Venture fund invests in serial entrepreneur late-stage equity blockchain companies

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 1 September 2021 – True Global Ventures (TGV) announced its recently closed True Global Ventures 4 Plus (TGV 4 Plus) Fund, the world’s first truly global blockchain equity fund was oversubscribed—surpassing its US$100 million target. The fund is dedicated to blockchain companies, primarily in late-stage Series B and C across four verticals: Entertainment, infrastructure, financial services, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI).

The TGV 4 Plus fund has invested in five companies to date: Animoca Brands, unicorn global market leader in “Play-to-Earn” blockchain gaming and non-fungible tokens (NFTs); Forge Global, global market leader in secondary private markets; The Sandbox, global market leader in gaming metaverse; Canada Computational Unlimited, Bitcoin mining company with 100% renewable energy and QuantumRock, AI asset management market leader. Under TGV 4 Plus, these portfolio companies have seen material value creation and commercial traction in the past months.

Jay Liang, Founding Chairman, Hong Kong Blockchain Association; and Managing Partner, OES Capital Group & GSR Matrix Fund, said, “I’ve seen how TGV invests not only money but extensive effort and introductions to help grow their portfolio companies. They are simply serial entrepreneurial partners with them.”

Financial institutions are a key growth driver as they look to deploy blockchain applications in NFTs, enterprise blockchain solutions, digital identities, digital currencies, and decentralized finance (DeFi). Increased commercial adoption of distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) such as blockchain will accelerate the mainstream adoption of digital currencies.

With the growing recognition of blockchain equity as an asset class, TGV plans for more equity funding rounds, following the TGV 4 Plus Fund launch.

TGV 4 Plus’ 40 partners contributed 27% of the fund, together with entrepreneurs, business angels, family offices and institutional investors, many with co-investment rights in future equity rounds. The partners help portfolio companies with commercial relationships, investment promotions, introductions to VCs, loans, and private equity firms for refinancing, and company acquisitions and exits.

“The TGV team has created incredible value for their portfolio companies by helping them with client and partner introductions, and also with next round financing and exits,” added Luke Lim, Managing Director, Phillip Securities.

The 57th True Global Ventures Conference will be held on September 16, 2021. Visit www.tgv4plus.com for more information.

About True Global Ventures

True Global Ventures (TGV) is a global Venture Capital firm built by a group of serial entrepreneurs with a solid track record of investing their own money together with Limited Partners into early and late-stage ventures run by serial entrepreneurs. Portfolio companies leverage technology, data, AI and blockchain as a competitive advantage to drive change with proven products. TGV is present in 20 cities: Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Moscow, Stockholm, Paris, Warsaw, New York, San Francisco, and Vancouver, among others. Visit us at www.tgv4plus.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

#TrueGlobalVentures

Code Pharma, a Dutch pharmaceutical company, is developing a direct antiviral drug against COVID-19.

Following the successful completion of a phase I study, the company is now initiating a phase II double-blind controlled study in Spain, Brazil, South Africa, and Israel.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL / DE BILT, NETHERLANDS – EQS Newswire – 1 September 2021 – Codivir, a short synthetic 16 amino-acid peptide, derived from the HIV-1 integrase, was originally discovered at the Hebrew University in Israel.

Code Pharma discovered that the peptide had a direct antiviral effect against SARS-CoV-2, the novel Coronavirus causing COVID-19. In-vitro studies conducted at the British virology research laboratory Virology Research Services in London then demonstrated a potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA viruses.

Subsequently, a phase I clinical trial of Codivir in patients with COVID-19 was approved in Brazil by the National Research Ethics Commission (CONEP). The trial was conducted at Casa de Saúde – Vera Cruz Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, with Dr Florentino Cardoso as the principal investigator. The results of the study showed that Codivir has a high safety profile while significantly suppressing viral replication in most of the fully assessed patients with an antiviral effect noted as early as three days. All patients recovered quickly after the treatment with Codivir and didn’t show any signs of side effects very often associated with COVID-19 infections. Manuscripts describing these results have been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

Dr Yotam Kolben and Dr Asa Kesler, from the Department of Medicine at Hadassah Medical Center, who are the lead authors on the paper stated: “The preclinical data, and the results of the clinical trial support the safety of Codivir administration in humans and suggest its significant anti-COVID-19 effect. Using a direct anti-viral drug carries the potential for improving the current therapies available for COVID-19”.

