Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Canva today announces a new valuation of US$6 billion from US$3.2 billion, after having raised a US$60 million round.
The doubling in valuation is attributed to Canva’s growing prominence as a workplace collaboration platform fueled by its strong performance in user growth, which continues to accelerate as the world shifts online amidst the global pandemic. Today Canva is embraced by over 30 million people every month to design around the globe, collaborating on presentations, marketing materials, social media content, videos and more -- at a whopping 80 designs per second and a total over 3 billion designs created since launch.
Canva cofounder and COO Cliff Obrecht said despite the economic downturn as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company continues to see a significant increase in user activity.
“Canva’s accelerated growth is indicative of the “new normal”, as more teams realize the need for a more scalable, more collaborative, more affordable and more user-friendly design platform.
“Now more than ever, organizations of all sizes are doubling down on building a reliable remote workplace, and are turning to modern productivity platforms like Canva to ensure they remain flexible and scalable.”
Investor Rick Baker from Blackbird, a renowned venture capital firm based in Australia said the surge in Canva’s numbers is a testament to the design platform’s abilities to cater to the changing needs of the modern workplace.
“This round is further evidence that Canva continues to power ahead. In a post-COVID world of remote working, we are seeing Canva’s original vision - a collaborative platform to provide all the elements to create great design - become even more powerful. As a result, Canva has seen phenomenal growth over the past months, cementing its place as one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in the world.”
Mood Rowghani, general partner at Bond adds, "The recent changes in our world have pressured organizations to embrace new methods of work and collaboration. As the lines between home and office have blurred, Canva's digital design platform is empowering a new wave of productivity and interaction for businesses, schools, and nonprofits across the globe. We have been thrilled to work with the team and are excited about what's to come."
Canva affirms its spot as a powerful workplace collaboration suite
Since launch in late 2019, Canva is the collaboration platform of choice for a number of large organizations to mobilize its workforce to create on brand content.
More than 500,000 organizations on the platform from Small Businesses to Enterprises such as Warner Music, American Airlines, Ingram Micro, and Eaton
With more than 90,000 schools and universities worldwide such as the NSW Department of Education in Australia and Georgetown University
As well as over 55,000 nonprofits such as the World Health Organization, Task Force for Global Health, NHS Charities Together and UN Commission on Human Rights.
Skyscanner, the travel search engine that serves 100 million monthly global users, has used Canva to roll out a full rebrand across 36 markets ― all within six months.
Skyscanner Senior Design Manager, Judson Cowan said, “The time saved for our design and marketing teams was immense. Canva has allowed us to simultaneously adopt our re-brand across all regions, regardless of timezone, or access to designers. The result was an on-time and well received brand launch, which is rare for large businesses.”
As people continue to collaborate online, design creation and sharing on Canva has increased by over 50% since the start of COVID-19. The company will also be rolling out a number of new workplace collaboration features designed to help teams of all sizes work together, through effective visual communication:
Canva’s Real-time Collaboration brings teamwork to life by letting users work on designs simultaneously.
Canva Brainstorms is a new design type built for teams to collaborate simultaneously on notes, build moodboards and flesh out ideas using an infinite canvas space.
Canva Talking Presentations brings a new way to create engaging presentations by allowing presenters to talk through their slides in an interactive format.
Canva for Desktop offers a seamless desktop experience, paving the way for offline editing and other native features by the end of the year.
Cementing Canva’s presence in the US and beyond
As a key growth market for Canva, the company is investing in its US operations with the opening of an office in Austin, Texas.
The US team will provide strategic support for enterprise clients and nonprofits as the country navigates the “new normal” workplace together, kicking off with its inaugural online Enterprise conference on July 29, Elevate 2020. The conference will feature a keynote from Canva CEO and cofounder, Melanie Perkins, as well as customer panels with HubSpot, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and IDC Global, to name a few.
