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Dialogue Management

23
Dec
Talkbot Basics
Driving Viral Growth with Andrew Chen
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

 

Did you ever wish you could bottle the magic that helped companies such as Uber, Tinder and Dropbox transform into the Unicorns they are today?

 
Last Wednesday (15th December 2021), in celebration of Andrew Chen’s book launch in Asia, we were honoured to host him during our webinar on “Driving Viral Growth” as our guest speaker. Over a thousand registrants signed up within the first week and we ever very quickly oversubscribed.
 
Andrew Chen is the legendary Silicon Valley Growth Hacker, and General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Through his methodology, he has managed to grow companies the likes of Uber, Tinder and Dropbox to Unicorn status.
 
During the webinar, Andrew had an in-depth discussion on growth methodology with Jennifer Zhang, CEO and Co-founder of WIZ.AI. They discussed the importance of not only a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) but also the necessity of having a Minimum Viable Community (MVC), because even the most brilliant product in the world is useless without users and a strong community.
 
Most importantly, Andrew shared the real-world use cases of how Tinder, Slack and Clubhouse employed the Atomic Network leverage their community of users to grow at scale and create incredible retention rates past even the D +30 mark.
 

On this, Jennifer drew parallels to her experience on how WIZ.AI’s Talkbot solutions are helping our clients scale up customer engagements to help companies overcome the cold start problem while still ensuring cost efficiency. Part of Wiz’s vision is to grow with growing companies and we assist hundreds of companies

Jennifer noted that customers were growing numb to in-app notifications and other text-based engagement methods, providing diminishing returns and that traditional voice engagements provide the best Customer Satisfaction Score CSAT however were costly to set up and maintain.
By combining the cost efficiency of human-like conversational voice AI to provide the voice engagements that customers respond to, together with an omnichannel approach to customer engagement. WIZ.AI were able to help companies from regional banks to fast growing Unicorn start-ups to grow their network at scale.
 
WIZ.AI is committed and will continue to engage with the Growth Hacking ecosystem in SEA and contribute to the regional digital transformation.
 
If you have missed the session, fret not! A short summary of the key takeaways from Andrew was prepared to help you to scale the network effect.
  • A common trait of many successful Silicon Valley companies is that they are very good at connecting people together, to create communities of users that in turn invite more users to join.
  • Viral growth is not just a campaign, it is a journey of engagement and community that invites users to share their experiences with other users.
  • User cases such as Google Docs, Dropbox, Uber, and Tinder demonstrated network effect is equally valuable in both B2B and B2C industries. However, B2B is more about targeted engagements Company by Company and the growing communities within the Company, while B2C usually grows city by city.
  • One of the key approaches to tackling the Cold Start Problem is getting enough users to use the product at the same time. You will need to build not just the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) but the MVC (Minimum Viable Community) for your start-up to take off.
  • When a certain size of network is built, there are couples of metrics to monitor the ongoing viral growth, including yearly & monthly growth rate, retention rate and the number of connections, etc.
  • Growth hackers should be able to not only look at the micro but also the macro view on their strategy.

22
Nov
Featured Articles  ·  Main Posts
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


22
Oct
Talkbot Basics
10 ways WIZ Talkbots increase call center efficiency
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

Call center’s efficiency is strongly tied with its capability and cost. Most enterprises struggle to stay flexible and be able to maintain a consistent high-quality service due to the volatile nature of contact center. Fortunately, WIZ AI offers the cutting-edge solution to break the industry bottlenecks and provide solutions to deal with changes in demand, high staff turnover, poor integration, and other problems that might occur. To better understand how WIZ.AI provides help to all those problems, here are 10 specific ways how WIZ Talkbots tackle the prominent challenges that are faced by traditional contact center and help them to achieve customer service excellence.

 

  1. AI Based Automation

When it comes to customer service, most customers prefer to talk to a real agent compared to an automated system. Talking to the bot can sometimes make them feel uneasy, or even unappreciated. That is why, automating the call center service could often place companies in an awkward position. On one hand, it could significantly cut the operational cost. On the other hand, the company has to sacrifice the service quality and might result in customers being unhappy. With this in mind, WIZ.AI develops Talkbots as a top-grade solution powered by Hyper-realistic Voice Dialogue technology, which enables the Talkbots to speak in a Natural Human-Like voice and support conversations with localized accent such as standard English, Singlish, Mandarin Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, along with several other ASEAN language and dialect. However, what distinct WIZ.AI Talkbots with other automated systems is its capability to handle interruption, recognize intention, and follow that up with appropriate clarification and chasing statements, just human agents. WIZ.AI Talkbots sound so natural that 95% of users are not even aware that they are talking to a bot. In conclusion, automating call center with Talkbots could help companies lower the operational costs, while staying customer centric.

