In an industry crowded with well-funded global AI players, Venandya Camelia is taking a markedly different path. The young, first-time founder from Indonesia is building YukYuk, an AI-powered creative platform that allows users to generate images, videos, music and sound effects instantly.

Designed for speed and accessibility, YukYuk is aimed squarely at creators who want to experiment with AI without the steep learning curves or costs often associated with existing tools.

What sets YukYuk apart is not only what it offers, but how it is built. The entire startup runs on AI, from product development to marketing and customer engagement. Camelia relies heavily on generative AI and AI agents to automate operations, a setup she describes as “AI as my co-founder”.

The idea for YukYuk originated from Camelia’s own creative habits. “YukYuk began from a simple habit of creating AI videos and images on social media,” she said. “At the time, many Indonesian users were curious about AI, but there was no local, easy-to-use platform that allowed them to experiment with video, music, voice, and effects in one place.”

Many existing tools, she added, felt too complex or too expensive for the Indonesian market, or were primarily designed for Western users.

As she experimented with generative AI and used AI agents to design and prototype features, interest began to grow organically. Launched publicly in October, YukYuk has already attracted more than 1,000 organic users and early paying customers. Its early traction reflects Indonesia’s rapidly growing creator economy, where interest in AI tools is rising, but access remains uneven.

Also Read: AI augmented development: Hype vs reality

YukYuk was also selected for the Tech in Asia Startup Factory 2025 in Jakarta, signalling increasing recognition for homegrown AI startups emerging from the country.

In this email interview with e27, Camelia provides further details about the company’s work and its future direction.

The following is an edited excerpt of the conversation:

What problem do you aim to tackle, and why is your solution better than existing options?

The main issue today is that many AI creative tools are unfamiliar and overwhelming for everyday users. The interfaces are complex, the workflows are fragmented across multiple platforms, and pricing is often high compared to what local creators can comfortably afford. There is also a cultural gap because many tools do not reflect the creative preferences of Southeast Asians.

YukYuk was designed to make AI creation simple, local, and quick. It combines video, image, music, voice, and sound effects in a single place, presented in a mobile-first environment that feels familiar to users in Indonesia. The experience is easy to understand from the first try, and the prices reflect the purchasing power of local users. This combination of simplicity, cultural relevance, and affordability is what distinguishes YukYuk from global solutions.

How do you stand out and build trust as an independent Indonesian startup in a space dominated by billion-dollar companies?

Our strength comes from being fast, focused, and deeply connected to the local community. We use AI agents internally to accelerate development, design, testing, and content planning, which allows us to iterate much faster than large companies with long release cycles.

We also build with a clear understanding of Indonesian and Southeast Asian creator behaviour. This helps YukYuk feel more personal and less intimidating compared to global tools. Users trust products that understand their culture, their language, and the way they create.

Being an independent, homegrown startup also gives us the flexibility to introduce features that global tools might overlook, such as local payment support and upcoming mobile apps for both Android and iOS.

Also Read: Why AI needs context and curiosity, not toxic positivity

YukYuk has grown to over 1,000 organic users without ads. Who are these users, and what contributed to this early traction?

Most of our early users are Gen Z creators who are active on TikTok and Instagram, along with students, small business owners, and casual users who enjoy experimenting with AI visuals. Many are also fans of stylised content such as anime-inspired videos.

The traction came organically from the content I shared on my own social channels. People reposted their creations, recommended the platform to their friends, and joined out of curiosity. The onboarding experience is simple, so users can generate something interesting within minutes. This combination of word-of-mouth, community curiosity, and localised content helped YukYuk grow without any paid advertising.

What were your key takeaways from the Tech in Asia Startup Factory 2025 program?

The programme confirmed that there is a strong demand in Indonesia for a local AI creative platform. The feedback helped clarify what makes YukYuk different and encouraged us to maintain a strong focus on community interaction. I also learned how valuable it is to stay small and efficient by using AI-first operations. The experience reinforced our direction and helped us refine our next steps with more confidence.

