The K-Startup Grand Challenge (KSGC) is a startup accelerator program supported by the South Korean government. Returning for its 7th year, the program aims at bringing international startups, with a focus on SEA and ANZ startups. Applications opened on 15 April 2022 and will close on 31 May 2022 for startups keen on the opportunity to work and build a strong foundation in South Korea.

KSGC was launched by the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) in 2016 and has been integral in connecting promising startups from around the world to South Korea. The government is committed to making the country a startup and innovation powerhouse and has invested an average of USD $2 billion yearly since 2013 towards that goal.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the KSGC program has proven to be one of the safest, and most sought-after accelerator programs internationally. Over 2,600 global startups applied from 118 countries for the KSGC 2020 batch. To date, the program has resulted in 109 startups from across 44 countries setting up their base of operations in Korea.

“During our time with the KSGC program, the KSGC team and mentors helped us secure pilot tests, and networking opportunities with leading players like Samsung and LG Chem, as well as the local battery industry players. The program was instrumental in our internationalisation efforts out of Singapore into South Korea.” Said Joshua Sunny Chuah, co-founder of Anzene, a Singapore smart battery startup company from the KSGC 2019 batch.

KSGC 2022 will offer 60 startups from around the world that are less than 7 years old a 3.5-month residency program from 1 August to 15 November. Applications open on 15 April and close on 31 May 2022. Each startup’s representative must be of foreign nationality, and express a clear interest to expand into the Korean and East Asian markets. There is a cash prize for the top 10 startups, with USD $120,000 for the winner.

The program will be conducted in Pangyo Techno Valley. Participants will have their living expenses covered, and be provided with free office and project spaces to work from. Startups will have access to mentors, consultants, and business development teams to help fulfil their potential and aid in their localisation efforts.

With more than 10 startup unicorns based in South Korea, focusing on startup diversity by bringing innovation and ideas from SEA could be the key to the future of the tech scene in Korea. Mr Shin Sung Woo, director of KICC Singapore says, “We have seen many strong and varied applicants from South East Asia for the program, and they have done well across the years. We are excited to see how the South East Asian applicants will surprise us for KSGC 2022.”

To signup for KSGC 2022, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/KSGCpress, for more information about KSGC, please visit: https://www.k-startupgc.org/

Australia’s leading wholesale telecommunications provider, Telcoinabox, part of Symbio Holdings, has announced the launch of Unite Calling, a Microsoft Teams direct routing solution designed to simplify cloud calling for Australian small-medium sized businesses. This latest innovation makes it quicker and easier for service providers of all sizes to easily scale a cost-effective direct routing offering for Teams calling and deliver a high-quality experience to end-users.

Unite Calling is a native Teams application combining advanced automation and modern authentication standards via a direct carrier interconnect, making it the most innovative Teams calling solution available. Unite Calling is hosted domestically within Microsoft Azure with enterprise-grade security and leverages Symbio’s geo-redundant high availability carrier network. 

Prompted by the shift to hybrid and remote working, Gartner predicts 75% of enterprise users globally will not use a desk phone by 2024, up from 30% in 2020[1]. As the unified communications market continues to grow with spending forecast to reach US$53 billion by 2025[2], Symbio is providing a seamless calling experience necessary to support a cloud-based future.

CEO of Symbio’s Telco as a Service (TaaS) business division, Jon Cleaver said, “With more than 270 million monthly users worldwide, Microsoft Teams is the world’s leading business collaboration tool, has experienced exponential growth throughout the pandemic that shows no signs of slowing down.

“For small service providers, launching direct routing for Microsoft Teams is both time-consuming and expensive, and requires significant technical capabilities to correctly deploy and manage.

“We’re proud to be the first company in the southern hemisphere to help small-medium sized businesses who have struggled through the pandemic, be able to digitalise by simplifying processes and improving their access to cloud calling. By removing barriers to deployment, we’re also helping our customers to generate new revenue streams from Teams calling and enable their end-users to capitalise on the booming enterprise communications market.”

