Q: Hi Yvone, please introduce yourself. Hi, I'm Yvone Foong, the founder of Chektec, a software service that delivers control and builds trust by integrating checks, inspections, and value chain traceability and sustainability. Chektec provides fast, almost real time reporting and data insights. This is applied across multiple teams out in the field, and for workforce management as well. So that means that Chektec can be applied to a number of industries, including agrifood tech. Q: So how did check tech start? My incredible team and I started in the healthcare space where we were solving problems and challenges put forward by organizations that were looking at solutions to engage the users on mobile technology. So from there, we expanded into workplace safety, health environment and sustainability solutions.
Q: What are some of the challenges currently facing women agripreneurs?
There are many challenges facing the industry right now – and women agripreneurs are never usually in the foreground as an active discussion point. SMEs and small businesses are fighting for survival, and it’s tough to have conversations on how we can benefit women agripreneurs. Q: What can we do to resolve this issue and begin bringing women into the foreground?
Number one, we need to actively speak about it and showcase how companies are supporting women in the workplace. Number two, we need to create a model and a system that works – whether it’s in technology, agriculture, transport and logistics – we need to ensure that there are models in place to support women and a system that supports its active and consistent implementation. Number three, get the quality data and showcase the benefits that women bring to the workforce. Calculate the investment made in women farmers, its returns and the extended and valuable impact of women farmers because of their businesses and the effect on the community – that will really conceptualize the benefits of empowering women agripreneurs and really drive their importance.
Q: What is some advice you might want to share with other female entrepreneurs? My advice to other female entrepreneurs is to understand that we are not born with self-esteem. We have to build it every single day. But it's fundamentally important because self-esteem is part of your power.
Self-esteem is the engine which drives and shapes our choices – be it around your business, your investments, how much you invest in yourself, and how we approach our attitudes towards rejection, failure, approval and success.
This story was first published by WOMAG.
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About Yvone Foong
Yvone Foong is the Founder of Chektec, a software service for mobile checks, inspections, value chain traceability and sustainability, integrating workplace health, safety and environment practices with data insights; tracking both assets and actions. Chektec was winner of the Grow Asia Hackthon (multi-stakeholders ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations) for Agritech Traceability and Sustainability, selected by Shell IdeaRefinery (Startup Engine) for the Energy sector, 2nd Runner Up for A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) ARTC’s (Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre) Startup Challenge. Chektec’s mobile application was also awarded the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution Label and the company has featured interviews on MoneyFM89.3, CNA938.