How do you use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ensure and increase safety on the sea? Singapore-based maritime tech startup Nautisense may have the answer.

With its platform MantaMind, Nautisense aims to enhance maritime safety, efficiency, and sustainability by providing AI solutions that improve predictive maintenance and critical decision-making processes.

Launched in 2023, the company wants to ensure that seafarers and maritime operators have access to the best tools for navigating the challenges of modern sea travel. According to Dr Vinayak Prabhu, Co-Founder and CEO of Nautisense, in an email interview with e27, one application of MantaMind includes helping marine superintendents perform internal audits of ships.

“Typically, a marine superintendent takes approximately 24 person-hours to perform the audit, including the preparation time, approximately seven to eight hours on the ship itself and the time taken to write the report and enter it into the ship management system,” he says.

But MantaMind updates this process by optimising and prioritising the aspects of the audit that the superintendent should focus on; this could be based on the previous audits’ reports and the crew’s performance. It also has a smart referencing tool to help the superintendent with any questions related to any aspect of the audit by referencing various codes and regulations, internal operating procedures, and past audit results.

Also Read: Studio 30 50 unveils maritime-tech startups joining its latest cohort

Finally, it automates the process of generating the report and connecting it to the organisation’s ship management system.

“Nautisense is the only company today to provide a seamless combination of automation of mundane digital tasks that frees up the time, of say, a chief engineer, for more critical and situational decision making, and supports this decision making by providing holistic and deterministic recommendations,” says Dr Prabhu.

“In view of this, MantaMind has been built to make task automation reliable and the decision recommendations deterministic. With a focus on privacy and security through ring-fenced enterprise data sets, MantaMind provides highly contextual and accurate recommendations verified by domain experts from the maritime industry. And by the way, our AI solution does this with or without strong connectivity.”

According to Dr Prabhu, two aspects play a key role in ensuring the quality of insights: the tech platform and the domain expert validation.

“The tech behind MantaMind has been designed to continuously push the limit of how deterministic an AI companion can be, hence providing reliable and actionable insights,” he says.

“A bulk of our efforts have also been to work with domain experts from our customers, the actual users of the platform, to validate the recommendations and therefore continually improve the platform’s performance.”

Also Read: Our voyage of innovation: Reshaping global maritime logistics

In developing its AI solutions, Nautisense deals with two main challenges: The first is to ensure the quality of the platform’s insights and its mitigation and focus area. “Delivering such quality output is not a given in the AI sector, and our team has dedicated a significant portion of our development efforts to ensure we can do so.”

The second one is tackling the unique data challenge in the maritime industry. “The maritime value chain is complex and teams typically manage their data sets fairly differently across different geographies. As you can imagine, this results in varied standards and more often than not, unorganised and unstructured datasets that are,” explains Dr Prabhu.

“We have made a strong push to integrate a variety of data inputs into the MantaMind platform so that no matter the format, we can make sense of it right away. This means right from text documents to images, to flat files such as Excels and CSVs, we can utilise all these data sources collectively to provide holistic and well-thought-out recommendations that maritime professionals can action on.”

Sailing to the future with AI

Nautisense is led by co-founders Dr Vinayak Prabhu, Gaurav Gupte, and Jheeva Subramanian. It has a team of four other members with expertise in tech and solution development, as well as customer and innovation management.

Also Read: YGT venture arm invests in Norwegian startup Zeabuz for maritime autonomous solutions

For its initial growth over 2024 and 2025, Nautisense is focusing on customers in Southeast Asia, Scandinavia, and the UK.

“Our customers can range from ship owners, to ship managers and to maritime products and services companies. The intended users of Nautisense’s MantaMind AI agent are maritime professionals, including vessel operators and managers, both on-board ships and on-shore offices,” Dr Prabhu explains.

“Our go-to-market strategy includes delivering apps through maritime marketplaces with established traction, such as the Azure and the Veracity marketplace, which we are getting onboarded onto. We are also in talks with connectivity providers that cater to maritime businesses on-shore and at sea to bundle MantaMind’s intelligence suite alongside the services they already provide.”

