You cannot turn on the news without hearing how much this global pandemic is changing lives. Our personal and business lives are starting to either compete against each other or blend together in our day as many are forced to work remotely. To address the global issues we are confronted by today, SAP has launched SAP Purpose Network Live, a virtual platform that provides a space for collaboration and support of relief efforts for COVID-19. It will feature weekly engaging sessions related to our everchanging environment and profile many SAP.iO startups.

Episode 2 of Innovative Solutions from SAP.iO Startups Help Businesses Succeed Amid COVID-19, features Disco CRO Justin Vandehey, and Rachel Renock, Co-Founder and CEO of Wethos. The team talks about a shifting paradigm in what it is employees are looking for in a career. Moving from a paycheck being the most valued indicator or reward and fulfillment to a culture where people are increasingly more interested in fulfillment, finding a purpose to what they do in their careers. As of late, this might mean looking at how they work in a different way.

Rachel Renock and her team at Wethos are transforming the world of creative marketing by enabling teams of highly skilled freelancers to connect to form creative marketing teams remotely using the Wethos platform. In this model the free lancers have the opportunity to tackle bigger projects, earn more money, and participate in the work that they choose. There has been a powershift of people looking toward flexibility and freedom to help them scope work, delegate, and distribute work amongst their team.

The platform allows freelancers to discover and connect with each other and then share opportunities for work with one another. This has offered freelancers more independence, access to a larger network and more opportunities to work on growth. As people increasingly value job purpose, they start to define for themselves what growth looks like for them: Money related? Learning more? Meeting new people? Do I want to work less and live more? Wethos has created a place where freelancers can work on projects they are passionate about and puts more money in their pocket instead of the inflated agency overhead. On the flip side, the end customer gets more bang for their buck at the same level expertise they would find in an agency.

Renock has some great tips for success based on her own experience working with a global remote team, maybe most importantly she says there has to be a mutual trust. As we move into a more remote workplace be respectful of the change in schedule– trust your people to do their work when they can do it. And secondly, make sure to have an operating infrastructure. Documentation is valuable to set expectations and then the putting the supporting tools in place to help operate smoothly. Understand how you want to manage your team.

Disco’s CRO Justin Vandehey has seen for himself the shift from paycheck to purpose and the benefits of culture-aligned collaboration. He and the owners created the company when they saw that people who work in a remote environment wanted more connection, there was a new need to build relationships in a digital environment. Seeing for firsthand that some people were leaving jobs to work locally so they could have that direct human interaction.

Disco is a culture platform that runs on top of tools already used to communicate daily at work. They addressed the question of how we can meet those employees where they are already engaging with others to feel more connected. Disco is a real-time recognition platform that integrates into the employee workflow to tie moments that matter to core company values. By being in the employee workflow like Slack and Microsoft Teams, Disco socializes, celebrates, and scales culture and employee engagement. Disco was the first app to launch on Slack and its collaborative messaging helped companied connect and build stronger relationships through this platform.

The company helps businesses build new cultural rituals in the digital era of work that is anchored in their values and make it fun at the same time and Vandehey give us a glimpse of how in this episode. Organizations are having to think more about digital innovations, but also digital cultures. Disco recognizes the this is a tough time for companies, and they are excited to help them help employee in this changing time by offering an extended 30-day free trial and reducing our ongoing license fees by 50% after the trial period for all SAP SuccessFactors customers for the next 3 months.

At SAP, our purpose is to help the world run better. Now more than ever, we know we need to find solutions together. In that spirit, SAP.iO is incredibly privileged to collaborate with an ecosystem of B2B startup partners such as Disco and Wethos who are supporting global companies during this pandemic. We are proud to navigate the new reality with solutions from our over 60 SAP.iO startups who have released specific COVID-19 related offers. These offers and the latest COVID-SAP.iO news can be found at SAP.iO/covid-19.

The third SAP Purpose Network webinar launched on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Reflecting on what Earth day stands for we remember what is at stake if we underestimate our interconnectedness. This includes protecting the health of people as well as the planet. The importance of global connection has never been more apparent than now in the era of COVID-19. We see the value of collaboration in order to persist, are reflecting on things above ourselves, raising our heads to look toward the bigger picture. In this time of crisis many companies are looking toward this new future and reevaluating how their business can not only support people but the planet we all live on. We are very fortunate that SAP.iO has the great opportunity to work with people who have done just this.

One such person is Min Chen, CEO of Wisy, who is using her unique background to help make environmental improvement to our planet. Wisy is a software platform for real-time online and offline data collection, using AI driven analytics and behavioral design to empower fast, precise decisions and action across multiple industries, such as construction, smart cities, brands and retail. Recently, Wisy became part of the winning team led by a nonprofit association that takes action and raises awareness about solid waste pollution in the rivers and coasts of Panama. The grant they were awarded helps develop and implement a project that mitigates the problem of plastic in the Matías Hernández river, helping recycle and reduce flow of waste from rivers before they reach the ocean.

