Meet the Entrepreneurs
CloudJay January 2014
Mobile Innovation
cloudjay
CONTACT INFORMATION
Creating a visual logbook to manage and share information about on-site incidents
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam +65 84513848
trungchu@cloudjay.com
www.jaypixapp.com
Trung D. Chu, CEO, Vietnam
CHALLENGE In the engineering, construction, and logistics sectors, accidents in the field or damage to goods in transit occur on a regular basis and lead to higher costs. Workers often do not have the necessary tools to report the damage or accidents in an accurate or timely manner to appropriately inform management, as the available routes of communication via email and phone are not fast, transparent, and precise enough. Consequently, the substantial costs for damages incurred cannot be adequately claimed with the insurance provider and businesses have to pay for the costs out of pocket.
“IMPROPERLY REPORTED DAMAGES AND ACCIDENTS RESULT IN SUBSTANTIAL COSTS FOR COMPANIES.”
BUSINESS MODEL Through JayPix, CloudJay exclusively targets the B2B market in the engineering, construction, and logistics sectors. CloudJay’s first customer was an engineering company. In the future, the company aims to focus specifically on port logistics for its strong potential. It also targets mid-level management in order to pitch the product, as managers are usually neither aware of the extent of the problem nor of the availability of mobile applications that can help their business be more effective. CloudJay uses a subscription-based business model to monetize JayPix. The monthly fee depends on the type and size of the company, number of users of the application, and the amount of data delivered. For example, CloudJay’s first customer, a petroleum engineering firm based in Vung Tau, was charged USD32.50 per user per month.
IDEA As an experienced logistician, Trung D. Chu wanted to come up with an idea that would fill the communication and information gap between workers on-site or transporting goods and project managers in their offices, through smart phones. The first application Trung developed could only share pictures with the head offices. When approaching businesses, however, he realized that submitting a simple picture was not enough; the product had to offer a greater added value to businesses to be successful. After further research, Trung came up with the application JayPix, which allows the sharing of both visual and audio files through an online platform, as well as commenting and picture tagging. The application allows information to be searched for: by day, location, and team member. After attending the JFID Accelerator Program in Singapore in August 2013, Trung decided to adapt his business model to the market of port logistics in East Asia, as this sector had a specific need for an application like JayPix. By January 2014, Trung was doing a market study on the port industry in Singapore to adapt his application to the specific needs of local port operators.
“THE ORIGINAL IDEA WAS TO SIMPLY COMMUNICATE THE PHOTO CAPTURED ON THE SMART PHONES BY WORKERS ON SITE TO THE HEAD OFFICE.”
www.infodev.org
twitter: @infoDev
ENTREPRENEUR’S INSIGHTS
NEXT STEPS
WORKING WITH mLab EAST ASIA
Strengthen network within the logistics sector • DO NOT BE AFRAID TO RE-EVALUATE YOUR BUSINESS MODEL: Change the client focus and re-adapt the business model if necessary.
Better understand the needs of the logistic companies’ customers Hire more software developers
• BE PATIENT WHEN DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC SECTOR: Working with the public sector can be timeconsuming as it requires dealing with bureaucracy.
Acquire skilled business mentors
• FOCUS ON YOUR CUSTOMERS: Listen to customers before selling them a product.
KEY OUTCOMES VALUE FOR USERS Facilitate simple and efficient communication: Real-time features such as visual and audio files are easy to transfer via mobile phones and convey much more information to project managers than simply describing the damage via phone or email. Safeguard transparency and accountability: With JayPix, project managers will know exactly what happened on-site or with the goods in transit, and which entity in the value chain will have to compensate for the damage.
BUSINESS FACTS CUSTOMERS
4
JOBS CREATED
7
NATURE OF JOBS CREATED
5 full time, 2 part time (3 in sales, 3 developers, 1 designer )
Supported by:
www.infodev.org
twitter: @infoDev
• CloudJay RECEIVED SEED FUNDING of USD5,000 from the mLab in June 2013, which was used to rent and buy technical facilities such as computers and office space. • THE INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BRAND OF infoDev and the World Bank provided CloudJay with the necessary credibility when approaching potential partners and clients, and helped to acquire their first client.