 

  1. Best Practice Preservation

Attempting to provide the highest standard of customer service, WIZ.AI Talkbots is trained based on successful conversations of the best call center agents. Then, the Talkbots will automatically streamline the dialogue and adopt the standardized workflow approach to meet the business objectives in different kinds of scenarios. 

Customer service training used to be one of the key measures for call center to minimize service inconsistencies and failures.  However, with the technologies developed by WIZ.AI’s, companies no longer need to rely on regular customer service training programs to maintain the best front line service quality. This also means the elimination of the training curve for new agents.

 

  1.     One Call Solution

Another competitive advantage of WIZ.AI’s dialogue design and management could be attributed to its powerful knowledge base. Unlike human agents that sometimes need to follow up on the unsolved problem in the previous calls, WIZ.AI’s Talkbots are capable of handling a wide range of frequently asked questions and routine tasks. If the Talkbot is unable to follow up on customer’s inquiries, or if the matter requires hands on human help, Talkbot will automatically redirect the call to the appropriate human agent. With this foolproof system, customers’ issue can be resolved efficiently and effectively in one call.

 

  1. Reduce “Dead Air” on Calls

Human agents are the spearhead of companies for customer reach out.  However, even though trained by the best customer service training companies, human agents cannot always deliver a flawless customer experience. Sometimes there are human factors that prevent agents from doing their best. One of the problems that mostly occur because of this, is Dead Air on calls. Dead air happens when neither the agents nor the customers have anything to say in the call. This long pause and silence during the call is the typical human factor that ends up lengthens call time, and worse it could give customers bad experience which in the end will reduce customer confidence. 

There are several reasons why Dead Air occurs, for example personal habits of the agents, fresh agents that have no experience, or even when customers asked about matters that agents are not familiar with. Whatever the reason behind it, customers tend to interpret the long pause or silence as agents’ incompetence in solving the problem they are facing. Consequently, customers were left with negative impressions and service experience. That is why, WIZ.AI Talkbots were developed with technologies that could guarantee immediate response to customers inquiries in 0.5 second. This could vastly reduce the potential dead air on calls and gives the customer more confidence in companies’ customer service.

 

  1. Shorter Wait Time

When experiencing an unexpectedly high volume surge, the company has no choice but to put the customers on hold for a long period of time. To solve this problem,  WIZ.AI’s Voice AI is the right solution due to our ability to increase call center capability in a short amount of time and at a low cost. Instead of sourcing a larger call center, installing more equipment, hiring more agents, and providing long and dragging agents training, the company can simply deploy more Voice Talkbots to cater a surge in call during critical situations. The operation can quickly be scaled from one Talkbots to a hundred Talkbots in an instant.  With WIZ.AI’s technology, the company will become more prepared when facing unforeseen large increases in calls; and the customers will not have to wait and be left unattended for a long period of time.

 

  1. Eliminate Repetitive Query

Beyond providing consistent customer service, WIZ.AI technology helps businesses to draw information through a comprehensive and user friendly dashboard. The system collects, transcribes, and analyses data from every single call engaged, providing deep insights about the company’s performance and customers’ preference. For instance, the most frequently asked questions potentially reveal that the relevant information about market response to a product that is offered to the customers, or the information about the most commonly required assistance potentially indicates an awkward existing current service’s function. With clear and concise data, the company then can act based on the data and improve the relevant aspects accordingly. After improvements are made the call center will no longer have to deal with those similar queries and instead could focus on more important tasks.

 
  1.     High Quality Lead Identification

Beside the ability to spot the service gap in real time, WIZ.AI’s intelligent customer data report is also useful in identifying the high value customer. Leveraging on the customers’ preference and behavior that are reflected on detailed call data, the company could tailor a detailed telemarketing training for the Talkbots and then automate the out-bound service calls. Armed with the effective lead identification tool and outbound automation, the call center further boosts its operational effectiveness and efficiency.

