Tech/Sourcing/Analytical hires, new labels in production, HiNounou, and more: Monthly Update — September

WaBi / Walimai developments and events, every month

Tael
Tael
Sep 5, 2018 · 8 min read

There’s never a dull minute at Walimai HQ. The constant buzz of activity spans the gamut from interviews for team expansion to getting the details of our rebranding just right for the Chinese consumer market.

These monthly updates aim to keep the WaBi community abreast of our developments so you’ll never again have to wonder what the team is up to. We’re always ready to answer your questions, so why not take a few minutes to get verified as a WaBi holder through the link below!

https://medium.com/@wabiico/how-to-join-the-verified-wabi-holder-discussion-telegram-channel-de891073e6ab

We got plenty to go over this month, so let’s jump in!

New Batch of Updated Labels in Production

The latest iteration of the anti-counterfeit label is currently in production.

As announced in last month’s update, production of the latest iteration of our anti-counterfeit label has begun. The labels, equipped with NTAG 213 TT chips, come with the Proof of Consumption feature, the ability to transmit status after tampering attempts, and native iPhone (iPhone 7 onward) compatibility.

The latest version of our labels are fully compatible with iPhone and Android devices.

Production of the initial batch of labels will conclude within a few weeks, and we’ll provide the community a glimpse of the new design and our new brand color in the near future. Keep your eyes open and be sure to follow us on Twitter & Telegram to tell us what you think!

HiNounou Partnership

This August we announced that WaBi is joining forces with rising star in high-tech healthcare industry HiNounou to provide healthcare-focused products and services to senior citizens in China. We join the shortlist of prestigious HiNounou partners, which includes AXA, Ping An, Bayer, and ZTE Angelcare.

This partnership opens our retail channel and WaBi up to a whole new industry, and a significant new demographic: China’s elderly (which comprises over 230 million people in China), their immediate family, and care takers.

The partnership will include a melding of eco-systems to expand the use case and overall usage of WaBi. The WaBi token will be used to acquire products and services on the HiNounou platform, customized to the needs of seniors, such as insurance, supplements, nutritional foods, wellness classes, and more.

You can find more information in our dedicated HiNounou Partnership Announcement article:

https://medium.com/@wabiico/wabi-partners-with-rising-star-in-high-tech-healthcare-industry-hinounou-3e482058d7e6

Expanding The Team

The assurance of authenticity that we provide to consumers and brands relies on our technology: a combination of cutting-edge RFID/NFC labels and blockchain-protected supply chain transactions. But this merely brushes the surface of what the technology is capable of. The capture of extensive behavioral data, integration of a next-generation loyalty system, extensive supply chain tracking, Internet of Things-enabled label features, opening the blockchain to outside companies, and more.

To ensure we stay ahead of the curve on each of these technological frontiers, CTO Edward Tsang has been expanding the tech team this month, with more set to join at a later date.

Meet the Walimai newcomers:

  • Jasmine Yang has over 5 years of experience with mobile app development and her background in Engineering, including RFID technology, will serve us well as we continue to enhance and push the boundaries of what our anti-counterfeit labels are capable of. Her academic credentials include a Bachelor’s degree in Communications Engineering and a Master’s degree in Pattern Recognition from Jiangsu University.
  • Jazeb Munir is currently interning with us in the capacity of backend web developer. He’s also a blockchain enthusiast with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science who, before joining our team, worked at the Chinaccelerator business accelerator in Shanghai.

Outside of these tech-focused hires, we’re also increasing the company’s data analysis and sourcing arms:

  • Zimu Li holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Hong Kong and a Master’s degree from New York University. He joins our team in the capacity of Data Analyst, utilizing his keen analytical skills to develop technical solutions to potential business issues
  • Heidi Wu will be applying her years of international sales experience and business education to onboard and source new products for our safe-product retail channel, worldwide. As Head of Sourcing & Logistics, she’ll ensure a smooth journey for the thousands of products to be imported into Mainland China.

With their help, we’re strengthening not just where we are right now but also where we’re going. We have big plans for our anti-counterfeit solution that span well beyond our initial vision, and we’re going to continue expanding our team to achieve those plans.

Rebranding Progress

Convincing our target audience to adopt a new retail channel and anti-counterfeit solution requires a new, professionally designed brand image and visual communication language that appeals directly to them. This means we’re moving away from crypto aesthetics (not a wire-frame in sight!) and focusing on reaching the Chinese consumer market with a clear, clean new look.

This comprehensive rebranding is set to be finalized in Q4 of 2018 and we’re well on our way to making our new image public:

  • New brand names have been finalized
  • New logo, design language, brand color pallet developed
  • Requisite domain names have been acquired
  • IP registration is on-going
  • PR agency for China and abroad (B2B & B2C) has been engaged
  • Press narratives have been developed
  • Target media channels have been identified
  • New label design and features are on-going
  • Website development is on-going

Expect more glimpses of the rebranding to appear in the coming weeks.

