On the final day of All That Matters 2024 in Singapore on September 18, James Redden, CEO APAC & US of 2CV Research, revealed the results of a survey among marketing professionals about Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in their work.

The adoption of AI among marketers has seen a remarkable surge over the past year. The survey revealed that while only 27 per cent of marketers reported using AI frequently in their work a year ago, that number has now climbed to 65 per cent.

This significant increase underscores the growing reliance on AI tools in marketing, with the majority now leveraging them regularly. According to the survey, marketers are utilising AI for various purposes, with the top four areas being market research, competitive analysis, social media management, and content creation.

This trend will continue as AI becomes more integrated into marketing processes.

The survey also revealed how these marketers feel about the advancement of the technology.

Also Read: Why is a customer-centric digital marketing strategy the way to go?

“With this rate of change comes anxiety, and this was a really interesting finding. Almost three quarters of marketers said, ‘Yes, I am feeling overwhelmed.’ They do not feel sure if they are keeping up. They are not sure if they are still going to have a job in the future,” Redden said.

“Most marketers see the change happening very fast, and this is creating a lot of anxiety, uncertainty amongst the marketing community … But there is also a lot of excitement.”

Using AI to improve fan experience

All That Matters 2024 is a conference that brings together industry professionals from the media, entertainment, and sports industries. The event discussed various relevant issues including the implementations of AI technology across these industries.

The final day of All That Matters 2024 also featured a fireside chat with Yu Sasamoto, CEO Japan and APAC Business Development at DAZN Japan Investment GK.

In discussing about how the company is using AI technology to improve the experience of sports fans using their platform, Sasamoto stresses on the importance of “emotional moments” in sports that are the often the key focus of a sports event itself.

Also Read: FC Barcelona looks to score big in Asia’s sports-tech arena through its innovation hub

“The AI technology helps us collect those moments and maybe connect them to brands,” he explained to moderator Anna Lockwood, Head of Media & Sport at Telstra International.

He gave an example of watching baseball tournament in Japan, which is a wildly popular event. There will be emotional moments during a single tournament such as home runs or even errors, and these moments can potentially be used by brands to connect with their audiences.

“What if we are able to take those moments, automatically implement AI technology on them, then connect those emotions with the brands who want to celebrate the goals or home runs. That would be a fairly innovative way that we can offer the brands to connect with those emotions.”

Sasamoto also shares some details about a new project from DAZN that is coming to alpha stage soon.

“We are trying to build this full funnel experience, and fan zone could be one of the viewing experiences that could appreciate the technology, and again, taking fans emotions is most critical for us to enhance the viewing experience on the platform.”

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Thailand’s startup landscape is rapidly growing, fuelled by government support, investor interest, and an evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem. The startup ecosystem is diverse, with intense activity in fintech, e-commerce, healthtech, agritech, and travel tech.

Fintech is particularly robust in Thailand due to its cash-heavy economy and the government’s push for digital transformation. Healthtech and agritech have also gained momentum due to the country’s strong agricultural roots and focus on healthcare innovation.

Bangkok is the main startup hub, but Chiang Mai and Phuket are also emerging centres, especially for startups focusing on tourism and agriculture.

The Thai government actively fosters the startup ecosystem through programs such as the Thailand 4.0 initiative. This initiative aims to transform the economy by promoting innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. The National Innovation Agency (NIA) also provides funding, mentorship, and resources for early-stage startups.

There is increasing interest from local and international venture capital firms. Thailand has seen a rise in Series A and B funding rounds, with notable exits and a growing number of Southeast Asian unicorns inspiring further investor confidence.

Also Read: Thailand’s tech renaissance: Building bridges to global success

Below we bring you the list of Thailand’s fast-growing startups.

Pomelo

Pomelo Fashion is an internet-first brand offering multi-category fashion products for women. The product catalogue includes apparel, activewear, footwear, and accessories. The company also offers beauty products.

