Author: vivian
Vietnamese biggest brewer, Sabeco debuts on HOSE with shares jump 20 percent
Beer drinkers in Vietnam may have a little more to celebrate as the local brew – Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage JSC (Sabeco) has officially posted its 641,281,186 shares at the HCMC Stock Exchange (HOSE) under the code SAB.
The shares are traded at the starting price of VND 110,000 per share (about US$ 4.80) and by the end of the first trading day, Sabeco stocks have jumped to its maximum of 20 percent up to VND 132,000 per share.
This news has excited local and foreign investors, many of whom have been waiting for further shares to become available since Sabeco initial public offering in 2008. Both events are considered separate in Vietnam.
Sabeco’s market value has also increased to 83.4 trillion dong (about US$3.6 million). This market capitalization ranked the company as the fifth largest listed firm on HOSE behind dairy firm Vinamilk (VNM), Vietcombank (VCB), Vietnam Petrol Gas Corp (GAS) and the Vingroup (VIC).
Sabeco is the state-owned maker of Saigon Beer and 333 Beer and with this event, the second largest consumer company after Vietnam Dairy Products JSC on the exchange. It’s also the largest brewer in Vietnam, where brewing Vietnam’s biggest labels “Saigon”, has reported a sales revenue of VND 21.8 trillion for the first 9 months of 2016, an increase of 9 percent year on year.
With this listing in HOSE, it will expand Vietnam’s US$77 billion stock market as it increases the size and liquidity of the benchmark VN-index, which is poised for a fifth straight year of gains.
“Sabeco’s listing is a positive and important step for a country that is embracing and liberalizing its own corporation,” said Federico Parenti, a Milan-based fund manager at Sempione Sim Spa, “The listing will be successful because the market is hungry for these type of businesses.”
In fact, seven companies including Heineken NV, Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and Asashi Group Holdings Ltd. have already registered to bid for Sabeco.
The outlook on Vietnam beer market is an enthusiastic one as demand for beer is expected to continue growing in Vietnam in light of its population increases and the expansion of Vietnam middle class.
VN Express even estimates the thirst for Saigon beer to increase by 30 percent during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, to a projection of 40 million liters of beer.
By Vivian Foo, Unicorn Media
Malaysian Cradle Adds 6 New Partners And USD 3.26 Million To Fund Local Tech Startups
Today marks another achievement for Malaysia’s early stage startup investor – Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd. as the funding company reveals its 7th batch of co-investment partners – adding six more venture capitals to the list that will join Cradle’s equity co-investment program.
Among the six new equity co-investment partners include RHL Ventures, TinkBig Venture, Biz Angel Network, EIX Group, Segnel Ventures, and PlaTCom Ventures. This latest inclusion will bring the number of Cradle’s equity co-investment partners from 25 to 31 as well as an investment of up to MYR 14.5 million (about US$3.26 million) to fund local tech startups.
The equity co-investment program where Cradle matches the contribution made by a partner has started in 2014 with existing co-investment partners including Fatfish Ventures Sdn Bhd, OSK Ventures International Bhd, CoENT Ventures Partners Ltd, Crystal Horse Investment Pte Ltd, Captii Ventures Pte Ltd, Kathrein Ventures Sdn Bhd, and KK Fund.
Additionally, the government-run organization has also signed a grant co-investment partnership with a Singapore-based seed fund provider, Golden Gate Ventures (GGV) back in June 2014. It has raised a total of MYR 161.2 million (about US$36.25 million) from the previous six cycles. Now, with its 6 new partners, the co-investment funds have been raised to MYR 190.2 million (about US$42.75 million).
“We wish to have a diversity of investors in our co-investment circle from venture capitalists and institutional investors to ECF platforms whose investors consist of sophisticated angels who are no stranger to funding early stage businesses,” said Cradle Group CEO, Nazrin Hassan.
Having these new partners, thus, would give the funding company an opportunity to tap into their partners’ insights and experience investing in startups which Cradle may not have. This, in turn, would bring advantage to the Malaysian startups that aim to become global players.
Cradle Logo
To date, more than 700 tech startups have benefited from Cradle, as the agency has the highest commercialisation rate among government grants in the nation. As for the co-investment scheme, there are 4 companies that were funded through the program which includes BeMalas, the only app one literally need for anything; MauKerja, a job-hunting platform; Sync Media, a mobile solution that aims to break down the barriers of communication between teachers and parents, and SupplyCart.
For this cycle with the latest six partners, Cradle announced that RHL Ventures and TinkBig will contribute the same investment amount of US$1.12 million, Biz Angel Network and EIX Group investing US$449,505 each, and Segnel Ventures US$112,367 while PlaTCom Ventures contribution were undisclosed, according to Cradle at an event in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
The investment scene this year in Malaysia has been quite slow as compared to last year. It is apparent that the regional investment has subsided due to the geopolitical risk which has in turn affected not only the currency value but investments in Malaysian startups. Through this move, Cradle has moved and encourage venture capital investments in Malaysian startups to help spur the ecosystem.
