customer service

Mar

Talkbot Basics · Voice AI Technology

Voice AI: The future of proactive customer service

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

In recent years, proactive customer service has emerged as a game-changer in the world of customer experience (CX). Instead of waiting for customers to report issues or complaints, businesses are taking a more proactive approach by reaching out to customers with relevant information, personalized recommendations, and real-time support. This shift towards proactive customer service is driven by changing customer expectations and the growing availability of AI-powered tools and technologies.

Benefits of proactive service

There are several benefits to adopting a proactive customer service approach. According to Statista, 70% of consumers have a more favorable view of brands that contact them with proactive customer service. This translates to a 5% increase in customer retention over a 12-month period, according to a report by Enkata. And it’s not just brand perception that gets a boost; companies that engage in proactive customer service have reported a reduction in customer service call volumes by up to 30 percent, which contributes to a 25 percent reduction in operating costs. Let’s look at these benefits one by one.

Improved customer experience. Proactive customer service anticipates and addresses customer needs before they become problems. By providing relevant information, personalized recommendations, and real-time support, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to customer satisfaction and build stronger relationships with their customers.
Reduced operational cost. Businesses save time and resources with proactive customer service by reducing the need for reactive support. Because issues are identified and resolved before they get escalated, businesses can minimize the number of support tickets or calls they receive, freeing up staff time for more high-value tasks. This leads to increased efficiency and productivity, as well as cost savings.
Increased customer loyalty and retention. When customers feel that a business is proactively looking out for their best interests, they are more likely to stay loyal and recommend the business to others. Reports indicate that proactive service increases customer retention by up to 5% per year. This can lead to repeat purchases, and ultimately, business growth.
More customer insights. Proactive customer service is a great opportunity to solicit feedback on products and services. It also presents opportunities to dig deeper into user motivations and preferences. Businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their customers and use that knowledge to deliver even more personalized and effective customer experiences.

Using AI to power proactive service

To reap maximum benefits from proactive customer service, businesses need a way to scale its outbound call operations. This is where voice artificial intelligence (AI) comes in. Businesses can leverage voice AI technology to provide automated, personalized, and context-aware customer interactions. Voice AI systems can also identify opportunities for proactive engagement and deliver targeted messages or offers, thanks to advanced analytics. Fed with rich data, businesses can proactively serve customers with relevant and timely information that improves user experience.

Call-based voice assistants could remind a customer about an upcoming appointment, suggest a new product based on their previous purchases, or offer personalized discounts. This not only improves customer experience but also increases the chances of repeat purchases and customer loyalty.

Personalizing interactions with analytics

In addition to automating customer outreach, voice AI technology can also use predictive analytics to anticipate customer needs and deliver proactive solutions. For example, if a customer frequently asks about a specific product feature, a voice assistant could proactively offer additional information or training on that feature. This not only improves customer experience but also reduces the need for reactive support, saving time and resources for both the customer and the business.

Voice AI technology can also provide insights into customer sentiment and satisfaction. By analyzing tone, language, and other factors, voice AI systems can identify when a customer is experiencing frustration or dissatisfaction and take proactive steps to resolve the issue. For example, if a customer expresses frustration with a product or service, a voice assistant could offer to connect them with a customer support representative or escalate the issue to a higher priority.

Voice AI technology can enable businesses to deliver proactive customer service at scale, tailored to individual needs and preferences. As voice AI technology continues to evolve, it is likely that we will see even more innovative and effective applications for proactive customer service.

Want to ramp up your proactive customer service? Book a call with one of our business executives.

Nov

Tokio Marine Partners WIZ.AI to Automate Customer Service Via “Conversational AI Talkbot”

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Nov. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — In its recent regional digitalisation transformation initiative, PT Asuransi Tokio Marine Indonesia (“TMI”) partnered with WIZ.AI, the ASEAN Voice AI leader, to launch its conversational voice AI Talkbot.

As one of the largest general insurers in Indonesia, TMI has a strong commitment to put customer satisfaction as main priority, guided by its core mission “To be a Good Company”. Combining the efficiency of self-serve solutions and the warmth of human engagements, the Talkbots have improved TMI’s Customer Satisfaction Score across the board.

Mr. Sancoyo Setiabudi, President Director of TMI, commented: “The digital age arrives with a set of big communication challenges for conventional communication strategies. It is important for us to find innovative, efficient and interactive ways to handle mass communication with our customers and partners. I believe this implementation will help us to provide more services to existing customers and proactively approach potential customers.”

The Talkbot is indistinguishable from a human call centre agent, with over 95% of callers not being able to tell the difference. It incorporates AI techniques, such as pauses, intent recognition and varying pitch and tone to interact with the customer in a natural human-like manner. It is also backed by their proprietary Natural Language Processing and Natural Language Understanding technologies, which enable the Talkbot to understand and speak several different ASEAN languages.

WIZ.AI Talkbots work closely with TMI’s human agents and only calls that have been identified to require more of a human touch will be channelled to a human agent. This cultivates a more agile contact centre, which boost TMI’s service capability and labour efficiency.

“I believe customer service should be accessible, human-like, warm and most importantly hyper-personalized. By working closely with TMI, we have pushed the boundaries of human-AI collaboration to provide a better customer experience,” said Jennifer Zhang, CEO and Founder of WIZ.AI.

About Tokio Marine Group

Tokio Marine was established in the year 1879 as the first insurance company in Japan and has grown over the decades, now offering an extensive selection of General and Life insurance products and solutions in 46 countries and regions worldwide.

About WIZ.AI

WIZ.AI is a fast-growing start-up specializing in providing humanistic AI conversational solutions to transform customer service. The company is headquartered in Singapore and with market presence in Indonesia, Philippines and China.

Source: Tokio Marine Asia

Sep

Featured Articles

Industry Talk: Cloud, AI, and the potential Indonesian Digital Economy

Vony Tjiu from Microsoft Indonesia

Fiki Setiyono from Microsoft Indonesia

The event started with an opening speech from Microsoft Indonesia’s Corporate Commercial Director, Ms. Vony Tjiu. In her opening speech Ms.Vony Tjiu touches briefly on how Microsoft has been a major technology provider in Indonesia for the past 25 years, and together with their partners such as WIZ.AI is trying to “democratize” AI so that it could be widely available and utilized by everybody. She also mentioned how AI could benefit companies in the form of business automation and efficiency, and how AI also has contributed for humanitarian causes.

The event was then followed by a presentation from Microsoft Indonesia’s very own Mr. FIki Setiyono, the Country Lead of Azure Business Group, who started his presentation with the topic of how Microsoft is taking part in Indonesian Digital Economy empowerment initiatives through Tech & AI innovations, Skilling & Employment, Education, also Sustainability & Social Impact. In addition to that, Fiki also explains how Microsoft is working together with local organizations, including the government to accelerate digital transformation and enable Indonesia’s digital sovereignty.

Mr. Setiyono also highlights how companies could securely Innovate anywhere, with Microsoft cloud platform, Azure. Mr. Fiki stated that Cloud is more than a place to store data, but also a framework that could be utilized to rationalize data centers which is important to support cloud base intelligence infrastructure. That is why Azure was designed to be flexible and could guarantee consistent operations, governance, and security in the cloud platform, including the hybrid and multi-cloud model.

Lastly, Mr. Setiyono talked about how companies could benefit from cloud migration. From a technical perspective, cloud migration opens up the opportunity for companies to innovate while maintaining cost efficiency by optimizing capacity usage of the cloud. Furthermore, from a financial perspective, migrating to cloud platforms allows companies to eliminate on premise infrastructure costs, while at the same time increasing the productivity of DBA and IT resources. In addition to that, by migrating to cloud platforms, companies could reduce repetitive and time consuming tasks, increase the speed of time-to-market, Easy infrastructure adjustments, and also stronger security, higher availability, and better compliance which all in all will give better ROI.

The event continued with a presentation by Mr. Herbert Hadyanata, WIZ.AI’s Country Sales Director. In his presentation, Mr. Hadyanata touched on how AI has been shaping Indonesian digital trends, throughout 2021. According to him, the demand for digital transformation in Indonesia is rapidly increasing. Then, he continued his presentation with several insights on where and how to start applying the use of conversational AI. He stated that Indonesian businesses need to start implementing AI systems to increase business growth, but more importantly because it could significantly reduce operational cost.

Herbert Hadyananta from WIZ.AI (Left) & Karthik Ganesan from TMRW by UOB (Right)

Mr. Hadyananta then explains ideas on how humans and AI could collaborate to benefit businesses, especially for sales and customer engagement efforts. He believes that tasks such as profiling, cold callings, leads qualifying, and getting customers’ intent could be done by Talkbots. On the other hand, human agents should focus more on closing deals, which leads to a more efficient and faster sales journey and better return of investments.

Mr. Hadyananta closed his presentation by introducing Mr. Karthik Ganesan, as Executive Director of TMRW by UOB. With his vast experience in the digital banking ecosystem, Mr. Ganesan shared with the audience about the opportunities and concerns in using AI systems like WIZ.AI’s Talkbots for Banking and Financial Service Industry. According to him, the main opportunities of AI Implementation are for Acquiring, Engaging, Grow, and Retain Customers. He also stated that these opportunities are not exclusively beneficial for banking and financial services, but for other industries as well.

Mr. Ganesan then continued his presentation with explaining about Three main points to consider when Implementing AI Talkbots in business, which are the People aspect especially the customers, the end to end process of the implementation, and The technologies that are available. He also stated that one of the biggest concerns in technological integration is what the company is legally permitted to do, including the consent from the customers in regards to sharing their data with partner companies. One last important point that Mr. Ganesan shared how implemented technology such as AI Talkbots should have the ability to maintain scalability.