When it comes to furthering international growth, Canva is also open to considering acquisitions whereby it invests in companies for their world-class engineering and product teams.
Cliff explains, “We’re open to investment opportunities in the media and editing space as we continue on our mission to provide a comprehensive and valuable product.
“Ultimately, we want Canva to be the go-to platform for all your design needs, so we’ll continue to monitor and evaluate acquisition opportunities.”
For the latest product news, visit https://www.canva.com/whats-new/
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Donning masks, face shields and gloves, the Mang Inasal store team is ready and committed to serve customers visiting the restaurant for dine-in or takeout.
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As parts of the country steadily ease restrictions on community quarantines, the restaurant industry is also preparing to resume dine-in services which have been placed on hold because of the extended lockdown.
People have been longing to enjoy a meal at their favorite dining places, but many still feel apprehensive and cautious.
One well-loved Pinoy restaurant that has been preparing to welcome back its loyal customers is Mang Inasal, reputed for its bestselling nuot-sa-ihaw sarap Chicken Inasal. Knowing how much people have missed their favorite Mang Inasal meals and seeking to allay their fears, Mang Inasal has set in place strict protocols to ensure delicious food and safe dining experience for their customers.
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To further ensure customer safety, wrapped rice is served for unli-rice orders. Meanwhile, selected Mang Inasal stores have placed barriers on the table for face-to-face dining.
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In keeping with the Department of Trade and Industry guidelines, Mang Inasal is requesting customers to fill out a Customer Health Form before being allowed to enter the store.
For in-store safety, physical distancing is closely monitored as floor markers set one-meter distance for counter queues. Contact-less payment is enforced with the use of acrylic cash tray and acrylic barriers. Meanwhile, foot knobs are used as restroom doors, and regular disinfection of facilities and the sanitation of workers form part of Mang Inasal’s stringent safety protocols.
Dine-in customers are enjoined to be seated apart for physical distancing purposes. One-meter table-to-table distance segregates diners while in selected Mang Inasal stores a table barrier is placed for face-to-face dining.
Store crew sanitize the door and door handles every 30 minutes even as they pursue intensified cleaning and sanitation of fixtures and facilities. Similarly, heightened safety protocols for food preparation and handling—on top of existing procedures that are already thorough—are also being implemented.
These include the crew wearing face mask, face shield, and gloves; handwashing and sanitation every hour and when necessary; and the appointment of a Hygiene Ambassador – a crew member wearing an identifying button pin and personal protective equipment and who go around reminding crew and diners of the safety measures. The Hygiene Ambassador himself cleans and disinfects the tables after every use.
For customers opting to do cash payments, trays are provided for contact-less transactions.
All these show that Mang Inasal not only serves good food enjoyed by many, but it also has the safety and well-being of its stakeholders as a priority.
“We know how much everyone has missed dining at Mang Inasal,” says Business Unit Head Jojo P. Subido. “As we work towards the gradual return of in-store dining, we make sure to put our stakeholders at ease by placing their welfare as our top priority. In instituting all these precautions, we kept in mind our customers’ needs and concerns so that they can enjoy the Mang Inasal experience once again—safely and comfortably. We look forward to welcoming you back to our stores.”
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Mang Inasal encourages electronic, cashless transactions.
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As of this writing, over 80 per cent of Mang Inasal stores around the country are open for dine-in.
Meanwhile, customers from Metro Manila can continue enjoying Mang Inasal meals by placing their orders through #7-3333 or via Grab, Food Panda, and Lalamove. They can also place their orders through Jose, the Mang Inasal Chatbot in Facebook Messenger.
They can likewise go to selected Mang Inasal stores for takeout or for Park, Pickup and Go arrangements.
Gabay Guro, PLDT’s flagship educational program, provides free online trainings for teachers nationwide through its recently launched ‘Learning Never Stops’ campaign. As of May 30, 2020, Gabay Guro has led 13 e-learning sessions on Facebook with over 300,000 views to date.
