How a construction SaaS B2BTech brand is being built, with Surendra Singh

Hello and welcome to this episode of The Unnoticed Entrepreneur. Today I'm delighted to have Surendra Singh joining me, and Surendra is the marketing and PR lead at Viact, which is a construction technology company, joining me all the way from Hong Kong. Surendra, welcome to the show.

Thank you for having me.

Well, it's my pleasure because we're going to talk about how you can do B2B marketing for a SaaS in a niche which is construction. So it's very interesting, very detailed. But first of all, let's just talk about Viact because Actually, it's a very successful company. You're raising a lot of money very quickly. Do you want to just talk to us first of all about how a startup in AI in construction has been getting the attention of investors?

Yeah. So we are a Hong Kong-based startup and we have started in 2016. So we are like deploying artificial intelligence-based construction technologies in various fields, various projects from 2016. So Why we act different is we are using like scenario-based artificial intelligence algorithm, which is unique in a way. So we have done like 50+ deployments all over the world. Asia is our prime market. So after getting so many feedback from industry leaders like AECOM, Autodesk, we are pretty sure that we are the leader in this technology and we already raised $2 million in seed. Right now we are also planning Series A. And the belief from Alibaba entrepreneur made us believe in ourselves as also like considering our customer feedback, considering the feedback from VCs, that it is going to be a unicorn soon. So that's how we believe in our product and our people.

Well, and it sounds though other people do as well. If people are willing to put in that kind of money, and I think you mentioned before, the next round valuation will be at $50 million. So obviously getting the hockey stick, Surendra. How are you, as you're in charge of PR, developing the Viact brand? Share with us.

So we are like making our users, our customer, our brand ambassadors. So we are not talking about just about our product, what we are doing and how our product is great from others. We just believe in the feedback we are getting from the people who are deploying our solution. So we are making our customers our brand ambassadors. If you see the feedback from CMAX Venture, if you see the feedback from Autodesk, and if you see the feedback from AECOM, the people who believed in us are saying that this is something different. That's how, because there are so many B2B SaaS products in various industries. Let's focus on the construction industry. There are lots and lots of softwares are there, but VCs just want to see the product which is different, easy to install, because It takes only 24 hours to deploy ViAct. So that's how VCs are impressed that this takes less resources. You just don't need any AI expert to deploy our solution. So VCs see that it is like very easy system or solution to deploy and same time it is scalable. So that's how VCs are seeing it. Let me share with you that in a process of Series A funding, $15 million, we are making it very generic. We are not talking about that we have done so much of sales or this and that. We just focused on the, this is scenario-based AI and which is first in the world because it is working according to the scenario, which is around safety, productivity, saving money on your construction projects. So that's how VCs are believing in us. And after getting so many feedback in the last 2 months, we are like pretty sure that we are closing it in next 1 to 2 months and with the positive feedback from VCs.

So, Indra, you mentioned there about having your customers ambassadors. You have over 50 deployments around Asia and the Middle East.

Yeah.

How are you getting your customers to be willing to be the ambassador? Because it is the holy grail if you can get your customers to say good things about you. But often there are issues around confidentiality, security, commercial arrangements. How are you overcoming those challenges to get your customers To say nice things about you.

Yep. So there are 2 ways. We are one, getting the feedback collected through the manual processes. And the one interesting thing is getting the video testimonial of customers. There are so many challenges and still they are saying they are using the great product and they're sharing the feedback testimonials. The reason behind it, our product is ensuring a complete 360-degree ecosystem for ESG in construction projects. So ESG is a thing where you get so much of VC investments and even every construction company or consultancy need it. So that's how they are sharing and they are comfortable with us because we are not just focusing on the safety and productivity of the staff. We are also concerned about the environment and everybody else who we are working with are also committed to decrease the number of CO2 emission and are aware about environmental compliance and how to Reduce the risk. So they are also feeling comfortable that, okay, we are making the change. We are changing the society and we need to speak about it. That's how they are feeling comfortable while using the WeAct. They are sharing the feedback because they are making the difference in society. So rather than we talk about our solution, they are talking about on behalf of us. And that's how we are like changing the society altogether, because let me share you that. There are a shortage of staff in workforce in Singapore, let's suppose, for construction projects. So many accidents and environmental compliances and governance compliances. So we are resolving each one of them by deploying an easy-to-use solution with the help of just a CCTV camera where 80% of construction projects are already using it. So you do not need any resources, just a B2B SaaS software and you are good to go.

Right. So, Surendra. What you're saying, I think there is that if you have an alignment in terms of the bigger purpose, which is to safeguard health, make a positive impact on the environment, then your customers are happy to talk about the role that they're playing in ESG.

Absolutely.

And using ViAct, is that right?

Got it.