How do you see the creative process changing as AI evolves, and what role will YukYuk play?

Creative work is shifting from technical execution toward idea direction. Instead of spending hours editing, people will be able to describe what they want and let AI handle the heavy lifting. AI will assist with brainstorming, editing, producing, and optimising content.

YukYuk aims to support this shift by offering a simple, all-in-one platform where anyone can create AI content instantly. We plan to introduce AI creative agents that help users generate ideas, follow trends, and produce consistent videos. We also plan to offer a full mobile app for Android and iOS, because most users in Southeast Asia create content directly from their phones. Local payment support will further make the platform easy to access for users who do not use credit cards.

Also Read: Navigating the Gen AI wave: A startup’s battle plan

Overall, our role is to make AI creativity friendly, fast, and accessible.

What is your plan for 2026?

In 2026, we plan to evolve YukYuk from a tool into a full creative ecosystem. This includes introducing AI creative agents, strengthening the social and remix features inside the platform, and expanding access to neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia. A major milestone is the release of our mobile apps for both Android and iOS, which will allow users to create directly from their phones.

We also aim to improve the mobile experience for faster generation and begin building early forms of creator monetisation toward the end of the year. The overall direction is to create a space where users can ideate, produce, and share AI content in one place.

—

Images Credit: YukYuk

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If you’ve been applying for roles online, tailoring your CV over and over again, writing careful cover letters and receiving nothing but silence, you’re far from alone. For many job seekers, the experience feels demoralising and deeply opaque. Applications vanish into digital black holes. Automated rejection emails arrive within minutes, or not at all. Promising screening calls lead nowhere, and the most frustrating part? No feedback. Ever.

What’s happening isn’t a reflection of your capability. It’s a reflection of a fundamentally changed job market and a changed recruitment industry. Over the past decade, the path to securing work has quietly shifted from something linear and predictable to something fragmented, algorithm-driven, and relationship-led.

The traditional “see job → apply → interview → offer” model no longer mirrors how hiring decisions are made. Instead, a growing percentage of roles are being shaped, discussed, and filled through conversations and internal referrals before they are ever formally advertised.

In short,
the job search most people are conducting is no longer the job search that works, and the skill that bridges that gap, regardless of age, background, or industry, is active networking.

The rise of the “connected job market”

To understand today’s hiring landscape, you first must understand what sits beneath it: the Connected Job Market. This is the layer of professional activity where leaders, hiring managers, and teams quietly identify talent, share potential future needs, and build shortlists long before a recruitment process begins. It’s informal, fluid, and conversation-driven, and it’s increasingly where decisions are made.

Several factors have fuelled this shift:

• The dominance of algorithms in early screening filters out candidates based on keywords, not context, capability, or potential. Excellent candidates can be screened out because their CV or experience doesn’t mirror the hiring brief.
• Roles often have preferred candidates before posting. A significant proportion of publicly advertised positions already have an internal referral, soft favourite, or known candidate in play. The posting is often a procedural requirement, not an open contest. Those working inside the process have greater access and can deliver their ROI more clearly than those outside.
• Recruiters work for the client, not the candidate. Recruitment remains a people business, but the relationship-driven model of the past has been replaced with volume, speed, and competition. Many job seekers place their hopes in recruiters. But recruiters prioritise the employer, not the applicant, with the exception of confidential hire or head-hunters.
• Networking delivers what applications cannot: visibility and direct access to potential hiring managers.

Hiring managers cannot advocate for a CV they’ve never seen, but they will advocate for someone they’ve spoken to even briefly. In a market like this, the ability to connect with people, create dialogue, and build professional visibility is no longer optional. It’s essential.

Also Read: Levelling the playing field: How AI can transform SME hiring

Networking: The skill most people underuse

The word “networking” intimidates people for many different reasons. Some associate it with awkward small talk. Others fear looking opportunistic. Many simply don’t know where to begin. But effective networking today is not about schmoozing or transactional exchanges. It’s about curiosity, preparation, and the courage to start conversations with purpose.