The last speaker of the events was Professor Tan Kim Seng, an Adjunct professor from National University of Singapore. Professor Tan has over 35 years of experience in fund management, banking, engineering, entrepreneurship and training. In the start of his presentation, Prof. Tan gave his take on the potential of the Indonesian digital economy. According to him, Indonesia has a great potential for digital economy and transformation. This is due to the fact that Indonesia already has proper digital infrastructures such as cloud, 5G, AI, Smart Commerce, and Logistic Technology. However, the greatest potential for Indonesia is the investment climate. Investors are looking for fast growing tech businesses, and Indonesia does have many.

Professor Tan Kim Seng from National University of Singapore

For his second point, Professor Tan talked about the benefits and success factors in Business Digitalization. He believed that the most critical factor to thrive in business digitalization is to have business resilience, especially in the form of flexibility to adjust businesses in response to the market needs at a certain moment or condition, such as pandemic.

To close his session, Professor Tan gave some insights about what to expect in 2022. He started by addressing that the world will be transitioning from epidemic to endemic, which means that businesses that have been well prepared, digitalized, and well engaged will be able to have rapid growth. Professor Tan also touched briefly on how Digital connectivity is changing the global trade and supply chains along with the increase of consumer preference for e-commerce and online experience. Professor Tan then closed his presentation with the hope that with existing supporting infrastructures, voice activation technology could be readily deployed and helped more businesses to bridge the digital gap in order to speed up the growth of the digital economy.

Following the presentation session, the participants were splitted into several groups based on their corresponding industries. In these separate groups, the participants are given a chance to discuss, ask questions, or schedule further meetings with WIZ.AI and Microsoft to talk more about the opportunity in utilizing Conversational AI and Cloud Computing for their business.

Sep

Featured Articles

Jennifer Zhang – CEO & Co-Founder of WIZ.AI Shortlisted for Women In IT Entrepreneur of the Year Award

A female leader of a technology, digital or e-commerce start-up that has demonstrated excellent growth in the last 18 months, with a coherent and sustainable strategy in achieving it. Judges will look at demonstrations of growth (turnover, profit, employees etc.), standout achievements and customer testimonials.

Debra Taylor, OpenSparkz / PAX Technology
Hazel Savage, Musiio
Jennifer Zhang, WIZ Holdings Pte Ltd

Jennifer Zhang – CEO & Co-Founder of WIZ.AI

Jennifer Lauretta Leong Bee Yoong, 360 Smart Home
Muskan Bhatia, Ed Aura Technology

To See the full list visit: Women In IT

Aug

Featured Articles · Main Display · Main Posts

Forbes Asia 100 To Watch

This story appears in the August 31, 2021 issue of Forbes Asia.

From underwater drones to satellite propulsion systems and everything in between, the inaugural Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list spotlights notable small companies and startups on the rise across the Asia-Pacific region. At a time when economies worldwide are struggling from the pandemic, these agile companies are on a growth path. Their inclusion in the list comes in part from addressing problems such as improving transportation in congested cities, expanding affordable connectivity in remote regions and preventing food waste. Seventeen countries and territories are represented. Top categories include biotechnology & healthcare, e-commerce & retail, food & hospitality and education & recruitment. The lively startup communities in India and Singapore produced 22 and 19 companies, respectively. Hong Kong has 10 and Indonesia eight. Mainland China has just four, as many candidates were above the required maximums for revenues or funding.

Edited by Jeanhee Kim with John Kang

Reporting by Jonathan Burgos, Rina Caballar, Ramakrishnan Narayanan, Danielle Keeton-Olsen, Amit Prakash, James Simms, Yue Wang and Ardian Wibisono.

METHODOLOGY: To select the 100 to Watch, Forbes Asia solicited online submissions, and invited accelerators, incubators, SME advocacy organizations, universities, venture capitalists and others to nominate companies as well. The final 100 was selected from over 900 submissions. To qualify for consideration, companies had to be headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region, be at least one year old, privately owned, for profit, and have no more than $20 million in its latest annual revenue or total funding through Aug. 1. Forbes team evaluated each submission, looking at metrics such as a positive impact on the region or industry, a track record of strong revenue growth or ability to attract funding, promising business models or markets, and a persuasive story. The editors reserve the right to remove or replace any company or individual included in a list in light of any new information that would disqualify them from inclusion.

Ackcio

Singapore
Category: Construction & Engineering
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Nimantha Baranasuriya
Key backers: Foundamental, Seeds Capital, Wavemaker
Ackcio produces automated geotechnical remote sensors that verify ground stability at construction sites. Its backers include Wavemak

Agrist

Japan
Category: Agriculture
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Jyunichi Saito
Key backers: Eneos Innovation Partners, Jafco
Answering a critical farmer shortage in Japan, Agrist has applied for Japanese and international patents for its AI-driven robot harvester. It says it charges $15,000 for a three-year lease plus 10% of a harvest’s profits, and has raised over $4.5 million in capital.

Alesca Life Technologies

China
Category: Agriculture
Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Stuart Oda
Investment banker-turned entrepreneur Stuart Oda’s Alesca works with customers worldwide to build indoor farms. The company says its base of turnkey farm equipment grew by 200% in 2019 and another 750% in 2020. It benefited from rising demand for local produce after Covid-19 disrupted food supplies and made consumers more health conscious.

Algal Bio

Japan
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Amane Kimura
Key backer: University of Tokyo
Based on two decades of University of Tokyo research, Algal Bio says it cultivated 3,000 unique algae strains for use in biofuels, cosmetics, medicines and supplements. The company says it has raised $4.1 million in total funding, including from the university’s Edge Capital Partners, and expects to double sales this year to $1 million.

Ampd Energy

Hong Kong
Category: Construction & Engineering
Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Brandon Ng
Key backer: HKSTP
Using lithium-ion battery technology, Ampd Energy’s electric generators are said to power construction cranes while emitting less greenhouse gas and making less noise than traditional diesel generators. Ampd Energy says it launched its generators early last year and that they are already used by 20 property and construction companies, including Jardine Matheson’s Gammon.

Aquaconnect

India
Category: Agriculture
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Rajamanohar Somasundaram
Key backers: Rebright Partners, Flourish Ventures
The Coastal Aquaculture Research Institute, operating as Aquaconnect, provides services for fish and shrimp farmers. In addition to a farm advisory and an online shop for equipment and supplies, Aquaconnect provides financing, insurance and a network for farmers to connect with potential customers. It says it raised $4 million in July in pre-series A funding led by Rebright Partners and Flourish Ventures.

Aroma Bit

Japan
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Shunichiro Kuroki
Key backers: Seiko Epson, Kyocera
A developer of chips to identify and digitize the data of scents, Aroma Bit released its first compact aroma sensor in January. Its uses include quality control for food products, health management and disease detection. The company’s backers include Japanese tech firms Seiko Epson and Kyocera.

Authing

China
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Xie Yang
Key backers: GGV Capital, MiraclePlus
In under two years, Authing says it has attracted investment from A-list investors including GGV Capital and MiraclePlus (previously called Y Combinator China) with its identity management tool. The product allows a single sign-on to multiple cloud-based applications, and protects against security breaches. Authing says its customers include China Merchants Bank, Toyota and Volkswagen.

Autocrypt

South Korea
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Daniel Kim
Key backers: Hyundai, Ulmus Investment
As self-driving cars rise in use, security for their computer systems becomes increasingly important. Autocrypt, a spinoff from Seoul-based Penta Security Systems, provides these cars with cybersecurity and data theft protection. Autocrypt says it has raised $15 million from investors including Hyundai’s venture arm and Ulmus Investment and is valued at about $45 million. The company expects to make $8.5 million in revenue this year, up from $3.4 million last year. Besides South Korea, Autocrypt says it has offices in Canada, China and Japan, and will expand to Europe, Singapore and the U.S.

BeatO

India
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Gautam Chopra
Key backers: Orios Venture Partners, Blume Ventures
Health Arx Technologies’ BeatO is a platform for managing chronic diseases such as diabetes through subscription-based smart-phone monitoring, information and online supplies. Of its half-million app installs, nearly 300,000 are paid members with 25,000 joining monthly, according to BeatO. It says it recently raised $5.7 million and has partnered with a major insurer to expand beyond India.

Beau Bakery

Indonesia
Category: Food & Hospitality
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Talita Setyadi
Key backer: SEAF Women’s Opportunity Fund
Founded by a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, Beau is a bakery and café brand operating restaurants and producing artisanal bread and pastries using locally sourced ingredients. Operated by Cahaya Mahakarya Lestari, Beau has a mission to train and grow talent. In 2019, Beau obtained funding from SEAF Women’s Opportunity Fund.

Bellatrix Aerospace

India
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Rohan Ganapathy
Key backers: IDFC Parampara, Survam Partners
Founded by then-university students, Bellatrix aims to create high performing, cost-efficient satellite propulsion systems, including a patented one that uses water as a propellant. Pre-revenue, Bellatrix says it raised about $3 million in 2019 from investors including IDFC Parampara and Survam Partners.

Belun Technology

Hong Kong
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Lydia Leung
Key backers: HKSTP, Sino Group
Belun Technology developed a ring-like wearable device that can help medical professionals remotely monitor and assess patients’ sleep health. It can also collect biomarkers while a patient is asleep. Belun says it raised $7 million from investors including Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP) and property developer Sino Group’s Sino Inno Lab.

Betterplace

India
Category: Education & Recruitment
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Pravin Agarwala
Key backers: 3one4 Capital, Jungle Ventures
Betterplace lets companies digitally hire and manage blue collar employees, while bots help them upgrade their skills. The workplace management platform, the company says, is used by clients including Amazon and food delivery services Swiggy and Zomato to verify, track and pay staff such as security guards and construction workers.