 

  1. Robust AI Evolution

In the traditional call center operation, management rely on regular and redundant training to maintain service quality; yet the benefits of customer service training do not reflect immediately. Compared to that, WIZ.AI’s Talkbots are a more preferable solution. Powered by the Automatic Speech Recognition function, the Talkbots conducts speech tests during every customer interaction; and its overall recognition accuracy improves as a result. Meanwhile, the human dialogue engineers, who play a similar role as the call center trainer, conduct ongoing evaluation and training to improve the Talkbots’s capability as well. If there is any new skill required to support the operation, the Talkbots can learn and deliver the mature & data-proven scenario experience immediately while simultaneously improving as the system gathers more data. 

9.     Omnichannel integration

Switching from one to another database or service platform is time consuming which could drag down and ruin the efficiency of business operation.  That is why Wiz AI technology is available for Omnichannel integration. For example, when supported by the integrated system, WIZ.AI’s Talkbots could access the customers’ information via the integrated CRM system to identify the high value customers and perform an outbound call for new product promotion. After the conversation with the customer, WIZ.AI’s Talkbots activated the integrated SMS and sent them the information in detail. By achieving a well integrated ecosystem of existing platforms, WIZ.AI’s Talkbots are able to deliver a quick response and service; at the same time create customers a sense of feeling that they’re in the right hands.

 

  1. Workforce optimization and cost reduction

With the Talkbots helps to handle the routine issues, the call center agents are able to spend more time to service the high value customer. In addition, without relying on human support at a massive scale, the contact center is able to cut costs in terms of hardware expense, recruitment, call center courses designing, contact center training, agents retaining, and so on. Most importantly, the customer service excellence that is backed by Talkbot helps the company reduce financial loss associated with service failure compensation and customer loss.


29
Sep
WIZ AI
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.

 


06
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 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

03
Sep
Talkbot Basics
The Future of Lead Generation
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

Lead generation WIZ.AI

In this process, Prospective customers are also known as leads. In order to collect this leads companies need to engage in a process called lead generation. There are several ways companies could do lead generation. However, the most common and arguably the most effective way is through phone calls or a method called cold calling. A survey by Deloitte claimed that people still prefer voice communication over other methods of communication, especially regarding complicated matters. Cold calls also enable companies to reach their prospective customers faster, and in return allows companies to get faster and direct responses from the prospects. 

As effective as cold calls, however, it still comes with many disadvantages, such as the required resources and  somewhat unmeasurable return of investments. Not to mention when outbound calls didn’t get picked up, that lead might as well be considered lost, since it might not be called again in later time. Furthermore, counting human error as a factor, cold calls could be less reliable. Even the best call agents would have a bad day, and that day might be a good day for harvesting leads. Overall, using cold calls for lead generation is effective most of the time. However, it could be very unreliable and inefficient at times, more so if human errors are factored in. 

With the advancement of technologies, new tools started to emerge as solutions for better lead generation. Take chatbot as an example, with the existence of AI technology and several other supporting technologies, we can now build futuristic customer outreach tools that are entirely automated. Also, with such precise machineries the factor of human error could be minimized, thus ensuring the efficiency of the lead generation process. However, this futuristic technology is not free of disadvantages either. 

As good as chatbot technologies go, there are still limitations in the way they engage prospective customers. For starters, chatbot comes as a text based technology which means there is a high chance that the initial contacts they made with customers are completely ignored. Also, chatbots do not have the ability to classify the leads to single out the high value leads. Not to mention, the lack of originality and authenticity of chatbots when engaging the customers. In the end, chatbot could automate several simple tasks. However, the results are far from satisfactory. But what if there is a technology that combines the effectiveness of cold calling with agents and the efficiency of chatbots?

Effective and Efficient Lead Generation

To answer this problem, WIZ.AI comes with a technology called Talkbots, a conversational voice AI technology. Talkbots are highly specialized conversational voice AI assistants that can automate the many complex tasks needed to be achieved over a phone conversation, including lead generation. They are made up of a comprehensive AI system with the ability to engage multiple prospective consumers at once. Powered with ground breaking technologies such as Natural Language Processing, Text to Speech, Speech to Text, and other supporting technologies, Talkbots are able to interact with potential clients in a hyper-realistic way just like humans. This helps Talkbots to better identify high value leads. This means With WIZ.AI Talkbots, businesses could run a better lead generation process,  which in turn will generate better leads in terms of both quality and quantity

Talkbots also reduce the necessity for the company to put more resources into repetitive tasks. These resources instead could be put into more important tasks such as closing sales or customer engagements that require hands-on help. With Talkbots taking care of small repetitive tasks, the cost lead generation would be more efficient. Talkbots also consolidate all the best practice for lead generation, therefore there are no wasted efforts in every attempt to generate leads. 

