Malaysia’s Sipjoy wins top prize at Alibaba Cloud Startup Demo Day for its AI solutions for local coffee shops

On September 21, the Alibaba Cloud Startup Demo Day was held at the Apsara Conference in Yunqi City, Hangzhou. Nine AI startups from Southeast Asia presented their solutions, each aiming to stand out to the panel of judges.

The decision makers included 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 date back to October 2023, when Alibaba Cloud launched the Startup Catalyst Program, which aims to support high-potential startups around the world – especially those that are expanding their horizons in the field of artificial intelligence. The program offers essential cloud computing resources, educational materials and industry contacts to help startups grow.

This year’s Demo Day showcased the innovation and energy of Southeast Asian startups on full display with game-changing technologies.

Demo day winner

The top prize was won by Sipjoy, a Malaysian startup offering digital solutions for coffee shops.

Vincent Sin, founder and CEO of Sipjoy, outlined the growing challenge facing local coffee shops in Southeast Asia in the face of international giants such as Luckin Coffee and Starbucks. Sin described the situation in stark terms: local coffee shops without technological advantages, face the prospect of competing “at knives” with technology-driven global networks armed with “weapons”.

Sipjoy’s response? Artificial intelligence-powered digital tools designed to level the playing field for coffee chains. Through the platform, customers can place orders online, locate nearby coffee shops and pre-order their favorite beers. On the business side, coffee shop owners gain access to personalized customer information, 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 wowed the panel.

MessengerCo, another unique company from Malaysia, is on a mission to transform corporate gifting with artificial intelligence. The company’s platform is said to shorten the shopping process from a tedious 14 days to just two minutes. Thanks to the AI ​​concierge service, users can report their needs, and MessengerCo selects the best options from a wide catalog.

By connecting hundreds of suppliers and logistics operators, the platform streamlines the entire supply chain. MessengerCo has already signed up over 300 customers in sectors such as banking, energy and luxury retail.

From Thailand, Omoo is focused on improving customer relationship management (CRM) through its multi-channel messaging platform. By integrating social tools, email and instant messaging, Omoo helps companies manage customer interactions more effectively.

Since its launch in 2018, Omoo claims its platform has processed over 20 million messages and currently works with 250 companies, including international brands such as Shell. With plans to expand to Miami and new features on the way – including AI-powered automation – Omoo expects continued growth.

1Long, a fintech company from Vietnam, is redefining sales processes using artificial intelligence. The company has acquired 6,000 agents by offering tools integrated with AI solutions such as OpenAI’s GPT-4.0 and Anthropic’s Claude 3.5. These technologies can provide predictive insights, helping agents better understand market trends and customer needs.

1Long has already partnered with Shinhan Bank, Korea’s third-largest bank, in the proof-of-concept (POC) phase. The company’s goal is to expand its customer base and develop a comprehensive private banking solution by 2025.

Other startups that took part in the demo day included:

• Wheel in the Philippines offers a comprehensive property management platform that includes automatic invoicing, payment tracking and real-time analytics.
• EM and artificial intelligence specializes in AI-based conversation analytics, optimizing communication efficiency for businesses, with multi-language support and a high accuracy rate.
• Navigation deck is a Singapore-based startup that uses artificial intelligence and other technologies to provide employees with personalized learning and assessment pathways, helping companies maximize their workforce potential.
• Paperless hospital aims to reduce administrative burdens in healthcare by using artificial intelligence to automate medical record keeping and improve communication between doctors and patients.
• RemoteGenies is a platform that connects the best freelancers in the Philippines with clients around the world, using artificial intelligence to match projects with the right talent.

The Alibaba Cloud Startup Catalyst program is designed to provide startups with the resources they need to scale. Starting with $1,000 in cloud credits, founders can build on the Alibaba Cloud platform, optimize their infrastructure with expert guidance, and connect with a network of industry leaders and innovators through regional events.

For select startups, the program includes cloud funding worth up to $120,000, making it a global attraction for emerging companies.

This article was written in cooperation with Alibaba Cloud. 36Kr Global co-organized the Alibaba Cloud Startup Demo Day event.