The online training videos uploaded on the Gabay Guro Facebook Page are all for free. These videos are available for replay which allows teachers to go learn at their own pace.
Topics of the live training and recorded webcasts include life learnings from the quarantine, virtual teaching 101, flipping the classroom, improving students' reading and comprehension, as well as teachers' mindset improvement in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through the comments sections and webinar discussions, many teachers have expressed their gratitude to Gabay Guro and the speakers for conducting these free webinars.
“Learning is constantly evolving. This is why our ‘Learning Never Stops’ campaign aims to empower our teachers amid the pandemic as we provide them with engaging online training videos conducted by reputable guest speakers. Through this campaign, we are equipping our teachers with digital competencies and capabilities that enable them to adapt in this new normal,” said PLDT SVP and Gabay Guro Chairwoman Chaye Cabal-Revilla.
“During these trying times, we want to assure our teachers that every opportunity will be given to them amid COVID-19. Our recently launched ‘Learning Never Stops’ campaign enables them to explore online trainings and curriculum that aim to expand their knowledge and expertise,” said PLDT and Smart VP for Learning and Development and Gabay Guro Head for Teachers’ Training Alexander Kibanoff.
Gabay Guro is spearheaded by the PLDT-Smart Foundation and PLDT Managers Club, Inc. The 12-year-old program empowers teachers across the country though initiatives in seven key pillars. This includes scholarships, teachers’ trainings, classroom donations, livelihood programs, connectivity & computerization, teachers’ tribute and digital innovations.
To know more about the efforts of the PLDT Group in beating the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit http://beta.pldt.com/covid19/.
Consumers
do a larger share of food shopping online, with a 2.5 times increase
in users who buy food items on Shopee multiple times a month
Shopee,
the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan,
highlights significant changes in the food and grocery market as
Filipinos become more “online-first” for food products. In
particular, people are doing a larger share of food shopping online,
with a 2.5-times increase in users who buy food items multiple times
a month on Shopee. Sellers and brands adapt to this "new normal"
by offering a wider variety of online food products and using live
streaming to assure buyers of quality in real-time.
Ruoshan
Tao, Head of Marketing at Shopee Philippines,
said, “Social distancing has been a big part of
our lives, and we have seen major changes in the way people think
about and shop for their daily needs. In particular, buying food and
groceries has become ‘online-first’ as consumers view e-commerce
as a one-stop channel. Sellers and brands are adapting quickly, with
Shopee as a vital platform for them to reach new customers. We see
this as long-term evolution, and Shopee will continue to lead this
trend in the years ahead.”
Shopee
outlines four major trends in the food and grocery market in the
Philippines:
1.
Consumers become “online-first” for food products
Filipinos
see e-commerce as the preferred channel for food and groceries,
marked by:
- More Filipinos are shopping for food online: Shopee has observed a 2.5-times increase in the number of users who buy food products multiple times a month. This shows that Filipinos are shifting a larger share of food and grocery shopping online to reap the convenience of e-commerce.
- People shop for food around the clock: E-commerce is making it more convenient for consumers to shop for food items at any time. As a result, shopping activity stays high throughout the week, peaking on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
2.
Food and grocery shopping evolve as people adapt to Covid-19 pandemic
People
are also buying a wider variety of food items online, as they make
lifestyles changes at different stages of social distancing and the
Covid-19 pandemic:
- High demand for staple foods and baking supplies in March: The onset of social distancing motivated people to ensure ready food supplies at home, with demand for staple foods and baking supplies increasing by 70 times.
- More “offline” food products bought online: Filipinos became more comfortable with buying food and groceries online as social distancing continued. In April, demand for beverages and alcohol grew 8 times on Shopee.
- Top products: Caramelized sugar syrup, evaporated milk, and food flavorings for baking.
3.
