Telstra names muru-D Singapore class #1

Telstra-backed startup accelerator muru-D announced its inaugural class #1 Singapore, which attracted applications from 15 countries, including Chile and Russia.

Apvera , a security intelligence company which derives behavioural-based assessments of corporate security threats and Maxine , a document generation application that drafts complex contracts and corporate documents in a fraction of the time it normally takes, are just two of the innovative ideas that have been selected to enter the first class of nine companies in muru-D Singapore.

Representing some of the best entrepreneurial and digital talent, the class #1 intake includes a breadth of diverse industries, with businesses in healthcare, consumer applications, financial services, law, mobile payments and advertising services represented, with founders from Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Powered by Telstra, muru-D provides each startup with SGD$40,000 seed capital. In addition to the funding, muru-D provides a unique opportunity for the founders to access six months of business support, a collaborative workspace in Singapore’s central business district and introductions to world-class mentors, coaches and investors – critical to helping them grow, develop and expand their businesses.

Annie Parker, co-founder of muru-D, said, “Building on the successful launch of muru-D in Australia in 2013, we had very high hopes for our inaugural push into Southeast Asia from here in Singapore - and we were not disappointed. We’ve been delighted by the passion and the quality of world class entrepreneurial talent that applied to be a part of muru-D Singapore class #1.

“We were blown away by some of the ideas coming through the muru-D doors, which showcased the very best technology innovation and creativity from across the region. We had 20 amazing and diverse start-ups attend yesterday’s boot camp, which was the final stage of the application process. With each team pitching to an impressive line-up of judges for a place in the program, I was thrilled to see such a strong selection of ideas, each solving a broad range of everyday business and consumer problems,” Annie adds.

Charlotte Yarkoni, President, Telstra Software Group and co-founder of muru-D, said, “muru-D is a strategic commitment for Telstra to expand its global footprint and nurture the rapidly expanding Southeast Asian start-up community. Each company that comes into muru-D is an exciting, potential disruptor in a rapidly changing marketplace, and that is of critical importance to Telstra, which itself is innovating every day throughout Asia, Europe and the United States.

“Telstra is fully committed to supporting and growing the entrepreneurial talent in class #1 and giving the founders the right platform they need to take their ideas forward and better their chance of growth and success. muru-D Singapore is going to go from strength to strength and we’re confident many of the businesses in this inaugural class will go on to enjoy a bright and prosperous future.”

The nine start-ups selected for muru-D Singapore class #1 are:

• AdHero – crowdsources copywriters and designers for SMB owners to create social media ad campaigns that can be tested across social and mobile channels, improving creative output and results.
• Apvera – provides security intelligence software for employers to better understand in real time employee behaviour based on the data of network traffic and activities, and prevent insider threats.
• Cardable – helps Asian cardholders better utilise all their credit card privileges with recommendations and analytics.
• GCALL – an e-commerce platform that removes language barriers to enable buyers and sellers to trade regardless of the country they live in.
• investorz – an online crowdfunding platform for people to learn how to invest, meet new experts and execute investments in a range of opportunities.
• Maxine – a web service that helps law firms and company secretaries automatically generate complex contracts and compliance documents, saving time and money.
• sendhelper – a pair of mobile apps that matches households with professional and reliable cleaners, removing the middleman.
• Stash – connects healthcare professionals with patients with online appointment scheduling and sharing up to date records via a SaaS platform.
• Vendi – provides vending operators with a single all-in-one solution for mobile payments, monitoring and marketing via the cloud and allows users to purchase from an app.