Today, with 150 million startups worldwide and another 50 million launching each year, innovation and creativity are reshaping industries. However, roughly 1 in 5 startups fail in the first year because of a variety of difficulties, from financial struggles to poor product-market fit. Recognizing this, OPPO actively engages with startups, providing essential support to help them navigate obstacles and bring their innovations to fruition.
"At OPPO, we understand the diverse needs of startups. We offer comprehensive support, including funding, technology, and marketing, to foster their growth and extend the benefits of technology to more people. Through these strategies, startups such as AlpsenTek, HUAYI, and CloudSteth are expected to apply their innovations to real life," said Yan Ren, Director of Open Innovation Europe, OPPO. "As AI has become one of the most promising areas these days, OPPO is actively entering this space and seeking further collaboration with startups to unlock new possibilities with AI."
Go beyond investment
To be successful, startups need more than just an idea. AlpsenTek, specializing in machine vision, leveraged OPPO financial and technical support to integrate its cutting-edge hybrid vision sensor ALPIX-Eiger® with AI algorithm capabilities. Leveraging Qualcomm Snapdragon® Mobile Platforms, OPPO led the development of a set of AI Motion algorithms that can process the information from sensor to de-blur images and help users capture true-to-life moments on the fly. This has helped AlpsenTek leading technology has the ability to be applied to smartphones and given it the chance to further drive AI-related innovation for both sides.
As OPPO has been investing in XR, another startup – DeepMirror – has joined OPPO innovation networks. To help the company be quickly recognized by the industry, OPPO invited DeepMirror to showcase its latest AR game at the global stage, MWC24. Powered by its cloud-based service, MirrorVerse, visitors can interact with real environments inside games, adding more fun to the experience.
Co-create to drive disruption
To cultivate new technologies, co-creation is the name of game. Whether for a big company or a startup, co-creation provides both parties with a way to make one plus one sum to something more than two.
A good example of this kind of R&D partnership is with one of our startup friends, HUAYI Medical Technologies. Founded in 2021, HUAYI is a high-tech startup that is specializing in contactless health monitoring technology and products. The company core technology solution is called "WonTrackR," which combines millimeter wave technology, radar/physiological signal processing and reconstruction, and AI modeling. Unlike the cold, mechanical medical equipment of old, a device featuring WonTrackR can be placed anywhere at home to monitor various health metrics, taking care of family members in a warm and unintrusive way.
Another example is CloudSteth. CloudSteth intelligent auscultation system can automatically analyze heart and lung sounds through AI to help children with pneumonia, asthma, and congenital heart disease get diagnosed earlier and receive the medical treatment they need sooner. Through close cooperation with leading hospitals in China, the company has accumulated rich experience in medical treatment.
Drawing on long-term empowerment
For OPPO, empowering startups is not a one-off, but a part of its permanent mission. Initiatives like the OPPO Inspiration Challenge provide startups with ongoing support and global recognition opportunities.
For example, OPPO worked together with Tangtangquan to implement its digital therapeutic solution on the OPPO Watch 3 and 4, which has so far helped more than 20,000 users to monitor their blood glucose and manage their health more conveniently. In December 2023, OPPO invited Bluepha Co., Ltd to showcase its green material alternative to plastic - Bluepha™ PHA- to a global audience during COP28. The material was crafted into the phone case for OPPO Find N2 Flip, proving its potential for commercial use in the future.
Recently a landmark partnership has been announced between, Shapla, a trailblazing digital tax filing platform, and Sonali Life Insurance have formed a strategic partnership, with the primary aim of infusing technological fluency in the tax filing process for all their employees. This collaboration sets a new standard by granting Sonali Life Insurance employees unique tax filing benefits and marking a substantial step towards universal financial literacy and digital proficiency within the corporate arena.
In an era where technology permeates every facet of our lives, Shapla is ushering the domain of tax into the digital age, making it accessible, comprehensible, and seamlessly navigable for all. The Shapla platform represents a significant shift towards the digital empowerment of employees, granting them the capability to manage their taxes with consummate ease, thereby becoming more technologically adept and financially savvy.
By integrating Shapla easy-to-navigate tax filing services, Sonali Life Insurance steps towards enhancing its employee benefits, providing not just a work environment, but a holistic space where every member financial well-being is catered to and prioritized.
In expressing his thoughts about the partnership, the CEO of Shapla, Tasnim Mortoza, shared, "Our collaborative effort with Sonali Life Insurance embodies our unwavering commitment to facilitate and enhance the tax filing process through digital means for every individual in the company. Shapla primary objective revolves around digitizing and simplifying tax filing for everyone, and with this partnership, we inch significantly closer to that objective."
Mir Rashed Bin Aman, the CEO of Sonali Life Insurance, remarked, "The essence of employee well-being pivots around ease and accessibility in managing their financial obligations. Integrating Shapla into our employee benefits program not only alleviates the complexities of tax filing but also heralds an era where our team grows technologically advanced and financially secure+."
The partnership spells a future where technological empowerment in tax management becomes a staple, showcasing Shapla dedication to creating a world where tax filing is no longer a perplexing chore, but an effortless, tech-driven endeavor.
This alliance not only sets a new benchmark in employee welfare and financial management but also sketches a future where digital fluency in tax filing becomes a norm, promising a landscape where organizations cater holistically to the diversified financial needs of their workforce, crafting a prospering working milieu.
Bangladesh is to witness opening of its first smart highway on Dhaka-Mawa Expressway in December 2023 while the second one is expected to be commissioned in December next year, connecting Joydebpur with Rangpur, primarily aiming to ensure road safety, officials said here today.
Roads and Highways Department (RHD) officials said both the highways were being built introducing the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) which incorporates vehicle detection system, surveillance camera, automated number plate recognition camera, speed detection mechanism and variable messaging sign.
RHD superintending engineer M. Tanvir Siddique said the 38-kilometre Dhaka-Mawa Expressway would be the first smart highway where the ITS would be fully installed in December this year as a pilot project.
The Ramsagor Express train on Bonarpara-Panchagarh route has been resumed after being closed for 12 years.
The train will run regularly on this route from Wednesday (30 August).
Speaking at an inauguration ceremony at Bonarpara Junction railway station in Gaibandha on Tuesday (29 August), Railway Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan said, "The Ramsagar train running on the Bonarpara-Dinajpur route had to be stopped two years after its launch in 2010 due to various difficulties. As a result, commuters using this train have been facing hardships.
"As a result of your movements demanding the resumption, it was possible to re-inaugurate this train today."