Founding year: 2013
Total funding raised: US$79 million
Investors: Jungle Ventures, Rich Sport Public, PTT, Central Group, Provident Growth, InterVest, Ambient Sound Investments, Lombard Investments, Lyra Ventures, JD.com, Provident Capital Partners, 500 Global, Innoven Capital, Fenox Venture Capital, QueensBridge Venture Partners, START TODAY, Kejora Capital, Coffee Ventures, Cento Ventures, Pegasus Tech Ventures, Iris Capital Partners, ORZON Ventures.

eatigo

eatigo is a mobile-based app that provides restaurant reservation service in Thailand. It enables users to search for restaurants or recommend nearby restaurants. It also provides discounts at restaurants on booking through the app.

Founding year: 2013
Total funding raised: US$25 million
Investors: The Fork Manager, TripAdvisor, Plan B Media, 8i Ventures.

Hungry Hub

An online platform for booking tables at restaurants. It allows users to search for restaurants based on their locations and book tables based on their preferences. The venture also offers food delivery services.

Founding year: 2013
Total funding raised: US$450,000
Investors: Orzon Ventures, ECG-Research, Expara, 500 Global, Digitaraya.

Finnomena

Finnomena is an online investment platform for equities and mutual funds. It offers tools to manage public funds and customise investment strategies. It also provides updates, insights, expertise, and alerts on public market investment.

Founding year: 2016
Total funding raised: US$18.7 million
Investors: Openspace Ventures, Gobi Partners, Premier Advisory Group, Krungsri, Finnovate, BCH Ventures, 500 Global, BCG, Mavcap, RISE.

Salary Hero

It is a cloud-based platform for financial benefits. It offers tools for improving employees’ financial health and productivity, increasing savings, etc.

Founding year: 2021
Total funding raised: US$2.8 million
Investors: Global Founders Capital, MVP, 500 Global, Titan Capital, 1982 Ventures.

PropertyScout

An online listing platform for commercial and residential properties in Thailand. It enables users to find real estate properties through the platform for rental processes. Its features include 3D virtual tours, 3D floor plans, and pictures of the properties.

Also Read: ‘AIS The StartUp’ wins Thai Prime Minister’s award for promoting entrepreneurs

Founding year: 2019
Total funding raised: US$7.8 million
Investors: Altara Ventures, Asymmetry Ventures, AngelCentral, Hustle Fund, Partech Partners,
Iterative, Swiss Founders Fund, CAV Investment Group, Alpha Founders Capital, simple.Capital, TK & Partners.

Zentry

It develops casual games and MMORPGs, powered by a blockchain infrastructure, consumer apps, and captivating IP. It also develops games for PCs and consoles. Its products include radiant, sigma, nexus, and Azul.

Founding year: 2021
Total funding raised: US$146 million
Investors: Binance, Coinbase, Animoca Brands, Pantera Capital, Hashed, DeFiance Capital,
Play Ventures, Alameda Research, Dapper Labs, Skyvision, Coin98, Arche Fund, CatcherVC,
RR2 Capital, Chilli Padi Capital, Lysithea Ventures, Maven Capital, X99 Ventures, AC Capital.

Flash Express

It provides end-to-end delivery solutions for e-commerce logistics companies and integrated service deliveries in Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia. It is also a leading firm in the next-day delivery space with nationwide coverage.

Founding year: 2017
Total funding raised: US$997 million
Investors: SCB 10X, Krungsri Finnovate, PTT, eWTP Capital, Chanwanich Company, Durbell,
Banyan Ventures, Cloud Angel Fund.

Spacely AI

Spacely AI is an AI-powered interior design tool that allows architects and designers to experiment with styles and materials quickly, accelerating the conceptualization of designs. With its impressive AI visualisation capabilities, Thailand-based Spacely AI rapidly renders dream spaces, making it a practical solution for interior designers.

Founding year: 2023
Total funding raised: Undisclosed amount.
Investor: SCB 10X.

DRVR

DRVR is a big data analysis firm focused on driving behaviour to improve fleet efficiency and direct costs and deliver improved customer service. It also gathers data important for driving more business and offers solutions for fleet utilization and real-time monitoring.

Founding year: 2014
Total funding raised: US$450,000
Smart Axiata Digital Innovation Fund, K-Startup Grand Challenge, Global Acceleration Academy.

MoneyTable

Moneytable is an online platform for payroll loans that facilitates online finance for workforce personnel and allows employees to explore personal financial options. The platform uses big data and machine learning algorithms to analyse applicants’ credit score information. It also uses blockchain technology to develop smart contracts and smart payments.