Rural and male consumers among the most active online food shoppers
As
buying food products online becomes a norm, Shopee has observed that
shopping activity is proliferating among rural and male consumers:
- Spike in grocery demand among rural consumers: Consumers outside Metro Manila are also seeing e-commerce as a key channel for food and groceries because of reduced access to physical stores. Shopee’s food shopping activity from areas outside of Metro Manila increased 2.5 times in the past few months.
- Men are doing more grocery shopping and cooking: Male food shopping activity increased up to three times from 2019. Men appear to be doing more home cooking and grocery shopping in recent months, with seasoning products and baking ingredients as the most popular among male users on Shopee.
4.
Brands and sellers digitalize with Shopee, use new tools to sell food
online
Brands
and sellers are adapting to the new “online-first” environment
through Shopee. They are offering an extensive range of food products
and leveraging new tools to sell online:
- Offering more choice and variety: Shopee has seen steady growth in the number of brands and sellers offering food products online, creating more buyers’ preference. On Shopee, the array of food products on the platform has doubled from 2019.
- Using new tools to sell food online: Brands and sellers use live streaming to sell food products more effectively. In recent months, Shopee Live has become a vital tool for sellers to showcase new items and assure product quality in real-time, driving more views and sales.
Tao
closed, “The Covid-19 situation and social distancing measures
have created major changes in consumers’ lifestyles, affecting how
brands and sellers conduct their businesses. We are committed to
helping the Filipinos during this time of need, and we will continue
to improve our platform to provide the daily necessities of every
consumer, brand, and seller.”
Download
Shopee for free through the App Store or Google Play.
If you’re looking for ways to augment your income during these challenging times, you don’t need to look farther than your kitchen to start a business. As you may have observed, many Filipinos have already started putting up their own little ventures by offering something that we all love—food.
From ube
pandesal to baked sushi, to new twists to fries and cheesecakes, our
enterprising kababayans
have shown their resiliency and inventiveness through these food
ventures.
If you’d
like to start a home business from your kitchen, here are some tips
that may help you in establishing one.
- Think of the product you want to offer. Are you or someone in your family good in baking or cooking? Capitalize on your skill and passion in determining the product you want to offer.
- Know your target market. Ask yourself if the product you’d like to put out there has a market. Food, for one, can have an immediate market—your family, colleagues, and friends.
- Make your product worth your customers’ money. Of course it goes without saying that you have to ensure that the items you sell should satisfy your customers. Offer products that they will like so that they can tell their other friends and relatives about it. This way, more people will be interested in your products.
- Invest in good equipment. If you’re going to pursue a business in food, make sure that you have quality equipment. At Hanabishi, we have a range of products that can help you with your cooking and baking needs. broilers, grillers, fryers, and electric cookers. For those who are into baking, we have our mixers, food processors, ovens, and more.
- Make it more convenient for customers to purchase your products. For example, most businesses have gone online these days and customers can easily buy the product of their choice and have it delivered safely and securely to their home. We have been running our e-commerce site for about two years now and with the new conditions dictated by the pandemic, we had to review its system and implement the necessary updates in its features to address the anticipated influx of online shoppers. Our customers can now easily place an order with just a few clicks and taps on their computers and mobile devices. Likewise, we are now offering them the option to have their products delivered or picked up from our warehouse.
- Set up a Facebook or Instagram account. Most Filipinos are social media users and being on FB and IG makes you more visible to them. In fact, according to a recent Nielsen Homepanel Tack-on survey, 49 percent of Filipinos who shop groceries online prefer Facebook. In making your goods available through these social media apps, make sure that you take good photos. Food, most specially, need to look delicious and enticing to attract customers.
- Be forward-looking. Expect challenges to come your way and make sure you keep up with consumers’ changing behavior. It’s not easy, but with hard work and foresight, success will come your way.
Aside
from being a homemaker, Cherish Ong-Chua is the Vice President,
Finance and Marketing, at Hanabishi. She graduated with a degree of
Marketing at De La Salle University- Taft.