Here’s what most job seekers never realise: You are usually only a few conversations away from a breakthrough. Networking works because it mirrors how companies actually think. Managers discuss problems long before they post jobs. Teams identify future skill gaps long before a requisition is approved. And people trust names, voices, and stories far more than CVs in a stack. It’s not who knows you, but who knows what you do that counts.

When done authentically, networking allows you to:

• Be visible before roles exist
• Learn what an organisation really needs
• Tailor your value proposition to real problems
• Unlock referrals, warm introductions, and internal sponsorship
• Stand out in ways no online application ever could

Networking is not a “last resort.” It is the most strategic starting point.

Standing out requires more than a CV

In today’s environment, job seekers must learn how to take control of their narrative, especially online. A strong digital presence is now part of your professional toolkit:

• Crafting a LinkedIn profile that signals credibility and expertise, not a list of duties, but clear achievements, ROI, meaningful keywords, and stories that convey impact.
• Using research to guide outreach. Understanding what a company cares about makes your conversations relevant and welcome. Deeply research your interviewer and other company execs to come prepared with value-driven insights on your deliverables in the role.
• Self-promoting with authenticity. Most people recoil at the idea of “selling themselves,” but self-promotion isn’t arrogance; it’s translation: helping others understand where you fit and what you can contribute.
• Leading with value, not requests. Great networking starts with giving, whether an insight, an observation, or a thoughtful question.

Over time, this approach builds trust, visibility, and momentum, the three pillars of career mobility.

Why direct outreach beats online applications

Here’s a truth that many hesitate to say aloud: Online applications seldom work anymore. Success rates often sit below two per cent. That’s not because people aren’t skilled or qualified. It’s because the system isn’t designed in their favour.

Also Read: 4 common hiring mistakes to avoid when building a marketing team for your early-stage startup

By contrast, direct outreach bypasses the system entirely. Contacting hiring managers, team leads, or department heads creates immediate differentiation. Even if you’re only 70 per cent accurate in identifying their needs, that’s enough to open a dialogue, and dialogue is the gateway to opportunity.

Many job seekers hesitate, fearing rejection or mistakes, but perfection is not the objective. Momentum is. The willingness to reach out, ask questions, and show genuine interest differentiates you from 98 per cent of applicants who simply click “Apply.”

A new career mindset

Thriving in today’s job market requires a mindset shift, from waiting to initiating, from applying to positioning, from hoping to connecting.

Networking creates career durability. It gives you resilience when redundancy strikes. It opens pathways in markets where roles are filled quietly. It builds personal brand equity, and it helps you dig the well long before you need to drink.

Whether you’re a graduate, a seasoned professional, or someone navigating a career change, the principle remains the same: Stop waiting to be discovered, start becoming known. Your next opportunity is closer than you think, often just a conversation away.

—

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For ambitious startups with global aspirations, finding the right launchpad can make all the difference between regional success and international breakthrough. Hong Kong is emerging as that critical gateway, offering international innovators a unique position at the crossroads of Eastern and Western markets. The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) recently concluded EPIC 2025 presented by Cathay and HSBC, with its Grand Finale on 7 November. It brought together cutting-edge startups from across the globe to compete for opportunities to scale in Asia’s most dynamic markets.

Hong Kong’s innovation ecosystem provides the ideal launchpad for Chinese startups to go global while allowing international startups to access the formidable markets of the Greater Bay Area, which boast world-class technology, supply chain, and manufacturing capabilities. The city’s credentials speak for themselves: together with Shenzhen and Guangzhou, Hong Kong has been ranked the world’s number one innovation cluster in the 2025 Global Innovation Index, according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

A total of 13 EPIC 2025 applicants have successfully established operations in Hong Kong through the HKSTP Soft Landing Programme. These companies are now leveraging Hong Kong’s strategic position to deepen their market expansion across Asia. The journeys of five EPIC 2025 companies below will illustrate how Hong Kong is serving as more than just an entry point. For these innovators spanning GreenTech and FinTech, the city has become a catalyst for connections, credibility, and commercial scale. 