According to him, the year 2024 is a pivotal one for the company.

“Our main objectives for this year have been to debut with a strong market entry and build up a portfolio of MantaMind early adopters with a positive product and user experience,” he closes.

“2024 is also the year where we intend to raise a seed round of funds to grow the team with the best talent possible, and to fuel our expansion into the UK and Scandinavian market.”

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Image Credit: Nautisense

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Telkomsel Ventures, the investment arm of Indonesian telco Telkomsel, and startup community and VC firm AppWorks have unveiled the seven startups selected to participate in the TINC Batch #9 accelerator programme.

The six-month programme will showcase Indonesian startups creating innovative solutions for healthcare, fintech, climate, marketing, and smart homes.

Also Read: Telkomsel Ventures champions collaboration in supporting the Indonesian startup ecosystem

Built around the B2B Solutions & Emerging Technologies theme, the startups demonstrated significant synergies with major Telkomsel initiatives to promote the development of Indonesia’s digital economy and drive forward inclusive and sustainability initiatives through a highly competitive pitching process.

They were selected from over 100 qualified applicants.

Through the programme, startups will closely partner with Telkomsel Business Units to explore ways for their products and services to be integrated into the Telkomsel Ecosystem. Participating startups will attend activities and events designed to improve company competencies, expand their networks, and build synergies with Telkomsel, including mentorship sessions, office hours, topic deep dives, subject sharing, and community events.

TINC Batch #9 Demo Day is scheduled for October in Jakarta, and regional sessions in December in Taiwan. During these sessions, participating startups will pitch their companies to a select group of investors and potential business partners.

“We’re incredibly excited to launch TINC Batch #9 with these seven dynamic startups. Their innovative B2B solutions and emerging technologies represent the future of Indonesia’s digital ecosystem. We look forward to working alongside them and Telkomsel to accelerate their growth and deliver meaningful impact to our customers and partners,” said Mia Melinda, CEO of Telkomsel Ventures.

The seven startups featured in TINC Batch are:

PrimaKu: Founded in 2021 by Didit Indraputra, PrimaKu is a pediatric health platform that provides tailored, intuitive monitoring of child development.

Finfra: Established by Markus Prommik in 2022, Finfra empowers Southeast Asian companies by providing the infrastructure to integrate financial services seamlessly.

Rey: Launched by Evan Tanotogono in 2021, Rey is an end-to-end healthcare and insurtech company in Indonesia. It offers subscription-based services that integrate insurance, wellness, and medical record data to provide personalized care and services to each client.

Skorlife: Co-founded in 2022 by Ongki Kurniawan and Karan Khetan, SkorLife is a free application that helps users actively manage their credit scores and financial health.

Also Read: SkorLife secures US$4M to allow Indonesians access their credit scores, reports instantly

CarbonEthics: Initiated by Agung Bimo Listyanu in 2019, CarbonEthics is an impact enterprise dedicated to climate restoration through blue carbon rehabilitation and comprehensive natural climate solutions.

Peacom: Founded by Han Truong in 2022, Peacom delivers a multichannel conversational marketing and sales automation platform in Indonesia, enhancing business communications across diverse messaging channels.

myECO: Started by Maulana Derifato Achmad in 2020, myECO innovates in smart home technology by offering IoT-based solutions for electricity conservation, aiding households in reducing energy consumption effectively.

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In his presentation at The AI Summit at the Singapore Expo on May 30, Greenie Web CEO Ian Chew detailed the environmental impact of digital technology, including the use of Generative AI. Digital carbon emissions from online activities—from sending a WhatsApp message to generating a prompt using ChatGPT—are becoming a “massive present-day issue” as they contribute 3.7 per cent of Global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, almost as large as the aviation industry.

He also highlighted that this is a “rapidly scaling problem” as the number is expected to grow to 14 per cent by 2040.

“[During the COVID-19 pandemic] what happened was that every single country in the world digitised exponentially: The elderly, the young people who had not used digital devices from the beginning, did it for the first time. This will be a problem with a 300 per cent increase by 2040,” Chew explained.