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Tanauan, Batangas - June 22,2020: The government recently relaxed the community quarantine guidelines, which gradually reopens up the economy. Thousands of workers are finally allowed to go to their offices, provided they follow strict health and safety protocols
Although public transport will be operational, still, there are lots of limitations to ensure social distancing among passengers. For instance, in the National Capital Region (NCR), the resumption of public transport systems will be done in two phases, says the Department of Transportation (DoTR).
For Phase 1, covering June 1 to 21, augmented trains and buses, taxis, transport network vehicles (TNVs), shuttle services, point-to-point buses, bicycles, and tricycles can operate but, with limited passenger capacity; while provincial buses are not allowed to enter Metro Manila.
For Phase 2, covering June 22 to 30, public utility buses, modern public utility vehicles (PUVs), and UV Express will be permitted to operate with limited passenger capacity, along with the initial set of transport modes allowed to run during Phase 1.
Since all transport modes will remain limited, it may take longer for the public commute to get to their destinations, especially as the mass transportation systems need to take safety precautions to keep Filipinos safe from contacting COVID-19.
For Honda Philippines, Inc., the No. 1 Motorcycle Manufacturer in the country, this situation reinforces the need for motorcycles as a convenient and safe mode of solo transportation, helping riders get to their destinations faster and safer.
While anticipating the increase of solo riders on the road, it is most important that road safety must be observed at all times. Road Safety experts from Honda Safety Driving Center listed some of the key things you can do to stay safe on the road while observing physical distancing:
Check Your Motorcycles
You will most probably need to use your motorcycle more often now, because of the limited transportation. However, the quarantine probably left your motorcycle collecting dust the past months, which is why a thorough motorcycle check is important before hitting the road.
So, before going out to ride, just remember this acronym: G.O.T. T.O. B.E. S.A.F.E.
- General Appearance – Make sure your bike looks good and is in a rideable condition.
- Oil – Ensure that the engine oil is between the maximum and minimum levels using the engine dipstick.
- Tires – Check for any cracks, bulges, or signs of wear in the treads (Low tire pressure or any defects could cause a blowout).
- Tension of chain – Check the chain if it’s well lubricated. Chain tension must be following your motorcycle model.
- Operation of Controls – check throttle play, and must maintain snapback operations. Check clutch lever for free play.
- Brakes. – Check operation and cable conditions. Test both front and rear brakes to ensure these are working properly.
- Engine – Make a visual check on your engine to see any leakages or loose fittings.
- Side Mirror – Make sure that the side mirror is free from scratches and must be clean and clear.
- Alignment of steering – Check smoothness of play and make sure the handlebar is securely bolted.
- Fuel – Make sure the gasoline cap is securely closed and not leaking.
- Electrical / Lights – Ensure all electrical-based switches and devices, like the horn and lights, are properly functioning.
Wear Proper Protective Gears
All riders are required to wear a helmet and a mask when riding a motorcycle. A complete safety gear with gloves, leather jacket with an elbow and back support, and knee pads are also perfect for your riding. It pays to wear these gears to ensure your safety on the road.
Follow Traffic Rules and Guidelines
Aside from traffic rules, riders must also follow and be aware of the additional guidelines set by the authorities. It is also as important to bring necessary documents, such as your license, working certificates, valid IDs, among others, since authorities may require you to show them in checkpoints.
New Riders need to take note of these rules and regulations to avoid any unnecessary rookie mistakes. So for the newbies, keep in mind to check both sides before changing lanes and use turn signals, only use the horn to communicate with other riders, and simply be alert at all times.
At this point, all road users should be aware that everyone has equal rights on the road and should not be taken advantage of.
Honda Philippines joins the country's fight against COVID-19 as it helps to promote safety protocols, such as physical distancing, through its motorcycles that provide a safe mode of mobility.
