Not too long ago, a partner from a reputable VC firm shared how disappointed he was to find out that this year’s Echelon Asia Summit had been postponed.
“Do you know that one of the startups in our portfolio now, I met through that event?” he revealed.
His testimonial is only one of the many examples that underscore the importance of offline events and face-to-face meetings for all businesses across verticals. But the global pandemic has severely altered the landscape of business networking and consequently, disrupted business operations.
With offline events either postponed or canceled, many startups are deprived of the opportunity to showcase their innovations to potential customers, investors, or mentors. Key stakeholders seeking out the next unicorn will have to comb through alternative, random spaces. Additionally, businesses aiming to increase brand awareness by engaging their target audience face-to-face will have to rethink their strategies. In other words, COVID-19 has widened the gap among various sectors in the ecosystem that leverage networking for vital business purposes.
Fortunately, the digital space is borderless
While the physical world found itself restricted under enhanced quarantine, the online community thrived amid lockdowns. Digital noise never ceased and in fact, several businesses have been seen in the e-commerce sector taking off where physical borders cannot stop them. We’ve also seen an increase in app downloads, and online education platforms have never been as prominent as they are these days.
As the saying goes, every crisis presents an opportunity. This is already given in a community that flourished through innovation and problem-solving.
Tapping into online initiatives and bridging the gap
As an ecosystem builder and media company, e27 has recognised its key purpose to continue our service and mission to “empower entrepreneurs with the tools to build and grow their companies”. We’re working to support tech startups and stakeholders by collating these online services relevant to the current situation. We hope that by doing this, we serve to fulfill the business networking and introduction gaps in the ecosystem.
• a membership programme that’s meant to give you actionable insights to aid in informed business decisions, exclusive business-building programmes, and tools that enable your company’s success
• visibility of milestones and fundraising efforts through listicles and widgets
• strong business connection by tapping into our vast network of potential partners
e27 Software & Service Community Discounts
• an initiative to support all B2B startups in the regional tech ecosystem by helping boost the exposure of their software and services
Webinars and dedicated digital campaigns
• for businesses aiming to increase branding awareness without offline event, but still wish to engage with customers and potential strategic partners
• for companies, or even business owners to be seen as thought leaders in the industry through marketing campaigns
Market research and data insights
• for businesses needing to connect with customers, through validation of their hypotheses and theories to be able to make business decisions
These are all part of our overall community initiatives to assist tech startups and stakeholders in these challenging times. We continue to believe in the ecosystem, and that by aptly tapping into relevant online platforms, we can bridge the networking gaps and bounce back together as a community.
The post Tapping into online platforms, bridging network gaps, and bouncing back as a community appeared first on e27.