Synfindo manages the APIX Platform, which is a collaborative innovation platform for fintechs and innovators across 90+ countries, empowering Financial Institutions to accelerate their innovation journey. Major banks, insurers, and regulators in the world use APIX to rapidly discover, test, and evaluate solutions by running innovation challenges and hackathons.

Many of these innovation challenges are ESG and green finance based – with financial regulators and institutions looking for ESG solutions to solve for the world’s biggest pressing problems. Some of which include the COP28, G20 and other global initiatives.

The APIX Platformis a big aggregator and aims to be a strong supporter of all challenges ESG and innovation related, globally.

When I was at Sleek, I piloted and built their CSR Program from scratch. "Do Better By Sleek" is Sleek's CSR Programme. Under the programme, there are 3 pillars: Tech for Good, our Sustainability promise and our Community initiatives. 

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Technology for good

Tech can be for good. We developed SleekSign: Asia’s only free, unlimited use, legally binding eSignature platform to help our clients save time, money and most importantly, help the environment. With SleekSign, say bye to printing (and reprinting) of documents, and hello to digitalization. As of today, through SleekSign, clients have processed over 436,202 pages, which adds up to save 2.69 tons of paper from landfills. That’s a lot of paper. 

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Our sustainability promise

In 2020, we launched our carbon neutrality program, planting mangrove trees in East Java, Indonesia. Our goal was to become the first carbon neutral corporate services provider in Asia-Pacific by 2030, and for future operations to be carbon positive. 

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Our community initiatives 

We also looked for more ways to do good and support our local community. During the pandemic, we began our partnership with Singapore charity, Rainbow Center. Through this long term partnership, Sleek is committed to helping families of children with disabilities to uplift themselves through being equipped in financial literacy and learning to start their own home businesses. 

We got Sleek’s employees involved in the following ways:

Skills-based volunteering: Our Sleek staff was imparting knowledge through skill-based volunteering initiatives with Rainbow Centre.
Partnerships with social enterprises: We also hoped to offer our core services (company incorporation, accounting, company secretary) at discounted prices to aspiring entrepreneurs and social enterprises to empower them in our unique ways.
Knowledge sharing: Every month we held lunch & learn sessions with individuals from the community, organization and charities to educate our Sleekers about social causes to be a more inclusive workforce. 

I used to work at the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), managing the Giving.sg marketing team. We managed everything from online to offline marketing and branding. It was a rewarding time, truly starting my journey on tech for good - and seeing how impact can be multiplied through the use of technology to help over 500 charities. We exceeded 150 million (SGD) in accumulated donations in 2019 and it was one of my proudest moments in the organization. 

Most importantly, seeing the charities and meeting the individuals that the platform has helped to empower was one of my most important highlights during my time there.

Find your A team - we can’t do it alone. As the cliche saying goes, if you would like to go far, go together. You need to find people whose values align with yours, and whose work ethics and passion for excellence matches your own. Secondary factors like complementary skill sets are important too. 

Attitude determines your altitude. Having a winning attitude would really set the course of your direction and grow your journey forward. Staying humble and open to learning is something I want to continue adopting in my personal life and I encourage you to have an open mind to new people and experiences too.

Practice self-care. At times when we want to change the world in big ways, we end up thinking this journey is a sprint but it is actually a marathon. We need to be aware of our own energy levels and if we are burning out. Hence, do be very aware of your own fuel tank and check in with yourself regularly. We want to burn on, not burn out, so we can continue making a difference. 

I'm happy to explore ways on how businesses can make a difference alongside individuals, and how they can partner government agencies and charities together for greater impact. Or simply any other conversations on making a difference in the areas of social impact, education, children & youth, or sustainability (a new topic I'm learning about)!