Yeah. So from a practical point of view, Sarinda, what are you doing? Are you sending a film crew or are you just asking your customers to film it to a handphone? What are you doing from a practical point of view and how much is it costing to make these videos? And are they short or long, subtitled? Just share with us from a practical point of view, what are you getting in terms of assets?

Yeah. So with our research, 80% of construction projects are using CCTV camera. So those who have CCTV cameras just need to generate RDSP link with the help of their IT team. So you can just connect with our solution. It takes like 15 minutes. Let me share with you that it is a 24/7 process. We are going to have a look on your construction project 24/7. If someone is working, if something is theft, or if something is not going right, our AI will detect according to the scenarios. So if you do not have CCTV camera, you can use 360-degree camera on your helmet. You can use mobile phones. So the artificial intelligence or our computer vision-based algorithm just detect every scenario.

Yeah, but my question was, Surendra, was you talked about getting the customer to be a brand ambassador. How are you getting them to give you a video? Are you getting them to record for you and send back a message, or are you sending a film crew? I'm not asking about how the product works. I'm asking about how you get those testimonials.

Yeah, so our team is on ground. Our team is in Singapore and Hong Kong. So if we have on-ground team, We are getting the video and testimonials recorded from the ground. And if there are no team available, if some, we are working in Saudi and with Dubai. So there we just ask, we have one-to-one meeting with them. One podcast and one video shooting series is Beyond Vision, where we talk with the experts and we'll just ask them how, why it is helping them. So we just have a one-on-one virtual conversation and get their feedbacks.

Okay. So really very practical, very simple. And are you getting anything else in writing from customers as well?

Yeah, we are using SurveyMonkey to get some written feedbacks, and we do not believe in written feedback in these times. You see that after COVID and after everything happens, everything is digital right now, and people just want to have a look on things for 10 seconds. So to communicate these things, we just need a small video rather than having written testimonials. You just go to our website, vyak.ai, you will get so many written testimonials, but we have seen the feedback from users. that people are more interested in getting information in 10 seconds. So that's how we work on small videos to deliver the testimonials.

Very interesting. And you're hosting that on YouTube or on Vimeo? Where are you hosting your videos? Because in some places like with YouTube, then you get the ads running, don't you, for example, but Vimeo has a cost to it. So which platform are you using for hosting your videos?

So first, a basic platform is YouTube we are using, and we have a complete library of testimonials on our website. And other than that, we are using the social media platform to just spread organically. So we have a huge network of followers. Gary is our founder and Hugo is the co-founder CEO. So they are also in the market from last 10 to 15 years, and they also have a huge network. So that's how it travels organically with the help of social media. So we have a huge library of testimonials on YouTube as well.

Okay, wonderful. What about some of the other tools that you're using, like media relations, for example? As you say, it's a SaaS product in the construction industry, quite niche. So can you share with us some other things that you're doing, other strategies using media relations or speaking events, for example? What else, Surendra, are you using?

Yeah. So if you specifically talk about construction technology, there are huge media houses who are covering particularly about it. And there are lots of events happening right now also. So there are Build Expos, there are expos who are about real estate and construction. So technologies, those are helping. The huge market is in Hong Kong. Let's suppose they are the most aware people in the world in terms of construction technology. So every day with the help of governments, they have multiple physical events. So we go there and we just display our product. That's how it works and people understand it in 30 seconds. So I'll just want to mention Hong Kong and Singapore government, they are most aware about why they do need to deploy construction technology. So they have multiple physical events. The first is physical events. Other are like, we have multiple ads on Google, multiple ads on LinkedIn. So the video ads, we just need to target construction innovation agents and also like people who are working in innovation of particular construction consultancy or construction company. So the people who are in IT and people who are responsible for safety, those are most targeted people through the LinkedIn ads as well. So those video I'm talking about, the testimonials are going to reach them and that's how they understand that, okay, this software is going to help us as well.

Oh, that's interesting. So you're using targeted LinkedIn adverts.

Yeah.

What sort of frequency are you running those ads and What sort of duration of a campaign are you finding is useful?

So according to Hugo, CEO of Viag, he and my thinking in this level is similar. So we believe 60% should be organic and 40% paid. So basically 60% target organically. For paid advertisement, we are specifically running ads for 365 days with a small budget, which starts from even from $1,000 to a specific audience. Because as I told you that this is a niche market. People are very less aware about these technologies. In coming 5 to 10 years, we are sure that 50% of construction companies will be using technologies. But right now the number is less. So we are having a very targeted approach, but the ads are running 365 days. The keywords are there, 10 to 15 keywords are there. So they are going to search once in a month, twice in a month. So we need to have our advertisement running 365 days to hit the correct target.

Right. Okay. That's fantastic. And what about your teams? Because you've mentioned you've got deployments in 50 countries, and we've talked there about sort of acquisition, customer acquisition. What are you doing in terms of communication within your teams? Because they're obviously going to be advocates as well as your customers for Viact. Tell us a bit about your internal communications across geographies.