BionicM

Japan
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Sun Xiaojun
Key backers: Japan Science and Technology Agency, University of Tokyo

After 15 years of using crutches in his native China, Sun Xiaojun got a prosthetic leg in Japan, where he relocated and earned a Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Tokyo. Sun founded BionicM to develop more natural and safer prosthetics, including battery-powered knees and ankles. For example, it says its robotic ankle-foot can push off the ground and lift over obstacles. He says BionicM will begin sales of its robotic prosthetic leg this year, charging around $45,000—less than the cost of similar prosthetics from the U.S. or Europe. In August 2020, BionicM says it raised $4 million in a series A round from investors including Japan Science and Technology Agency and University of Tokyo’s investment arm, nearly doubling its total funding.

Bobobox

Indonesia
Category: Food & Hospitality
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Indra Gunawan
Key backers: Alpha JWC Ventures, Horizons Ventures

Bobobox Mitra Indonesia offers affordable capsule hotel accommodations in Indonesia, with sleeping pods in 14 locations across Indonesia. Customers pay per night but soon could rent by the hour in several locations. Bobobox has expanded from hotel pods to cabin rentals in the woods, called Bobocabin, and a campervan, Bobovan.

BondEvalue

Singapore
Category: Finance
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Rahul Banerjee
Key backers: Citigroup, MassMutual Ventures
BondEvalue is making bonds more widely accessible to individual investors. The company has been approved by Singapore to operate BondbloX Bond Exchange, calling it the world’s first fractional bond exchange that allows trading in minimum denominations of $1,000. In June, the company announced a $6 million series A round from investors including MassMutual Ventures and Citigroup.

Brick & Bolt

India
Category: Construction & Engineering
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Jayesh Rajpurohit
Key backers: Foundamental, Sequoia Surge
Pluckwalk Technologies’ Brick & Bolt is a design-to-build platform for the construction industry including project management and regular quality checks. The startup says it has over 700 individual and commercial developer clients, and has raised $4 million in funding. Investors include Sequoia Surge and Foundamental.

BrioHR

Malaysia
Category: Education & Recruitment
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Benjamin Croc
Key backers: East Ventures, Global Founders Capital, Y Combinator
A cloud-based human resources management platform, BrioHR offers all-in-one services, from recruitment to payroll, for SMEs in Southeast Asia. A recent graduate of the Y Combinator incubator, BrioHR announced in March that it bagged $1.3 million from investors including Global Founders Capital and East Ventures.

Captain Fresh

India
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Utham Gowda
Key backers: Accel Partners, Matrix Partners India
Captain Fresh, developed by Infifresh Foods, uses digital technology to streamline India’s fragmented $30 billion seafood industry. It says its real-time B2B platform uses AI to help 550 retailers—a base that has grown over 500% in one year—match customer orders with India’s fishermen and fish farms. Founder Utham Gowda says predictive models help source supplies of specific fish days before customers place orders, enabling overnight delivery to some cities. In July, Captain Fresh says it raised $12 million in a series A round led by Accel Partners and Matrix Partners India.

ChatGenie

Philippines
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2020 • CEO: Ragde Falcis
ChatGenie combines online platforms and Grab’s delivery into Facebook Messenger to allow customers to shop by direct message. It was launched a month before Manila’s first pandemic lockdown.

Classum

South Korea
Category: Education & Recruitment
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Chaerin Lee
Key backers: Pearl Abyss, Smilegate
Classum simplifies class communication for teachers and corporate trainers by providing video, chat and learning tools on one platform. The startup says it has raised $7.5 million so far from investors including the VC arms of Korean gaming companies Pearl Abyss and Smilegate.

CloudEats

Philippines
Category: Food & Hospitality
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Kimberly Yao
CloudEats’ secret sauce is its cost efficiency—operating 60 restaurant brands out of versatile “cloud kitchens.” It is also developing its own brands and tailors recipes and concepts based on customer feedback. Cloudeats says it has raised $1.8 million in funding off its lightning-fast scaling, with another round scheduled to close this year.

CoCooking

Japan
Category: Food & Hospitality
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Kazuma Kawagoe
Key backer: PE&HR
Chef Kazuma Kawagoe cofounded CoCooking to hold culinary events and workshops. Its Tabete app, launched in 2018, reduces food waste by allowing its users to buy food nearing expiration from bakeries, restaurants and takeout food stores. The company says it has 400,000 users and gets food from some 1,500 sources. CoCooking says in June it got a $1.4 million pre-series A funding round led by VC firm PE&HR.

Conicle Co.

Thailand
Category: Education & Recruitment
Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Nakorn Phuekphiphatmet
Key backer: Intouch Holdings
Conicle develops online learning and employee development programs for companies, including certificates, coursework and evaluation. It says customers include over 500 organizations in various industries in Southeast Asia, with more than 500,000 registered users. This fiscal year the firm says it expects to double last year’s revenue of $1.7 million.

Convosight Analytics

India
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Tamanna Dhamija
Key backers: IvyCap Ventures, Sequoia Surge
As a community marketing platform for Facebook groups, Convosight uses data analytics and machine learning to help brands tap into communities. It says it has raised $4.5 million in funding from investors including IvyCap Ventures and Sequoia Surge. Convosight forecasts it is on track to more than double its revenues from $1.4 million in 2020-21.

Dayta AI

Hong Kong
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Patrick Tu
Key backers: HKUST, ParticleX
Dayta AI’s cloud-based platform uses surveillance cameras to analyze customer behavior, allowing retailers to improve sales and customer experience. Launched in 2018, Dayta AI says it has raised $3 million, including from the Entrepreneurship Fund of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and accelerator ParticleX.

Dekoruma

Indonesia
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Dimas Harry Priawan
Key backers: Foundamental, InterVest, OCBC NISP Ventura
Dekoruma has grown its e-commerce platform from just furniture into a one-stop-shop for home and living, including architecture services and residential sales listings. Last year it bagged undisclosed pre-series C funding from InterVest, Foundamental, OCBC NISP Ventura, Skystar Capital and others.

DoctorOnCall

Malaysia
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2016 • Managing Director: Maran Virumandi
Key backer: Conny & Co.
DoctorOnCall is a digital health platform that offers telehealth consultations with board-certified doctors, online pharmacy and delivery services, as well as booking services for doctors and specialists. DoctorOnCall says it serves an estimated 3 million users nationwide. The company plans to build mobile clinics to make healthcare more accessible to rural communities.

DrinkPrime

India
Category: Food & Hospitality
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Vijender Reddy Muthayala
Key backers: Omidyar Network, Sequoia Surge, Titan Capital
Given the lack of clean water in parts of India, DrinkPrime offers a pay-per-use model for water purifiers, so customers don’t have the high upfront costs of buying and installing filtration equipment. WaterWala Labs, owner of DrinkPrime, says it has raised $4 million from Sequoia Surge, Omidyar Network and Titan Capital.

Dropee

Malaysia
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Lennise Ng
Key backers: Vynn Capital, Y Combinator
Claiming to be the country’s leading B2B e-commerce marketplace, Dropee provides an integrated supply chain network that facilitates transactions between businesses and their suppliers. The company says it serves around 70,000 businesses, with revenue up 600% in the last three years. Dropee says it raised $1.3 million in seed funding last year from investors including Vynn Capital and Y Combinator.

Ease Healthcare

Singapore
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Guadalupe Lazaro
Key backer: Insignia Ventures Partners
Ease’s app allows efficient and discreet delivery of women’s health services, and the company says its customer base grew from 1,000 to 4,000 users last year. Ease says it can deliver birth control, STD test kits and emergency contraceptives within four hours. It also offers online health consultations, resources and forums as an alternative to traditional healthcare delivery and to remove the stigma surrounding women’s health.

En-trak

Hong Kong
Category: Construction & Engineering
Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Vincent Chow
Key backers: Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, CLP
En-trak’s AI-powered software personalizes room temperatures and lighting in offices to create an optimal work environment and save electricity. The company claims its AI helps users cut up to 20% of heating, ventilation and air-con energy consumption. En-trak backers include Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund and Hong Kong’s CLP.

Entri Software

India
Category: Education & Recruitment
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Mohammed Hisamuddin
Key backer: Good Capital, Innospark Ventures
A language learning app for job skills, Entri’s market is the estimated 400 million Indians aged 18 to 35 who are not proficient in English. The company says it acquires about 350,000 new users every month and about 5.5 million people have used Entri. The company claims nearly 50,000 of them have since found jobs.

Evermos

Indonesia
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Iqbal Muslimin
Key backers: Alpha JWC Ventures, Jungle Ventures
Setiap Hari Dipakai, operating as Evermos, is a Muslim-focused social commerce platform, connecting consumers to resellers and brands offering halal goods. In two years Evermos says it has attracted 500 brands and a network of 75,000 resellers that are paid by commission.

Farm66 Investment

Hong Kong
Category: Agriculture
Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Tam Chi Ho
Key backers: Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Cyberport, ParticleX
Using its own environmentally sustainable technologies like multilayer vertical planting and hydroponics, Farm66 grows organic vegetables for airline caterers, supermarkets and local consumers. Farm66 says investors have provided $4 million in funding, include Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Hong Kong’s Cyberport, accelerator ParticleX and Sino Inno Lab.

Fasal

India
Category: Agriculture
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Ananda Verma
Key backers: Flipkart Leap, Omnivore, Wavemaker
AI-powered platform Fasal takes the guesswork out of farming by providing real-time data on farm conditions in local languages to farmers on any device. In July, Wolkus Technology Solutions, owner of Fasal, graduated from accelerator Flipkart Leap’s inaugural program. The company says it has a total of $2 million from investors including Omnivore and Wavemaker.

Gamezop

India
Category: Entertainment & Media
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Yashash Agarwal
Key backer: Bitkraft Ventures
A multigame platform, Gamezop allows users to play their favorite games without having to install individual apps. According to Gamezop, its parent company Advergame Technologies raised about $4.3 million from investors including Bitkraft Ventures. Gamezop says it expects its 2020-21 revenue to double to $3.2 million.

Global Gene Corp.

