, and support countries in successfully making the transition to becoming high-income, knowledge-based, and, most importantly, sustainable economies.”
• Hosted by Ee Ling Lim, Singapore Country Head of Innovation & Partnerships at 500 Startups, the workshop will have Francesca Chia, founder and CEO of 500-backed GoGet, and 500-backed Gnowbe’s co-founder and CEO, So-Young Kang as guests.

• Part one will feature conversations between the three on the challenges faced by female founders, and a rapid ideation session on building inclusive ecosystems and companies.
• Part two takes a deep dive into the startups and investment landscape post-pandemic, and the strategies founders have adopted to build resilient and future-proof companies.
• The “Startups and The Post-COVID Recovery” workshop is happening tomorrow! There’s still time to secure yourself a seat — register 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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