Accelerated deployment without complex admin

Telcoinabox’s new self-serve Unite Calling solution eliminates high deployment costs, lengthy installation timelines and the need for specialist technical skills. Requiring no infrastructure setup or manual configuration, Unite Calling can now be deployed autonomously by service providers removing hours of complex professional installation.

Leveraging advanced automation technology, Telcoinabox’s solution also provides an intuitive and seamless user experience for service providers to manage all their customers in one place, entirely within Microsoft Teams. This removes the need for providers to switch between multiple systems, streamlining service delivery and lowering the potential for human error. The platform also provides real-time control without the need for PowerShell and, by extension, specialised knowledge and training.

“Our goal always is to help our customers compete and win. Our technology will empower small providers to launch their own Teams calling offering to give their customers a quality calling experience without the high costs. We are proud to offer the industry standard indirect routing and deliver greater return on investment for our customers and their end-users,” said Cleaver.

Unite Calling will be available to resellers and managed service providers in the Microsoft Market Place in Australia from May with further plans to launch in Asia-Pacific as part of Symbio’s broader regional business expansion strategy.

[1] https://www.uctoday.com/unified-communications/big-uc-news-from-cisco-ringcentral-and-gartner/

[2] https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4000616

Australian beef production recovery underway, but unlikely to reach full potential – Rabobank seasonal outlook

Australia’s cattle availability will increase in the year ahead – as the national herd continues to rebuild – but supply chain limitations will impede sector growth, Rabobank says in its newly-released Australian Beef Seasonal Outlook for 2022.

In the report, titled ‘Recovery well underway but the process will be slow’, the agribusiness banking specialist says as cattle numbers start to lift, they will create additional pressures in the already-constrained supply chain and have implications for sales and prices.

“Increased cattle numbers will see some of the urgency leave the cattle-buying market, so prices will drift down. But domestic consumption and export markets are favourable, and we don’t believe there will be any rapid price drops,” the report says.

“As cattle numbers increase, buyers will become more discerning. If people are going to continue to pay high prices, they will choose the better quality cattle.”

Report author, Rabobank senior animal proteins analyst Angus Gidley-Baird said it was  expected heavier discounting would be seen of “poorer cattle and those that don’t meet specifications”.

“Additional cattle will also load up the supply chain. And existing constraints like freight costs, container access, port congestion and labour availability at processing plants will come under further pressure,” he said.

“These constraints will limit the ability to expand capacity to meet the increase in cattle numbers and may lead to some delays in processing cattle and to additional downward pressure on prices.”

Domestic cattle outlook

Mr Gidley-Baird said domestic beef production is set to rise in the year ahead – but less than its potential.

“As a result of herd rebuilding over the past two years, the availability of slaughter-weight cattle will increase in 2022. Based on Rabobank modelling, cattle slaughter numbers could rise seven percent, to 6.4 million head, with a corresponding nine per cent rise in production to just over two million tonnes in 2022, he said.

“We have already seen evidence of this increased cattle supply, with Q3 and Q4 2021 male slaughter numbers up seven per cent and one per cent respectively year on year – some of the largest increases in five years.”

Rabobank estimates cattle slaughter weights will lift two per cent, to an average 318 kilograms.

But severe constraints in meat-processing labour – due to COVID disruptions and lack of skilled workers – plus ongoing freight challenges will limit the production increase, the report says.

The lift in Australian cattle production will lead to increased beef exports in the year ahead, the report says, while domestic beef consumption is expected to decline.

“The production increase will mainly benefit export markets,” Mr Gidley-Baird said “We expect domestic per capita beef consumption to drop by two per cent in 2022, to an estimated average 21.6 kilograms per person. This drop is smaller than in previous years where consumers were confronted with higher retail prices.”

Given the slow population growth rate, total domestic beef consumption is expected to drop one per cent in the year ahead, the Rabobank report said.

Feedlots

Numbers of cattle on feed will rise in the coming season, the report says, but warns there will be more selective buying from feedlots.

“We expect grain-fed beef production to increase at a slower rate in 2022,” Mr Gidley-Baird said.