Singapore
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Sumit Jamuar
Adding to the diversity of genetic databases, where 80% of samples come from developed countries, Global Gene is mapping the DNA of populations on the Indian subcontinent. Better data would help drugmakers tailor medicines for each genetic type. The Singapore-based company has a R&D center in the U.K.

Gramophone

India
Category: Agriculture
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Tauseef Khan
Key backers: Asha Impact, InfoEdge
Launched as an e-commerce farming supplies platform, Agstack Technologies’ Gramophone expanded to offer a full range of farming services including a post-harvest trade network and crop management advisory. In the last two years, it says it has added 500,000 customers and more than doubled revenue.

H2O Hospitality

South Korea
Category: Food & Hospitality
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: John Lee
Key backers: Dadam Investment, IMM Investment
H2O Hospitality is digitalizing the hotel industry. It auto-mates both front- and back-end processes, such as reservations, checking in and revenue management. Despite the pandemic, the startup says it has rising demand for its products, now managing 7,500 rooms in 16 cities across Korea, Japan and Thailand.

Haulio

Singapore
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Alvin Ea
Key backer: PSA
Haulio aims to be the Uber of Southeast Asia trucking. Backed by Singapore port giant PSA, Haulio says over 90% of truckers and drivers in the city-state use its app to book jobs. It’s also moving containers for shipping behemoth CMA CGM in Thailand and has set its sights on Indonesia next.

Hivary

Australia
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Jason Hosking
Key backer: Blackbird Ventures
Hivery uses AI and data management to help retailers and consumer packaged goods companies optimize product selection and merchandising. Hivery says its clients include Coca-Cola’s Australian distributor and Walmart. In December, it announced it will help East Japan Railway optimize the vending machines in its train stations.

Hoozing

Vietnam
Category: Finance
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Hai Le
Hoozing’s app provides user reviews, price calculation tools, and digital payment options to speed property leasing and sales. Despite the pandemic, Hoozing earned about $1.1 million in revenue in 2020, CEO Hai Le says, adding the company will become profitable by year-end with $2 million in revenue.

Hyper Anna

Australia
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Natalie Nguyen
Key backers: IAG, Sequoia Capital
A virtual data scientist, Hyper Anna is AI-powered software that quickly analyzes data and automatically produces charts and narratives such as infographics for business customers. The Australia-based company is backed by investors such as IAG and Sequoia Capital. It says it has raised a total of $13 million and customers include Microsoft and Singtel.

i2e1

India
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Satyam Darmora
Key backer: Omidyar Network India
Omnia Information’s i2e1 (Information To Every One) has enabled digital inclusion for millions of Indians by turning local shops into WiFi hotspots. The shops provide internet access for as little as 5 rupees (7 cents) a day or for free if users agree to participate in corporate surveys, i2e1 says.

iHandal Energy Solutions

Malaysia
Category: Construction & Engineering
Year founded: 2009 • CEO: Aaron Patel
Key backer: Bintang Capital Partners
Building ventilation and heating contribute 10% of global electricity consumption. The company says its systems capture and reuse buildings’ wasted heat and recycle it, offsetting up to 70% of thermal emissions, with energy savings as high as 80%. It says it has raised more than $5 million in a recent round led by Bintang Capital Partners.

Immediation

Australia
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2017 • Managing Director: Laura Keily
Key backer: Thorney Investments
Founded by corporate lawyer and barrister Laura Keily, this legal tech startup saw surging pandemic-led demand for its secure videoconferencing and communication tools, which help courts operate virtually during lockdowns and other restrictions. In December, Immediation says it raised $2.8 million including from Thorney Investments.

Inspace

Australia
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Justin Liang
Key backers: Artesian, Sydney Angels
For property leasing and sales, Inspace lets landlords and agents create 3D digital renderings of buildings, give virtual tours and make videos. The startup says it partners with global property managers Brookfield, CBRE, JLL and Lendlease, and saw healthy revenue growth last year.

International Compliance Workshop

Hong Kong
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Lam Chi Him
Key backers: Betatron Venture Group, Cyberport, Headline
International Compliance Workshop’s platform matches buyers with suppliers vetted by the startup. ICW says its platform has a database of 30,000 accredited manufacturers used by global retailers, including Boots, Kroger and Walgreens. The startup’s backers include Hong Kong government-backed Cyberport and VC firms Betatron Venture Group and Headline.

Kalibrr

Philippines
Category: Education & Recruitment
Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Paul Rivera
Key backers: Omidyar Network, Wavemaker, Y Combinator
AI-powered recruitment company Kalibrr says it serves 5 million job seekers in Indonesia and the Philippines, looking to make the hiring process simpler, faster and better for companies and applicants. According to the company, it has raised $7.5 million from Omidyar Network, Wavemaker and Kickstart Ventures. It was the first Filipino company to be accepted by Y Combinator.

Kami

New Zealand
Category: Education & Recruitment
Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Hengjie Wang
Key backer: Right Click Capital
The digital classroom online tool is riding the online learning tsunami as the pandemic forced schools to adapt to remote learning. Its Google Chrome extension version has more than 4 million users.

Lhamour

Mongolia
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Khulan Davaadorj
After developing skin rashes, Khulan Davaadorj founded her own natural skincare brand and now makes over 40 products, using many locally sourced ingredients such as yak’s milk. The zero-waste company says its products are sold in department stores in Mongolia and has distributors and sales outlets around the world.

Loca

Laos
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Souliyo Vongdala
The first and leading ride-hailing service in Laos, Loca has recently added new services to its platform such as out-of-home advertising, a trucking service and on-demand groceries. Pre-pandemic, Loca says most customers were tourists but widening local use has helped the business grow 30% monthly.

Log 9 Materials

India
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Akshay Singhal
Key backer: Sequoia Surge
A nanotech company working to develop both energy storage and filtration technologies, Log 9 says it has over 25 patents. During the pandemic, it launched advanced UV disinfectant products and has also produced long-lasting battery packs to charge two- and three-wheeled vehicles. The company is backed by Sequoia Surge and says it has raised $4.5 million.

Logivan

Vietnam
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Linh Pham
Key backers: Insignia Ventures Partners, K3 Ventures
The answer to Vietnam’s fragmented highway transportation network, Logivan allows companies to quickly locate and hire truck drivers who might otherwise return with empty trunks. Logivan says it has more than 60,000 drivers working for the likes of Coca-Cola, Olam and Wilmar. It says it has raised $8 million including from Insignia Ventures Partners and K3 Ventures.

Lozi

Vietnam
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Trung Hoang Nguyen
Key backer: Daal Ventures
Lozi’s delivery platform Loship is taking on giant rivals such as GoTo and Grab by promising delivery of anything—meals, raw materials, food supplies and people—within one hour. Covering Vietnam’s main and second-tier cities, Lozi says it has raised $16 million to expand its services.

Makers Hive

India
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Pranav Vempati
A fully functioning bionic hand can cost $30,000 or more, a prohibitive price for most of the 39 million amputees worldwide. Makers Hive says by creating its parts in-house it could introduce KalArm last year for just $5,000, garnering $3 million in orders within a year.

Med247

Vietnam
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Tuan Truong
Key backer: KK Fund
This offline-to-online health provider provides round-the-clock care through tech-driven health services on its app to full-service clinics. The company, which says it raised $1 million, aims to scale through partnerships.

MediConCen

Hong Kong
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: William Yeung
Key backers: Cyberport, ParticleX
MediConCen uses blockchain technology to automate medical insurance claims. By using digital signatures and smart contracts, the startup claims it can reduce fraud. MediConCen says it has over 600,000 users, who are connected to over 900 doctors. Investors include Hong Kong government-backed Cyberport and accelerator ParticleX.

Merico

China
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Ren Jinglei
Key backers: GGV Capital, OSS Capital, Polychain Capital
Merico’s algorithm monitors the efficiency and quality of software development by analyzing source codes. It says its service has attracted customers that include Bytedance, Didi and Tencent. Merico says it has raised $9 million, including from GGV Capital, Polychain Capital and OSS Capital.

Miso

South Korea
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Victor Ching
Key backers: FundersClub, Strong Ventures, Y Combinator
Miso is one of the most-used housekeeping service apps in Korea. Since launching, Miso has processed over 3 million bookings from 350,000 users, according to founder and CEO Victor Ching. Miso’s backers include Y Combinator and VC firms FundersClub and Strong Ventures.

Musiio

Singapore
Category: Entertainment & Media
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Hazel Savage
Key backer: Wavemaker
Musiio is a B2B company using AI to organize and search large catalogs of music mainly for other companies in the music industry. In July, Musiio announced funding that values the company at $10 million and signed a strategic client, music investment fund Hipgnosis.

MyCloudFulfillment

Thailand
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Nithi Satchatippavarn
Key backers: Gobi Partners, Siam Commercial Bank
E-Empowerment’s MyCloudFulfillment receives, packages and ships orders for e-commerce stores and provides data analytics to its customers. Last year, the company says it posted $3.8 million in revenue and aims to double that this year. In October, it says it raised $2 million in series A funding from investors including Gobi Partners and Siam Commercial Bank’s investment arm.

Nalagenetics

Singapore
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Levana Sani
Key backers: East Ventures, Intudo Ventures
Nalagenetics is a genetics testing company that focuses on Asian populations. In response to the pandemic, it helped Indonesian hospitals build labs for Covid-19 testing and in July launched a saliva-based test that is faster and cheaper than PCR tests. Nalagenetics is using its Covid-19 proceeds to focus on pharmacogenomics—a study of how a person’s genes react to drugs. The company expects annual revenue to grow 80% next year, driven in part by reimbursements from insurance firms and licensing data to pharma companies.

NDR Medical Technology

Singapore
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Alan Goh
Key backer: MicroPort, SGInnovate
NDR Medical’s image-guided robots help doctors identify lesions and conduct minimally invasive surgeries such as kidney stone removal. NDR’s automated needle targeting system has been successfully tested in Japan and is in clinical trials in South Korea and other Asian countries, NDR says. Pre-revenue, NDR says it raised $8 million last year.

