Singapore: SilverNeedle buys Brand Karma; KPMG Digital Village-TiA accelerator

Singapore city view. Photo: Bloomberg

By Shiwen Yap

May 17, 2017

SilverNeedle Hospitality has acquired Brand Karma while KPMG Digital Village has partnered with Tech in Asia to launch a corporate accelerator initiative.

SilverNeedle Hospitality acquires Brand Karma

SilverNeedle Hospitality Group is acquiring new media marketing agency Brand Karma which provides digital marketing services. It will be operating with SilverNeedle’s in-house architecture and design agency Virsa to offer marketing & design services for real estate assets.

The group also announces its hotel management division is now branded Next Hotels (formally SilverNeedle Hospitality). Together Next Hotels, Virsa and Brand Karma form Next Story Group.

Anand Nadathur, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of comments: “The hospitality landscape is changing and we’re evolving in important ways. Over the past year we’ve developed in-house architecture and design capabilities via Virsa, identified new media marketing competency as a must have which led to the acquisition of Brand Karma, strengthened our employees and Board, and studied the impact of the sharing economy on urban spaces.”

Next Story Group is based in Singapore, with regional offices across Asia Pacific, and offers services to hotel owners in branding, marketing, design and development on top of its hotel management services.

KPMG Digital Village-Tech in Asia launch corporate accelerator scheme

KPMG Digital Village and startup ecosystem platform Tech in Asia are partnering to launch a Corporate Acceleration Program (TIACAP), which will help corporations to create value for their business by sourcing, adapting, and integrating new technology.

Aimed at fostering co-innovation between corporates and startups, this partnership will see the two entities work closely with corporates to define and validate their problem statements using a design thinking approach.

Select startups will be invited to join the programme to prototype solutions in collaboration with corporates, which could lead to full-scale commercialisation.

TIACAP is an extension of Tech in Asia’s partnership with KPMG, which was first announced at Tech in Asia Singapore 2016 that saw the launch of the Digital Village initiative.

Also Read:

Singapore’s 4xLabs raises $1.5m follow-on round led by Dymon Asia, OSK Ventures

Singapore: RICE Media closes six-digit seed round, to grow brand across SE Asia

Singapore sovereign fund GIC says it sold 2.4% UBS stake at a loss

Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
APPLY NOW

Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
APPLY NOW