Yeah. So we are a remote company. So we are one of the remote companies in construction technologies. And we do believe that there should be some kind of comfort in working with any company to the employees and have a priority set and a balance between the personal and professional life. So we basically believe in remote-first culture. And we have like people working from Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam. And Armenia. So we are having a communication just through DingTalk is a communication software we are using. So we are in touch 24/7, 365 days. And we have like a task assigning process through Trello. Trello is a software to assign tasks and get all the information of the progress. So that's how we communicate between the team and to like make them aware about all the product updates, all the marketing updates. It's an individual responsibility of team. Let's suppose if There is something coming from marketing. I'm the responsible to communicate everyone. If something is coming from product, product team will be communicating all the updates. So recently we have integration with Autodesk and we have new update in our software. So product team just told us that this is the update and this is why this is important for us in our product. Everyone should check. So that's how we communicate every day. And it is absolutely working for us.

It sounds fantastic. Sounds very well, as you say, very remote first. And what about your team members as advocates? You've talked about customers giving testimonials. Are you asking your staff as well to repost stories on their own social media, or is it all controlled very much through the Viact social media channels?

Yeah, so it is very important. I always believe that it is not the responsibility of brand, like the cumulative process with the people are developing brand is not an individual entity. So I always believe that we have 7 to 8 people in market. Some are for content writing, some are for advertisement process, some are for generic content creation. So everyone is responsible for what the brand is going to be. So like even HR team is sharing and communicating that, okay, we have the integration with Autodesk. It is great news for Viact. So everyone is participating in it. If you go to LinkedIn and check Viact, everyone is talking about it. Someone is responsible for partnership. Just wanted to tell you that how our sales work, that we have a partnership program where IoT vendors or CCTV vendors tie up with us and they spread our solution in their particular geography. Let's suppose we have partners coming from USA, so they will communicate with their construction industry that they are deploying CCTV cameras already on their construction projects, but they are making their product strong with Wyact.

Okay. And you're using a software tool to If you like, collate the assets internally. There's a platform like Vidyard, for example, that enables you to have a catalog of assets for the team to share. Another one called MobiBee. Do you have a tool that you're using for your team to get the latest content? Because otherwise they might be sharing, but you know, you're reliant on the individual, maybe in HR or finance to share something. It could be out of date already, Surendra.

Great question. So we are the one who is this communicator, who is the copy creator, we are writing the language of our brand. So we taking the responsibility, let everyone share the content. So we have DingTalk. DingTalk has a particular drive like Google Drive. So there you can put all the visual graphics and videos and content. Everyone is sharing the same language. So I think that every brand should have a language. There should not be a difference in when I'm talking about my product and someone else is talking about my product from HR team. So everyone should have a similar communication. So we are sharing the language and all the graphics through LinkTalk Drive, and everyone is up to date. Whenever there is update, you'll get a notification through the software, and it is very much running in all over China, Hong Kong, Singapore. So it is a greatly adopted software.

LinkTalk. Okay. And I'll put a link to that in the show notes as well. You did mention there an interesting point about language. Surrendra, you're operating across multiple geographies and obviously Hong Kong is, well, Cantonese, it's traditional Chinese writing as well, right? So it's not even simplified Chinese. That's very complicated. How are you managing across all these different countries the language issue?

Yeah. So the team who is responsible for writing content is based in India. So we Indians have a writing process following US and UK. So we use all the vocab of English in US and UK, but when it comes to Cantonese or traditional Chinese or simplified one, we have a team like 3 to 4 people working with us from Philippines, from Hong Kong, from mainland China. So they are like working on translating the contents. And I totally agree with you that we are running an advertisement which is in English for USA, for UK. But at the same time, we are running one advertisement in Chinese in Hong Kong or any other area. So they are translating it and we are just verifying it with the team. And we have people who knows like both the languages. So that's how we are making it possible.

Perfect. So you have sort of content creation centralized, but then localization and distribution in country.

Yeah, that's important. Yeah.

Surendra, talking to us from Hong Kong, thank you so much for sharing. And if people want to find out more about you, Surender Singh and find out more about how you're building a SaaS B2B construction platform, how can they find you?

So I'm working with Yact and I think my everyday process, like my everyday is there only. So you just go to yact.ai and you can find all our team members on our LinkedIn page. I'll share the link with you so anyone can find our team about Gary and Hugo, who are the founders. about me and my team and what we are doing every day. So we'll be very much interested to communicate with you guys.

Surendra Singh joining me from Viact as head of public relations and marketing. Thank you so much for sharing great and densely packed information today about how you can build the brand online. Thank you so much for joining us on the Unnoticed Entrepreneur Show today.

Yeah, nice to meet you.

You've been listening to Surendra Singh over there in Hong Kong with me, Jim James, here in the UK. And of course, we'll put lists and information in the show notes as always. So thank you for listening to this episode of The Unnoticed Entrepreneur.