Okra Solar

Cambodia
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Afnan Hannan
Key backers: Greenway Grid Global, Schneider Electric
Okra Solar’s hardware and software supplies electricity to villages off traditional grids. The company says it has given power to 2,500 people across 26 villages in four countries, and is backed by Schneider Electric and Greenway Grid Global. It is now seeking to raise $6.5 million in a series A round.

Otoklix

Indonesia
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Martin Reyhan Suryohusodo
Key backer: Sequoia Surge
Otoklix connects car owners in Indonesia to vetted auto repair shops with standardized and transparent pricing. It says it has partnered with over 1,300 repair shops to fix over 10,000 cars a month. The company gets a commission for each booking and a cut of spare parts sold to the shops.

Oye! Rickshaw

India
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Mohit Sharma
Key backers: Chiratae Ventures, Matrix Partners India
Oye! Rickshaw provides app-based last-mile ride-sharing and delivery in Delhi and nearby cities via electric rickshaws. Oye! says it has over 7,000 drivers and completed over 8.7 million rides. Founded by engineers Mohit Sharma and Akashdeep Singh, Oye! says it plans to expand its service across India.

Parcel Perform

Singapore
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Arne Jeroschewski
Key backers: 500 Startups, Wavemaker
A carrier-independent parcel tracking service for e-commerce companies, Parcel Perform says it works with over 700 carriers, enabling merchants to improve end-to-end service after point-of-sale. The pandemic-led e-commerce boom meant a 45% increase in customers, the startup says, including global brands Decathlon and Nespresso.

Nalagenetics

Singapore
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Levana Sani
Key backers: East Ventures, Intudo Ventures
Nalagenetics is a genetics testing company that focuses on Asian populations. In response to the pandemic, it helped Indonesian hospitals build labs for Covid-19 testing and in July launched a saliva-based test that is faster and cheaper than PCR tests. Nalagenetics is using its Covid-19 proceeds to focus on pharmacogenomics—a study of how a person’s genes react to drugs. The company expects annual revenue to grow 80% next year, driven in part by reimbursements from insurance firms and licensing data to pharma companies.

NDR Medical Technology

Singapore
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Alan Goh
Key backer: MicroPort, SGInnovate
NDR Medical’s image-guided robots help doctors identify lesions and conduct minimally invasive surgeries such as kidney stone removal. NDR’s automated needle targeting system has been successfully tested in Japan and is in clinical trials in South Korea and other Asian countries, NDR says. Pre-revenue, NDR says it raised $8 million last year.

Okra Solar

Cambodia
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Afnan Hannan
Key backers: Greenway Grid Global, Schneider Electric
Okra Solar’s hardware and software supplies electricity to villages off traditional grids. The company says it has given power to 2,500 people across 26 villages in four countries, and is backed by Schneider Electric and Greenway Grid Global. It is now seeking to raise $6.5 million in a series A round.

Otoklix

Indonesia
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Martin Reyhan Suryohusodo
Key backer: Sequoia Surge
Otoklix connects car owners in Indonesia to vetted auto repair shops with standardized and transparent pricing. It says it has partnered with over 1,300 repair shops to fix over 10,000 cars a month. The company gets a commission for each booking and a cut of spare parts sold to the shops.

Oye! Rickshaw

India
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Mohit Sharma
Key backers: Chiratae Ventures, Matrix Partners India
Oye! Rickshaw provides app-based last-mile ride-sharing and delivery in Delhi and nearby cities via electric rickshaws. Oye! says it has over 7,000 drivers and completed over 8.7 million rides. Founded by engineers Mohit Sharma and Akashdeep Singh, Oye! says it plans to expand its service across India.

Parcel Perform

Singapore
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Arne Jeroschewski
Key backers: 500 Startups, Wavemaker
A carrier-independent parcel tracking service for e-commerce companies, Parcel Perform says it works with over 700 carriers, enabling merchants to improve end-to-end service after point-of-sale. The pandemic-led e-commerce boom meant a 45% increase in customers, the startup says, including global brands Decathlon and Nespresso.

PayMongo Philippines

Philippines
Category: Finance
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Francis Plaza
Key backer: Y Combinator
PayMongo’s digital platform for merchants accepts all types of online payments. It says it serves around 7,000 mostly micro, small and midsized companies moving beyond brick-and-mortar stores to e-commerce. PayMongo is backed by Y Combinator and says it has raised $14.7 million in funding.

Pentester Academy

Singapore
Category: Education & Recruitment
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Vivek Ramachandran
Key backer: Sequoia Surge
Binary Security’s Pentester Academy trains government agencies and companies in cybersecurity. The CEO is known for uncovering a security breach in WiFi networks. The company says sales have doubled during the pandemic.

Planys Technologies

India
Category: Construction & Engineering
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Tanuj Jhunjhunwala
Key backers: IIT Madras, Kris Gopalakrishnan
From searching for trapped miners to inspecting ports and offshore energy facilities, Planys’ underwater drones serve a variety of clients in India. Incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), Planys is backed by investors including Infosys founder Kris Gopalakrishnan.

Populix

Indonesia
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Timothy Astandu
Key backers: Intudo Ventures, Pegasus Tech, Quest Ventures
Through its research platform, Populix says it connects businesses with 260,000 Indonesian shoppers who are incentivized to share their insights. From 2019 to 2020, it says revenue grew more than 380%. In April, Populix closed a $1.2 million pre-series A round with Intudo Ventures and Quest Ventures.

PrivyID

Indonesia
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Marshall Pribadi
Key Backers: Google for Startups, Mandiri Capital Indonesia, Telkomsel
Privy Identitas Digital is Indonesia’s leading digital identity provider and provides legally binding digital signatures. Its service is used by banks, telecom and healthcare firms. PrivyID recently graduated from the Google for Startups incubator.

Qzense Labs

India
Category: Agriculture
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Rubal Chib
Key backers: Entrepreneur First, Lumis Partners
In a country where much fresh produce spoils, Qzense charges a monthly subscription for its IoT sensors to help growers and retailers assess and manage food quality, helping reduce India’s $14 billion annual produce losses.

Raglan Food

New Zealand
Category: Food & Hospitality
Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Latesha Randall
Known for its coconut-milk based yogurt, Raglan says it sells 25,000 glass jars per week across New Zealand and through distributors in China, Hong Kong and Singapore. With its dairy-free products, the Carbon Zero organization is helping promote plant-based diets.

RaSpect Intelligence Inspection

Hong Kong
Category: Construction & Engineering
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Harris Sun
Key backers: Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Hong Kong Innovation And Technology Venture Fund
Based in a city filled with skyscrapers, RaSpect uses a combination of AI, IoT sensing technology and robotics to inspect buildings for hazards—which it says is a more accurate, faster and cheaper method than traditional inspections. RaSpect says it is also expanding into predictive maintenance of elevators, escalators, heating and other systems used in buildings. This year it expects revenue to grow 275% to $3 million. Aside from Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund and Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology Venture Fund, it says it is also funded by HKSTP, MindWorks and accelerator ParticleX.

Rct Studio

China
Category: Entertainment & Media
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Yuheng Chen
Key backer: Y Combinator
Rct Studio helps create immersive interactive games with its Chaos Box algorithm, which can generate new storylines and character responses in real time. The startup says it is codeveloping the multiplayer online game Code: Odyssey with Chinese gaming studio Umi, which uses Rct Studio’s technology.

Regional Fish Institute

Japan
Category: Agriculture
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Tadanori Umekawa
Key backers: Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, NTT Docomo, Ube Industries
This startup uses gene editing to quickly improve fish breeds for consumption, such as a faster growing tiger pufferfish and a sea bream with more fillet meat. Regional Fish says it arose from a joint research group between Kyoto and Kindai universities, and investors include machinery firm Ebara, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, NTT Docomo’s venture arm and Ube Industries.

Rice Robotics

Hong Kong
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Victor Lee
Key backers: Alibaba, Cyberport, New World Development
Rice Robotics builds autonomous delivery and disinfection robots. The startup says it has more than 100 customers, including hotels, malls and subway stations. Backers of Rice Robotics include Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Hong Kong’s Cyberport and property giant New World Development.

Robotics Plus

New Zealand
Category: Agriculture
Year founded: 2008 • CEO: Steven Saunders
Key backer: Yamaha Motors
Robotics Plus’ technology helps make agriculture and other industries safer and more efficient with products such as a kiwi fruit harvester, a robotic tree scaler and a pollinator. Robotics Plus says it is backed by $10 million from Yamaha Motors and New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corp., and sells its products in Australia, Europe and the U.S.

Safepay

Pakistan
Category: Finance
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Raza Naqvi
Key backers: Stripe, Soma Capital
A graduate of Y Combinator, Safepay allows online merchants in Pakistan to process payments on their sites and apps. The firm says it takes a 2.5% commission on transactions and in February announced a seven-figure funding round that included fintech Stripe.

Sampingan

Indonesia
Category: Education & Recruitment
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Wisnu Nugrahadi
Key backers: Altara, Antler, Golden Gate Ventures
Enabling the gig economy, Sampingan connects companies with freelancers to do part-time and full-time temp work. So far, Sampingan says it has bagged $7.1 million in total funding from investors including Altara, Antler and Golden Gate Ventures. It operates in 80 Indonesian cities, it says, with clients that include GoTo and Unilever.

Sarva

India
Category: Education & Recruitment
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Sarvesh Shashi
Key backers: Fireside Ventures, Jennifer Lopez
A yoga studio with 93 locations across India and London, Sarva quickly pivoted to yoga instruction via a mobile app during the pandemic. Within 12 months Sarva says the app was downloaded 600,000 times. Owner Zorba Renaissance says it has raised $11 million from VC firms such as Fireside Ventures as well as celebrity investors such as Jennifer Lopez.