We’ve been getting a lot of rebranding questions, but the most asked one is: ‘are you staying green’? After extensive consumer research and deliberations with our design firm, we can reveal that we’ll be moving away from green and ushering in a new color era for the company!

A hint at our post-rebranding color palette.

Pipeline Partnerships and Developments

Detailing negotiation progress and testing possible avenues

We’re aware of the dangers in announcing any kind of news prematurely, or otherwise setting unreasonable expectations based on meetings or business discussions with brands and authorities. However, we’d still like to give you all a glimpse of what’s happening behind the scenes. Some of these talks might pan out and result in partnerships and collaborations, or maybe none will come to fruition. In the name of transparency, we’d be remiss to not mention some of the highlights:

  • We’re currently applying for a top level endorsement from a major official related to our target industry. This should give us enhanced visibility, enabling us to more easily expand and grow in China.
  • We’re currently discussing potential angles with one of China’s leading electronics company on how we could collaborate, be it in the capacity of an anti-counterfeit solution for their products, pre-installation of our app, or developing IoT capabilities with their products.
  • We’re currently following up with one of the largest global online mother/child community to negotiate collaboration and promotion of our safe-product retail channel.
  • We’re hashing out collaborations with a major domestic project, which could see us access hundreds of residential blocks, thousands of community shops, and potentially provide millions of consumers in China with access to Wajifen. This is, however, dependent on efforts outside of our own company’s purview and thus we can’t influence the project too much.

Obviously, we can only detail finalized deals and will only reveal specifics if the signs for advancement are positive. We’re always testing waters and additional avenues to grow the company, and most of these efforts won’t be open to the public. However, those negotiations that do pan out will elevate the company to new levels, and take the community with it.

Our next monthly update will be published the week of October 3rd!

Catching up on Walimai & WaBi developments?

Here’s a master list of all our published updates to peruse at your convenience!

Partnership with HiNounou.
August 28th | https://t.me/wabiico/143
Q2 recap.
August 21st |https://t.me/wabiico/141
Sales expansion, next-level label technology, and more.
August 8th | Monthly Update August: https://t.me/wabiico/139
Upcoming news and changes.
July 11th | Weekly Update #22: https://t.me/wabiico/134
OneZone x Walimai have begun collaborations.
July 4th | Weekly Update #21: https://t.me/wabiico/133
Network Foods Australia Partnership.
June 27th | Weekly Update #20: https://t.me/wabiico/132
New CTO + Head of Marketing.
June 20th | Weekly Update #19: https://t.me/wabiico/131
Yasu & Coco join the team.
June 13th | Weekly Update #18: https://t.me/wabiico/130
Masternodes revealed.
June 6th | Weekly Update #17: https://t.me/wabiico/129
60 new products from Australia set to join the Walimai channel.
May 30th | Weekly Update #16: https://t.me/wabiico/128
Explaining the Walimai and WaBi Blockchains.
May 24th | Blockchains Explained: https://t.me/wabiico/127
SIAL China follow-up.
May 23rd | Weekly Update #15: https://t.me/wabiico/126
Walimai at SIAL China.
May 16th | Weekly Update #14: https://t.me/wabiico/125
Signing on a new PR firm for the Chinese consumer market.
May 9th | Weekly Update #13: https://t.me/wabiico/124
Founders in London.
May 2nd | Weekly Update #12: https://t.me/wabiico/123
Clean & Pure joins the Walimai channel.
April 25th | Weekly Update #11: https://t.me/wabiico/122
Australian expansion and Walimai at Super Health Expo.
April 18th | Weekly Update #10: https://t.me/wabiico/121
Business development meetings and interviews.
April 11th | Weekly Update #9: https://t.me/wabiico/120
Q1 Walimai and WaBi recap.
April 4th | Weekly Update #8: https://t.me/wabiico/119

All first quarter of 2018 updates:

March 29th | Weekly Update #7: https://t.me/wabiico/118
March 22nd | Weekly Update #6: https://t.me/wabiico/117
March 19th | Winners Merch Design contest announced: https://t.me/wabiico/116
March 14th | Weekly Update #5: https://t.me/wabiico/115
March 9th | Tech Frontier Interview: https://t.me/wabiico/114
March 7th | Weekly Update #4: https://t.me/wabiico/113
February 28th | Weekly Update #3: https://t.me/wabiico/109
February 21st | Weekly Update #2: https://t.me/wabiico/108
February 20th | WaBi joins the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance: https://t.me/wabiico/106
February 19th | Merch Design Contest: https://t.me/wabiico/103
February 14th | Weekly Update #1: https://t.me/wabiico/102

Tael

Written by

Tael

The digital token used in the Tael ecosystem for verifiably authentic products. Formerly WaBi. https://taelpay.com/

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