On the other hand, Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd has also announced that its 2017 allocation from this year’s MYR 30 million will be reduced to MYR 22 million. This reduction has been announced in light of the healthy development of ecosystems for technology startups, which are increasingly able to tap into equity crowdfunding, as well as peer-to-peer financial and advisory facilities and services.
“The introduction of alternative platforms for startups to raise fund through Equity Crowdfunding (ECF) platforms and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) financing came at the right time. This has helped to reduce the impact of the slowdown,” he added.
As a whole, this collaboration will likely bring various benefits to the Malaysian startup ecosystems. Subsequently, there is still a reason to invest in Malaysia as not only does the nation has a pro-business government but simply put, the Malaysian entrepreneurs’ hunger for success is no less than their Singaporean peers. Moreover, there are fewer investors eyeing the country which opens up more opportunities for venture capitals.
For more information, please visit http://www.cradle.com.my/
By Vivian Foo, Unicorn Media
Seedcom-Backed Cau Dat Farm Brings Smart Technology Into Vietnam Agricultural Production
Looking past food delivery startups or applications that do grocery shopping for the urban tech-savvy population. Internet of Things (IoT) is now also moving on to tackle the supply side, widely transforming the agricultural scene.
From solutions for small-scale farming households to large farms, the use of technology has helped farmers and agriculturalists minimize their farming effort while maintaining the optimal growth conditions of the plants.
In Vietnam, Cau Dat Farm is one of the farms using IoT in its agricultural system. The farm in Dalat currently has an underrunning IoT solution deploying a gateway to collect data such as light, humidity etc. through a system of sensors, weather stations, and robots, as to enable the management of farm operations via the cloud.
To accomplish this, the farm tech has formed a partnership with Intel in terms of importing its expertise and hardware from the inception of businesses, as well as incorporating other international hardware supplies and knowledge from agribusiness experts.
Also, understanding the operations and business strategy of Cau Dat Farm, it seems that the Vietnamese farmstead is establishing a connection between farmers through transferring the technology to other enablers.
This is because operators believe that Cao Dat Farm alone cannot cover the country’s demand for food. Hence, the key to the strategy instead is to manage the entire network through ensuring the quality, and transparency of the products made by its partners.
“Cau Dat Farm will be a platform for other agribusiness players to join, and all will produce quality goods,” Pham Ngoc Anh Tung, the director of Cau Dat Farm said.
Tung, which had a technology background in automation, was assured that joining Dinh Anh Huan’s Seedcom – one of the biggest success stories in Vietnam is positive that the application of IoT in agriculture will be robust.
Yes. Indeed it is.
Sellers in street market selling fresh organic fruits and vegetables
As aside from Cau Dat Farm, smart farming has been apparent in Vietnam with its primary movers being Captii Ventures-backed MimosaTEK, which provides real-time solutions to optimize farm operation and Tech mogul FPT Corporation, which has also partnered with Japanese IT equipment and service firm Fujitsu in a smart agriculture project in Hanoi.
But what sets Cau Dat Farm apart from its competitors is that the company is also looking to work with local telecommunication platforms which have already developed their IoT platforms. In this sense, Cau Dat Farm will build a standardized database for agriculture, which is not yet available in Vietnam.
“Once these agriculture data becomes big enough, we will be able to solve the questions of forecasting crops, diseases, and productivity. It will also help connect the value chain together, including farmers, agribusiness companies, retailers, experts, and users.” Pham Ngoc Anh Tung, director of Cau Dat Farm adds.
This is because IoT (Internet of Things) can ensure transparency of food production without amplifying the costs, at a time when the country is highly concerned about food safety. Especially with the rampant cases of food safety violations – a recent case being the mass poisoning of 34 Japanese students who visited a Five-star Hotel in Ho Chi Minh city last month.
Considering the final effect, smart farming has a bright future in Vietnam as compared to traditional forms of cultivation. As despite the growing investment in clean products with high technology that might be more time-consuming as well as taxing in price.
But the products of technology – ready-to-eat tomatoes and lettuce, grown without soil that can be consumed unwashed are filling the gap for Vietnamese that are worried about food safety. They are going organic and looking for a healthy and reasonably priced choice – which make this profitable in the long run.
For more information, please visit http://caudatfarm.com/
By Vivian Foo, Unicorn Media
China’s Luye Pharma Completes Acquistion Of Acino’s Transdermal Drug Delivery System For US$260 Million
Luye Pharma Group Ltd. (02186.HK), a professional pharmaceutical enterprise focused on R&D and manufacture of innovative pharmaceutical products has announced the completion of its acquisition of the transdermal drug delivery systems (TDS) business, Acino which is located in Zurich, Switzerland, according to a press release.
Acino has established itself as a global leader in the niche transdermal markets. The company is said to be one of the largest independent TDS manufacturers in Europe, with a product portfolio primarily focused on higher margin specialty patch categories such as central nervous system (CNS), pain and hormone spaces.
Some of the company’s notable commercialized and complex formulations include Rivastigmine, Buprenorphine, Fentanyl and fertility control patch. Post acquisition, Acino will retain the marketing rights to certain of these patched in strategic emerging markets.