Sastaticket

Pakistan
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Shazil Mehkri
Key backer: Gobi Partners
Claiming to be Pakistan’s largest online travel search and booking site, Sastaticket says it had $10.5 million in gross sales from nearly 70,000 transactions in 2020, and raised $1.5 million in a series A round in 2018 led by Gobi Partners.

See-Mode Technologies

Singapore
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2017 • Directors: Milad Mohammadzadeh, Sadaf Monajemi
Key backers: Cocoon Capital, Entrepreneur First, SGInnovate
Stroke is a leading cause of death, and See-Mode helps predict the disease using AI-powered software. With the software, vascular ultrasound scans can be analyzed in one minute with a single click. See-Mode says it has been approved for use in Australia, Europe, Singapore and the U.S., and has raised $8 million in funding so far.

Sophie’s Bionutrients

Singapore
Category: Food & Hospitality
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Eugene Wang
Key backer: Temasek
Creating alternatives to meat and milk, Sophie’s Bionutrients expects to turn profitable within three years amid growing demand for its microalgae-based products in Europe and North America. Backed by Singapore’s Temasek, the company sells their plant-based proteins to food manufacturers.

Speedoc

Singapore
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Shravan Verma
Key backer: Vertex Ventures
Serving Singapore and Malaysia, Speedoc has over 100 full-time and part-time doctors and nurses providing house calls and telemedicine, services made more attractive by the pandemic. Since 2018, annual revenue has risen an average of 300%, Speedoc says. Last year, the startup says it closed a $5 million series A round led by Vertex Ventures.

SWAT Mobility

Singapore
Category: Logistics & Transportation
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Jarrold Ong
Key backers: Global Brain, UTEC
Providing ride-sharing services using route optimization, SWAT devises efficient car-pooling that cuts both road congestion and energy consumption. SWAT says it operates in seven countries and has raised $18 million from investors including Global Brain in Japan.

Transcelestial Technologies

Singapore
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Rohit Jha
Key backers: 500 Startups, Wavemaker
Transcelestial Technologies wants to provide high-speed internet connections to far-flung regions underserved by telcos and in congested urban areas. The startup claims its solution is cheaper and faster than conventional fiber optic cables.

Traverse Technologies

Singapore
Category: Construction & Engineering
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Thet Lin Thu
Key backers: Golden Gate Ventures, Y Combinator
Using AI and software, Traverse produces optimal engineering designs of large infrastructure projects such as wind farms, hydropower plants, roads and transmission lines. A 2019 graduate of incubator Y Combinator, it says it has contributed to 3 gigawatts of wind and transmission projects in Japan, Spain, India and Southeast Asia totaling around $4.5 billion.

Truemeds

India
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Akshat Nayyar
Key backers: Asha Impact, Indian Angel Network Fund, Info Edge Ventures
Using AI to help patients purchase generic medicine, Intellihealth Solutions’ Truemeds says it had about $1.5 million in revenue last year. With expanding geographical coverage, it expects revenue to increase 650% in 2021. The company says it raised about $5.8 million, including $5 million in a recent series A round from investors including Asha Impact, Indian Angel Network Fund and Info Edge Ventures.

Turtle Shell Technologies

India
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Mudit Dandwate
Key backers: Prime Venture Partners, YourNest
When hospitals turned away non-Covid-19 patients during the pandemic, Turtle Shell’s Dozee monitors changed homes into mini-ICUs. A WiFi-enabled hub connects to sensors placed under a mattress to transmit real-time data such as heart rate and oxygen saturation levels to doctors and family. It says customers include over 160 hospitals in 18 cities.

UnaBiz

Singapore
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Henri Bong
Key backers: ENGIE Ventures, KDDI, Soracom IoT Fund
Claiming sales in over 25 countries, UnaBiz is a massive IoT service provider specializing in product design, manufacturing and cloud services priced from $1 per device, per year. UnaBiz says it broke even in 2020 with $18 million in revenue.

Us2.ai

Singapore
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year founded: 2017 • CEO: James Hare
Key backers: EDBI, Sequoia India
Us2.ai is fighting heart disease, the world’s top killer, with AI. It says its software, which reads echocardiograms consistently, quickly and cheaply, is awaiting regulatory approval in the U.S. and EU. It says it licenses its software to pharmaceutical giants such as AstraZeneca and Roche, and has raised $4 million, including from Sequoia India and Singapore’s EDBI.

Vahdam India

India
Category: Food & Hospitality
Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Bala Sarda
Key backers: Fireside Ventures, Sixth Sense Ventures
Backed by Fireside Ventures, Sixth Sense Ventures and prominent angel investors, Vahdam India says it has raised $17 million in its quest to create a global Indian tea brand. It appears well on its way, saying revenue is nearly doubling annually and its products have been delivered to 130 countries.

Wada Bento

Hong Kong
Category: Food & Hospitality
Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Jason Chen
Key backer: Mizuho
Wada Bento helps food-service providers dispense prepared hot meals through vending machines. The startup says it raised $1.1 million so far from angel investors and is supported by Japanese bank Mizuho’s accelerator program, Mizuho Crowd Brain.

Water Design Japan

Japan
Category: Construction & Engineering
Year founded: 2020 • CEO: Kazushi Fujita
Water Design makes a patented device that produces nanosize bubbles in water. Its Ultra-Fine Bubble technology can clean equipment without harsh chemicals, promote growth in plants and keep seafood fresh for longer. The company says it has partnered with trading giant Sumitomo and chemical maker Asahi Kasei and is seeking large-scale expansion.

Wiz.AI

Singapore
Category: Technology
Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Jennifer Zhang
Key backers: GGV Capital, K3 Ventures, Insignia Ventures Partners, Wavemaker
Wiz Holding’s Wiz.AI chatbot understands and speaks in local Asian languages (Indonesia, Malaysia, Mandarin, Philippines) or local accents (such as Singlish) to provide customer support. It also analyzes and stores data from these voice calls for customer relationship management systems. According to CEO Jennifer Zhang, the company has raised $8.5 million in funding and already has some multinational companies in Asia as clients.

This article originally published on Forbes.com

Jul

Featured Articles

Wiz.AI devises AI talkbots for Southeast Asia | Startup Stories

AI talkbots are being used by enterprises around the world to provide customer service at scale.

Most of us have spoken to voice assistants, whether it is Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant. Some have even dealt with customer service agents powered by conversational artificial intelligence applications.

AI talkbots have been adopted by enterprises around the world to provide customer service at scale. The ASEAN market, however, represents a major challenge for AI conversational firms due to the many languages and dialects spoken in the region.

Jennifer Zhang, CEO and co-founder of Wiz.AI, saw an opportunity. “When we started in early 2019, there was nobody actually bringing voice AI products to Southeast Asia,” she told KrASIA. “Doing this in Southeast Asia is very challenging, but we want to target this market as our starting point to create our competitive technology advantage.”

Singapore-based startup Wiz.AI develops conversational AI technology. Its solutions serve enterprises of all scales in the region. The firm, which has offices in Nanjing and Jakarta, closed a USD 6 million pre-Series A round in May last year, led by GGV Capital. Wavemaker Partners, ZWC Partners, Insignia Ventures, and the Orion Fund managed by K3 Ventures were also part of the investment.

Conversational AI is a “programmatic and intelligent way of offering a conversational experience to mimic conversations with real people, through digital and telecommunication technologies,” according to Deloitte Digital. The firm expects the global conversational AI market to reach USD 17.64 billion by 2024, carrying a compound annual growth rate of 30.2%.

Jennifer Zhang, CEO and cofounder of Wiz.AI. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Zhang.

Automated customer voice services

To foster a natural, smooth conversation flow between an AI chatbot and a human user, the first step is to recognize the speaker’s speech pattern. That means understanding her language or dialect, slang, as well as inconsistencies and interruptions in lines, Zhang explained. The process involves automatic speech recognition to convert spoken words into text, running alongside natural language processing to interpret the meaning of that text.

The next step is for the chatbot to provide a valid answer. For this, Wiz.AI has a dedicated team that performs “conversational design” to generate dialogue mimicking realistic human-to-human interactions. The team has developed voices and tones for different scenarios to provide “a better engagement feeling,” Zhang said.

For instance, a middle-aged woman’s voice—gentle and comforting—is preferred in a healthcare scenario, said Zhang. In another common situation, talkbots are able to answer customers’ questions such as How much should I pay? or Where to pay? They can even “bargain” with the customer, steering them to the minimum acceptable charge. If a speaker does not speak clearly, the chatbot will issue queries like Do you mean this? or Can you repeat yourself? And, of course, it asks for and logs all the necessary information from customers.

Wiz.AI’s talkbot automates outbound calls for enterprises to reach their customers. Graphic courtesy of Wiz.AI.

Wiz.AI has developed talkbots that are able to communicate with customers in several languages, including English, Mandarin, and Indonesian. They also cover informal forms such as Singlish, a blend of Singaporean slang and English, as well as Manglish, an informal variant of Malaysian English. At present, the company counts over 30 clients from various industries, including healthcare, insurance, banking, telecommunications, e-commerce, and the government.

AI voice assistants are optimized to answer particular clients’ demands, Zhang said. For example, for healthcare clients, Wiz.AI’s talkbots proactively reach out to patients, track their symptoms, and help them arrange health visit appointments. For another client, Singaporean virtual telco Zero1, talkbots call users to offer promotions and address their queries.

Wiz.AI conducted a survey and found that 97% of medical patients are comfortable with receiving calls that utilize talkbots, Zhang said to KrASIA. Rather than sending emails or using online chat clients, most people still prefer to make phone calls for complex interactions compared.

Even so, the company also offers automated chat apps for their customers. On top of that, Wiz.AI leverages customer relationship management software for clients to track and manage data about their customers’ needs.

A virtual assistant developed by Wiz.AI checks in with patients and arranges hospital appointments. Graphic courtesy of Wiz.AI.