To tackle them, there are two solutions that the CEO proposed: Digital decarbonisation and sustainable digitalisation.

Also Read: Collaboration and a sense of urgency: What it takes to support climate tech startups in Southeast Asia

“These are actually two sides of the same coin. When we think about digital decarbonisation, we are thinking about how we can write the wrongs of the past. When we look at legacy systems and AI models, how can we make that more efficient and continue using it?” Chew said. “When we think of sustainable digitalisation, we think of all the new possibilities. For example, how can we create a low-carbon mobile application?”

He proposed the SWUP framework for developers to help achieve these two goals. This includes monitoring the animation speed of one’s site or app, page weight budget, user optimisation, and eco-personal digital habits.

An example of such work that Greenie Web had done included a low-carbon site for the elderly, which showcased how the company fine-tuned a platform to the users’ needs to ensure an operation with lower carbon emissions.

On the sustainability of AI

On the same day, a panel discussion featuring speakers from the tech industry and social policy institutions discussed the sustainability aspects of AI technology.

According to Kenddrick Chan, Senior Policy Analyst, Policy and Politics at Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, pointed out, “When people talk about AI … the natural impulse is to think about AI for sustainability. Can AI do climate modelling for me? Can they do calculations of parametric risk insurance for climate disasters?”

Also Read: Collaboration and a sense of urgency: What it takes to support climate tech startups in Southeast Asia

“What we hear less is the other side of the coin which is not so much about ‘AI for sustainability’, but the ‘sustainability of AI’ itself.”

Chew, who also spoke at the panel, stressed the need for a fundamental change in the business model of data consumption. “If you look at the cloud service providers nowadays, one of the biggest issues is that they are incentivised to increase data consumption. The more services you rent, the more data you use, the more you will pay.”

The panel’s one key issue was that “we cannot manage what we do not measure.” But Chan pointed out that at the moment, there was no standardised way to measure. This was heightened by the complexity of analysing a tech platform’s carbon emissions: For example, a data centre might use electricity from various sources, including an eco-friendly one such as a solar panel.

“But one thing that becomes clear with this measurement problem is that it is coming to the forefront of policymakers’ attention, which is rightly so.”

The AI Summit was held in conjunction with the fourth edition of ATxEnterprise, which concluded on May 31. According to an official statement, the event welcomed over 22,000 attendees from 110 countries and regions.

One of the event’s key highlights was the announcement of the Singapore government’s Digital Enterprise Blueprint (DEB). Aiming to accelerate digital transformation in the country, DEB includes empowering small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt AI innovation.

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As the CEO and founder of Tokenize Xchange, one of Southeast Asia’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, I’ve seen firsthand the transformative potential of blockchain technology.

Our journey began with a vision: to make cryptocurrency accessible to everyone, foster innovation, and ensure the highest standards of security and trust.

Today, with nearly half a million users, teams in 4 countries, and our just completed US$23 million Series A, I can say with confidence that adhering to a regulatory framework has been crucial to our success.

The crypto market is a dynamic and often turbulent space. The recent debacle involving FTX is a stark reminder of the importance of proper checks and balances. While the decentralised nature of cryptocurrencies offers incredible opportunities, it also brings significant risks.

Without a robust regulatory framework, these risks can quickly become realities, leading to catastrophic consequences for both businesses and investors.

When we founded Tokenize, we made a conscious decision to prioritise regulatory compliance. This wasn’t always the easiest path.

Navigating the complex landscape of crypto regulations required significant resources and a deep commitment to transparency and integrity. However, I firmly believe that this approach has been fundamental to our longevity and growth. Today, we operate in Singapore under an exemption from the MAS, while in Malaysia, we operate with a full license from the Securities Commission Malaysia.

Building trust through transparency

One of the key lessons we’ve learned is that trust is the most valuable currency in the crypto world. In an industry where anonymity can sometimes lead to misuse, we have made it our mission to be as transparent as possible. Our relationship with Singapore’s Monetary Authority and Malaysia’s Securities Commission is a testament to our adherence to stringent regulatory standards. The exemption in Singapore and the license in Malaysia are not just badges of honour; they are symbols of our commitment to operating a secure and trustworthy platform.