Better than that, all of this could be done consistently since AI doesn’t get stressed by doing the same horrendous and repetitive task, which means the results would be consistently good. In addition to that, Talkbots also records every call with prospective customers. Every information of a successful call will be used to improve the Talkbots, making them better time after time, thus ensuring consistently better results in time. 

Ultimately, Talkbots are not only a piece of futuristic technology that is cool and convenient to have, Talkbots are the future of lead generation that could help companies to generate leads efficiently, effectively, and consistently gets better in the long run.


03
Sep
Pengenalan Talkbot
Masa Depan Lead Generation
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

Setiap bisnis memiliki cita-cita untuk menjaring pelanggan sebanyak-banyaknya. Masing-masing bisnis pun menggunakan strategi dan tools berbeda untuk mendapatkan pelanggan. Tapi, hampir semua strategi bisnis yang ada melibatkan pemantauan pasar dan mengumpulkan daftar calon pelanggan sebelum dihubungi oleh sales yang akhirnya melakukan aktivitas penjualan. 

Pada proses ini, calon pelanggan juga dikenal dengan istilah leads. Untuk mengumpulkan leads tersebut, perusahaan biasanya melakukan suatu proses yang dikenal dengan lead generation. Ada beberapa cara yang  digunakan oleh perusahaan untuk melakukan lead generation. Salah satu cara yang paling sering digunakan adalah melalui telepon dengan strategi yang disebut dengan cold calling. Sebuah survei dari Deloitte mengklaim bahwa pelanggan masih memilih komunikasi suara dibanding dengan metode komunikasi lainnya, terutama jika melibatkan hal-hal yang agak rumit. cold calling juga memberikan kemampuan bagi perusahaan untuk menjangkau calon pelanggan dengan cepat, yang nantinya memberikan kesempatan bagi perusahaan untuk mendapatkan respon dari calon pelanggan secara langsung dan lebih cepat. 

Sayangnya, walaupun cold calling terbilang efektif, strategi ini juga memiliki banyak kelebihan seperti kebutuhan resource perusahaan yang  besar, atau return of investment yang sulit diukur. Belum lagi, ketika telepon tidak dijawab oleh calon pelanggan. Jika hal ini, terjadi lead tersebut bisa dianggap hilang. Selain itu, mengingat potensi faktor kesalahan manusia atau human error, cold calling agak sulit untuk diandalkan. Bahkan agen call center terbaik pun memiliki waktu-waktu dimana mereka tidak mampu memberikan yang terbaik dalam melakukan pekerjaan, dan bisa saja saat itu adalah waktu yang baik untuk mengumpulkan leads. Jadi dapat disimpulkan, menggunakan cold calling untuk lead generation seringkali efektif. Tapi, kadang sulit diandalkan dan tidak efisien, terlebih lagi ketika kesalahan manusia atau human error menjadi faktor utama. 

Dengan kemajuan teknologi, berbagai solusi untuk aktivitas lead generation mulai bermunculan. Chatbot misalnya. Dengan adanya teknologi kecerdasan buatan, dibantu dengan teknologi-teknologi penunjang lainnya, pengembang sekarang mampu membuat alat futuristik yang dapat dengan mudah menjangkau pelanggan dengan otomatis. Selain itu, dengan sistem dan mesin yang presisi faktor kesalahan manusia dapat diminimalisasi, yang artinya efisiensi dan reliabilitas proses lead generation dapat dipastikan. 

Namun, sehebat-hebatnya teknologi chatbot, masih banyak kekurangan yang dimiliki chatbot. Salah satu contoh, chatbot merupakan alat komunikasi berbasis text, jadi sangat mungkin pesan yang dikirimkan chatbot diabaikan oleh pelanggan. Selain itu, chatbot juga tidak memiliki kemampuan untuk mengklasifikasi leads untuk memilih leads mana yang memiliki nilai dan kualitas baik, atau sebaliknya. Chatbot juga dapat terlihat kaku saat berinteraksi dengan calon pelanggan. Chatbot memang dapat mengotomasi beberapa tugas yang mudah. Tapi, hasil yang diberikan masih jauh dari memuaskan. Lalu apakah ada teknologi yang menggabungkan efektifitas cold calling dengan efisiensi yang dimiliki chatbot?

