dailyprompt-1956 - Mazlan Abbas

7 Tips How to Get Your Startup Acquired

Here are some tips to make your startup a strategic fit for potential acquirers:

Understand Your Potential Acquirers: Research potential acquirers in your industry to understand their business models, strategies, and areas of focus. Understanding what they are looking for can help you position your startup to meet those needs.
Align Your Product/Service: Develop products or services that complement those of potential acquirers. This could be something that enhances their existing offerings or fills a gap in their product line.
Target the Same Customer Base: If your startup serves the same customer base as a potential acquirer, this could increase your strategic fit. It allows the acquiring company to cross-sell or upsell their services to your customers and vice versa.
Adapt to Their Technology: If possible, ensure your technology is compatible with that of potential acquirers. This could reduce the cost and complexity of integration post-acquisition.
Focus on Shared Values and Culture: Cultural fit is often an overlooked aspect of acquisitions. If your startup shares similar values and corporate culture with a potential acquirer, it could make the transition smoother and increase your strategic fit.
Address Market Gaps: If your startup can address a market gap that a potential acquirer cannot currently fill, it makes your company an attractive prospect.
Provide Strategic Advantages: This could be in the form of unique intellectual property, market presence, key partnerships or anything else that can give a potential acquirer a strategic advantage in the market.

Remember, being a strategic fit isn’t about losing your identity as a business, but rather aligning your unique strengths with the needs and strategy of a potential acquirer.

Curb Ticket Scalping by Limiting Purchases, Block IPs, DelayTicket Sales, Suggest experts

[Article originally published at Sinar Daily – “Curb ticket scalping by limiting purchases, block IPs, delay ticket sales, suggest experts” on May 23, 2023]

SHAH ALAM – Ticket scalpers reselling tickets for the upcoming Coldplay concert in Malaysia at inflated prices has sparked widespread discussion and concern in recent weeks.

The reselling of tickets at double the original price has garnered significant attention from both the public and authorities as scalpers use automated bots to purchase tickets in large quantities from authorised sources, only to resell them at a higher price, resulting in unfair pricing practices.

According to Imperva, a cyber security software company, it said almost 40 per cent of all ticket purchases online are estimated to be by scalper bots.

Ticket scalping is one of the key threats faced by the ticketing industry, resulting in lost revenue to secondary marketplaces, as well as reputational damage and even, potentially, loss of partnerships with organisers and other stakeholders.

Chief Executive Officer Dr Mazlan Abbas said it is challenging to stop scalping due to several reasons.

“Changing strategies. Scalpers consistently modify their approaches to evade security measures, resulting in an ongoing challenge to stay ahead of their tactics.

“Next is the problem with technology constraints. Ticketing systems often face difficulties in finding a balance between security requirements and user convenience,” he said to Sinar Daily.

However, Mazlan said there are several defence strategies that can be employed to combat ticket bots.

Mazlan said the implementation of advanced Captchas and puzzles can be an effective measure to differentiate between human users and bots.

He further said to prevent mass purchases driven by bots, rate limiting and IP blocking can be employed.

These measures involve imposing restrictions on the number of tickets an individual or IP address can purchase, thereby mitigating the impact of bot-driven activities, he added.

Commenting further, Windows Server Engineer Lakmidran Sasedaran said selling tickets two hours before the showtime could reduce ticket scalping issues.

“Stop early bird ticket selling. The event planner could start selling tickets at least two hours before the show time.

“This will cut down ticket scalpers,” he added.

Lakmidran further said the lack of initiative to implement appropriate technologies to curb ticket scalping has made it increasingly challenging to prevent such practices.

“Technology to curb ticket scalping would need huge amount of money to build the software and to block scalpers to resale the ticket.

“Also not many will implement this technology since it’s not a big a deal for anyone except the clients or customers who are unable to attend the event or show,” he further said.

The existence of accounts on various platforms reselling Coldplay concert tickets at excessively high prices, reaching up to RM43,200 has sparked widespread criticism from the public.

The exorbitant pricing practices of these ticket resellers have attracted significant attention on social media, further fueling public outrage.

The highly anticipated Music of the Spheres World Tour by Coldplay is set to take place on November 22 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, marking the band’s inaugural concert in Malaysia.