DeCarbon Technology: Capturing carbon and opportunities in Asia’s green transition

DeCarbon Technology is tackling one of humanity’s most pressing challenges: removing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. The Shenzhen-based climate governance company has developed next-generation CO² capture technology applicable to green buildings, modern agriculture, renewable energy, and traditional industries like power generation, chemicals, steel, and cement.

At the heart of DeCarbon’s innovation is Direct Air Capture (DAC), a revolutionary technology that uses advanced equipment and chemical reactions to extract CO² from ambient air and industrial sources. The captured carbon is either safely stored or transformed into sustainable industrial materials, significantly lowering greenhouse gas concentrations.

For Dr. Xiao Liao, Co-founder and VP Overseas at DeCarbon, EPIC 2025 revealed unexpected market maturity. “The most valuable engagement was the curated Market Discovery Programme. We expected a focus on FinTech, but the appetite from regional giants for hard tech climate solutions like Direct Air Capture was surprisingly urgent and mature,” Dr. Liao shared.

What truly convinced DeCarbon to establish operations in Hong Kong was the tangible connectivity to the Greater Bay Area (GBA). “Hong Kong functions as the financial hub, seamlessly linked to the GBA’s unparalleled deep tech manufacturing base. This instantly provided us with a credible, scalable path to accelerate the commercialisation and regional scaling of our DAC solutions in Asia,” Dr. Liao explained.

Frass: Transforming food waste into sustainable feed across Asia-Pacific

While DeCarbon captures carbon from the air, Singapore-based Frass Pte Ltd tackles emissions at their source by transforming food waste into valuable resources. Operating through joint ventures across Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Scotland, Frass empowers smallholders and mid-sized farmers with affordable, locally produced animal feed while helping regional industries reduce food waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

Frass uses proprietary enzyme hydrolysis and bio-fermentation to convert high-moisture food waste—such as fish offal, okara, spent grain, and brewery by-products—into sustainable animal feed. Their low-energy, oven-free process significantly reduces moisture content and enhances digestibility, offering a climate-resilient alternative to imported soy and fishmeal.

For Founder Zihan Poh, the true value of EPIC 2025 extended beyond the competition itself. “The most profound value came from the unexpected connections within the EPIC 2025 community. Beyond competing, we built a powerful peer network,” Poh explained. The company aligned with a fellow startup on potential Australian market entry and had a pivotal conversation with a visitor from the Philippines who is now exploring pathways to bring Frass’s solution to her country.

This experience crystallised a key insight for Poh: “Coming to Hong Kong isn’t just about launching in one city—it’s about plugging into a dynamic hub that accelerates reach across the entire Asia-Pacific region.”

Frass chose Hong Kong as their definitive launchpad for its unmatched role as a dual gateway: a trusted bridge into Mainland China and a well-connected springboard to regional markets. The city’s compact, high-density urban environment presents the perfect real-world laboratory to demonstrate the efficiency of their decentralised bioconversion technology. 

ProMaterial: Revolutionising rare earth magnet production with AI precision

From Wales to Hong Kong, ProMaterial Ltd is revolutionising rare earth magnet production through AI-driven precision manufacturing. The company produces high-precision magnets that offer better quality, lower waste, and faster delivery. These are critical factors for the electric vehicle industry’s demanding specifications.

ProMaterial’s technology integrates AI-powered computer vision, robotics, and recycling techniques to deliver high-grade magnets that meet the strict precision requirements of the EV sector. By incorporating circular economy principles, ProMaterial’s solution can reduce over 200 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

For Founder Yining Shen, EPIC 2025 exceeded expectations in unexpected ways. “EPIC was far more than a competition. From the very first day, I felt surrounded by an exceptionally high-quality group of global deep tech founders,” Shen reflected. “What impressed me was how international and collaborative Hong Kong’s innovation ecosystem felt, and how naturally it brought global talent together.”

