AirAsia is expanding into an app that will offer lifestyle goods and services

AirAsia eyes wider e-commerce play beyond air ticket sales [DealStreetAsia]

AirAsia Group, Southeast Asia’s largest budget carrier, wants to sell more than cheap flight tickets. AirAsia is talking to potential partners to build an e-commerce app that it wants to see overtake the size of its airline business, Group Deputy CEO Aireen Omar said in an interview.

The carrier, which gets about 1 billion ringgit (US$240 million) revenue a year from its current booking engine, expects to earn 20 times more as it expands into an app that will offer lifestyle goods and services.

“This will be bigger than the airline itself,” Aireen said at her office at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. “There’s a lot you can do in just one app and that’s what we are trying to do with our travel and lifestyle app.”

Singapore e-scooter startup Beam kicks off service in Kuala Lumpur [The Star]

Singapore personal mobility startup Beam has kicked off its e-scooter service in Kuala Lumpur with about 200 vehicles.

Beam corporate affairs vice president Christopher Hilton says the e-scooters will be available at various designated parking areas in Bukit Bintang, Lot 10 mall and Mont Kiara township.

He says the areas were selected because of high foot traffic, wide walking paths, and distance to public transport.

“Users won’t need to park the e-scooters anywhere specific, as we believe the most natural way is for people to stop the ride where they choose,” he said at the launch.

Indian short video app VMate gains US$100M from Alibaba to take on TikTok [KrAsia]

Short video app VMate, which was launched in India in 2017 by Alibaba subsidiary UCWeb, confirmed that it has received funds exceeding US$100 million from Alibaba, 36Kr reported on Thursday.

VMate will also join Alibaba’s Innovative Business Group, which also oversees products like the team cooperation tool Dingtalk, the smart speaker Tmall Genie, and the operating system AliOS, as well as an artificial intelligence lab.

36Kr reported that Alibaba will act as an external investor for VMate, rather than setting an internal budget for the app.

Terra partners with Kakao Mobility to protect its customers’ data via blockchain [press release]

Terra has signed a partnership with Kakao Mobility, Uber-style ride-hailing service in Korea, to develop blockchain-based solutions for its mobility platform.

Through this partnership, Kakao and Terra will work closely to explore areas such as designing a blockchain-based business model and creating a secure database. The partnership also entails both companies exploring ways to collaborate not just in Korea but in global markets as well.

This is part of a larger partnership between Terra and the South Korean Internet giant Kakao. Recently, Terra announced that it received investment from both Kakao Ventures and Kakao Investments, and Terra has a strong blockchain partnership with Kakao’s blockchain platform GroundX.

The additional partnership with Kakao Mobility further strengthens the ties between the two companies.

Saahas Zero Waste raises Investment from C4D Partners, IAN and others [press release]

Saahas Zero Waste (SZW) has closed an investment aggregating to INR 6 crores from leading impact investors, led by Capital 4 Development, Indian Angels Network (IAN), Lesing-Artha Ventures and Asha Impact.

The amount will be used to enhance collection and aggregation of all types of non-biodegradable waste, including low-grade plastics through setting up of material recovery facilities that have the appropriate technology to maximise recovery of resources.

SZW is a social enterprise, providing decentralised waste management services. This approach enables the recovery of more than 90 per cent of resources from municipal solid waste.

The company manages 45 tonnes of waste per day. It is based in Bangalore but over the last two years has expanded its presence across south and western India.

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