Being a Road Safety Advocate, proven by the existence of Honda Safety Driving Center, it only shows that Honda Philippines has been true to its “ONE DREAM” campaign. This campaign envisions to fulfill people’s dreams while experiencing the joy of mobility, at the same time instill a safety mindset and to properly educate road discipline and courtesy while driving.
There is a lot more to explore from Honda’s wide array of motorcycles. For more details about Honda products and promos, visit our website at www.hondaph.com and follow our social media pages: Facebook, Honda Philippines, Inc., and Instagram, @hondaph_mc.
After quarantine, we know you are excited to travel. Standby for our next article, “Post-Quarantine: Where do you want to go?”
Monday, June 22, 2020
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The
turnover of donations in Pulung Maragul, Angeles City is attended by
key executives and members of the MVP
Group front
left to right: NLEX Road Warriors Coach Joseller “Yeng” Guiao,
MPIF President Melody del Rosario, Angeles City Vice Mayor Vicenta L.
Vega-Catigbing, PSF President Esther O. Santos, CSWDO Staff
Chrysalene Cunanan, NLEX Sr. CSR Manager Cherry Dela Rea. Back left
to right: NLEX Road Warriors, PLDT Pampanga Zone Head Ernest "MERDoc"
Mendoza and AKFI Executive Director Menchie Silvestre.
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Underserved
communities in far-flung areas in Pampanga received much-needed
support from the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) which recently
turned over grocery packs and PPE donations in Angeles City and San
Fernando, Pampanga.
The
corporate social responsibility arm of PLDT and Smart, PSF turned
over 1000 grocery packs, 250 PPE sets and 10 tents. In Angeles City,
500 grocery packs and 250 PPE sets were turned over to their local
government unit (LGU) through Vice Mayor Maria Vicenta L.
Vega-Cabigting.
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PLDT-Smart
Foundation President turns over the grocery pack donations to Apalit
Vice Mayor Pedro Nucom.
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“We
continue to try our best in addressing the needs of our brothers and
sisters in some indigent communities across the country, especially
during these trying times,” said PLDT-Smart Foundation President
Esther Santos.
NLEX
Road Warriors Coach Joseller “Yeng” Guiao and players Mike
Miranda, William McAloney and Kris Porter also joined the turnovers
in Angeles and in the Safe Haven Quarantine.
Meanwhile,
in San Fernando, Pampanga, 500 grocery packs and 10 tents were turned
over to the PNP Region 3 for distribution to poor families living in
far-flung areas. These families include those who are living
along the river, indigenous communities and poverty-stricken villages
in the region.
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In
photo are, from left: PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther Santos,
Angeles Vice Mayor Maria Vicenta L. Vega-Cabigting and PLDT Pampanga
Customer Service Operations Zone Head Ernest “Merdoc” Mendoza..
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Moreover,
the Metro Pacific Investments Foundation (MPIF) distributed 200 PPE
sets to the Task Force Safe Haven Quarantine Facility through Dr.
Maria Clemencita D. Dobles, who is the Manager of the Health and
Sanitation Division National Government Administrative Center in New
Clark City, Brgy. Aranguren Capas, Tarlac.
The
MPIF also distributed 300 grocery packs for some families in Apalit,
Pampanga. This was turned over to Apalit Vice Mayor Pedro Nucom.
“We
realize that helping provide aid distribution will enable the
province to stretch its help for all its 505 Barangays,” says MPIF
President Melody del Rosario. “It is a daunting task for all
provinces and we in the private sector are always ready to extend our
support.”
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PLDT-Smart
Foundation President turns over the grocery pack donations to Apalit
Vice Mayor Pedro Nucom.
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The
Pampanga relief effort was conducted together with PLDT and
Smart, Metro Pacific Investments Foundation, North Luzon Expressway
(NLEX) Corporation and Alagang Kapatid Foundation.
To
know more about the efforts of the PLDT Group in beating the COVID-19
pandemic, please visit https://beta.pldt.com/covid19/.
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