“After declining through 2020, cattle on feed numbers grew throughout 2021 – Q4 2021 numbers were up 11 per cent year on year at 1.16 million head.”

However, the report notes, feeder cattle prices are likely to track downwards. And with expensive feeder cattle currently in the system, feedlot margins are expected to be under pressure for some time yet.

Global trade

Global beef markets are bright, Mr Gidley Baird said, but there are shadows looming as strong consumer demand may be challenged by cost increases.

“Phenomenal consumer demand across many markets and an inability for supply to keep up spurred retail beef prices to rise to record levels in 2021,” he said.

The report says US retail beef prices in 2021 were 26 per cent higher than the five-year average. Similarly, Chinese retail beef prices were 25 per cent higher. While there are some signs of consumer resistance to these higher prices, overall, Rabobank believes they are being accommodated, and demand remains strong.

However, Mr Gidley-Baird said challenges in the form of inflationary pressures leading to increased cost of living for consumers and slowing economies may yet result in a weakening of demand.

Domestic price outlook

The report says following an “extraordinary 2021” – when limited supplies and strong producer demand drove cattle prices “even higher” – prices, particularly for young cattle, will “drift down” through 2022.

“While the strong fundamentals of high global prices, strong consumer demand, and limited global supplies still support cattle prices, we feel the urgency that drove local producers’ restocking efforts will subside, and as a result, the heat will be taken out of the market,” Mr Gidley-Baird said.

“We believe that by the end of the year young weaner cattle prices could be about 25 per cent lower than where they started the year,” he said.

“But even with a drop of that size we will still be at historically high cattle prices and in reality our forecast is only taking us back to the price levels we saw at the beginning of 2021.”

Regional outlook

Bank analysis of regional conditions around Australia – undertaken for the report – showed southern Australia leads the way on herd recovery, but most production areas are close to normal.

In terms of total cattle numbers, most eastern states and the Northern Territory still indicate they are up to 25 per cent below their normal capacity, the exception being parts of Victoria where they are at normal or above-normal capacity.

Mr Gidley-Baird said a large portion of the expected herd growth in 2022 is expected to be driven from producers retaining stock.

“The preference for purchasing, or indeed trading, breeding cattle appears lower than that of breeding and growing cattle on property,” he said.

“After another year of rebuilding the herd, and given where cattle prices currently are, it is more believable that producers will adopt a ‘grow your own’ strategy now.

“The ongoing limited cattle numbers will still mean there is producer interest in going to the market, but we suspect buyers will be much more discerning and looking to purchase quality cattle or cattle that will fit into their traditional production system.”

How to Reduce and Recycle Plastics at Work is an online tool designed to help Australian businesses cut down on over one million tonnes of plastic waste they currently send to landfills each year.
The guide comes at a time when state governments across Australia are rolling out single-use plastic bags to address plastic pollution in the environment and the number of plastics being sent to landfills. How to Reduce and Recycle Plastics at Work provides information on these plastic bans and how they impact businesses as well as practical information and tips to reduce plastic waste.
“There is a great deal of concern about plastic pollution among Australians, both in terms of the impact on our beautiful natural environment and in terms of overall waste creation,” said Planet Ark co-CEO Rebecca Gilling.
“We created this guide to make it easy for businesses around the country to take responsibility and reduce, reuse and recycle plastics in their workplace.”
According to the most recent National Waste Report released in 2020, there are now more than 50 million tonnes of plastic in Australian landfills, with around 1.2 million tonnes of plastic of the 2.1 million tonnes added per year created by businesses. Perhaps even more concerning from an environmental perspective, seven of the top ten litter items collected from the nation’s largest waterways are plastic.
How to Reduce and Recycle Plastics at Work provides simple solutions to the top ten plastic products used at work making it easier for businesses to reduce their plastic impact and potentially reduce waste management costs. The guide also provides case studies of Australian businesses that have championed plastic waste reduction, how to use the waste hierarchy at work and information on plastic recycling and plastic identification codes.
The guide is a new resource from Planet Ark’s Business Recycling website, which enables Australian businesses to address their waste, increase efficiency and improve their reputation while reducing unnecessary costs. In a recent survey that ran over 50 days, approximately 400 Business Recycling users reported finding recycling solutions for over 4,000 kg of materials.
The information provided on Business Recycling and Recycling Near You is representative of available recycling services in Australia. The Business Recycling program is made possible through the support of Foundation Partner, the NSW Government. To find out more, visit BusinessRecycling.com.au.