These results indicate that the drug can be used to treat COVID-19 patients suffering at different levels of severity. Due to its direct anti-viral effect, Codivir may have a similar beneficial effect on other RNA viruses, such as influenza.

Following the successful phase I study, the company is now initiating a phase II double-blind controlled study, to be conducted in Spain, Brazil, South Africa, and Israel, with a larger cohort. In view of the ongoing global pandemic, Code Pharma has submitted emergency approval requests to several countries. To answer the expected demand, the company is preparing for mass production of Codivir in different sites worldwide.

“In the first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, most drugs with putative or proven antiviral mechanisms of action have not proven themselves to significantly prolong life expectancy”, Prof Shlomo L. Maayan, Director Infectious Disease division at the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, said. “‘Codivir’ has a very good safety profile and a very impressive antiviral effect, both in laboratory conditions and in phase I clinical trial in humans. We eagerly await the results of the double-blind studies using Codivir. It may be a breakthrough in the field of antiviral therapy for COVID-19 patients”.

About Code Pharma

Code Pharma BV is a global pharmaceutical company, headquartered in the Netherlands, with R&D activities centered in Israel. The company aims to develop cost-effective treatments for infectious and oncological diseases by using novel peptides and bring together outstanding professionals with multidisciplinary expertise in peptides, cell cultures, clinical development, and chemistry manufacturing.

Further information can be found at: https://www.codepharma.com/

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 1 September 2021 – Bartra Wealth Advisors (‘Bartra’), a subsidiary of Ireland’s leading real estate developer Bartra Group and the first Irish developer providing direct Irish immigration investment advisory in Hong Kong, participated in the 2nd International Immigration and Property Expo from 28-29 August 2021. Over 16,000 visitors attended the expo, an increase of approximately 40% compared to the last event in March this year, representing a significant rise in the public’s interest in immigration. A number of talks and briefing sessions were held in the exhibition to introduce the ways and advantages of investment immigration to Ireland to the public. During the expo, Bartra received onsite enquiries from more than 200 clients.

This year, Bartra has processed approximately 20 applications for Ireland’s Immigrant Investor Programme (“IIP”), amounting to a total investment of about HK$200 million. Among them, 4 applicants originally intended to immigrate to the UK through the BN(O) scheme, but finally decided to apply for Ireland’s IIP instead. Jeffrey Ling, Bartra Wealth Advisors Regional Manager, said, “Some clients applied for Ireland’s IIP to obtain a safety net when applying for immigration to the UK through the BN(O) scheme. It was mainly because Ireland is close to the UK (about an hour flight) and it is an English-speaking country. Irish citizens not only can access the UK under the Common Travel Area (CTA) Agreement, they can also access 27 European Union countries as its member state. Moreover, due to the high residing flexibility in Ireland’s IIP scheme, Ireland’s IIP applicants are only required to enter the country once and stay for one day every year to retain their PR status and the right to abode.”

Currently, applicants to the BN(O) scheme are not entitled to Public Funds, they are also not able to fully access the public health and educational systems in the UK. Moreover, a large number of commercial and financial institutions have moved their European headquarters out of the UK after Brexit, including Barclays and HSBC Holdings Plc., increasing uncertainties for the employment prospects for applicants to the UK. Ireland, as a member state of the European Union, appeals to clients who also applied to Ireland’s IIP for protection. In addition, since the HKSAR government has ceased to recognize the BN(O) passport as a valid travel document and identity proof since January 2021, Hong Kong citizens are concerned that they may not be able to apply for the early withdrawal from the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) scheme through their BN(O) passports or the related visa applications.

Bartra has noticed that the desire of Hong Kong families to emigrate has increased sharply lately, and today Ireland is becoming one of the most popular destinations for immigration. In the first half of 2021, the monthly average search volume of “IrishImmigration” in Chinese reached approximately 1,000 searches. Furthermore, Bartra’s 20 successful applications to Ireland’s IIP this year, represents a significant increase from the 50 cases in the 17-month period from August 2019 to the end of 2020. Traditionally most Hong Kong emigrants have chosen English-speaking countries in Europe and North America as their destinations, explaining the considerable appeal of immigration to Ireland to Hong Kong people where English is the spoken language of the majority as well as the dominant business language.

