On September 21, the Alibaba Cloud Startup Demo Day unfolded at the Apsara Conference in Yunqi Town, Hangzhou. Nine artificial intelligence startups from Southeast Asia pitched their solutions, each aiming to stand out to a panel of judges.
Among the decision makers were Wayne Luo, vice president of Incapital, Mello Xu, vice president of Ondine Capital, and Steve Wang, head of developer relations at Alibaba Cloud.
The origins of this event trace back to October 2023, when Alibaba Cloud launched its Startup Catalyst Program to boost high-potential startups worldwide—especially those pushing the envelope in AI. The program offers essential cloud computing resources, educational materials, and industry connections to help startups grow.
At this year’s demo day, the innovation and energy of Southeast Asia’s startups were on full display as they presented game changing technologies.
The demo day winner
Sipjoy, a Malaysian startup offering digital solutions for coffee shops, took home the top prize.
Vincent Sin, founder and CEO of Sipjoy, outlined the growing challenge faced by local coffee shops in Southeast Asia, up against international giants like Luckin Coffee and Starbucks.. Sin described the situation in stark terms: local coffee shops, without the benefit of technology, face the prospect of competing with “knives” against tech-driven global chains armed with “guns.”
Sipjoy’s answer? AI-driven digital tools designed to level the playing field for coffee chains. Through its platform, customers can place orders online, locate nearby coffee shops, and preorder their favorite brews. On the business side, coffee shop owners gain access to personalized customer insights, sales tracking, and data-driven marketing strategies—tools that give smaller businesses a fighting chance.
Other standout startups
Three other startups—MessengerCo, Omoo, and 1Long—also dazzled the panel.
MessengerCo, another standout from Malaysia, is on a mission to transform corporate gifting with AI. The company’s platform is said to cut the procurement process from a tedious 14 days to a mere two minutes. Through its AI concierge service, users can input their needs, and MessengerCo selects the best options from a wide catalog.
By connecting hundreds of suppliers and logistics providers, the platform streamlines the entire supply chain. MessengerCo has already signed up over 300 clients across sectors like banking, energy, and luxury retail.
From Thailand, Omoo focuses on improving customer relationship management (CRM) through a multichannel messaging platform. By integrating social media, email, and instant messaging tools, Omoo helps companies manage customer interactions more efficiently.
Since its inception in 2018, Omoo said its platform has processed over 20 million messages and now works with 250 companies, including international brands like Shell. With plans to expand into Miami and new features on the way—including AI-powered automation—Omoo expects its growth to continue.
1Long, a fintech company from Vietnam, is redefining sales processes with AI. The company has attracted 6,000 agents by offering tools integrated with AI solutions like OpenAI’s GPT-4.0 and Anthropic’s Claude 3.5. These technologies can deliver predictive insights, helping agents better understand market trends and customer needs.
1Long has already partnered with Shinhan Bank, Korea’s third largest bank, for its proof-of-concept (POC) phase. The company aims to expand its client base and develop a comprehensive private banking solution by 2025.
Other startups that took part in the demo day include:
- Collo from the Philippines offers a comprehensive platform for managing real estate, including features for automated billing, payment tracking, and real-time analytics.
- EM&AI specializes in AI-driven conversation analytics, optimizing communication efficiency for businesses, with support for multiple languages and a high accuracy rate.
- NavDeck is a Singapore-based startup leveraging AI and other technologies to provide personalized learning paths and assessments for workers, helping companies maximize their workforce potential.
- Paperless Hospital aims to reduce the administrative burden in healthcare, using AI to automate medical recordkeeping and streamline communication between doctors and patients.
- RemoteGenies is a platform that connects top freelancers from the Philippines with global clients, leveraging AI to match projects with the right talent.
The Alibaba Cloud Startup Catalyst Program was designed to provide startups with the resources they need to scale. Starting with USD 1,000 in cloud credits, founders can build on Alibaba Cloud’s platform, optimize their infrastructure with expert guidance, and tap into a network of industry leaders and innovators through regional events.
For select startups, the program extends up to USD 120,000 in cloud service credits, making it a global draw for emerging companies.
This article was written in partnership with Alibaba Cloud. 36Kr Global was a co-organizer of the Alibaba Cloud Startup Demo Day event.