Founding year: 2016
Total funding raised: US$1.5 million
Kejora Capital,
K2 Venture Capital.

LINE MAN Wongnai

An online platform in Thailand that offers food ordering and delivery solutions, POS, advertising, and financial services.

Also Read: How 73-year-old Thai Wah works with tech startups to break new ground in noodles production

Founding year: 2020
Total funding raised: US$37,50,00,000
Investors: GIC, LINE Corporation, PTT, BRV Capital Management, Bualuang Ventures, Taiwan Mobile, Beacon VC

Ascend Money

A financial services platform for individuals. Its product includes True Money, an app-based wallet for money transfers and online payments, Ascend Wealth for mutual funds, Ascend Nano for consumer and business loans, and more.

Founding year: 2013
Total funding raised: US$34,50,00,000
Investors: MUFG, Krungsri Finnovate, Bow Wave Capital Management, Charoen Pokphand Group, Ant Group.

aCommerce

An online platform offers end-to-end e-commerce solutions for brands in Thailand. Its services include website development, performance marketing, warehousing, fulfilment, shipping, delivery, and more. The offerings also include multi-channel management, inventory management, logistics management, custom integration, and more. The platform also allows users to manage multiple stores, engagements, and orders.

Founding year: 2013
Total funding raised: US$118.8 million
Investors: Indies Capital Partners, Emerald Media, Blue Sky Alternative Investments,
DKSH, Sinar Mas, January Capital, MDI Ventures, Inspire Ventures, Ardent Capital, Sumitomo,
JL Capital, APD, CyberAgent Capital, NTT Docomo Ventures, Asia Pacific Digital, GMO Venture Partners, Ideosource, Alpha JWC Ventures, Maloekoe Ventures.

Deliveree

Deliveree is an app and web-based platform for booking on-demand cargo transportation services. Users can enter shipping and delivery details and choose among the company’s fleet of various trucks. They can select the service type and receive freight shipping rates.

Founding year: 2015
Total funding raised: US$10,95,00,000
Investors: Gobi Partners, spilventures.com, Inspire Ventures, Genesis Ventures, Asia Summit Capital, Inspire Ventures, PSA unboXed, Ardent Capital, Wavemaker Partners.

Lightnet

Lightnet provides money transfer solutions over blockchain networks. It is a decentralised network enabling cross-border money transfer solutions through cryptocurrencies. It utilises the Velo protocol to facilitate remittance transactions for underbanked banking transactions.

Founding year: 2018
Total funding raised: US$81.2 million
Investors: Raffles, LDA, Seven Bank, Hanwha, UOB, Hopeshine Capital, Uni-President,
Du Capital, Signum Capital, HashKey, Everest Ventures Group, Ausvic Capital.

Sunday Insurance

An AI-based health and property and casualty insurance platform for individuals and businesses. It offers quotes for auto insurance, travel insurance, health insurance, and more. It also offers online claims processing and policy management platforms.

Founding year: 2017
Total funding raised: US$75 million
Investors: Tencent, SCB 10X, Vertex Growth, Vertex Ventures, Quona, Z Venture Capital,
KSK Power Venture, Aflac Ventures, Granite Oak, Line Ventures, Accion, OSK Ventures International Berhad.

Roojai.com

An online distribution platform for auto insurance. It allows users to choose an insurance plan with an auto repair garage. Users are allowed to check the insurance quotes by providing the vehicle details on the platform. Its other services include roadside assistance, repair warranty, refund, and guarantee.

Founding year: 2015
Total funding raised: US$69 million
Investors: HDI Global, IFC, Primary Group.

Amity Corporation

It is a platform as a service for enterprise-grade AI applications and agents in Thailand. Its offerings include enterprise and Generative AI chatbots and pre-built social features for apps and websites. The platform enables users to choose from a prompt library or create custom prompts, train the AI assistant, test it in real-time, and deploy it via webhooks or embed codes.

Founding year: 2012
Total funding raised: US$60 million
Investors: Insight Capital, SMDV, Gobi Partners, AlteriQ Global.

Ookbee

Ookbee is a digital platform that offers books, fiction, newspapers, online courses, audiobooks, and magazines. Customers can buy these products from its platform.