Hong Kong’s appeal for ProMaterial lies in its gateway function to Asian markets. “Some of our existing customers are already in Asia, and Hong Kong helps us connect with them more closely. Its proximity to the Greater Bay Area also gives us unique access to the hardware and manufacturing ecosystem we need for the next stage of our development,” Shen explained.

TalentHero: Enabling global hiring without borders

While the previous companies focus on physical products and manufacturing, Singapore-based TalentHero addresses a critical need for growing businesses: accessing global talent without the complexity of establishing legal entities in every country. As a global Employer of Record (EOR) and HR platform, TalentHero helps companies hire talent internationally in over 100 countries, ensuring full legal compliance and local expertise.

The solution is ideal for startups and growing companies looking to access global talent pools without the overhead of local infrastructure. For a company facilitating international operations, choosing the right base of operations becomes even more critical.

Co-founder and COO James Miles described the EPIC 2025 experience as transformative: “The biggest win at EPIC 2025 for TalentHero wasn’t just pitching—it was the crazy-good access to mentors, founders, and investors who genuinely wanted to help us level up. EPIC 2025 felt less like a competition and more like joining a community that wants you to win.”

Hong Kong’s business-friendly environment made the location decision straightforward. “Hong Kong was an easy choice. It’s a high-trust, business-friendly launchpad with fast company setup, strong IP protection, global connectivity, and a massive talent pool right at the gateway to China and the Greater Bay Area,” Miles shared.

Vigilant AI: Automating financial intelligence for better decisions

Canadian company Vigilant AI Inc brings together expertise in artificial intelligence, data security, and accounting to automate financial data preparation. Founded by specialists in these fields, Vigilant AI enables financial professionals in audit and enterprise environments to analyse, audit, and make decisions more efficiently and effectively.

The company leverages advanced AI and machine learning techniques to automatically create document data models and extract data from business process documentation, cross-correlating this information against all relevant accounting entries. The secure, reusable, and recallable curated data allows users to automate transaction verification, audit testing, and provide more timely insights for reporting and business decision-making.

For Vigilant AI, EPIC 2025 served as a crucial catalyst for business development. CEO John Craig and Founder Peter Fong noted, “EPIC 2025 was the catalyst for Vigilant to spotlight our accounting automation platform to two of the largest accounting firms in Hong Kong. These valuable engagements will lead to revenue which will support our firm in building our business operations in Asia.”

The decision to expand to Hong Kong was made easier through targeted support. “Our decision to choose Hong Kong as our launchpad was easy to make with the support of HKSTP’s Global Connect Soft Landing Programme. By providing space and connections to both local investors and necessary human capital resources, HKSTP made the strategic decision to expand into Hong Kong easy,” the founders shared.

What comes next: Building regional momentum from Hong Kong

Across all five companies, Hong Kong is not just a launchpad but the base from which they are charting their next phase of growth. DeCarbon Technology aims to secure its first long-term carbon removal offtake agreement with a major Asian corporation, a milestone that will validate demand for high-quality carbon credits and position Hong Kong as their regional centre for carbon transactions. Frass is preparing to establish a pilot-scale operation with a local waste management partner or leading university, creating a live demonstration site to unlock scale-up partnerships across the Greater Bay Area.

For ProMaterial, the city’s deep tech and manufacturing proximity offers a strategic foundation for Asian expansion. With its Hong Kong presence now established, the company plans to link its AI-driven magnet technology with regional talent, supply chain networks, and innovation resources. TalentHero is focused on building a fully operational Hong Kong EOR hub, onboarding its first wave of clients, and collaborating with local tech ecosystems to accelerate its reach across North Asia and beyond. Meanwhile, Vigilant AI is preparing to grow both R&D and sales capabilities from its Hong Kong base, using the city’s financial hub advantage to reach audit firms and enterprises across Asia-Pacific.