Wisy is convinced that technology should be used to solve the great challenges society is facing nowadays. Chen and company have started to use their technology during COVID-19 to help their customers figure out how to get products faster to customers, consumer package companies to improve back end processes to improve delivery time and work out how to coordinate delivery direct to the consumer. Not only are they looking to reduce flow of plastics in rivers, they are helping customers look into ways of reducing the type and amount of packaging they use.

Another champion for the environment is CEO Olivier Gambari, whose company Inex locates surplus resources within a region and offers a material exchanges between companies to reduce waste and recycle materials. Annually the company has collected and repurposed an average of a ½ million tons per year to date, and they are hoping to increase that number to 1 million next year.

In Europe 80% of the waste comes from industrials. 60% of this waste is not recycled due to the lack of information on their location. The lack of knowledge regarding amount of waste used observed lead Inex to create a tool to gain the necessary information to recycle this waste. Based on predictive algorithms, built from their database, Inex produces statistical profiles for each company. Based on a learning base of recycling solutions, the interface offers potential exchanges.

As a result of the current pandemic, the French government reached out to Inex asking if they could find the raw materials necessary to create hand sanitizer. Up to the challenge, Inex adjusted their algorithm to detect these essential ingredients. Creating a map that details information identifying if a source has those raw materials, if they can deliver, if they are in stock, and where they are located. This is important to the current crisis, but also support cracking down on waste as they are finding raw materials used in everyday production not currently in use because the company may not be open for business at this time. A win-win for all.

Joining the fight against CO-2 emissions social entrepreneur Anna Ford of Jet-Set Offset looked for a solution, and not finding one that met her need, created her own. After flying a lot for business and personal travel she began to consider her own carbon footprint, she found a body of research on individual contribution to climate change and what can be done to have the biggest impact as individuals. At the top of list…. stop flying. Looking back on her frequent flyer history, she started to researching carbon offsetting. She realized she wanted to build something on positivity and make a difference by generating nonprofit donations for environmental conscious companies. And she did it, Jet-Set Offset currently partners with 13 nonprofits, and achieved offset donation for over 5 million miles to date.

Jet-Set Offset is a donation-based carbon-offsetting tool for air travel, the site operates as a SaaS fundraising tool for environmental nonprofit organizations and facilitates automatic, mileage-based donations from travelers’ flights. Jet-Set Offset offers a business and consumer-friendly alternative to the traditional carbon marketplace. They have developed an approach to raise awareness of the environmental impact of air travel, support corporate sustainability goals, and inspire eco-conscious travelers and businesses to take action. Travelers and companies can subscribe to Jet-Set Offset and choose to support an environmental nonprofit organization automatically every time they, or their employees fly.

Jet-Set Offset’s nonprofit partners are working towards local climate solutions across the country, operating certified carbon offset and credit projects, as well as advocacy, education, renewable energy, reforestation, and/or conservation programs. Because the lack of travel due to the global pandemic, a lot of these nonprofits are struggling with fundraising. In order to show their support to these companies, Jet-Set offset launched a new program where you are able to go back and donate based on your past 10,000 miles, check out #Offset10MillionMiles. Next time you fly, consider searching for flights on jetsetoffset.com/flights/book and transparently compare carbon emissions per passenger when you do.

We couldn’t be prouder of these three startups and are so thankful for the opportunity to work with them to make the world run better. Be sure to check out how over 60 of our SAP.iO startups have stepped up to show their support during this time by creating COVID-19 specific offers to help spread the positivity globally.

We are living in an unprecedented time. Amidst worries of family, health, and finances, employees are more uncertain than ever. Many worry about how this shift in work environment will impact their jobs. Yet we know, without people we cannot run, cannot thrive as a community or business. The positive that we see in dark times like these are the innovations that come from them. Companies that look at the world and say, how can I help? How can I make this better? In this episode of Innovative Solutions from SAP.iO Startups Help Businesses Succeed Amid COVID-19 we take a closer look at employee health and wellness featuring Jan Bruce, CEO of meQuilibrium, and CEO Toby Hervey of Bravely.