Small businesses across flood-impacted regions are set to gain access to critical marketing and design support via small business champion, Vista. The design, digital and print partner to small businesses across Australia is launching an initiative to empower 25 small businesses with $25,000 in dedicated grants, aimed at supporting their road to recovery and ability to get back to business post-floods.
The impact of the devastating flood events is set to compound an already challenging period, with the 2021 Vistaprint Small Business Recovery Report highlighting that a third (32%) of Aussie SMBs felt marketing (32%) and financial support (33%) were their biggest challenges and one in 10 (10%) calling out design as their key pain point.
Open to any small business impacted by the recent flooding events, the local initiative will see 25x $1000 Vista vouchers granted for use across all products and services encompassing Vista including VistaPrint, VistaCreate, 99designs by Vista and Vista x Wix.

CEO of Vista Australia, Marcus Marchant said “Figures show around 3,000 businesses were impacted across Lismore during the recent flood events, and further north in Tweed Shire, the business community estimates more than $57 million in damages and lost trade. That is just the tip of the iceberg.

“It’s obviously pleasing to see Government action through the recent launch of Business Support Packages and recovery grants but there is always more that can be done. We know the shift from survival to truly getting back to business will take time and represents a seemingly ferocious challenge for many. We want to lend a hand where we know we can best support – and that’s through great marketing and design products that will help these SMBs showcase themselves to their communities and to the world when they are ready.”

According to recent reports, many northern NSW based business owners are still feeling overwhelmed and calling for increased support. The NSW state and federal governments are offering a grant of $50,000 to help cover the cost of clean-up operations or repairs, or $10,000 to pay wages and other bills, although business owners cannot claim both1. To date, less than 5% of the grant applications have been approved by the NSW government.

Small business nominations will be open from 26 April and close at midnight (AEST) on 26 May 2022. Those wanting to get involved can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else via VistaPrint.

The latest quarterly Consumer Price Index data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, released today, shows food price inflation accelerated in the quarter to March 2022, with food prices recording the highest year-on-year rise in more than ten years.

And consumers should be bracing for further food price rises in the coming months as the impacts of higher transport costs, supply chain disruptions and other increased input costs make their way through the system.

Headline numbers for food prices in the March 2022 quarter CPI are a 4.3% increase year-on-year and 2.8% from the previous quarter.

This is the highest year-on-year increase in food price inflation since 2011.

There is broad-based price inflation across the “food complex”, with rises recorded across major grocery food product categories.

Food price rises were the highest in the grocery channel. There was reported inflation in food service, but this was ‘softened by meals out and takeaway foods (+0.7%), which saw price rises partially offset by voucher schemes reducing out-of-pocket costs for consumers in some cities.’ 

Horticulture contributed to the food inflation recorded –  vegetables (+6.6%) and fruit (+4.9%) prices were higher year-on-year.

Higher costs of meat, seafood and dairy were also significant contributors to food price inflation in the quarter.

Higher transport costs, supply chain disruptions and increased input costs were the main cause of food price rises.

In addition, the impacts of flooding in New South Wales and Queensland – which affected some agricultural production and supply chains – started flowing through from March.

Commentary by Michael Harvey Senior Analyst Rabobank

Employees with full autonomy to choose where they work are happier in their job, yet only one in five are currently able to do so. And though 63% of all employees prefer hybrid working, only 45% are able to flexibly split their time between the home and office. This is according to Jabra’s 2022 edition of the Hybrid Ways of Working Global Report. Carried out amongst 2,800 knowledge workers across six countries worldwide, the report analyses employee sentiments and motivations around the physical workspace in this hybrid working era.