Founding year: 2012
Total funding raised: US$28 million
Investors: Tencent, Sumitomo, Beacon VC, Transcosmos, InVent, Intouch, AIS The StartUP.

Freshket

An online B2B marketplace offering farm products. The product catalogue includes vegetables, fruits, meats, grains, soft drinks, and restaurant supplies.

Founding year: 2016
Total funding raised: US$26.5 million
Investors: PTT, OpenSpace, Betagro Group, ORZON Ventures, Volta Circle, Openspace Ventures, ECG-RESEARCH, 500 Global, RISE.

SleekEV

SLEEK EV is an electric two-wheeler brand that aims to establish electric vehicles (EVs) as the standard rather than the exception in urban mobility. In partnership with financial institutions in Thailand, Sleek EV also provides vehicle financing with no down payment required and a low interest rate.

Founding year: 2019
Total funding raised: US$5.7 million
ORZON Ventures, Krungsri Finnovate, January Capital, and A2D.

APX Logistics

APX is a digital freight consolidator offering shipping, pallet, and warehousing services through its network of logistics partners to power Less-than-Truckload (LTL) cargo services for businesses. It aims to build a connected truck transport network in Thailand and the ASEAN region to improve logistics efficiency while reducing CO2 emissions.

Also Read: Thailand’s APX Logistics nets funding from SBI Ven Capital for Vietnam expansion

Founding year: 2019
Total funding raised: US$2.7 million
Investors: Alpha Founders Capital, Orzon Ventures, SBI Ventures, Asian Development Bank.

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Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) is the buzzword among senior corporate executives across all sectors and regions, especially with the advent of applications like ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney, Claude, and GitHub Copilot. As software providers continue to integrate Gen AI features into their products, its significance has skyrocketed. What was once seen as a cutting-edge technological answer has now evolved into a widely used tool, not just in the Asia Pacific but globally.

Reflecting this rapid evolution, Adobe’s APJ Digital Trends Report 2024 delves into how Gen AI is transforming business operations and customer engagement strategies across the Asia-Pacific region. From reshaping digital customer experiences with enhanced personalisation and interactivity to revolutionising content workflows and customer journey management, Gen AI is poised to redefine the digital landscape. Adobe, at the forefront of this transformative shift, is driving innovation and empowering businesses to harness the full potential of Gen AI in their strategies.

The Asia-Pacific region is at the forefront of digital transformation, with businesses increasingly embracing advanced technologies to stay competitive. Adobe’s 2024 APJ Digital Trends Report highlights how Generative AI (Gen AI) is poised to revolutionise business operations and customer engagement strategies across various industries in the region.

Simon Dale, Vice President of Asia at Adobe, emphasises that Gen AI is not just a technological upgrade but a transformative force reshaping digital customer experiences by enhancing personalisation, efficiency, and interactivity. “APJ brands are leveraging Gen AI to meet the increasing content velocity needed for personalisation at scale,” Dale shares. “This emerging technology is set to transform every part of the enterprise, and while brands in the region are well-positioned, they cannot rest on their laurels.”

Transforming digital customer experience with Gen AI

Gen AI is enabling brands to offer personalised experiences that closely match individual customer preferences and behaviours, creating a more engaging and relevant digital journey. Dale explains, “Through Gen AI, businesses can create interactive and dynamic digital experiences, such as personalised email campaigns or customised user interfaces, which keep customers more engaged and connected to the brand.”

The technology is also redefining content workflows by automating the creation of a wide range of content types, from blog posts and social media updates to videos and graphics. This capability significantly reduces the time and cost associated with content production. Moreover, Gen AI’s ability to analyse customer data to predict future behaviours allows businesses to anticipate market needs and tailor their offerings, staying ahead of the competition.

Also Read: Singapore’s AI-powered future: Reshaping industries and economies

Industries set to benefit the most

While Gen AI is set to impact various sectors, certain industries are expected to see extraordinary benefits. In marketing and sales, Gen AI is revolutionising content creation, email marketing, and personalisation strategies, transforming how brands connect with their audiences.

