Thailand’s online homecare start-up SAIJAI is eying the county’s aging population of 16.3 million as a prime market opportunity. The graying of Southeast Asia’s second largest economy is on a fast growth trajectory, and it will account for 30% of the market by 2030. The needs of an aging Thai society are shifting but the core values of taking care of older family members remain strong.
As COVID-19 firmly etched itself in to the daily life of Thais, multi-generational households have increased resulting in a greater need for professional, real-time homecare services. This dynamic is set to continue witnessed by heightened demand for larger family homes across the nation’s real estate markets, rising ‘friends and family’ travel and greater emphasis on overall quality of life.
SAIJAI offers on-demand online homecare services to seniors in Thailand ranging from personal care and transportation to mobility and access to healthcare specialists, to meet the fast-growing need.
SAIJAI’s entrepreneurial digital journey started in late 2000 in the midst of the pandemic. Co-founder Bill Barnett comments “the global crisis has created the biggest opportunity of our lifetime with widespread disruption of existing business models.
A core pillar of our offering is for the senior segment and we see this growing. ‘On demand’ services are the future of Thailand’s service sector and in a country of over 65 million people, the metrics are remarkably strong for businesses to grow.”
In September of last year SAIJAI’s phase one online homecare platform launched with an MVP (minimum viable product) strategy, pre-market valuation and seed investment round that will be closed in the first quarter of this year.
One factor that has spurred the enterprise is Thailand’s 75% mobile phone penetration meaning the SAIJAI community could come to market quickly through social media and applications such as LINE and Messenger rather than relying on web traffic.
Today, the SAIJAI marketplace not only provides homecare pairing for the elderly but also childcare, maids, tutoring, drivers and pets. A nationwide network of nearly 2,000 individual caregivers has been established on the platform and is increasing daily. ‘
On demand’ homecare has been a hit home in the wake of a work from home (WFH) culture, as it allows working parents the flexibility to provide assistance to seniors for medical appointments, indoor and outdoor activities or companionship.
SAIJAI’s Bill Barnett adds “Thailand’s ad hoc or gig economy has skyrocketed, as legacy employment in hotels, restaurants and the service sector is simply no longer a given. Tourism represents as much as 20% of Thailand’s GDP. The ability of a platform like SAIJAI to effectively raise the standards of homecare is clear given an amazing talent pool of individuals who want to control their own schedules. Thailand’s shift to a home-based workplace is part of what SAIJAI is all about and intends to innovate in their online platform.”
Inspired by the overdriven tones of some of the world’s most cherished vintage tube amps, the Maestro Ranger Overdrive is a modern, all-analog overdrive pedal featuring a Mode toggle switch that provides two different tonalities; a warm, expressive, amp-like overdrive and a second tonality that’s slightly cleaner and exceptionally touch-sensitive; it blends in some of the clean signal and is a great choice for use as an “always-on” effect that can be controlled with your pick attack and your guitar’s volume control. The Ranger’s classic 3-knob layout provides intuitive adjustment of Gain (amount of overdrive), Tone, and output Level, with plenty of volume on tap to go well beyond unity gain. You can easily use the Ranger Overdrive as a boost to hit the input of your tube amp harder for even more grit and dirt. The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active. Watch and share the Ranger Overdrive video HERE, and the Ranger Overdrive demo, HERE.
INVADER DISTORTION
Maestro Invader Distortion
The Maestro Invader Distortion is a high-gain, all-analog modern distortion pedal with an aggressive, dominant sonic character and rich harmonics, generating a wide range of distorted sounds. The 3-knob control layout offers intuitive control over Gain (distortion amount), Tone, and output Level, with more than enough volume on tap to easily exceed unity gain when desired. Players can also engage a built-in noise gate with the top panel toggle switch. An internal trim pot on the circuit board allows the user to adjust the level of the noise gate’s Threshold. Using a small screwdriver, turn this control up for a higher Threshold level, and down for a lower Threshold level. The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active. Watch and share the Invader Distortion video, HERE, and the Invader Distortion demo video, HERE.
COMET CHORUS
Maestro Comet Chorus
The Maestro Comet Chorus uses iconic analog bucket brigade device (BBD) technology to deliver warm, classic chorus tones. This all-analog pedal boasts a Mode toggle switch for increased sonic versatility. The “Earth” mode provides an optimized, shimmering chorus effect, while “Orbit” mode adds some amplitude modulation to the chorused sound, more accurately simulating the sonic complexities of a rotary speaker. An internal trim pot allows the user to adjust the level of the Orbit effect to taste. The intuitive 3-knob layout lets you quickly dial up the Depth (amount of pitch variation), Speed (modulation rate) of the chorusing, and adjust the amount of pitch modulated signal that is blended in with the dry signal by using the Mix control. The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active. Watch and share the Comet Chorus video HERE, and the Comet Chorus demo video, HERE.
DISCOVERER DELAY
Maestro Discoverer Delay
The Maestro Discoverer Delay is a modern analog delay pedal that proudly utilizes legendary analog bucket brigade device (BBD) technology to deliver classic, warm, and inviting delay sounds. The intuitive 3-knob control layout lets users quickly dial up the length of the Delay time (with a range from 20ms to 600ms), the amount of Sustain (delay repeats), and adjust the level of the delays in the Mix. A toggle switch engages built-in modulation that applies anything from a slightly saturated, tape-like wow and flutter effect to a heavily pitch-shifted modulation effect to the delayed signal. Two internal trim pots allow the user to adjust the Rate (speed) and Width (sweep range) of the modulation that operates when the Mode switch is in the up (MOD-ON) position. Using a small screwdriver, turn clockwise to increase, counterclockwise to decrease the modulation Rate and Width. The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active. Watch and share the Discoverer Delay video, HERE, and the Discoverer Delay demo video, HERE.
Through the decades that following its initial launch, Maestro’s legend has only grown. Once the vintage pedal market kicked into high gear, original Maestro – FZ-1s, PS-1s and other models – began to fetch astronomical prices, with sonic experimenters and aficionados searching high and low to get their hands on these highly sought-after pieces of music history. Now, Gibson has made that quest as simple as heading down to your local music store or logging on to your favorite online retailer. “As a brand, we wanted to bring Maestro back to what it was in its heyday,” says Craig Hockenberry, Director of Engineering, Gibson Brands, and Lead Designer of Maestro. “There’s such a strong interest in the original pedals, and we thought it was time to bring the brand back, both for those who experienced it the first time and all the guitarists who have never had the opportunity to use a Maestro product. The thing that we’re really after with the new pedals is not only capturing the spirit of the sound of the originals, but also the look, the feel, and the vibe,” Hockenberry adds.
In essence, when it comes to Maestro, once again the sky’s the limit. And there is plenty of new Maestro product to play with. In addition to the Original Collection’s Fuzz-Tone FZ-M, Comet Chorus, Ranger Overdrive, Invader Distortion, and Discover Delay, a second round of five pedals will see release in late 2022, and it will likewise speak directly to Maestro’s DNA while catering to the needs of today’s players. Gibson is also developing a Maestro Custom Shop Collection, featuring extremely limited runs of pedals built to the precise specs of the original designs. “I don’t think there’s any ceiling in terms of what Maestro can do,” Hockenberry says. “Given Maestro’s history and legacy, it has certainly earned the right to play anywhere in the effects world. When it comes to Maestro in 2022, all you have to do is use your imagination. That’s where Maestro will go and where Maestro will be.”