‘Last-mile delivery’

Wiz.AI has its work cut out for itself.

When asked about running up against Big Tech players like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft that make similar applications, Zhang responded with a metaphor. “They’re making the freeway, but we’re handling the last-mile delivery.” Wiz.AI positions itself as a service provider in “the untapped and challenging Southeast Asian market, which might not be the priority of big firms.”

Last year, Wiz.AI’s talkbots found rapid, immediate use cases. The COVID-19 pandemic suspended the operations of many call centers around the world. Budget slashes meant the workers who staffed these facilities were laid off or put on furlough. That’s when Wiz.AI’s products filled in, replacing fleets of human operators.

Even though there were challenges in integrating Wiz.AI’s talkbots with the existing infrastructure of some enterprises, the startup used these opportunities to test out new application scenarios and fine-tune their products, connecting their talkbots with many people around the world.

This article was written by Written by Wency Chen and Published on KrASIA

May

Featured Articles

Singapore AI startup Wiz nets $6m in pre-series A round led by GGV Capital

Wiz.ai, a Singapore AI startup that aims to digitize customer engagement, has raised US$6 million in a pre-series A funding round led by GGV Capital. Wavemaker Partners, ZWC Partners, Insignia Ventures, and Orion Fund, which is managed by K3 Ventures, also participated in the round

Photo credit: Andriy Popov / 123RF

With the investment, the company plans to expand its product offerings and grow its teams in Southeast Asia. Wiz employs scientists, researchers, linguists, and dialogue designers in its offices in Singapore, China, and Jakarta.

Launched last year, the startup focuses on developing conversational AI for Southeast Asian languages. The company said its solution can help businesses cut costs while improving customer service with personalized inbound and outbound calls.

Its front-end talkbot encourages customers to engage more in conversations. The back-end, meanwhile, sifts through the data in real time and stores insights from the conversations into the company’s existing customer relationship management system. Wiz then analyzes the data at both the granular and aggregated levels.

According to a statement, the startup currently serves businesses in healthcare, insurance, banking, telecommunications, and ecommerce sectors, as well as the Singapore government for payments.

Meng Xiong Kuok, founder and managing partner at K3 Ventures, noted that automation is important for business continuity especially amid the Covid-19 crisis.

The development of AI in Southeast Asia still lags behind AI global hubs such as China and the US. Singapore, however, is currently leading in AI implementation across the region. In November last year, the city-state rolled out a national AI strategy and committed more than S$500 million (US$354 million) to fund AI activities under its Research, Innovation, and Enterprise 2020 Plan.

Currency converted from Singapore dollar to US dollar: US$1 = S$1.41.

This article was written by Written by Doris Yu and Published on Tech In Asia

May

Featured Articles

Bagaimana 3 Inovator yang Berbeda Menyederhanakan Kehidupan Konsumen Mereka

Selalu ada kesempatan di setiap kesulitan. Pandemi COVID-19 yang belum kunjung usai di berbagai negara membuat para pelaku bisnis harus beradaptasi, berjuang, serta memberi nilai tambah dari solusi yang ditawarkan.

Salah satu caranya adalah dengan membantu klien melakukan transformasi digital sesuai kondisi masing-masing. Dengan memberikan kustomisasi layanan, para founder menyadari mereka bisa mendapatkan hasil yang lebih baik. Simak bagaimana tiga perusahaan startup berikut membantu para klien masing-masing bernavigasi menuju digitalisasi.

Manycore: Menyederhanakan hidup pemilik rumah melalui layanan SaaS

Memilih perabotan rumah bisa jadi hal yang melelahkan. Tak sedikit pemilik rumah yang menghabiskan terlalu banyak waktu dan uang untuk mendesain tata ruang rumah dengan desainer interior.

Untuk mengatasi masalah ini, tiga orang alumni dari University of Illinois–Victor Huang, Chen Hang, dan Zhu Hao–mendirikan Manycore pada 2011. Dua tahun setelahnya, mereka merilis software-as-a-service (SaaS) jasa desain berbasis cloud untuk keperluan perabotan rumah tangga dan sektor real estat. Namun, di awal usaha, mereka sempat kesulitan menarik perhatian audiens yang jadi target: desainer interior.

“Kebanyakan desainer interior menyampaikan (kepada kami) jika mereka memakai tool berbasis web, para konsumen malah beranggapan desainer hanya menghabiskan sedikit waktu dalam mendesain prototipe, sehingga terkesan bahwa desainer tidak profesional,” ujar Huang.

Menghadapi respons pasar yang kurang antusias, Manycore banting setir untuk memperkenalkan produk mereka kepada para pemilik rumah. Mereka menawarkan pengguna untuk mendesain rumah dalam hitungan menit, dan mendapatkan gambar fotorealistik dalam hitungan detik, sembari menghemat biaya desain interior. Dengan menjembatani celah ini, masyarakat awam dan para pemilik rumah mampu mendesain interior rumah mereka dengan solusi yang ramah.

“Sebelumnya, pemilik rumah butuh waktu berhari-hari–bahkan beberapa minggu–untuk menghubungi, bernegosiasi, hingga membuat kesepakatan dengan desainer interior,” papar Huang. Ia menambahkan, software interior desain terdahulu cukup sulit dipelajari, serta membutuhkan waktu berbulan-bulan hingga pengguna bisa membuat desain yang simpel.

Dengan makin banyak pemilik rumah yang menggunakan platform Manycore, para desainer interior mulai mau beradaptasi untuk menggunakan platform tersebut dalam pekerjaan masing-masing. Pada 2018, Manycore melebarkan sayap ke ranah internasional dan meluncurkan Coohom, platform yang membuat perusahaan mengumpulkan 22 juta pengguna hingga hari ini.

Bahkan pemasok kebutuhan interior rumah mulai melirik platform ini. Saat perusahaan keramik Marco Polo asal Cina memulai kemitraan dengan Coohom pada 2019, momen itu jadi langkah pertama digitalisasi bisnis Marco Polo di usianya yang ke-25.

Platform Coohom juga memungkinkan desainer Marco Polo menghasilkan desain produk terbaru secara efisien. Kemitraan ini menghasilkan dua keuntungan: membuat konsumen bisa mendapat gambaran yang lebih jelas tentang produk-produk Marco Polo, sementara para desainer Marco Polo jadi punya ruang untuk meningkatkan kemampuan desain masing-masing.

Wiz.ai: Membuat solusi AI sesuai kebutuhan tiap perusahaan

Tak jarang tiap orang menghadapi masalah yang spesifik untuk bisnis atau industri masing-masing. Bagi CEO dan Co-Founder Wiz.ai Jennifer Zhang, produk yang baik adalah yang dibuat bersama-sama dengan klien untuk mencapai tujuan perusahaan serta konsumen sekaligus bisnisnya.

Didirikan pada 2019, perusahaan rintisan Singapura ini menggunakan machine learning, automatic speech recognition, dan natural language processing untuk membangun solusi engagement dalam bentuk smart voice AI. Implementasi dari produk ini memungkinkan perusahaan-perusahaan dari berbagai industri–mulai dari keuangan dan perbankan, hingga logistik dan e-commerce–mengganti call center mereka dengan chatbot berbasis suara.

Kolaborasi dengan konsumen dimulai dari serangkaian workshop kreatif. Kegiatan ini dilakukan untuk memahami dan mengidentifikasi cara penggunaan terbaik pada bisnis para konsumen, kata Zhang.

Jennifer Zhang, CEO and co-founder at Wiz.ai (baju hijau), dengan timnya.

“Dari sini, kami memetakan titik kontak dalam keterlibatan konsumen yang paling umum, sehingga dapat diotomatisasi menggunakan voice AI,” tambahnya. “Kami kemudian bekerja sama dengan para pemangku kepentingan internal untuk menentukan cakupan talkbot, mengintegrasikan Wiz.ai ke dalam sistem yang ada, dan melakukan beberapa kali pengujian untuk memastikan produk bekerja dengan lancar.”

Pada Desember 2020, Wiz.AI bekerja sama dengan Carro untuk meluncurkan talkbot. Tool yang dapat membantu marketplace mobil berbasis di Singapura ini melakukan automasi proses penjualan aktif serta panggilan ke konsumennya. Talkbot ini mampu menangani hampir empat kali panggilan lebih banyak daripada manusia, dan menghasilkan tingkat respons konsumen yang serupa, hingga Carro mampu memanfaatkan 20.000 prospek potensial yang sebelumnya tidak tertangani.

Faktanya, talkbot sulit dibedakan dengan suara manusia. Zhang mengatakan bahwa sering kali konsumen menyampaikan terima kasih kepada talkbot ketika mengakhiri pembicaraan.

Labster: Solusi edtech dari Eropa ke Amerika Utara

Saat Covid-19 mendorong para warga dunia untuk bekerja dan belajar dari jarak jauh, startup edtech Denmark Labster berada dalam situasi yang penuh tantangan. Perusahaan mencoba untuk memenuhi kebutuhan sekolah di pasar terbesarnya, Amerika Utara, sementara mereka berbasis di Eropa.

“Itu adalah waktu yang sangat intens,” kata Michael Jensen, pendiri dan CEO Labster. Saat sekolah-sekolah ditutup, perusahaan menanggapi fenomena tersebut dengan memperluas cakupan bisnis yang awalnya terfokus pada mahasiswa. Kini Labster juga menyasar siswa sekolah menengah.

“Kami sangat yakin dengan menggratiskan sebagian besar produk kami, manfaat dari membangun awareness (terhadap produk kami) akan berdampak positif untuk kami dalam jangka panjang,” jelas Jensen. Strateginya berhasil. Dalam beberapa minggu, lebih dari 50.000 guru telah mendaftar ke Labster.