In fact, a recent study conducted by Salesforce found that seven in ten marketers (71 per cent) expect generative AI to help eliminate busy work, allowing them to focus more on strategic tasks. They also predict that generative AI will save them five hours of work per week, which amounts to over a month per year. The public sector is another beneficiary, with government agencies using Gen AI to gain deeper insights into citizen behaviours, leading to more personalised and efficient services.

A notable example of Gen AI’s impact is Adobe’s collaboration with Singapore’s Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB). Adobe’s solutions from the Adobe Experience Cloud suite helped CPFB better understand member needs, enabling tailored communications and services that enhance the citizen experience. “With Adobe’s tools, CPFB developed personalised digital offerings like the CPF retirement income planner, which significantly improved engagement metrics,” Dale notes. The initiative led to a 10% increase in open rates for educational messages and almost doubled the unique viewership of the Yearly Statement of Accounts.

Balancing personalisation with data privacy

As businesses strive to enhance personalisation in their customer interactions, maintaining data privacy and security remains a critical challenge. Dale underscores the importance of a robust data foundation, stating, “Many organisations struggle with data quality issues, where inconsistencies can lead to flawed insights. The challenge of integrating data from disparate sources adds further complexity, compounded by the need to comply with stringent data governance policies.”

Adobe addresses these challenges through the Adobe Experience Platform, which consolidates data from across the enterprise to create a single source of truth. “Our platform not only enhances data quality but also connects an organisation’s data governance infrastructure with the tools used for managing customer experiences,” Dale explains. “This approach ensures that data remains relevant, accessible, and compliant with regulatory requirements.”

Also Read: Embracing AI in Southeast Asia: The strategy for avoiding cost overruns

Future-proofing with Gen AI and beyond

Adobe’s commitment to security and privacy is unwavering, with ongoing efforts to embed security into its products and services through repeatable processes and comprehensive training programmes for development teams. By addressing data management challenges with advanced solutions, Adobe empowers organisations to build strong data foundations that support current needs and pave the way for future innovations in Gen AI and beyond.

As the 2024 APJ Digital Trends Report illustrates, the dawn of Gen AI marks the beginning of a transformative era for businesses in the Asia-Pacific region. With the right strategies and technologies, companies can harness the full potential of Gen AI to redefine customer experiences, streamline operations, and drive sustainable growth.

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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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Over the past decade, the Asia Pacific (APAC) region has become the epicentre of mobile app innovation.

Mobile apps have shifted from ‘nice to have’ to mission-critical pillars of corporate strategy. APAC now accounts for 33 per cent of the global app market value.  It is forecast to grow from approximately US$200 billion in 2022 to an estimated US$750 billion by 2032, representing a CAGR of nearly 14 per cent.

It’s no wonder why mobile is now an essential part of any business strategy in APAC.

APAC continues to stand at the forefront of the mobile app revolution, capturing 64 per cent of all app downloads globally. This, more than anything, proves why APAC is pivotal to the industry’s future. With smartphone penetration predicted to surpass 90 per cent by 2030, mobile apps are slated to bridge the digital divide by drawing in users across both geographical and socio-economic boundaries. However, with every great opportunity comes great challenges.

In specific the astronomic growth of this new technology has fundamentally changed user behaviour for good. The ever-increasing reliance on apps and soaring engagement in this channel reflect a paradigm shift in consumer behaviour. Marketers are now faced with the ongoing task of influencing, measuring, and addressing these rapidly changing patterns.

After a decade of navigating this dynamic landscape, AppsFlyer’s trajectory closely mirrors the region’s rapid expansion. This year marks a monumental milestone for AppsFlyer as we celebrate our tenth anniversary on the ground in APAC, steadfast in our mission to “make marketers in Asia successful.” This special occasion stands as a poignant time of reflection and a chance to consider the invaluable lessons we’ve learned on this monumental journey.

Reflecting on 10 years of growth and innovation 

As the mobile ecosystem flourished, it reshaped the context within which app developers and marketers operate. Success now hinges on delivering apps that are not only functional, but sustain user engagement through fresh content, intuitive experiences, and intelligent personalisation.

Over this time, AppsFlyer emerged as the market leader in marketing measurement in the fast-paced app economy. With the increased complexity of data, we have been at the forefront of the ecosystem—working to eliminate data blind spots and equipping marketers with the insights needed to not only succeed but excel in their business.