Lead Generation yang efektif dan efisien

Untuk menjawab masalah ini, beberapa perusahan pengembangan teknologi kepintaran buatan seperti WIZ.AI menghadirkan teknologi Talkbot, yaitu teknologi kecerdasan buatan untuk percakapan suara atau conversational voice AI. Talkbot merupakan conversational voice AI assistant yang dapat mengotomasi pekerjaan-pekerjaan kompleks yang dilakukan lewat percakapan telepon, termasuk lead generation. Sistem AI talkbot dibangun secara komprehensif dengan kemampuan untuk menghubungi beberapa calon pelanggan sekaligus. Dibuat dengan teknologi mutakhir seperti Natural Language Processing, Text to Speech, Speech to Text, dan teknologi-teknologi lainnya, talkbot dapat berinteraksi dengan calon pelanggan secara natural layaknya manusia. Hal ini juga membantu talkbot mengidentifikasi leads dengan kualitas tinggi. Artinya, dengan talkbot, perusahaan dapat memastikan proses lead generation yang lebih baik, yang nantinya akan menghasilkan leads yang lebih baik dari segi kualitas dan kuantitas leads yang didapatkan. 

Talkbot juga mengurangi kebutuhan perusahaan dalam menggunakan stafnya untuk pekerjaan yang bersifat repetitif. Staf-staf tersebut akan lebih berguna pada pekerjaan-pekerjaan yang lebih penting seperti melakukan penjualan, atau membantu pelanggan yang membutuhkan bantuan langsung terkait kendala yang mereka alami. Saat pekerjaan-pekerjaan kecil yang repetitif dapat di handle oleh talkbot, proses lead generation akan menjadi lebih efisien. Talkbot juga mampu mengkonsolidasi seluruh best practice yang dibutuhkan dalam proses lead generation, sehingga tidak ada tenaga, waktu, dan kesempatan yang terbuang percuma saat melakukan lead generation. 

Lebih hebatnya lagi, seluruh pencapaian dapat dilakukan secara konsisten karena AI tidak merasakan stress ketika harus melakukan suatu pekerjaan berkali kali. Ini berarti talkbot dapat secara konsisten menghasilkan leads dengan kualitas tinggi. Selain itu, Talkbot juga merekam seluruh percakapan dengan calon pelanggan. Setiap informasi dari panggilan yang berhasil akan digunakan untuk mengembangkan talkbot lebih baik lagi, sehingga hasil pekerjaan dari talkbot akan menjadi lebih baik dari waktu ke waktu. 

Talkbot bukan hanya teknologi masa depan yang keren dan berguna untuk dimiliki, tapi juga merupakan masa depan lead generation yang dapat membantu perusahaan untuk melakukan lead generation secara efektif, efisien, dan secara konsisten menjadi lebih secara terus menerus.


30
Aug
Pengenalan Talkbot
Istilah-istilah yang sering digunakan dalam teknologi Conversational Voice AI
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

Terlepas dari ketenarannya yang meroket, Conversational Voice AI, atau Kecerdasan Artifisial yang mampu berkomunikasi secara verbal, belum benar-benar mendapatkan perhatian dari industri. Masih banyak yang belum paham bahasa-bahasa yang digunakan dalam dunia Voice AI. Artikel ini akan membahas bahasa, istilah, maupun singkatan terkait Voice AI. 

Conversational Voice Artificial Intelligence: Kecerdasan Artifisial yang mampu berkomunikasi secara verbal

Untuk memahami tentang hal-hal lain terkait Voice AI ada baiknya kita memahami apa itu Conversational Voice Artificial Intelligence atau yang juga dikenal sebagai Voice AI. Conversational Voice Artificial Intelligence terdiri dari beberapa hal yang dikenal dengan nama Voice Activated Machine atau teknologi yang dapat diaktifkan lewat suara seperti Siri dari apple, Google Home  Assistant, Alexa milik Amazon, atau Talkbots buatan WIZ.AI. Teknologi Voice AI ini memiliki fungsi yang mirip dengan chatbot yang biasanya menyapa anda ketika mengunjungi sebuah situs. 