Also Read: Lessons from a travel tech startup founder on navigating the pandemic-stricken business landscape

Transparency goes beyond regulatory compliance. It’s about being open with our users about how we operate, the security measures we have in place, and the steps we take to protect their investments. This openness builds confidence, attracts a broader user base, and fosters a loyal community.

Innovation within regulation

Some might argue that regulation stifles innovation. At Tokenize, we’ve found the opposite to be true. By working within a clear regulatory framework, we’ve been able to innovate with confidence. Our development of Titan Chain, a powerful new layer 1 blockchain, is a prime example.

Titan Chain offers enhanced security, scalability, and efficiency, addressing many of the issues that have plagued earlier blockchains. Knowing that we have a regulatory foundation to support our innovations has allowed us to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the crypto space.

Personal journey and lessons learned

My journey into the world of cryptocurrency began long before Tokenize was founded. I vividly remember the early days when blockchain technology was still a nascent concept, and the idea of a decentralised financial system was met with scepticism. It was a leap of faith, driven by a belief in the transformative power of this technology.

In the initial stages, there were countless sleepless nights, grappling with the complexities of developing a secure and user-friendly platform. The regulatory environment was still evolving, and we had to constantly adapt to new requirements.

There was a moment early on when we faced a significant regulatory hurdle in Singapore. It seemed like an insurmountable challenge at the time, but instead of seeing it as a roadblock, we viewed it as an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to compliance and transparency.

Also Read: 3 things first-time founders should know about ESOP implementation

This experience reinforced the importance of resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity.

My rules to live by

For those looking to venture into the world of crypto or any other innovative field, here are a few lessons I’ve learned along the way:

• Embrace regulation, don’t fear it: Regulatory compliance may seem daunting, but it is essential for long-term success. Embrace it as a framework that ensures your business can grow sustainably and earn the trust of users and investors alike.
• Build on a foundation of trust: Trust is your most valuable asset. Be transparent in your operations and communicate openly with your users. This will foster loyalty and create a strong, supportive community around your business.
• Innovate responsibly: Innovation is at the heart of the crypto industry, but it must be pursued responsibly. Understand the risks and ensure that your innovations are secure and beneficial to your users.
• Stay resilient and adaptable: The path to success is rarely a straight line. Be prepared to face challenges and setbacks, and view them as opportunities to learn and grow. Resilience and adaptability are crucial traits for any entrepreneur.
• Engage with regulators proactively: Establish a positive relationship with regulatory bodies. Engage with them proactively, seek their guidance, and demonstrate your commitment to compliance. This will help you stay ahead of regulatory changes and build credibility in the industry.

Setting an example for the industry

Our commitment to regulatory compliance has not only benefited Tokenize but also serves as a model for the broader crypto industry. By demonstrating that it’s possible to innovate responsibly, we hope to inspire other crypto businesses to follow suit.

This is particularly important as the industry matures and gains greater mainstream acceptance. Investors, regulators, and users alike need to see that the crypto world can operate with integrity and transparency.

The path forward

As we look to the future, the importance of abiding by a regulatory framework will only grow. The crypto industry is still in its infancy, and the regulatory landscape is continually evolving. Staying ahead of these changes and proactively engaging with regulators will be crucial.

At Tokenize, we are committed to leading by example, showing that it is possible to thrive in this industry while adhering to the highest standards of compliance.

In conclusion, the journey of Tokenize has shown that proper checks and balances are not a hindrance but a foundation for sustainable growth. Our success in navigating the complex regulatory environment of Southeast Asia underscores the value of building a business on principles of trust, transparency, and innovation. By continuing to prioritise these values, we aim to not only sustain our growth but also contribute positively to the broader crypto ecosystem.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

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Digital technologies are indispensable in the race to net zero, with projections from the World Economic Forum estimating that such technologies could reduce global emissions by up to 20 per cent by 2050. Everything from AI and advanced analytics, to smart grids and the Internet of Things (IoT) will be increasingly used as energy infrastructure seeks to improve efficiencies, circularity and reduce emissions.

