SAP.iO, SAP’s specialized business unit, has a primary goal: to facilitate collaboration with emerging, future-ready startups. This cooperation also extends to providing these startups with access to SAP’s innovative technology, mentorship, and expansive customer network. Over recent years, SAP.iO’s imprint on the Asia-Pacific and Japan has deepened, fostering an environment of tech-driven growth and innovation.

The unveiling of SAP.iO Foundry Tokyo marks SAP’s deepening commitment to nurturing the entrepreneurial landscape within Asia, demonstrating a profound shift in enterprise management. Hirofumi Suzuki, SAP Japan’s President and Representative Director, stressed the importance of enterprises adapting to today’s swiftly evolving market environment.

“In the drastically changing market environment, SAP supports companies to become agile and intelligent sustainable enterprises that leverage the latest technology and allow employees to focus on higher value-added tasks and realize sustainable management. To realize this, we focus on expanding our important partner ecosystem including innovative startups. This program will encourage our customers to utilize a variety of new solutions or technologies with SAP systems brought by cutting-edge startups,” Suzuki further highlighted.

Fostering Future Innovation: SAP.iO Foundry Tokyo’s Startup Assemblage

To realize this ambitious vision, SAP.iO Foundry Tokyo has curated a group of five high-potential startups from diverse industries. Their mission is to revolutionize and integrate with solutions across the extensive SAP portfolio. These startups will also have the opportunity over the next four months to receive comprehensive mentorship from experienced SAP executives, immerse in SAP’s technology and APIs, and collaborate with SAP’s global customers.

The selected startups forming the Intelligent Sustainable Enterprise cohort at SAP.iO Foundry Tokyo include:

1. ALGO ARTIS: A technology startup specializing in developing AI-driven solutions to streamline intricate operational tasks. The ability to optimize complex operations in a single click, thanks to their AI solution, will also undoubtedly transform the way businesses approach task management.
2. Inspiration Plus: A firm creating digital platforms aimed at improving disaster prevention efforts. Its advanced technology also empowers local governments and corporations with improved preparation and management tools for potential disasters, leading to robust business continuity plans.
3. Milk.: This startup stands at the forefront of industrial inspection software solutions. It offers AI-empowered hyperspectral technology, transforming traditional manufacturing procedures for industrial customers, increasing both efficiency and quality assurance.
4. primeNumber Inc.: This innovative startup is focused on enhancing the process of data utilization. By creating an environment conducive to quick and efficient data use, they streamline data-driven processes and boost productivity across a wide array of industries.
5. SMITH&VISION: Utilizing image recognition technology, this startup has developed a system to automatically capture information from packages, paving the way for a more modern, efficient logistics industry.

SAP’s foray into Tokyo’s B2B startup scene through SAP.iO Foundry Tokyo is set to produce a wave of innovation. Additionally, It aims to mentor these startups into becoming intelligent, sustainable enterprises.

By integrating these forward-thinking startups into their vast customer base, SAP.iO Foundry Tokyo is all set to redefine the landscape of B2B operations in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Moreover, this pioneering initiative underpins SAP’s commitment to driving a new era of sustainable business growth and intelligent operations worldwide.

The post SAP.iO Foundry Tokyo Catalyzes B2B Startup Growth appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

Renowned worldwide, the SAP ecosystem is home to approximately 99% of the world’s largest companies, an attestation to the immense influence and reach of this enterprise software powerhouse. Visa’s collaboration with SAP opens a world of possibilities to capitalize on the robust SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) to facilitate seamless and efficient financial operations for businesses of all sizes.

According to Paul Marriott, President of SAP Asia Pacific Japan, this collaboration’s main goal is to revolutionize the digital commerce landscape. He stated the company’s collaboration with Visa aims to streamline and simplify the B2B payment process and drive further efficiencies for their joint customers. Marriott believes that embedding Visa payment into the SAP ecosystem aspires to accelerate digital commerce.

The SAP Ecosystem: Harnessing Its Potential for Enhanced B2B Payments

For Visa, this partnership marks a critical strategic pivot, extending its presence further into the B2B space. Its focus is not just to cover a wide array of money movement flows, but also to step beyond its traditional forte of consumer payments. This move opens the doors to a multitude of opportunities to digitize various financial operations.