We can’t do it with out them. Employees keep the whole thing running. Right now, employees everywhere are more likely to be stressed as a result of the COVID-19 virus. Organizations looking to successfully navigate this time of uncertainty need a workforce made up of resilient and agile people. Jan Bruce, of meQuilibrium has started a company that provide tools to help employees build resiliency so that as we move forward we can better manage the pressures resulting from this global pandemic.

meQuilibrium is the wellbeing and performance platform that harnesses behavioral psychology, neuroscience, and AI to empower a workforce facing uncertain times. Their method utilizes a unique process to facilitate self-awareness and cognitive improvements. The approach also applies to teams and managers of teams and helps employees develop and then maintain a practice effective skillsets to drive performance and success. Making sure companies are coping and adapting during COVID-19, meQuilibrium is offering a free resource center with actionable tools to help at www.mequilibrium.com/coronavirus/

CEO Toby Hervey of Bravely talks about how the idea of Bravely came from an experience he had helping a friend through a difficult situation at work, where he joked that there was a need for HR Urgent care. We go to people in our personal lives to talk through issues at work because it might be difficult at times to do that in a work environment. This sparked the idea…what if you could have a conversation with a coach outside your workplace, talk in real time when you have something going on, and figure out a plan and a path forward?

Bravely is a technology in support of workplace health, connecting employees with professional coaches for confidential conversations in the moments they need it most, and helping HR leaders improve productivity and retention in turn. Using the platform, employees can book a session to address whatever they’re facing, from coworker conflict and performance-related stress to unfair treatment. Based on their background and the issue they’re facing; they’re matched with the coach best suited to provide them with actionable guidance and a game plan for going forward.

Bravely has seen a 150% increase in weekly session growth over the last seven weeks almost all about stress and working through COVID. In order to provide additional support, they are offering a free webinar about how to work best in this difficult time, providing actionable ways employees can thrive at work in the coming weeks while working remotely during a period of high stress. Bravely also offers a free professional coaching session to each employee who attends a webinar. Find out more at workbravely.com/blog/solutions/covid19-support/

We proudly support these startups so focused on employee wellbeing using technology to connect people to people. Be sure to check out how over 60 of our SAP.iO startups have stepped up to show their support during this time by creating COVID-19 specific offers to help make the world a better place.

As almost every aspect of life has shifted due to our global pandemic, businesses are taking a hard look at how this effects their business. At the end of the day companies need customers to grow their business and this is where we are focusing today, the customer. In this edition of Innovative Solutions from SAP.iO Startups Help Business Succeed Amid COVID-19, we look at how three amazing startups are enabling their customers through focus on awareness and customer intimacy, Ryan Leslie, Founder of SuperPhone on managing effectively the sales journey, and the fulfillment experience.

Nadia Masri, CEO and Founder of Perksy, is a born entrepreneur starting her first company at 17. Always interested in people, she studied marketing and enjoyed market research but thought the tools at the time where outdated. Asking the question, how do we make research relevant for the mobile generation, lead her to the idea for Perksy. Perksy’s consumer insights platform powers real-time research with everyday people through its immersive mobile app that rewards them for their responses. Brands today don’t have a month to sit around and wait for research results, because what their audience wants today may not be what they want tomorrow. Perksy enables any brand anywhere to get instant feedback from any audience at scale, be it in-store, by state or even a one-block radius.

Simply put, they help customers get close to their customers, a goal important to brands as they try to understand how needs have shifted due to COVID-19. Helping companies ask the right questions by understanding what you need to ask, is the art of customer intimacy. During this time, Perksy has seen engagement rate of upwards of 80% when compared to industry standards 2-5%, because of the experience that they designed. Catering to the consumer first is what makes the app successful.

Another important factor when engaging with the customer is evaluating the sales engagement process. Ryan Leslie, Founder of SuperPhone, was Looking for a better way to stay connected to people and in doing so created a tool with the most powerful inbox for any volume of text. SuperPhone is the first full-featured, automated, scalable inbox and CRM for managing any volume of text, giving brands a beautiful platform to drive commerce and manage relationships via SMS. SuperPhone gives brands and SMBs a beautiful platform to drive commerce and manage relationships on text. Exchange messages with any number of subscribers/customers at scale, use personalized data & insights to deliver messages that drive conversions, and achieve ROI that beats email by 10x, no coding required.

Recently one of the largest electronic stores in NYC had to close because of COVID-19 restrictions as they were considered a non-essential business. Looking for options that didn’t lay off their entire sales force, they gave the team the option to use SuperPhone. Selling from the comfort of their homes saw conversations between sales and customers increase 6,000% over the last 30 days. Keeping jobs alive working through the SuperPhone platform, they had the greatest month in their history to date. And even better yet, they saw an amazing 70% conversation to sales. Leslie says the best way to move forward is with authenticity, honesty, and transparency. Building a relationship where the customers do not feel as they are being sold to but have a partner that will help them with what they need, driving real value in relationships during the whole sales engagement process.