Immigration to Ireland through the IIP is fast tracked and flexible. It takes about 6 months for approval. Applicants are only required to reside one day per year in Ireland to maintain their residency; in other words, they can obtain a foreign residency without relocating and freely decide when to become a tax resident. In addition, Ireland is the only English-speaking country in the European Union, which presents fewer language barriers for Hong Kong emigrants. The accompanying children of IIP applicants to Ireland can also enjoy Ireland’s free education and free choice of schools. The Irish education system is among the top globally, ranking seventh in the world. In addition, Hong Kong families are often pleasantly surprised when they discover Ireland is part of the Common Travel Area (CTA), which allows Irish Citizens to live and work in the United Kingdom’

Bartra commands unrivalled creditability in Irish immigration consultancy services. This year marks the fifth anniversary of Bartra’s establishment in Asia. The offices of Bartra in the Asian region are located in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Vietnam – together they have processed more than 350 successful cases. Apart from serving local clients, Bartra also serves clients from Taiwan, India, Singapore, the Philippines, Macau, the United States, the UK, and the United Arab Emirates, proving its wealth of experience.

The Social Housing and Nursing Home projects Bartra offers to IIP clients for obtaining permanent residency in Ireland can be achieved in three or five years (4% flat annual interest rate for the 5-year option), and both guarantee 100% investment capital protection. They each have an approval and renewal rate of 100%. Apart from cash, for asset value proof, IIP applicants can use stocks, funds, cash value of insurance policies, properties, or even parking spaces, valuable paintings or collectables etc. Applicants can also choose to use wealth management services to cash out for their investment into IIP.  Some clients will seek advice from financial services to pledge/refinance their assets to fund investment immigration in the current low-interest environment so as to obtain residency without disposing their existing investments.

About Bartra Wealth Advisors

Bartra Wealth Advisors (Bartra) is a subsidiary company of Ireland’s most successful real estate developer Bartra Group, specialising in providing independent Irish immigration investment advisory services. With well-established business, extensive Irish immigration experience, expertise in the investment field, professional landing teams and strong business network support, Bartra Group has successfully carried out a significant number of social housing and nursing home IIP (Immigrant Investor Programme) projects and has helped hundreds of families successfully immigrate to Ireland.

Bartra Wealth Advisors prides itself on delivering streamlined, in-group, end-to-end services. Its unique business model supports clients throughout their investment and immigration journey, from immigration advisory and government backed IIP projects through to exit executions. It maintains a 100% application approval rate and a 100% renewal rate. For details, please go to the company website https://www.bartrawealthadvisors.com/.

Bartra Insight

• Premium nursing home care in Ireland
• An alternative to UK immigration after Brexit
• Irish education – a future for your children
• Ireland’s property market

For more insights about Ireland, visit Bartra Wealth Advisors’ blog:

https://www.bartrawealthadvisors.com/insight/

#BartraWealthAdvisors

• Revolutionising the way people access homes and offices by making it simple, fuss-free and affordable for all
• Habitap ONE Home: A flexible pay-per-use subscription, with a cost as low as SGD$3.99 per house unit per month
• Habitap ONE Office: A subscription based fee as low as SGD$1 per company employee per month and a one-time cost of SGD$800 per hardware reader per door
• Habitap ONE is the future of smart homes and offices with its integrated cloud-based access management solution

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 1 September 2021 – Habitap, Asia’s first fully integrated smart living management system today announced the launch of the first-ever subscription-based access management solution, Habitap ONE. Bridging all the current gaps in smart living, Habitap ONE is set to revolutionise the way people access homes and offices with a never before seen future-proofed access management solution. With an intuitive user interface, the cloud-driven platform meets the needs of our fast-changing market for smarter security, making it truly seamless with minimal set-up and low cost of entry for all.

Condominium Management Councils, office building owners, and Managing Agents that implement Habitap One will dramatically see increases in productivity, and savings in costs. Through this subscription-based platform, homes and offices will be able to move away from the complexity of smart living while keeping costs to a minimum. Physical access cards will no longer be required, guest registrations no longer need to be managed manually and waiting time is dramatically reduced through the integrated app.

Franklin Tang, founder of Habitap said, “Habitap is known for providing intelligent cloud-based solutions that offer convenience, connectivity and control in the smart living space. Now, with Habitap ONE, we are excited to reshape the way we interact with the home or office, and bring the ‘smart’ to millions globally. Habitap ONE is truly a future-proofed management solution that aligns with Habitap’s vision to bring the convenience of smart technology to everyone.”