Mads Tvillinggaard Bonde, founder dan *executive chairman* dari Labster (kiri), and Michael Jensen, founder dan CEO

Karena sekolah harus dimulai kembali dari rumah sesegera mungkin, Labster hanya punya waktu 2 minggu untuk melatih dan mengajari 2 juta siswa dan ratusan guru.

Untuk mengatasi rintangan ini, Labster memperkenalkan program fleksibel yang melibatkan webinar dan pelatihan harian. Program ini memungkinkan guru dan administrator sekolah untuk masuk dan keluar sesi sesuai dengan jadwal masing-masing. Ini menghasilkan peningkatan penggunaan sekitar 20 kali dibandingkan periode yang sama tahun lalu, kata Jensen. Ke depan, Jensen mengincar kawasan berkembang seperti pedesaan Afrika, di mana infrastruktur untuk konektivitas internet masih terbelakang.

“Simulasi dan teknologi kami dirancang untuk akses bandwidth yang sangat rendah, hanya butuh sekitar 50 MB untuk mengunduh [konten],” kata Jensen. Ia menambahkan bahwa hal ini membuat Labster sebagai kandidat sempurna untuk area dengan konektivitas internet yang tak merata. Siswa bisa menggunakan koneksi 3G atau Edge untuk mengakses simulasi Labster.

Mengingat pelatihan berbasis video yang sering kali menggunakan bandwidth yang besar, solusi data-friendly dari Labster membuat pendidikan lebih mudah diakses oleh banyak orang.

Manycore, Wiz.ai, dan Labster adalah perusahaan portofolio di bawah GGV Capital. Untuk mengetahui lebih lanjut tentang pendanaan dan dukungan yang ditawarkan perusahaan modal ventura kepada perusahaan portofolionya, kunjungi situs resminya di sini.

Konten ini diproduksi oleh Tech in Asia Studios dalam partnership dengan GGV Capital

(Artikel ini pertama kali dipublikasikan dalam bahasa Inggris. Isi di dalamnya telah diterjemahkan dan dimodifikasi oleh Dini Utomo sesuai dengan standar editorial Tech in Asia Indonesia. Diedit oleh Iqbal Kurniawan)

Source: Tech In Asia

May

Featured Articles

Singaporean Wiz.ai bags USD 6 million in a pre-Series A round

Wiz.ai plans to develop its conversational AI technologies and expand teams in Southeast Asia.

The Singapore-based AI company Wiz.ai on Friday announced that it completed a USD 6 million pre-Series A funding round, led by GGV Capital. Also participating were Wavemaker Partners, ZWC Partners, Insignia Ventures, and the Orion Fund, which is managed by K3 Ventures. The company said that it aims to expand the company’s product offerings and grow its teams in Southeast Asia.

Founded by Jennifer Zhang in 2019, Wiz.ai has deployed conversational AI technologies within large corporations in Southeast Asia. The firm’s focus is to adapt AI solutions for ASEAN languages. Its offices in Singapore, China, and Jakarta are housing a growing team of scientists, researchers, linguists, and dialogue designers.

“Through improved AI chatbot technologies, conversational AI will revolutionize call center functions and improve customer engagement,” Zhang said in a press statement. “Deploying these technologies in businesses across Southeast Asia requires a deep understanding of local languages, culture, and the business landscape, so we continue to bring in exceptional talent from the region to our diverse team of experts in conversational AI.”

The company finds that a key challenge is the capturing and processing of insights from interactions with customers. Wiz.ai says it’s able to cut costs while improving service levels with personalized inbound and outbound calls in English and other languages like Bahasa.

“People typically think of a talkbot as just an automated mouth. Wiz.ai’s talkbot also has the ears and the brain to form a complete solution,” said Paul Santos, managing partner at Wavemaker Partners.

This article was written by Written by Cindy Silviana and Published on KrASIA

Apr

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SBR Technology Excellence Awards 2021 recognises Singapore’s most innovative companies

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reshape the global business landscape, the question has shifted from how companies can survive the restrictions to how they can adjust and thrive despite the crisis. It’s not just the “survival of the fittest”, but it’s now the “survival of the smartest”. Companies that create smart innovations that propel business growth, or those that spearhead technological advancements that defy convention and mediocrity allow them a more secure footing amidst the uncertainties that the crisis brings. It is also these businesses that deserve recognition for their remarkable achievements in technology.

Following social distancing and safety guidelines, Singapore Business Review has awarded these enterprises at the SBR Technology Excellence Awards 2021 held via individual studio and virtual presentations throughout the second and third week of April.

Now in its third year, the awards programme lauds the country’s most outstanding companies that are riding the digital disruption wave and leading the technological revolution and digital journeys of their respective industries.

This year’s winners were judged by an elite panel that includes Daryl Pereira, Head of Cyber at KPMG; Cheang Wai Keat, Partner, Consulting at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte. Ltd.; Henry Tan, Group Chief Executive Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at Nexia TS; Sivakumar Saravan, Senior Partner at Crowe Singapore; Cecil Su, Director, Head of Cybersecurity of BDO Singapore.

Congratulations to the winners!

AI – Automotive Services
21 United Holdings Pte Ltd

Digital – Engineering
ABB Pte Ltd

Digital – Travel Services
Accenture

Facial Recognition – Financial Services
ADVANCE.AI

Digital – Life Insurance
AIA Singapore

Cloud – Oil & Gas
Air Liquide, APAC

Digital – Remittance
Aleta Planet

Digital – Health Products & Services
Align Technology

Fintech – Payments
Atome

Robotics – Health Products & Services
Avalon SteriTech Limited

Digital – Chemicals
AVIENT COLORANTS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.

Analytics – Life Insurance
Aviva Ltd

Mobile – Telecommunications
Better.SG

Enterprise Software – Apparel
Browzwear

Software – Startup
Canapii

Augmented & Virtual Reality – Telecommunications
CITIC Telecom CPC

Cloud – IT Services
Cloud4C

Biotechnology – Health Products & Services
CooperVision Singapore

Fintech – Mergers & Acquisitions
Datasite

Robotics – Warehouse
Dematic & Bolloré Logistics

Blockchain – Metals & Mining
Digix Global

Digital – Real Estate
Far East Organization

Blockchain – Logistics
Freightchain Technologies Pte Ltd

Digital – Healthcare
Fullerton Health

Fintech – Trading Services
Futu Holdings Limited

Digital – Logistics
GeTS Asia Pte Ltd

Cybersecurity – IT Products
Group-IB Global Private Limited

Online Services – Real Estate
Huttons Asia Pte Ltd

Augmented & Virtual Reality – Manufacturing
IBM Manufacturing Solutions Pte Ltd

Big Data – Advertising
iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited

Fintech – Payment Cards
IDEMIA

Mobile – Healthcare
IHH Healthcare Singapore

Digital – Financial Services
IMTF BANKING SOFTWARE PTE LTD

Software – Energy
INOVAANTAGE PTE LTD

Cybersecurity – IT Services
Insightz Technology Pte Ltd

Cloud – Financial Services
IPC Systems, Inc.

Software – Computer Software
JobKred Private Limited

SIEM – Computer Software
LogRhythm

AI – Computer Software
Luminance

Nanotechnology – Automotive & Transport Equipment
Nanofilm Technologies International Limited

IoT – Education
Nanyang Technological University

Enterprise Software – Media & Entertainment
Nintex

API – Business Insurance
NTUC Income Insurance Co-operative Limited

Mobile – Life Insurance
NTUC Income Insurance Co-operative Limited

Robotics – Commercial Real Estate Trust
OTSAW Digital Pte Ltd

IT Storage – IT Services
Pure Storage

Mobile – Human Resource Technology
Qualee Technology Pte Ltd

AI – Financial Services
Refinitiv Labs Asia

Information Management – Non-Profit or Government Organizations
REVEZ Corporation Ltd

Analytics – Banking
SAS Institute

Robotics – Logistics
Schenker Singapore Pte Ltd

Cybersecurity – Network
SentinelOne

Software – Internet/New Media
Shootsta

Analytics – IT Services
SIFT Analytics Group

AI – Banking
Standard Chartered Bank

Computing – Aerospace
Stratus Technologies

Augmented & Virtual Reality – Engineering
Surbana Jurong Consultants Pte Ltd

Software – Shipping
SVM Solutions and Technologies Pte. Ltd. (Solverminds)

Information Management – Metals & Mining
Syniti Asia Pacific & Japan

Cloud – Retail
Tencent

AI – Telecommunications
Tetherfi

Mobile – Brokerage
Tiger Brokers (Singapore) Pte Ltd

IoT – IT Services
Tracesafe Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

Mobile – Transportation
Transit Link Pte Ltd

Fintech – Payment Invoicing
Uqpay Technology (SG) Pte. Ltd.

Network and Broadband – Telecommunications
VIAVI Solutions

AI – Customer Experience
WIZ HOLDINGS PTE. LTD.

This article was published on Singapore Business Review

Page 1 of 2

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Jennifer Zhang – CEO & Co-Founder of WIZ.AI Shortlisted for Women In IT Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Forbes Asia 100 To Watch

Wiz.AI devises AI talkbots for Southeast Asia | Startup Stories

AI talkbots are being used by enterprises around the world to provide customer service at scale.

Automated customer voice services

‘Last-mile delivery’

Singapore AI startup Wiz nets $6m in pre-series A round led by GGV Capital

Bagaimana 3 Inovator yang Berbeda Menyederhanakan Kehidupan Konsumen Mereka

Manycore: Menyederhanakan hidup pemilik rumah melalui layanan SaaS

Wiz.ai: Membuat solusi AI sesuai kebutuhan tiap perusahaan

Labster: Solusi edtech dari Eropa ke Amerika Utara

Singaporean Wiz.ai bags USD 6 million in a pre-Series A round

Wiz.ai plans to develop its conversational AI technologies and expand teams in Southeast Asia.

SBR Technology Excellence Awards 2021 recognises Singapore’s most innovative companies

Congratulations to the winners!

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