The transaction saw Luye Pharma acquiring the TDS business from Acino, through the purchase of the entire issued share capital of Acino AG and Acino Supply AG for an amount of €245 million (about US$260 million).
This acquisition will allow Luye Pharma to learn and adopt practices from the integration of its acquired business. Greatly enhancing Luye Pharma’s developmental efforts in R&D, manufacturing, international registration, and market promotion of new formulation products to international standards.
“As we execute our international strategy, this transaction serves as an important milestone,” says Yehong Zhang, the chief executive of Luye Pharma, “This acquisition will significantly enhance Luye Pharma’s international capabilities and accelerate its penetration into broader therapeutic areas and geographies.”
In addition, the TDS business, with its high-quality factories with EU GMP certificate and certification from the U.S. FDA, will help Luye Pharma in meeting and exceed international standards in production, quality control, and global operations.
At the same time, Acino with its mature sales network and international presence in many developed markets around the world – especially the European region will definitely aid the giant pharmaceutical enterprise to pave the way for its mission of globalization.
The global market sales of transdermal patches reached over 5 billion Euros in 2014 and are expected to hit 6.4 billion Euros by 2020, with a projected compound annual growth rate greater than 4%1. The global market for TDS business is huge with strong growth potential.
It would also appears that Luye Pharma is leveraging its growth on M&A as Luye Pharma has also previously acquired Healthe Care Australia in April this year for an undisclosed amount. Acino, which acquisitions has begun since July is, in fact, its second acquisition.
Still, Luye Pharma, the leading Chinese pharmaceutical enterprise will continue to serve and promote human health through professional technology, especially when the China mainland is an emerging market which is facing the challenges of an aging population that are accompanied by potential patients of chronic diseases, which represents a substantial market for TDS. At present, there are currently 260 million people suffering from chronic diseases in China.
Despite that, the company is moving forward and working to develop Luye Pharma into one of the most respected leading global pharmaceutical enterprises in the world. The enterprise, since inception, has adopted innovation, being one of the pioneering Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises to have conducted clinical trials in international markets. Luye Pharma currently has 5 innovative products at various stages of clinical research with significant breakthroughs in the U.S.
On a similar note, Luye Pharma is backed by CITIC Private Equity, which 5.92% ownership of Luye Pharma Group remains unchanged since 2014, according to the company’s 2015 annual report.
For more information, please visit http://www.luye.cn/
By Vivian Foo, Unicorn Media
KFit, Guardian, La Juiceria Join BookDoc Activ To Give Rewards For Staying Fit
Combining walking with every Malaysians’ favorite cultural pastime – getting discounts, BookDoc is introducing BookDoc Activ, an excuse much needed to start your exercise plan.
This is a new collaboration where BookDoc will have an ongoing partnership with major retailers and service providers which share the same theme – that is three well-known healthcare brands in Malaysia, namely Guardian, La Juiceria and Kfit to reward BookDoc Activ users for their daily steps.
Users are required to hook the app to a pedometer application and start walking until they reach a daily step threshold. With accumulated points, they can then trade it for the offer they desire. Simply put, the app is an incentive for people to start living a healthier life.
Though BookDoc Activ is promoting the prevention is better than cure approach, the application designed by Dato’ Chevy Beh, a former Managing Director of BP Healthcare Group, BookDoc is originally intended to bridge the gaps in informational asymmetries and reduce inefficiencies in healthcare.
That is to say, BookDoc acts as a platform that can be used to help immediately connect patients in need with healthcare experts who can assist anytime and anywhere – its significance lies in the gift of time that can create a life and death difference.
But that is not all to Dato’ Chevy’s BookDoc as the application also serve another purpose, having partnered with Agoda in July, to help patients with doctor appointments that require traveling. With this feature, it can cater to the needs for booking a doctor’s appointment as well as the accommodation at the same time, through a single app.
Essentially, this function is because BookDoc recognizes that there is a big market of medical tourists. As Chevy puts it, “In this region alone, medical tourism is worth about US$6 billion. Medical tourists amount to about US$250 million in Malaysia, with around 850,000 tourists. In Singapore, there are also about 1 million tourists, generating about USD800 million.”
On a similar note, this region of medical tourism is also taken interest by another Malaysian startup, Smilelink Dental Group who intends to venture into this market of medical tourism as well, focusing on dental healthcare
Though looking back at BookDoc Activ, this new feature is a strategic one as well. As this move not only allows BookDoc to expand their target group since even healthy people now have a reason to download the app but the application through this access to a wider audience can create an awareness of the app among Malaysians.
Additionally, BookDoc has expanded its reach to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand. And although BookDoc offers rewards, acommodation booking, and a healthcare platform, in the simplest terms, BookDoc, as a whole, is an online platform that aims to create a healthier Malaysia, addressing the public’s health problems.
“BookDoc’s objective is not only to provide a seamless platform and access to medical services but is also about taking care of healthy people, as much as we take care of the medically less fortunate, and we believe in rewarding them for staying healthy and active,” said BookDoc founder Datuk Chevy Beh.
The healthcare app is also planning to roll out more discounts with their partner in stages, so users can be on the look out for updated deals.
For more information, please visit https://activ.bookdoc.com/