Also Read: What AppsFlyer recommends to keep customers coming back to your e-commerce site

Our customers hail from almost every corner of APAC, operating in industry verticals that have had to evolve rapidly in this era of mobile and digital transformation, including gaming, e-commerce, and finance, to name but a few. Likewise, we have had to continuously innovate to provide a product that can meet the incredible demands of such a dynamic market. This is only possible if you stay close to the market, and we do so thanks to a culture of customer obsession.

Privacy and trust — The non-negotiables

The last decade has been defined by significant changes in policies and regulations relating to data and consumer privacy. They have dramatically reshaped the mobile marketing landscape. Picture the uncertainty of collaborating with a marketing measurement provider that may sell or misuse the data of its own customers, maintain conflicts of interest, or operate its own app business themselves. For brands and marketing teams, the importance of choosing highly objective and impartial vendors for their marketing technology cannot be overstated. This choice gives businesses the assurance and vital competitive advantage that is key in maximising the value of their data.

Fundamentally, gaining customer trust is what fuels any business’s success. At AppsFlyer our primary focus is to ensure strict adherence to data privacy principles, increasing consumer trust in the ecosystem and our customer’s businesses.

People — Our biggest asset 

Sure, it may seem cliché, but the exceptional people we’ve worked with each day have truly made this decade-long journey remarkable. Through these years, we’ve nurtured a diverse, relationship-centric community that fills us with immense pride. With nine offices throughout the APAC region, we value and leverage a diverse range of viewpoints to fulfil client needs, resolve challenges, and drive innovation. Our company culture and creed are deeply rooted in respect for diversity in all forms, equity for all demographics, and respect of the individual. 

Also Read: How AppsFlyer helps brands navigate a rapidly evolving market

Looking forward

The recent landscape in marketing has been defined by ever-shifting user privacy considerations, and this is not going to change. We see this as an ‘invariable’ here at AppsFlyer, a dynamic that is here to stay. And rightly so as the ecosystem and regulators learn how to balance tightening privacy requirements with the need to provide a relevant and personalised digital user experience. 

And if privacy has been the defining reality of the last decade, Artificial Intelligence has already staked its claim to dominate the foreseeable future. Again, opportunities and challenges for marketers.

AI has already proven its ability to deliver significant efficiencies automating, improving, and accelerating numerous activities for marketers across advertising, creative production, analytics, personalisation, optimisation, and engagement. The impact of AI and the way it will shape the future of marketing are yet to become clear, but there’s no doubt that marketing as a discipline has changed for good.

Today’s mobile marketing environment is kinetic, brimming with opportunities. Yet, at the same time, substantial challenges exist; data overload, integration complexities, quality control issues, and the necessity to iterate fast, and make quick decisions, while all the time ensuring compliance with privacy and other evolving platform and regulatory policies is very real.

Our role here at AppsFlyer is to help marketers navigate these opportunities and challenges. We have embraced this mission here in APAC for ten years now, and we continue to thrive in our unwavering commitment to the region. We’re excited by the opportunity that the booming app market in APAC presents and we’re busy making the next generation of AI-infused tools to help marketers win!

As we celebrate our tenth anniversary in the APAC region, we are proud of what we have achieved. But here’s the thing (and you knew this was coming) – we’re only one per cent done! The future holds boundless opportunities as the mobile app revolution continues to unfold. We’re ready to tackle the challenges and embrace the dominance of AI. In the infamous words of Peter Drucker, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Together, we will make the coming years even more remarkable than the past decade.

Lets go! 

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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 us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn to stay connected.

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e27 has been nurturing a supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurs since its inception. Our Contributor Programme offers a platform for sharing unique insights.

As part of our ‘Contributor Spotlight’ series, we shine a spotlight on an outstanding contributor and dive into the vastness of their knowledge and expertise.

In this episode, we feature Camellia Chan, Co-Founder and CEO of Flexxon, who oversees the company’s growth, R&D, partnerships, and global expansion. Since founding Flexxon in 2007, she has grown it into an international business with a presence in over 50 cities. Holding over 40 patents, Chan has earned multiple accolades, including being named one of Singapore’s Top 100 Women in Tech in 2023 and winning two projects under the Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore’s Call for Innovation awards.

