Artificial intelligence

ElevenLabs turns up the volume in India

UK AI unicorn brought the party to India, betting on local languages and a more playful approach to cement its lead in the voice AI market.

From backend to bedtime

Supabase, Terra Charge, Lumio, and more raised funds this week.

Traveloka’s profit puzzle

For this issue, we’ve updated our SEA earnings tracker with Traveloka’s latest results. Plus, Moonshot AI is inching closer to a Hong Kong IPO.

Ajaib’s valuation defies the market

Ajaib’s higher valuation comes as it expands its digital asset business, while Wiz.AI shows what a sharper focus on ROI can deliver.

Nex AI’s founder on pulling the plug

Find out why a founder shut down his AI startup despite seven-figure contracts, plus which AI startups in Asia have raised the most funding.

The AI race looks very different in China

Senior editor Scott Shuey went to China last week expecting to see an AI sector racing to close the gap with the US. What he saw was more interesting.

Why this founder killed his AI startup despite early success

His advice for other founders: Ask if you can do this for 10 years, don't fear a saturated market, and know when sunk cost is just sunk cost.

Move fast, don’t break things

Cyera, EVAS Intelligence, Heidi, and more raised funds this week.

AI agent startups face Meta’s shadow

Today’s issue dives into the pressure facing startups building AI agents on WhatsApp as Meta goes after their customers with its own agent.

Sea set to become first in SE Asia to adopt Nvidia’s Vera Rubin

The company said it would adopt the platform to boost its AI infrastructure and increase computing capacity for Garena, Shopee, and Monee.

Tencent Cloud, AI Singapore launch hackathon

Tencent said outstanding participants may be considered for fast-track internships.

Quick commerce’s second act in Indonesia

Indonesia finds a new formula for quick commerce, while Singapore’s AI hiring boom reveals where the real demand lies.

Who wins when the frontier slows?

We cover the recent calls for a US AI slowdown, SG’s AI flurry, AI keypads flying under the radar, and an interview with Flam’s cofounder.

AI after the hype

Tracking AI hiring in Singapore: OpenAI, Anthropic, and more

AI firms keep talking about Singapore. Their hiring data reveals who’s truly expanding in the region.

Travel is proving too turbulent for AI

AI was supposed to radically change travel, but incumbents are learning to bend it to their advantage. Plus, we talk to Supabase CEO Paul Copplestone.

Series SEA: Who’s investing in the region’s AI startups?

We've compiled a list of investors that are pouring money into Southeast Asia’s AI startups.

Huawei launches AI computing system amid US export controls

Huawei says its agentic SuperCluster can scale to 1 million NPUs.