Dalam penggunaan Conversational Voice Artificial Intelligence pengguna tidak hanya dapat mengaktifkan teknologi tersebut dengan suara atau memberikan pertanyaan, Voice AI juga memiliki kemampuan untuk berbincang dengan pengguna dengan suara dan respons yang realistis layaknya manusia. Kemampuan unik yang dimiliki Kecerdasan Artifisial untuk memahami respons pengguna dengan konteks dan gaya bahasa tertentu ini mampu dicapai lewat teknologi Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Natural Language Understanding, dan Text to Speech Engine. Dengan memadukan teknologi-teknologi tersebut, pengguna dapat memiliki pengalaman berinteraksi yang natural dengan Kecerdasan Artifisial seperti saat berinteraksi dengan seseorang. 


Apa itu Machine Learning?

Machine Learning atau Pembelajaran Mesin merupakan bagian dari dunia Kecerdasan Buatan yang fokus pada penggunaan data dan algoritma untuk melatih mesin (Kecerdasan Buatan) mengimitasi manusia. Dalam hal ini, Machine Learning digunakan untuk melatih voice AI untuk dapat memberikan respon lebih akurat kepada pengguna. 


Mengenal Lebih Jelas Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Natural Language Processing (NLP) merupakan teknologi yang berfokus pada interaksi antara komputer (Mesin/AI) dengan bahasa yang digunakan manusia, yang dikenal dengan natural language. NLP memperbolehkan mesin untuk memahami bahasa tersebut, dalam bentuk lisan maupun tulisan (Speech Recognition). NLP juga memberikan komputer kemampuan untuk mengerti konteks sebuah percakapan serta gaya bahasa dari respon yang diberikan pengguna. kemampuan ini dikenal dengan istilah Intent Recognition atau kemampuan untuk mengenali niat dan maksud dari pengguna. Selain digunakan pada teknologi Speech Recognition, NLP merupakan aspek fundamental Kecerdasan Artifisial yang memberikan  komputer kemampuan untuk memahami ucapan manusia, mengolah informasi dari ucapan tersebut, dan menghasilkan informasi penting secara efisien. 


Lalu apa bedanya NLP dengan Natural Language Understanding (NLU) ?

Sebenarnya. Natural Language Understanding (NLU) adalah subtopik dari Natural Language Processing yang menggunakan sintaksis (tata kalimat) dan aturan gramatikal pada suatu bahasa untuk memahami respon yang diberikan oleh pengguna, termasuk konteks dari respon tersebut. NLU melibatkan proses seperti sentiment analysis dimana suatu kalimat dianalisa untuk mengetahui sentimen yang terkandung di dalamnya (bisa positif, negatif, atau neutral). Sering digunakan pada survei atau review pelanggan, teknologi NLU mampu memproses data secara cepat dan efisien, sekaligus juga memberikan pengetahuan yang lebih dalam sesuai dengan konteks dan sentimen saat melakukan analisa. NLU juga mampu mengkategorisasi informasi sesuai topik. Dalam aplikasinya di call center misalanya, NLU dapat memastikan bahwa pengguna dilanjutkan ke agen call center yang tepat tergantung kebutuhan layanan pelanggan yang dibutuhkan. 


Fungsi Text To Speech (TTS) Dalam Memabangun Personalized Experience

Text to speech (TTS) melibatkan penggunaan suara manusia untuk menghasilkan lafalan yang realistis dari tulisan menjadi kata-kata yang diucapkan. Salah satu contoh penggunaan TTS pada Kecerdasan Buatan untuk sistem Customer Service dapat dilihat saat nomor telepon pelanggan (yang spesifik bagi penelepon, dan berbeda untuk orang lain) harus disebutkan di dalam panggilan telepon untuk memberikan pengalaman personal bagi pelanggan. Pastinya akan sangat sulit jika harus meminta seorang pengisi suara untuk membacakan seluruh kombinasi nomor dalam pembuatan nomor identifikasi. Untuk itu, teknologi TTS mempercepat proses tersebut dengan kemampuannya untuk mengubah tulisan menjadi rekaman suara. Selain itu, teknologi TTS sederhana tetap membutuhkan usaha yang besar untuk membuat suara robot terdengar realistis dan natural, karena intonasi dan sentimen yang selalu ada pada percakapan kita sehari-hari. Karena itulah, bermunculan pengembang  yang memuat suara Voice AI Takbit terdengar lebih natural.