Speaking on the collaboration, Stephen Karpin, Regional President of Asia Pacific at Visa, highlighted the need for modernization in enterprise payments. He stated:

“Our collaboration with SAP is an exciting step in making B2B payments simpler and more intuitive as organizations can make payments immediately on SAP platforms with their Visa corporate cards, instead of having to leave their existing enterprise ecosystem and to navigate the different payment methods that their vendors accept. B2B payments needs to be intuitive, speedy, and fuss-free, so organizations can spend time and resources on other aspects of their businesses.”

Streamlining User Experience with Integrated Payment Solutions

The alliance with Visa reinforces SAP’s commitment to improving user experiences through innovative, integrated payment solutions. By leveraging its Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), SAP aims to offer its customers the convenience of integrated Visa payment services. With greater automation in payments, SAP hopes to drive further efficiencies in procurement, transforming the last mile into a swift, seamless process.

One of the most ambitious goals of the Visa and SAP partnership is to bridge the working capital gaps prevalent in supply chains. Under its suite of Commercial & Money Movement Solutions, Visa plans to deliver potent capabilities via SAP BTP, routing commercial payments to all suppliers, even those who don’t currently accept card payments.

Revolutionizing the B2B Payment Landscape Across APAC

Initially, the rollout of the innovative solutions stemming from this collaboration will focus on select Asia Pacific countries. The prime objective here is to foster the digitization and acceleration of B2B payments across the region’s supply chains. Considering the numerous challenges that businesses, particularly small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia Pacific, face in adopting digital B2B payment acceptance, the Visa-SAP collaboration could be a game-changer.

The collaboration between Visa and SAP signifies a landmark development in the digitization of the B2B payments landscape. As it seamlessly embeds payments into the SAP ecosystem, the partnership is redefining the financial transaction landscape, promising to enhance operational efficiency and optimize the way businesses handle their monetary transactions. It is a stride towards a future where B2B payments are not just intuitive and efficient but also an integral part of a business’s digital journey.

The post SAP, Visa Builds Streamlined SAP Ecosystem for B2B Payments appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

During the SAPPHIRE NOW 2021 online conference, SAP Chief Executive Officer Christian Klein touted SAP’s Ariba Network as the heart of a new global engine for driving sustainable economic growth. As part of the SAP Business Network, Ariba Network now takes part in a strategy to unify existing networks into one collaborative and intelligent business network. This aims to help organisations efficiently manage sales cycles, enhance cash flows, and grow their respective businesses. Together with SAP Logistics Business Network and SAP Asset Intelligence Network, over 5.5 million organisations will benefit from being members of the global B2B social network, according to the German software giant.

In a recent announcement, SAP has welcomed Proxtera, an open connector for B2B marketplaces and business providers that service small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia, to the Ariba Network in an effort to make its client base of Asian SMEs expand its global reach. Furthermore, Proxtera will now have access to new demand channels to help grow its business in an increasingly digital and networked economy, thanks to the initiatives of SAP’s Ariba Network.

Proxtera Chairman Lim Kang Song shared in the press release statement:

“Proxtera’s mission is to enable SMEs around the world to thrive in the new normal of the digital economy and access new trade opportunities previously thought out of reach. Proxtera aims to help SMEs as they recover from the impact of the pandemic and to bring us one step closer to an open, more collaborative future where businesses of all sizes, including SMEs, have great trade opportunities afforded to them as traditional corporate ecosystems.”

Proxtera Becomes Part of SAP’s Ariba Network to Empower SMEs Around the World

Officially launched last March, Proxtera has support from Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)’s Business sans Borders (BSB) initiative and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Its mission is to connect more than 350,000 SMEs with new trading partners in a growing list of Asian nations such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and India, as well as Africa’s Rwanda and Kenya.