• 63% of employees prefer hybrid work but only 45% are working in such arrangements
• Only two in ten employees have full autonomy to choose where they work
• 55% are concerned their career would suffer if they didn’t come into the office regularly

Employees say that being able to decide where and when they work positively impacts their wellbeing, happiness, and productivity levels. As hybrid working is driving the reconstruction of physical working spaces, employers need to rethink their overall working models to ensure effective collaboration and employee satisfaction.

Work from home (WFH) or work from office (WFO)  

We are entering the next stage of the hybrid working journey and employees have seen that a vast majority of them still excel at their jobs regardless of where they are. At a time when several large companies are calling for a return to the office, many employees are calling for more power to determine their own work arrangement and decide if they want to WFH or WFO. The majority (57%) of employees who have full autonomy to choose where they work are currently working a hybrid workweek. This is more than double of those who choose to work fully remote and more than triple of those who choose to work fully in office. 

In addition, employees with full control over their work arrangement (where/when) unanimously report a higher work experience score (77%) than their medium (73%) and low autonomy (65%) counterparts. These differences are most apparent when it comes to feeling a sense of belonging, productivity, trust in leaders, work-life balance, and mental wellbeing. There is also a split in opinions across generations, as Gen Z and Millennials are more reluctant to work full time in the office, with only 19% preferring a full office week, compared to 26% of Gen X and 30% of Boomers.

Autonomy will be an essential part of improving employees’ satisfaction and engagement at work and key to stabilizing the foundational pillars of organizational culture and success.

Office redesigns must be about more than physical spaces

Organizations are redesigning offices for collaboration, but the report shows that there are further considerations to bear in mind. Across all types of workers, there’s a desire to have a dedicated personal space in the office. Almost four in ten workers say they’d feel less loyalty and commitment to their company if they didn’t have a regular, permanent workspace. Meanwhile, almost seven in ten workers confess they’re creatures of habit: if they didn’t have a regular, permanent workspace in the office, they would still try to sit and work in the same spot every day.

In addition, Jabra’s data shows that as the amount of time a given employee spends in meetings increases, so too does the preference for their home office over the traditional office workspace. Of those spending more than 50% of their time in meetings, 75% prefer their home office. With eight in ten meetings now being either fully virtual or hybrid, leaders will need to think very carefully about how virtual collaboration technologies can help employees feel a sense of belonging both in the office and outside of it.

The rise of the “anywhere office”

Gen Z represents a generation not only of digital natives, but also of hybrid natives. Many began their professional career during the pandemic, so remote and hybrid work is all they’ve ever known. As such, 64% of Gen Z consider their “office” to be their laptop, headset, and wherever they can get a strong internet connection. This highlights the growing importance of technology in defining the employee experience.

These hybrid natives are also twice as likely as Millennials, and almost three times as likely as Gen X, to say that their usual workspace is a “third space,” such as a co-working space, café, or library. As Gen Z continues to take up a larger proportion of the workforce, organizations must understand these key generational differences in location preferences in order to attract the best talent and thrive in a work-from-anywhere future. Only by providing employees with relevant technology and support can they maintain productivity, employee wellbeing, and the reputation of true professionalism from any environment.

David Piggott, Managing Director ANZ at Jabra, said: “COVID presented us with the greatest work experiment of all time. What began as a necessary shift to remote work has grown into a long-term exploration of the hybrid office. We’re now two years in and need to consider how hybrid work truly impacts the workplace, particularly regarding attracting and retaining talent. It’s time for leaders to step back, listen and understand what their employees need to be productive, collaborative, and happy in their roles. Most importantly, leaders need to nurture a sense of belonging in the virtual workplace. Give employees the power to choose their desired working space and enable them to be productive in any environment with the right technology, tools, and support. In 2022, we should move beyond thinking solely in terms of WFH or WFO, and realise the opportunities a ‘work-from-anywhere’ model provides. To download a copy of the full research report, please visit: https://www.jabra.com/hybridwork/2022