Thoughts, goals, and journey

Chan spent several years working in electronics MNCs across Asia, acquiring valuable skills, but always felt a desire to pursue a dream with real impact and to take control of his own path. In 2007, she decided to co-found Flexxon with her business partner and good friend, May Chng, who now serves as the company’s COO.

Their vision was straightforward: to leverage their combined expertise to develop products that genuinely addressed customers’ needs, while fostering a company culture of innovation, openness, and fairness, with zero tolerance for office politics. More than 15 years later, Flexxon has expanded its global operations, grown its headcount over 20-fold, and entered the critical field of cybersecurity.

Chan draws from her expertise in hardware-based cybersecurity, with a particular focus on developing next-generation security technologies designed to address critical vulnerabilities in the digital landscape.

“This is highly uncommon because most conversations centre on software solutions,” she remarked. “The most noteworthy development that is paving the way for the new era of cybersecurity is the shift towards integrating hardware-based security solutions to achieve holistic and proactive security. That is what we are doing here at Flexxon, leveraging on the memory medium and patented AI technologies to deliver secure by design hardware that strengthens security by protecting data at the core.”

The driving force

Chan joined the e27 Contributor Programme last year and regularly shares her expertise with the community, focusing primarily on cybersecurity with the latest industry trends.

“Cybersecurity is absolutely essential and we need to keep this conversation going strong, simple and straight to the point,” she said. “I wanted to use my voice to support efforts to educate individuals beyond our industry, ignite a mindset shift and push innovation forwards.”

Also Read: Pierrick Bouffaron: Navigating the frontier of deep tech and entrepreneurship

Advice for budding thought leaders

Chan encourages aspiring thought leaders to build credibility and make an impact by focusing on three core principles:

• Be authentic: Be true to yourself and your values. If you’re not authentic, people can sense that and you lose the opportunity to connect.
• Use clear logic: Structure your thoughts clearly and present them logically. Especially with a complex topic like cybersecurity and hardware engineering, we need to be able to break these down to more digestible concepts.
• Show empathy: Understand your audience’s perspectives and needs. The whole purpose is to connect, educate and help, so it must come from a place of understanding and empathy.

Juggling too many things?

Chan believes that work-life balance varies for everyone, as it is shaped by individual definitions and personal goals.

She said, “For me, my current stage feels balanced because it aligns with my dreams and targets. I start my days early at 5:30 a.m. and am often in discussions with my teams from different parts of the world until 11 p.m. I’m very aware that others might see it as a recipe for burnout, but pursuing my goals is a fulfilling part of my life. Strategies for growth include continuously doing, learning, adjusting, and being open to transformation.”

Also Read: Felicia Theodorus: Staying ahead in the ever-evolving fintech landscape

Staying in the loop

To stay informed and ahead of industry developments, Chan follows a set of practices that help her stay in the loop:

• Engage with customers to understand their challenges.
• Participate in discussions with stakeholders for new ideas.
• Conduct market research to identify trends and solutions.
• Stay updated with news and industry publications.
• Attend webinars, conferences, and industry events to learn and network.

Chan remarked, ” Within cybersecurity, I would say to just keep updated with the general news. There are incidents everyday, and you will see it reported on BBC, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, Channel News Asia and so many more. This is the best way to be updated on the landscape.YouTube is also a great resource. But of course, you should read with discretion especially if it’s on social media. Not everyone has the right agenda, or knows what they are talking about.” 

In terms of leadership, Chan highly recommends the book ‘It’s Not the How or the What but the Who’ by Claudio Fernández-Aráoz. She believes the book emphasises the importance of focusing on the right input factors, especially when it comes to people.

“Success is about having the right people and building a strong ecosystem. By surrounding yourself with the right individuals, you create an environment that naturally drives growth and the continuous flow of information,”she concluded. “Never stop learning, don’t restrict yourself, dream big.”

Take a look at her articles here for more information and perspectives on her expertise.

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Are you ready to join a vibrant community of entrepreneurs and industry experts? Do you have insights, experiences, and knowledge to share?

Join the e27 Contributor Programme and become a valuable voice in our ecosystem.

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