In the digital marketplace, the customers experience does not end when you receive payment. With the requirements to stay home during these past few months more and more customers are ordering online, making it increasingly vital to provide the best experience to online customers. And it is key to ensure the best service all the way through the fulfillment process

You can sell the best products in the world, but if it is not delivered correctly the customer experience is not fully realized. Tobias Buxhoidt Founder and CEO of parcelLab understands the benefits of focusing on the operations experience. parcelLab is a cloud solution for personalized post-checkout communication. parcelLab enables retailers and shippers to regain control over their customer experience post-checkout. Rather than handing over the customer engagement to DHL, FedEx, etc., parcelLab retains those touchpoints thereby closing the post-checkout gap in the customer journey and shopping experience. Retailers use parcelLab’s communication automation to provide a consistent brand experience, offer proactive customer care and maximize cross-selling.

Working with more than 450 brands, parcelLab’s customers have seen a significant reduction in customer inquiries. This solution is helping businesses build brand experience and offers a way to extend and continuing the relationship with the customer. In times of these uncertainties, it is more important than ever to over-communicate pro-actively with end customers to reduce customer inquiries and strengthen the revenue contribution of the post-sales channel. Therefore, parcelLab is offering free PoCs for a period of three months.

What we heard from these startups is that if you want the best for your customers, you listen to, focus on, and build trusting relationships. We proudly support these startups using their experiences and innovative technology to improve the customer experience. Be sure to check out how over 60 of our SAP.iO startups have stepped up to show their support during this time by creating COVID-19 specific offers to help make the world a better place.

As a global leader, SAP’s vision is to help the world run better, and to make a difference by improving lives, even in times of uncertainty. While 2020 has brought a whole new set of challenges, SAP looks to do as promised, bring people together to create solutions and innovations for the betterment of the greater good and create real solutions to the global issues we are confronted by today. With that in mind SAP has launched SAP Purpose Network Live, a virtual platform that brings together the global SAP purpose network to unlock the power of co-innovation at scale so we can empower one another in the face of the disruption and uncertainty caused by COVID-19. The time for these conversations is now.

SAP Purpose Network Live provides a space for collaboration and support of relief efforts for COVID-19 featuring weekly engaging sessions related to our everchanging environment. As a kickoff to this series, they have featured SAP.iO’s Ram Jambunathan, to explore how its startups have answered the call to support relief efforts for COVID-19. SAP.iO is SAP’s strategic business unit focused on accelerating innovations and exploring new business models. Ram discusses building a bridge between relevant start up innovations and customer needs to ensure they get the most value from their investments, and how they can connect and empower their own employees. Today, many employees have made the shift to work at home, this is new to the majority and we are seeing a quick need for readjustment. In this new paradigm, startups have responded to help navigate through our new environment. They are asking the question, how can we help empower managers to build better organizational health, help employees develop new skills, and stay connected?

One of those that answered the call is Joe Freed, Co-founder and CEO for Cultivate AI who participated in the SAP.iO foundry program two years ago. Cultivate helps enterprises empower their leaders with an AI-coaching platform for digital and remote work. When opted in by managers, Cultivate’s AI analyzes managers digital communication with their team – email, chat, and calendar – to provide continuous and actionable leadership insights and coaching to strengthen workplace relationships and improve the employee experience. More relevant today than ever as they help connect all the ways a company communicates for work. With a click of a button managers have the tools to strengthen relationships in this new work from home environment.

How a manager treats their team is a driver of motivation and engagement and has a profound impact. Working in the world of COVID-19, global enterprises are relying more heavily, if not 100%, on digital communications with their teams, and to help make this more seamless, Cultivate will pay the costs of integration and setup fees, and let any SAP enterprise customer use Cultivate for free with no user limits for the rest of 2020.

So-Young Kang, Founder and CEO of Gnowbe, is seeing that COVID-19 has created an urgency to find new digital communication tools, and an new emphasis on how to use those to move to the next level of engagement. Gnowbe is a mobile microlearning and engagement platform designed to provide companies with the data and analytics to manage their business more effectively. Their content authoring platform enables companies to create content on their mobile phone or desktop to provide their employees all they need to know to do their jobs better.

So-Young talks emphasizes the need of physical distancing while staying even more socially connected than ever before. In our new work from home environment, life revolves around video conferencing, and the need to engage in human ways, looking at traditional video conference and reimaging it face-to-face. Gnowbe’s clients are seeing that they can still create an emotional human connection digitally, technology can be more inclusive than face-to-face at times. Gnowbe asked themselves, how can we help, how can we be of use in this ever-changing time? In its effort to provide support, Gnowbe is offering 3 months free for 200 user licenses. No set-up fees. Free administration and curation training.

Difficult times calls for us to look towards the best in all of us, and in doing so we have the opportunity to come out stronger together on the other end. You can hear more of this discussion on how SAP.iO Startups help businesses succeed amid COVID-19 episode 1 here. SAP Purpose Network Live provides a space for collaboration and support of relief efforts for COVID-19. Learn more about SAP’s purpose and promise and response to COVID-19. Please also take a look at other SAP.iO startups that are looking to help their customers in this new environment at https://sap.io/covid-19/