Moreover, Proxtera intends to provide a suite of integrated digital tools and services to enable marketplaces, platforms, and SMEs to evaluate and act on business prospects more swiftly with each trade. Commenting on the latest announcement, Paul Marriott, President at SAP Asia Pacific Japan (APJ), said:

“It is clear that no business does business alone. This is part of our broader vision to reimagine how businesses, including SMEs, can collaborate with a network of global trading partners across supply chains, economies and industries, and empower companies to move faster and smarter than ever before.”

Meanwhile, Proxtera is also currently developing Proxtera Plus for its network of businesses and SMEs to help ensure that purchases are compliant with internal corporate regulations and allowing for faster digital approvals. Additionally, it is designed to deliver a smooth transaction experience for large buying organisations with a deep and diverse variety of buyers and sellers from wholesale e-Commerce platforms across Asia through Proxtera’s trade network of marketplaces.

By becoming a part of SAP’s Ariba Network, Proxtera will add significant value to SMEs with a sourcing discovery platform that allows businesses to maintain compliance in their sourcing process.

The post SAP’s Ariba Network Welcomes Proxtera to Help SMEs Expand Globally appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

The applications received reached a total of 200+ applications: over 175 from SAP Lab India’s outreach partners that included TiE Bangalore, Headstart Network Foundation, the German Indian Startup Exchange Program (GINSEP), the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) 10K Startups, and Kerala Startup Mission; and 100+ applications from the Tracxn startup discovery platform.

Out of all the applicants, 16 of the best startups in India—55{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of which are in their growth stage with the remaining 45{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in their early stage—have been selected to join the new 2020-2021 batch. Two other growth-stage startups were picked to engage with the SAP Partner Edge Build program.

The Best Startups in India Working on Cutting Edge Technology

SAP Startup Studio’s fourth cohort of early and growth-stage startups use technologies such as predictive analytics, blockchain, machine learning, cloud technology, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, Big Data, drone tech, and augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) to provide cutting-edge business solutions across industries—manufacturing, e-commerce, fintech, retail, and more. Among the best startups in India, the following technology companies have selected by SAP’s leadership, sales and product engineering team:

1. Credable – A fintech company founded in 2018 by Nirav Choksi and Ram Kewalramani that is using innovative technology to become India’s supply chain investment bank
2. IQLect – Led by Sachin Sinha, the company’s mission is to democratize real-time data analysis by providing high performing and easy to use tools as SaaS or converged unified box as private/hybrid cloud
3. e-Shipz – A provider of cloud-based enterprise shipping solutions 
4. Worxogo – an AI company founded in 2015 that provides a sales productivity tool that help businesses build high-performance sales teams
5. BlinkIn – A platform that helps to boost customer support by using an intelligent visual support system for troubleshooting problems
6. Airprobe – A drone-based solutions provider for solar PV inspections that won the first prize in the industrial digitization session at the GINSEP Live Pitches 2020 event
7. Intellibot – A HyperAutomation Platform that offers prebuilt integrations between enterprise applications to help enterprises drive a successful digital transformation initiative
8. Unifize – A cloud-based workforce collaboration platform for manufacturing industries that helps reduce wasted time, build accountability
9. IoTReady – An enterprise IoT company led by Dr. Tej Pochiraju, Dr. Jay Warrior and Jai Sharda, with an embedded technology focus in helping boost businesses
10. Neewee – Predictive analytics solutions provider founded in 2014 with locations in India, The Netherlands, Germany, and France
11. Talview – An AI-powered candidate experience platform launched in 2017 that aims to provide the fastest way to remotely screen, interview, and test top talent and students.
12. Koinearth – Real-world solutions and Blockchain framework for optimal asset sharing between governments, citizens & industries
13. Doppelio – Automating IoT testing app operating in the computer software industry that focuses on reducing risk 
14. Adloid – An AR/VR company with a particular focus on the retail industry, including the furniture, automobile, and real estate sectors.
15. Neurotags – An anti-counterfeiting solution by using a robust AI/ML technology
16. WeSense.ai – A computer vision solution for monitoring customer traction, SoP compliance monitoring, and other scenarios

The two growth-stage startups who will join the SAP Partner Edge Build program are:

1. The Mathcompany – A modern, hybrid consulting firm that builds contextual AI assets for Fortune 500 & equivalent companies and provides a well-rounded consulting model that addresses existing gaps in conventional analytics service provider models and off-the-shelf products
2. UNFYD – A design and product studio that offer integrated digital transformation and omnichannel customer relationship management software

The post The Best Startups in India Selected to Join SAP Startup Studio 2020-2021 appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

California Pellet Mill (CPM), a leading supplier of process equipment and systems serving commodity and value-adding producers with presence across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, has successfully implemented FocusPoint B2B eCommerce for SAP Business One. As a result, CPM subsidiaries can now optimise the single platform for full B2B eCommerce capabilities with deep and seamless integration to their SAP Business One ERP systems. 

Focused Impressions’ four-week project with CPM went live in March 2020 to support the latter’s continued growth by replacing its previous eCommerce platform in Europe. FocusPoint satisfied the essential requirement of CPM in adopting a new solution for global implementation and that is the capability for a seamless SAP Business One integration.  

Lonnie Williams, Global ERP Administrator at CPM said:

“We vetted a number of eCommerce platforms and FocusPoint was the only one that met our requirements – especially with regards to deep process integration with Business One.” 

“From blueprinting to global deployment in just four weeks – our FocusPoint project was an amazing experience that exceeded all of our expectations,” he added.

Williams also commended the delivery team of Iowa-headquartered Focused Impression. He stated:

“While FocusPoint’s tight integration with SAP Business One certainly makes for a speedy deployment, the Focused Impressions delivery team has an impressive degree of professionalism and Business One subsidiary expertise, which was a big plus that ensured our project’s success.” 

Craig Stockmal, Founder and CEO of Focused Impressions, shared that they are able to deliver the deepest, fastest, and lowest-cost integration with SAP Business One in the market because they utilise SAP integration tools to connect to SAP Business One. This ultimately cancels the need for third-party connectors or custom coding.

“Combine this with the FocusPoint non-proprietary, open architecture and full B2B eCommerce capabilities — we give SAP Business One customers and SAP Resellers a solution that fuels eCommerce transactions and sales while improving the ROI in SAP Business One. Given the times we are living in, the ability to jumpstart eCommerce businesses for SAP Business One users is a real game-changer,” Stockmal explained.

Taking CPM to the Cloud

The cloud-based version of FocusPoint deployed by CPM offers an unlimited number of mini-portals and customisable micro-sites accessible to B2B dealers, partners, and distributors from CPM’s corporate website. Almost instantly upon setting up, users can access these portals and microsites that offer a rich selection of design templates and pixel-perfect product customisers for a personalised and enhanced eCommerce experience.

With FocusPoint, SAP Business One users are able to optimise one platform with multi-channel capabilities, incorporating eCommerce, sales, marketing, and Point-of-Sale (POS) – all fully integrated with SAP Business One and SAP Business One 4/HANA. It enables CPM and its subsidiaries the complete B2B eCommerce life cycle whether on-premises or in the cloud. 

CPM can leverage the following capabilities of FocusPoint B2B eCommerce platform:

• Supports 260 languages and multi-currency localisation
• Real-time SAP Business One updates
• 30 payment methods
• Self-service portal for immediate invoicing and payment from Order History to Open Invoice to Payment by credit card
• All versions of SAP Business One 9.1 and up including SQL
• Fully integrated Point-of-Sale with SAP Business One (pricing, inventory, SKUs)
• Bi-directional connectivity with SAP Business One mapping to any SAP or user-defined field
• Inventory management capabilities, and credit card processing
• Automated bulk order processing, localised sales tax, and shipping

Moreover, CPM can optimise FocusPoint’s B2B multi-channel marketing capabilities in cascading marketing communications through out its 26 locations across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. FocusPoint, an SAP Business One cloud solution for B2B and B2C eCommerce and marketing, aggregates marketing content and vendors in a single place to streamline campaign execution across communication channels. In one platform, CPM can now conveniently deliver marketing communications, events, and social media campaigns via multimedia, digital, email, print, and podcasts channels.

The post SAP Business One Cloud Solution for B2B Wins CPM Global Implementation appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.