Habitap ONE aims to redefine smart living with one tap by making it simple, fuss-free and affordable for all through subscription-based model.

Habitap ONE caters to Home and Office.

Habitap ONE Home

A flexible pay-per-use subscription, with a cost as low as SGD$3.99 per house unit per month, Habitap ONE Home is an all-in-one management portal, which includes features like Resident Access, Visitor Management, Visitor Web Intercom and Instant Pass, for residents to manage all security and access systems, anytime and anywhere. For SGD$7.99 per home unit per month, Habitap will  provide an Apple iPad* to be used with the Visitor Web Intercom System. With both subscription plans, free installation and technical support are included for the duration of the subscription to ensure seamless maintenance and uninterrupted service.

Habitap ONE’s daily cloud back-ups also ensure data is easily recoverable. Habitap ONE’s  digital access is backed by its own Secure Authentication Technology with the use of QR Codes and/or HID Mobile Access. With sustainability and accessibility in mind, Habitap ONE eliminates the use of physical access cards, hardware maintenance cost and paper-based log books by migrating residential management into one seamless application.

For more information on Habitap ONE Home, visit https://habitap.one/home.html

*Disclaimer: The word marks “Apple” and “iPad” are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. Habitap Pte Ltd and the products and services offered by Habitap Pte Ltd are not endorsed or sponsored by, and are in no way associated with Apple Inc.

Habitap ONE Office

Commercial buildings and offices can look to Habitap ONE Office. The app delivers connectivity and convenience with features such as Staff Access, Visitor Access and Visitor Web Intercom to both business owners and building managers.

With a subscription based fee as low as SGD$1 per company employee per month and a one-time cost of SGD$800 per hardware reader per door, Habitap ONE increases productivity with an all-in-one management portal that uses the latest technology. The access management solution also includes real-time updates to ensure that users are attended to promptly with 24/7 hour support. With free installation and software support included for the duration of the subscription, Habitap ONE brings all building management essentials into one mobile app.

For more information on Habitap ONE Office, visit https://habitap.one/office.html

Please refer to the press release and the high-res images of Habitap ONE in the link below: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hojlgv11nm78mxw/AABMJOlzeNTZ7RmACNfwtPkza?dl=0

About Habitap

Habitap is Asia’s first fully integrated smart living management system, a Super App that seamlessly combines smart controls, community management and lifestyle offerings into a single platform.

Harnessing the latest technologies in Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence and more, Habitap integrates live, work, and play functions in a single app and even across different properties, to allow users to experience greater convenience and unparalleled connectivity and control. Habitap continues to pioneer new forms of smart living solutions for homeowners, offices and communities.

In 2021, Habitap launched Habitap ONE, the first-ever subscription-based access management solution which aims to revolutionise the way people access homes and offices, making it truly seamless with minimal set-up and low cost of entry for all.

https://habitap.one/index.html

#Habitap

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 1 September 2021 – HKT’s loyalty program and digital ventures arm – The Club and Citibank Hong Kong jointly announce the launch of their Points Conversion Program. Enabled by open Application Programming Interface (API), the program allows eligible Citi credit cardholders to convert Citi Points to Clubpoints through The Club’s platform, bringing more convenience and flexibility to cardholders’ daily spending and drawing both HKT and Citibank one step closer to consumers’ flexible and autonomous digital lifestyle. During the promotion period, The Club members can earn a total of up to 20,000 extra Clubpoints through the Points Conversion Program.

Mr. Alan Tsui, CEO of HKT’s Loyalty, Digital and Analytics division said, “I am excited to collaborate with Citibank to introduce this Points Conversion Program enabling Citibank’s customers to have an elevated experience of The Club’s unparalleled rewards from smartphones to flight tickets. This marks another milestone in The Club’s efforts to expand our loyalty and digital ecosystem following our points transfer partnership with a renowned loyalty program from the hospitality industry earlier this year. We are constantly exploring new collaborations with partners from different industries to bring exciting experiences and flexible rewards for The Club members.”