Bridges for the next wave of global innovation

The success of DeCarbon Technology, Frass, ProMaterial, TalentHero, and Vigilant AI reflects a clear shift. Hong Kong is emerging not just as a destination, but as a strategic accelerator for startups with global ambitions, spanning carbon capture, waste transformation, AI-driven manufacturing, borderless hiring, and financial automation.

This advantage extends beyond market access. Through the HKSTP Soft Landing Programme, overseas startups receive a one-year support pathway and an HKD 100,000 grant, giving founders the resources to establish and scale with confidence.

With its position between Eastern and Western markets, access to the Greater Bay Area’s manufacturing strength, and role as a trusted financial and legal hub, Hong Kong offers a strong foundation for growth. For EPIC 2025 participants, short pitches have become long-term strategies rooted in one of the world’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems.

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We’ve built an entire generation of runners who can’t run without their phones.

Not because they want to be glued to a screen, but because everything lives inside that little rectangle. Their music, their route tracking, their safety, their connection to the world.

And yet, there’s a growing part of me that wonders. What if we didn’t need it at all?

Run clubs, private networks, and the next wave of tech

Right now, if you want to track your pace, navigate a route, or even just feel safe on the run, your mobile phone is your lifeline. It’s your GPS, your coach, your music player, your emergency contact.

But what if the environment itself was connected?

What if, instead of carrying all that tech on you, it was just there?

Imagine a run club that exists inside a private network. A space where:

• Your route updates in real time without needing an app to load it
• Your stats track automatically without you pressing start and stop
• Your location is known for safety, but it’s not public data being fed into a corporate algorithm

The second you step inside that connected space, everything is working without you having to touch a thing.

Also Read: No phones, just vibes: When AI wearables beat the look at me economy

No displays, no distractions, just movement

We’re so used to looking at screens to confirm everything. Did I hit my pace? Am I on the right path? How long have I been running?

But what if we didn’t need the visual confirmation?

What if the environment could respond to us, adapt to us, and still deliver everything we needed without a single display?

Imagine:

• Your AI glasses know the route and gently nudge you toward the right turn without needing a map
• The network knows your pace and adjusts your music automatically, speeding up when you need a push, easing off when you slow down
• If something happens, the system already knows your exact location and can send help. No phone, no fumbling to call

It sounds futuristic, but it’s not far off.

Private networks and the tech that could make this work

This isn’t a consumer tech problem. It’s an enterprise tech opportunity.

Yo Dell.

What if run clubs were powered by a secure, private network that handled all of this in real time? No lag, no data leaks, no reliance on Big Tech. Just a completely immersive, fully connected experience without ever needing to take your phone out of your pocket.

We’re not there yet. But we could be.

Because the future of running isn’t about bringing more devices with us. It’s about needing fewer.

The phone is just dead weight.

And at the end of a run, I want to dance.

—

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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In an era defined by upheaval in energy and technology, raw materials have reclaimed centre stage—and the stakes have never been higher.

From Australia’s Pilbara region unveiling a six trillion-ton iron ore bonanza to Russia’s survey of 511 billion barrels of oil beneath the Antarctic ice, and Italy’s strategic push for 10 per cent domestic lithium, the global scramble for resource sovereignty is accelerating.

For Southeast Asia’s startups and investors, these seismic shifts aren’t distant headlines—they’re the bedrock of tomorrow’s venture opportunities, from seabed-mapping robotics to modular refining tech. This article will guide you through the critical junctures where capital and innovation intersect on the new materials frontier.

Land, ice and sea: A planetary resource arbitrage

The hunt for minerals now spans frozen wastelands and deep oceans. In Antarctica, Russia’s geological teams reported a staggering 511 billion barrels of oil beneath the ice—yet any extraction would require renegotiating the Antarctic Treaty and unlocking vast political risk. Meanwhile, Europe’s lithium initiative has shifted from import dependence to a 10 per cent domestic target, as Italy green-lights onshore exploration in Sardinia and Tuscany.