In particular, the Asia Pacific region is expected to maintain a 50 per cent share of global primary energy demand until 2050, playing a pivotal role in the global energy future. The proliferation of interconnected devices and distributed energy resources, including energy storage systems and electric vehicles, are critical to the region’s energy transition but are also new points of vulnerability and risk, which history tells us bad actors will aim to exploit through cyberattack and disruption. Disruption will increase costs, reduce efficiency, consume energy, and delay net zero.

This means that building strong cyber defences and resilient digital energy infrastructure will be essential to protecting tomorrow’s energy infrastructure, helping to prevent attacks and, when there is an incident, ensuring we can recover quickly from it. We all have a role to play in protecting this new digital energy ecosystem, so cooperation should be a top priority.

This means governments, industry, and solution providers coming together to ensure critical national energy infrastructure, so vital to achieving net zero, will have the necessary resilience and protections built in.

Building resilience into our digitalised energy ecosystem

Energy infrastructure cyber disruptions will be a significant risk factor in the future, so we must be thinking about the solutions today. Energy infrastructure is the backbone of economies and societies, and regrettably, it is already the target of frequent cyberattacks.

Also Read: Demystify cybersecurity: EPP vs EDR vs MDR vs XDR

A research study by Rockwell Automation ‘Anatomy of 100+ Cybersecurity Incidents in Industrial Operations’ found that 39 per cent of critical infrastructure attacks are targeted at the energy sector, a rate that is three times higher than the next most frequently attacked verticals, critical manufacturing (11 per cent) and transportation (10 per cent).

This is why robust cybersecurity regulation and frameworks, continuous improvement to stay ahead of evolving risks, and adequate resource allocation towards cybersecurity infrastructure are all key steps to help safeguard the digital energy transition. As the digital energy transition accelerates, so will the risks, particularly in an increasingly distributed infrastructure and a more sophisticated threat landscape.

It is reassuring to see that countries across the Asia Pacific region are well aware of the cybersecurity risks facing critical energy infrastructure. Although the respective states have adopted different approaches to cybersecurity, there is a growing trend towards tackling the risks associated with mission-critical operational environments and systems.

In Singapore, for instance, the government recently passed a new law mandating owners of critical information infrastructure to report a wider range of incidents, including those occurring within their supply chain.

The development of international standards will be essential to navigating and protecting the decentralised and globally interconnected digital energy ecosystem of the future. In turn, industry must actively engage in bolstering cyber resilience by implementing robust cybersecurity defences ahead of evolving trends in the cyber threat landscape, and allocating adequate resources towards cybersecurity infrastructure.

A key line of defence against cyber threats lies within the digital solution’s built-in cybersecurity defences itself. This requires a multifaceted approach, encompassing both proactive and reactive measures. Central to this is the cybersecurity accreditations and certifications, which are key to ensuring that digital solutions are robust, resilient, and continuously updated to mitigate emerging threats and safeguard against potential cyberattacks.

Also Read: What if cybersecurity included everyone it protects?

For instance, the adoption of the Secure Lifecycle Development Process (SSDLC) for energy solutions means that product developers are able to ensure a high level of security and resilience throughout the entire product life cycle. The SOC 2 attestation, a valid third-party assessment of a company’s controls against the five Trust Service Criteria, as well as international cybersecurity standards such as ISO 27001 and IEC62443, are equally important to reinforce the integrity of digital solutions against cyber threats.

The path forward in the pursuit of a renewable energy future

In navigating the transition from traditional grids to digital ecosystems, cybersecurity has emerged as a critical cornerstone in ensuring the reliability, resilience, and sustainability of our energy infrastructure.
Achieving true cybersecurity resilience however will be contingent upon collaboration and cooperation.

With Asia Pacific poised to be a key player in the renewable energy transition, it is vital that all stakeholders in the ecosystem remains vigilant regarding cybersecurity threats and practices.

Government and industry must work hand in hand to ensure that we remain on course in our path towards a greener future by safeguarding critical energy infrastructure. Ultimately, good cyber security will deliver good progress on net zero.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page.

Image credit: Canva

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