Mr. Lawrence Li, Head of Cards and Unsecured Lending of Citibank Hong Kong said, “Citibank Hong Kong has always been dedicated to pushing forward the momentum of open API development. Ever since we became the first bank in Hong Kong to launch an open API platform in 2017, we have been utilizing API technology extensively to elevate clients’ digital experience. In recent years, telecommunications services, mobile banking, and a seamless online-to-offline (O2O) consumption experience have become an indispensable part of consumers’ daily lives. By collaborating with HKT, one of the city’s major telecommunications service providers, we hope to expand the reach of our API-enabled points conversion program to HKT’s digital ventures arm, The Club, to widen both of our clients’ consumption networks and further enhance their digital experience in dining, shopping, entertainment and travelling while offering them all kinds of rewards at the same time. This strategic partnership also brings new opportunities to deepen our existing client relationships, and we look forward to collaborating with HKT further and exploring the application of digital technologies to more areas.”

Points Conversion along with extra Clubpoints offer¹

Starting from today until December 31, 2021, cardholders of designated Citi credit cards² can convert their Citi Points to Clubpoints directly at The Club’s website or in the app to enjoy a series of shopping, entertainment and travel rewards and experiences. Eligible cardholders can convert through the Points Conversion program only once per day³, and transactions eligible for the extra Clubpoints offer range from 1,050 Clubpoints to 5,250 Clubpoints, earning up to 2,500 Clubpoints per transaction. Throughout the four-month promotion period, members can earn a total of up to 20,000 extra Clubpoints, equivalent to HK$4,000 in shopping value that can be used at Club Shopping⁴.

Pay with 50% less Clubpoints at Club Shopping for a limited time

To celebrate this partnership, from September 1 to December 31, 2021, the deduction rate at Club Shopping on purchases paid through deducting Clubpoints will be reduced from the original 10 Clubpoints = HKD1 to 5 Clubpoints = HKD1, meaning that members can use 50% fewer Clubpoints for their purchases at Club Shopping. This new rate is open to every The Club member and is not limited to Citi cardholders.

For more details on The Club x Citi Points Conversion Program, please visit theclub.com.hk/en/our-partners/citibank and citibank.hk/hkt.

For more information about The Club, please visit https://theclub.com.hk or call The Club hotline on +852 183 3000.

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1.   The extra Clubpoints offer is on a first-come-first-served basis for the first 2,000 cardholders each calendar month. Only the first two transactions per eligible cardholder that converted at least 1,050 Clubpoints or above per calendar month will be rewarded with up to 5,000 extra Clubpoints per calendar month during the promotion period.

2.   The rate may vary by credit card type and may change from time to time. The exact Citi points required for redemption are based on the redemption rate displayed at The Club online platform at the time of redemption.

3.   Each transaction must convert a minimum of 525 Clubpoints, and is capped at a maximum of 5,250 Clubpoints.

4.   From September 1 to December 31, 2021, the deduction rate at Club Shopping on purchases paid through deducting Clubpoints will be adjusted to 5 Clubpoints = HKD1. 

About HKT

HKT (SEHK: 6823) is Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider and a leading innovator. Its fixed-line, broadband, mobile communication and media entertainment services offer a unique quadruple-play experience. HKT meets the needs of the Hong Kong public and local and international businesses with a wide range of services including local telephony, local data and broadband, international telecommunications, mobile, media entertainment, enterprise solutions and other telecommunications businesses such as customer premises equipment sales, outsourcing, consulting and contact centers.

HKT is the first local mobile operator to launch a true 5G network with differentiated value-added services. Backed by its substantial holding of 5G spectrum across all bands and a robust and extensive fiber backhaul infrastructure, HKT is committed to providing comprehensive 5G network coverage across the city.

HKT delivers end-to-end integrated solutions employing emerging technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate the digital transformation of enterprises and contribute to Hong Kong’s development into a smart city.

Riding on its massive loyal customer base, HKT has also built a digital ecosystem integrating its loyalty program, e-commerce, travel, insurance, FinTech and HealthTech services. The ecosystem deepens HKT’s relationship with its customers thereby enhancing customer retention and engagement.

For more information, please visit www.hkt.com.

About The Club

The Club is HKT’s customer loyalty program and digital ventures arm. Anyone can join the program for free and enjoy the rewards, privileges, and services such as online shopping, travel, insurance, and CSR. Members can earn Clubpoints from spending through The Club’s digital services, designated HKT affiliate services, or partnered merchants. Clubpoints can be used to redeem rewards or deduct spending on the various The Club digital services. For more information about The Club, please visit theclub.com.hk or call The Club hotline at +852 183 3000.

About Citi

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi

#Citi #HKT #TheClub