Membuat Transkripsi Secara Efisien Dengan Teknologi Speech to Text (STT)

Berbalik dengan teknologi Text to Speech, Speech to Text merupakan teknologi yang mengubah ucapan menjadi text atau dikenal dengan istilah transkripsi. Dalam teknologi call center. proses ini dikenal juga dengan nama Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), yang artinya “mencatat” atau “membuat transkripsi” panggilan telepon. Dengan adanya teknologi yang secara otomatis mentranskripsi panggilan telepon menjadi teks, akan lebih mudah bagi perusahaan untuk menganalisa dan membuat segmentasi pelanggan, yang merupakan hal penting dalam membuat strategi targeted marketing  untuk meningkatkan kesuksesan bisnis. Melakukan transkripsi telepon merupakan proses yang kadang membuat frustasi. selain itu, proses ini juga membutuhkan kemampuan mendengar yang baik, dan kemampuan menulis yang secepat kilat. Jadi, tidak heran jika otomatisasi proses ini dapat membuat bisnis lebih efisien dan memangkas pengeluaran.


Mengatur Alur Percakapan Kecerdasan Buatan dengan Dialogue Management

Dialog Management merupakan sebuah sistem yang mengatur alur percakapan. Untuk mengembangkan komputer (Mesin/AI) yang mampu berkomunikasi dengan pelanggan, sangat penting untuk membangun struktur alur perbincangan untuk memastikan pengalaman panggilan telepon terasa sangat intuitif dan realistis. Untuk mencapai hal tersebut, dibutuhkan analisis panggilan telepon yang terjadi di dunia nyata untuk memahami kebutuhan dan jalan pikiran pelanggan. Dialogue Management terdiri dari dua proses utama, yaitu: Pertama, adalah proses Dialog Modeling untuk memonitor kondisi sebuah dialog. Kedua, Dialog Control, dimana dialog manager menentukan bagaimana alur percakapan dengan A.I. akan berjalan. 


Mengenal proses Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Seringkali, suara dering hotline customer service diikuti dengan instruksi seperti “Untuk pertanyaan terkait ___, tekan satu”, kemudian anda akan melanjutkan dengan menekan angka satu pada telepon anda. Input ini kemudian akan mengalihkan anda ke agen khusus yang akan membantu anda. Proses menginput angka pada telepon anda inilah yang disebut IVR; yaitu fitur dasar yang digunakan untuk mengelola panggilan telepon dan mengalihkan panggilan telepon ke agen yang sesuai. 


Secara keseluruhan, komponen-komponen yang disebutkan tersebut berkolaborasi untuk membuat robot pintar yang mampu meningkatkan efisiensi biaya operasional, dan juga meningkatkan sales karena kemampuannya untuk mengaplikasikan best practice yang dimiliki agen customer service. Kemudian jika dipasangkan dengan mesin dan teknologi deep learning, inovasi teknologi Kecerdasan Buatan untuk percakapan akan menjadi lebih baik dengan setiap interaksi pelanggan dan panggilan telepon. Selain itu, setiap percakapan dengan pelanggan yang dicatat, didokumentasikan, dan dianalisis memperbolehkan perusahaan untuk mendapatkan pengetahuan mendalam tentang pelanggan dengan mudah. Informasi ini  akan sangat berguna dalam membangun pengalaman pelanggan yang lebih personal dan meningkatkan brand loyalty. 

Tapi perlu diingat, walaupun Conversational Voice AI merupakan inovasi teknologi terdepan dan akan terus berkembang,  slalu dibutuhkan sentuhan manusia dalam usaha customer engagement terutama karena aspek sosial. Solusi terbaiknya adalah dengan menggabungkan keduanya, Conversational Voice AI untuk membantu pekerjaan berulang dengan rules tertentu, dan pilihan self-service bagi pelanggan. Sedangkan, Agen Call Center dapat  menghandle tugas-tugas yang lebih kompleks termasuk melayani pelanggan-pelanggan yang lebih penting.


 
Hubungi kami untuk mendapatkan demo singkat, dan ketahui bagaimana bisnis anda dapat meningkat dengan bantuan Talkbots WIZ.AI. 


09
Aug
Wiz-forbes
Featured Articles  ·  Main Display  ·  Main Posts
Forbes Asia 100 To Watch

Wiz-forbes

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

10
Jul
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Featured Articles
Wiz.AI devises AI talkbots for Southeast Asia | Startup Stories
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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

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