Echelon Malaysia Speaker Spotlight Series: Kristofer Rogers

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Today on the Speaker Spotlight Series, we talk to award-winning social entrepreneur and leading authority online in fundraising, Kristofer Rogers. He is CEO of SimplyGiving.com, Asia’s largest online giving community operating in 16 countries, including Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

Through his pioneering work with online giving, Kristofer has helped to raise more than US$100 million for Nonprofits across the globe via e-commerce. He was also the 2014 Regional Winner for Community Impact in Southeast Asia @ Talent Unleashed, an international accolade judged by Sir Richard Branson and Steve Wozniak.

We now put Rogers in the hot seat.

1. What are the trends you see developing in the technology and startup scenes in Malaysia and Southeast Asia?

There are some exciting things happening in the O2O (Online-to-Offline) space. The larger players are investing in technology and offline assets that connect with consumers in the real world where true online commerce is still not established such as emerging markets.

From a technology point of view, a mobile-first approach to market is an absolute prerequisite – Southeast Asians are amongst the most active mobile Internet users in the world.

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Asia’s Internet population is growing four times faster than its actual population and mobile social is the hottest trend right now. According to sources, there will be one billion mobile social users in the Asia-Pacific region by the end of the year – so startups working in that space should be on the money.

The crowdfunding space is very exciting and growing incredibly fast in Asia. Having grown by 320 per cent in 2014 to US$3.4 billion, it’s now the second-largest region by volume in the world. The real growth is in equity crowdfunding but we’re now working with 450+ nonprofits and social enterprises in the social crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending space – making us Asia’s largest social crowdfunding community! I expect to see a lot of new and emerging market activity in this space.

Speaking of crowds, I’m also seeing some great Malaysian startups in the O2O space such as GoGet.my, a crowdsourced errands and delivery community. I think Big Data is coming of age with some smart applications coming out of the region too.

2. How has the Malaysian tech startup ecosystem developed in the last two years?

The launch of MaGIC in 2014 and several new incubator and accelerator programs in Malaysia over the past few years has made a big difference for the technology-driven startup community. There is no shortage of ideas in this country, but a good idea requires the right framework, support and business sensibility to become anything more. Many investors focus on the elusive ‘unicorn’ businesses, but there are many amazing startups pushing through the proof-of-concept stages now.

Personally, I am really impressed by the social enterprise ecosystem in Malaysia. The work Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia is doing in identifying thousands of sustainable community projects across the country illustrates the potential.

3. What are some challenges unique to the Malaysian tech startup community and how do you think startups can overcome or circumvent them?

The current economic conditions in Malaysia are not ideal for startups to thrive. So, to be scaleable and sustainable, they need to have a regional play. Southeast Asia is a big challenge for any business because it is a very fragmented marketplace with many different cultures, currencies and languages. But it’s vital to think big and cross borders.

Also Read: Echelon Malaysia Speaker Spotlight Series: Goh Chee Hau

4. Where do you see the Malaysian tech ecosystem in two years?

Taking the previous question further, the biggest challenge to the tech ecosystem over the next two years is one of capacity building. Without the right framework and education, great ideas will fail. Entrepreneurs have to make sure they gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals of business. Running a business is a different skill set from bringing an idea to life, so it is the startups that come through this economic slow down with a solid business model that will win.

Alibaba’s recent US$174 billion market wipeout has caused many global analysts to rethink their take on Asia, but I think the economy will rebound strongly once the main markets adjust to a switch of focus to consumables and services – especially in China. But provided programs like MaGIC continue past their initial funding, Malaysia has the talent and passion to cut through, perhaps even with a unicorn or two…

Also Read: Echelon Malaysia Speaker Spotlight Series: Bay McLaughlin

5. What kind of people are you excited to meet at Echelon Malaysia?

My first experience with Echelon was like speed-dating for startups and investors! It’s an event series that connects passionate startups with very real funding opportunities.

In fact, after meeting @ Echelon Singapore in 2014, SimplyGiving.com has now partnered with MAVCAP, who have made a significant investment as part of our Series A funding round. That would not have happened had it not been for a three-minute pitch over coffee. So I am very much looking forward to the opportunity of talking with VCs, angel investors and Malaysian startups to share ideas and explore opportunities.

Echelon Malaysia 2015 returns to Kuala Lumpur on October 1st at Connexion @ Nexus. Interested in supporting/exhibiting at Echelon Malaysia? Get in touch at contact@e27.co. You can also get your tickets on our website. Exclusive to e27 readers, use promo code e27Spark to enjoy awesome savings

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