Malaysia must capitalise on AI-based tools like ChatGPT

[Original article published in Sinar Daily (6 Feb. 2023) – “Malaysia must capitalise on AI-based tools like ChatGPT” ]

SHAH ALAM – With opportunities and challenges that come along with Artificial Intelligence (AI), tech players in Malaysia call for the government to come up with a vision to pursue an endeavour in the booming industry.

While sharing his experience using a recently launched AI tool named ChatGPT, tech start-up owner Dr Mazlan Abbas who was a former lecturer expressed his concern over students at school and university who may just blindly pump answers out of the information tank without bothering to understand any of it.

He worried that they can just copy and paste and cheat with all the answers taken from ChatGPT. Mazlan said, “That’s a possible problem with students; plagiarism.”

ChatGPT or in its full form, Chat Generative Pre-trained Tansformer, is an advanced AI chatbot trained or taught using a set of data which in result, has enabled it to interact in a conversational way. Equipped with a family of large language models, Chat GPT is capable of answering follow-up questions, admit mistakes, challenge incorrect premises and reject inappropriate requests.

The startup CEO compared it to Google which would just blow out a whole bunch of findings he would need to scan through first. In contrast, ChatGPT would hand him a direct answer to a question which he noted depends on the information supplied into its database by humans prior.

Between pros and cons, Mazlan himself claimed that he leans more towards the first outcome as it acts as his assistant without actually taking over his task entirely. To make his point clearer, he said, “The one to ask questions is us. It only helps to give answers.”

Visiting other concerns such as the scam issue, Mazlan revealed that with necessary information put into ChatGPT’s database, it can be positively used to tell the validity of a piece of information. Hence, despite the inevitable challenges, he still found that the technology can do good and assist in existing tasks.

Meanwhile, Terato Tech founder and RONPOS president Reza Razali said that the government needs to look into how the accommodation can be regulated to address the issues mentioned. However, since the tech is relatively new, he suggested that the regulation just needs to give a framework of what needs to be done and does not need to be too strict at this point of time.

IoT Warriors – The Movie

In a world where technology intertwines with every aspect of life, four formidable IoT warriors have long been engaged in fierce battles against one another. Their clashes have shaped the very fabric of their existence, each fighting for their own cause. However, they soon discover that their prolonged rivalry has blinded them to a greater threat looming on the horizon.

As chaos descends upon the Earth, a new evil from the outer reaches of space emerges, threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness. Realizing the magnitude of the impending catastrophe, the four warriors reluctantly put aside their differences and join forces to confront this unprecedented menace.

United by their shared expertise in IoT technology, these warriors combine their unique skills, knowledge, and formidable weapons to form an unbreakable alliance. Each possesses a distinct specialization within the realm of IoT, allowing them to harness the full potential of their interconnected devices and gadgets.

The first warrior, a brilliant hacker, possesses unparalleled prowess in infiltrating and manipulating digital networks. They excel in extracting crucial information and uncovering hidden secrets that can aid in the battle against the new evil.

The second warrior, a skilled engineer, has an unmatched ability to construct advanced IoT devices and weaponry. Their creations push the boundaries of technology, arming the team with cutting-edge gadgets and innovative tools to combat the impending threat.

The third warrior, a strategic tactician, possesses a keen intellect and foresight. They analyze patterns, predict the enemy’s moves, and devise intricate plans to outsmart their adversaries. Their guidance is crucial in navigating the treacherous battles that lie ahead.

The fourth warrior, a fierce protector, has honed their physical prowess and combat skills to perfection. They combine their mastery of martial arts with IoT-infused armor and weaponry, becoming an unstoppable force on the battlefield.

As the team of IoT warriors embarks on their mission, they traverse perilous landscapes and face formidable foes from beyond the stars. Their quest to locate and eliminate the new evil takes them to the furthest reaches of the universe, where they encounter unimaginable wonders and terrifying dangers.

The fate of the Earth hangs in the balance as the battle against the cosmic evil reaches its climax. With their combined skills and unwavering determination, the IoT warriors are Earth’s last hope for survival. The ultimate showdown is about to begin, and the destiny of humanity rests on their shoulders.

“IoT Warriors” is a thrilling tale of redemption, unity, and the power of technology in the face of insurmountable odds. Will these once-bitter rivals overcome their differences and save the world from its darkest hour? Brace yourself as the battle for Earth unfolds, and the fate of humanity hangs by a thread.