This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on May 27, 2024 - June 2, 2024

Kumpulan Modal Perdana (KMP), the tech-focused venture capital firm owned by Minister of Finance (Incorporated), has invested an undisclosed amount in homegrown start-up Evlos Sdn Bhd, a provider of end-to-end artificial intelligence-powered computer vision solutions. The funds will be used to expand its team to support its growth trajectory.

Founded and developed locally, Evlos’ core focus is providing AI-based solutions through its zero-code computer vision software and automation hardware to empower manufacturers to completely automate and streamline their quality control (QC) inspection.

Evlos’ advanced solutions are aimed at companies that still rely on manual labour for QC inspection of their products and materials, which will reduce labour costs as well as increase accuracy and efficiency. Founded in 2019 as Cedar Technologies Sdn Bhd, it was rebranded as Evlos in 2022.

With the software, manufacturers can improve their operational efficiency, reduce labour costs, cut down on rework expenses, minimise errors and boost productivity. Evlos Vision Software (EVS), the company’s in-house AI-based computer vision software with deep learning capabilities, is integrated with real-time analytics to explore accurate detection during the manufacturing of complex products.

The start-up is tapping into underserved markets, including small and medium enterprises, to proactively bridge the gap that exists in automation adoption in manufacturing. Evlos’ end-to-end solutions, from designing to manufacturing and programming, are developed in-house.

TIME dotCom Bhd and Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd have deployed the Segment Routing IPv6 (SRv6) technology, becoming the first in Malaysia’s telecommunications industry to implement the game-changing technology. SRv6 enables advanced network routing, offering intelligent and efficient paths, reliable service and secure forwarding.

With service level agreement (SLA) guarantees in programmable networks, TIME pledges an unparalleled service experience for its business-to-business customers with the deployment of SRv6. Its network is now equipped to intelligently orchestrate and monitor service pathways in real time, guaranteeing that essential parameters — including bandwidth, latency and packet loss — adhere to stringent SLAs.

The evolution of TIME’s network to SRv6 is a critical step towards full network digitalisation, automation, end-to-end programmability and network-cloud synergy. This shift results in artificial intelligence-enhanced next-generation networks that can be dynamically adapted and optimised to meet even the changing demands for cloud-based applications and services.

Over one million Malaysians in unserved and underserved rural and remote communities nationwide will be provided with digital healthcare services through the Sihat Xpress initiative, thanks to the partnership of Measat Global Bhd and healthcare technology company Mudah Healthtech Sdn Bhd.

By leveraging close to 4,000 CONNECTme NOW satellite broadband hotspots across rural Malaysia, supported by Measat’s expansive rural distribution network, the two companies have committed to digitalise clinics with telehealth capabilities, enabling at least 1,000 doctors to support up to 2,000 Sihat Xpress rural telehealth kiosks to be rolled out at CONNECTme NOW sites over the next two years.

With the Sihat Xpress initiative, residents can use the telehealth kiosks to check their oxygen levels, blood pressure and body temperature from their villages. They can also consult doctors online for non-emergency issues such as minor illnesses and general health inquiries.

Blood glucose testing may be introduced in these kiosks in the future. Over time, the providers hope that the technology can help ease overcrowding and long wait times at healthcare facilities. It will also bring valuable health education directly to rural communities, helping people take charge of their health.

By offering basic health screenings and diagnostic tools, Sihat Xpress empowers rural residents to detect health issues early and act, ultimately reducing the incidence of non-communicable diseases.

The Sihat Xpress initiative in rural areas is in line with the national goal to digitalise all healthcare facilities by 2030, aiming to enhance the provision of services. It also recognises telehealth as a cost-effective solution to bridge gaps in the quality of healthcare delivery in remote regions.

SailPoint Technologies Inc has launched a digital customer success centre that provides its partners and customers with strategic programme resources, personalised onboarding, planning sessions and curated content on identity security. Through the platform, customers will have access to the customer success corner, onboarding guide, success planning guide, customer success blog and knowledge base.

“Our goal is to provide scalable, proactive resources alongside the personalised engagement opportunities that SailPoint customers have come to expect. We want our customers to feel empowered to take control of their identity security journey and the customer success centre will provide a centralised hub for customers to engage with the educational content and self-service resources they need to improve their identity security posture with confidence,” said Meredith Blanchar, chief customer officer at SailPoint.

The centre streamlines the customer engagement process, providing a centralised location for accessing self-service resources, engaging with the customer success team and staying informed on the latest updates and developments from SailPoint.

The lack of financial literacy among women entrepreneurs, especially in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), underscores the necessity for entrepreneurship education and proper business guidance, said Musyrifah Malek, co-founder of MADCash Sdn Bhd.

As much as it is important to have seed funding for a business, financial literacy is a key component of entrepreneurship education given its important role in promoting the growth and financial sustainability of MSMEs.

“My partner, Aizah [Nuraizah Shamsul Baharin], wanted to see how she could create a system where when people donate money, it goes in cycles again. She raised RM3,000 as an experiment and gave it as funding for three women-led MSMEs, RM1,000 each, which at the end of the month, all three of them collectively were able to make RM18,000,” said Musyfirah.

She was one of the panellists at the “Empowering Women Entrepreneurs — Government Backing, Funding Opportunities and Market Trends in Malaysia” session at the annual Accelerate Women Entrepreneurship event organised by Exabytes Network Sdn Bhd since 2021. Exabytes is an all-in-one business, cloud, digital and e-commerce solutions provider in Southeast Asia.

MADCash is a fintech company that works with women entrepreneurs to help them achieve financial security by providing the capital, business and financial acumen to grow their micro-businesses, with the goal of creating a future bankability score. It not only provides financial literacy programmes in partnership with banks and other stakeholders, but also provides micro-funding of RM1,000 to RM5,000 to those eligible throughout the year.

“A lot of MSMEs are started by women, out of necessity. They need guidance to understand how business is done” said Musyfirah.

“We want [to help] people who want to go beyond where they are now. We had participants from Sabah, where there isn’t a lot of funding. We did our programmes online and we had participants wake up at 3am or 4am to access our learnings because the bandwidth is stronger at that time.”

For its part, Exabytes started providing free business websites or online stores for 200 women entrepreneurs, sponsoring an estimated total of RM400,000 and S$400,000 in Malaysia and Singapore respectively in 2021.

In 2022, it extended the initiative to support 380 women entrepreneurs in both countries, offering digital courses and tools to enhance their online presence. The start-up also supported 220 female students in honing their digital skills.

In 2023, Exabytes expanded its efforts by convening a panel comprising female role models and influential leaders from renowned global entities such as Google and Keppel Corp.

This year’s theme “Catalysing Economic Inclusion through Cybersecurity and Tech Advancements”, aims to spread the message of investing in women to ensure that they are at the forefront of the dynamic digital landscape and fostering a more inclusive and diverse ecosystem. — By Ravinyaa Ravimalar

The Alibaba Cloud Certified Associate (ACA) Generative AI Engineer Course is now available to its global customers, partners and developers. The course, developed by the Alibaba Cloud Academy, is part of Alibaba Cloud’s commitment to support digital talent development and make artificial intelligence (AI) more accessible.

The course offers self-paced training, instructor-led classes and hands-on labs to teach fundamental knowledge on technology, covering topics such as machine learning, natural language processing, encoder-decoders and generative adversarial networks, leveraging models via retrieval-augmented generation, agents and more.

The courses are designed using a three-step approach — learn, imagine and apply — for users to develop the skills necessary to deploy Generative AI apps on Alibaba Cloud platforms. Users who complete the course and pass the examinations will obtain an ACA certificate.

Since April 2023, more than 60,000 people from a wide range of backgrounds have received training certificates through Alibaba Cloud’s talent development initiatives, including university programmes, training partners, online training courses and offline skills centres and training centres. This year, Alibaba Cloud plans to expand the reach of its skills centres and training centres to more markets in Asia and Europe.

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) start-up NETA unveiled the NETA X model to the local market at the Malaysia Autoshow 2024. Setting itself as one of the more affordable EVs, NETA X’s basic and premium models are set to be priced at RM119,900 to RM139,900.

NETA first expanded its business into Malaysia in 2023, launching the NETA V as the cheapest EV in Malaysia priced at RM100,000. During the laucning of the NETA X, the company announced that an assembly plant would be built in Chembong, Negeri Sembilan in Q4 2024, promising even lower prices for its EVs upon completion.

UGREEN has launched its Nexode RG 65W Charger, a multi-port charging device that doubles as a cute robotic companion.

It uses the fast-charging GaNFast chip, which is three times more efficient than traditional silicon-based chargers. The aesthetic of the design is meant to enhance its appeal while different emoji expressions are displayed when charging, providing users with real-time charging information in the cutest manner possible.

The charger uses Airpyra technology for easy portability and convenience when bringing it to a desired work location. Additionally, it is equipped with two USB C ports and one USB A port, making it compatible with all modern devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.

UGREEN has addressed the apprehension towards portable chargers by including flame-retardant, durable materials and a temperature monitor system to add additional safety to the design to prevent issues related to short-circuiting, overloads and overvoltage. It also has a built-in eco-friendly chip that reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

‘It’s about the terror, isn’t it?’

‘The terror of what?’ I said.

‘The terror of being found out.’

The rise of social media has seen a great renaissance in public shaming. Justice has been democratised. The silent majority are getting a voice. But what are we doing with that voice? We are mercilessly finding people’s faults and defining the boundaries of normality by ruining the lives of those outside them. We are using shame as a form of social control.

Simultaneously powerful and hilarious in the way only Jon Ronson can be, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed is a deeply honest book about modern life, full of eye-opening truths about the escalating war on human flaws — and the very scary part we all play in it. This edition features a new chapter and interview with perhaps the most famous public shaming victim of all, Monica Lewinsky. — Amazon

Print your special moments and relive the good times with the click of a button. By connecting The Instax Mini LiPlay to its app, getting Polaroids is made easy as photos taken from your camera or phone can be printed in an instant. The interface is easy to navigate and it only takes seconds for the camera to sync to your phone via Bluetooth.

Its elegant and compact design makes it portable, so you capture a memory at any time. The camera has six built-in filters, allowing you to choose up to 30 frames to customise your printed Polaroid.

One special feature of the Instax Mini LiPlay is its ability to record up to 10 seconds of sounds and convert them into QR codes to be scanned and replayed. The Instax Mini LiPlay, priced at RM698, is available in four colours on the official website, www.store-my.fujifilm-x.com.

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