Startup opportunities:

• Seabed mapping snd analytics: The Philippine Daily Inquirer reports Manila’s submission of its PH Rise chart to the UN, kicking off a seabed-mapping pilot. Demand for AI-driven ocean-floor analytics and submersible robotics is set to surge.
• Marine environmental monitoring: Mongabay covered West Sulawesi’s protests over sand and nodule extraction—underscoring the need for real-time environmental–impact sensors to help companies and regulators operate responsibly.
• Regulatory compliance SaaS: VietnamPlus outlines Hanoi’s draft decree on EEZ mineral surveys, creating a market for compliance platforms that navigate evolving licensing frameworks.

Investor angles:

Early-stage funds should allocate to startups building seabed-survey drones, marine-data analytics and treaty-compliance software—all critical enablers as nations race to claim polar and ocean-floor resources.

Iron-ore tsunami and copper’s downstream coup

Australia’s Pilbara breakthrough—revealing a six trillion-ton iron-ore deposit—will reshape steel-feed markets, pressuring fines prices down by 20–30 per cent in coming years. At the same time, China’s removal of processing fees on imported copper concentrate acts as a US$3 billion-per-year subsidy for domestic smelters, boosting margins for electric-vehicle battery and renewable-energy equipment producers.

Also Read: The quiet energy takeover: China’s belt and road vs America’s gas rush

Startup opportunities:

• Toll-smelting ventures: Modular processing plants that handle imported concentrates and share in refined-metal profits can capture the fee arbitrage.
• Value-chain fintech: Receivables financing tailored to miners and smelters will ease working capital constraints amid margin windfalls.
• Downstream materials recycling: With copper margins wider, firms that recycle electronics and recover copper stand to grow rapidly.

Investor angles:

Investors should target SEA-listed juniors with Pilbara partnerships or Chinese-smelter offtake deals, and consider growth equity in startups offering toll-refining and green-metals financing platforms—essential infrastructure for the iron and copper value chains.

Canada’s LNG pivot and energy geopolitics

Canada’s first Pacific-coast LNG shipment—roughly three million tonnes per year—has opened a direct export lane to Asia, narrowing the long-standing Henry Hub–JKM spread. This new route diversifies North American supply and exerts downward pressure on Asian LNG prices.

Concurrently, Asia faces a jet-fuel surplus, with northeast-Asian refineries offloading nearly two million barrels to Europe in June as refinery runs dipped below 70 per cent. OilPrice cautions that geopolitical disputes and sanctions on renewable-energy components could stall global solar and wind projects even as capacity peaks.

Startup opportunities:

• FSRU-as-a-service: Floating storage and regasification units leased to power developers in Vietnam and Thailand can bridge peak-demand gaps.
• Trading-tech platforms: SaaS tools that automate JKM-Hub spread monitoring and trigger automated PPAs for IPPs.
• Environmental risk analytics: Insurtech platforms assessing geopolitical risk in pipeline and terminal projects.

Investor angles:

Seed and Series A rounds in FSRU operators, marketplace startups for gas trading, and insurtech firms offering risk models for project financiers represent high-growth targets as SEA nations expand LNG-to-power capacity.

Critical-minerals security: The new sovereignty

Securing control of lithium, nickel and cobalt has moved from boardroom buzzword to national imperative. India’s NMDC is exploring overseas acquisitions in Australia and Africa to lock in critical-metal output.

Startup opportunities:

• Modular refining tech: Firms offering mid-scale refining units for nickel and cobalt can partner with Indonesian smelters adjusting royalty rates.
• Battery-metal recycling: Startups that recover lithium and other battery metals from e-waste and end-of-life EVs can tap Europe’s premium for ESG-compliant supply.
• Digital traceability: Blockchain platforms tracing mineral provenance from mine to market help insurers and offtakers meet new due-diligence rules.

Also Read: The shifting geopolitics of sustainability, energy, and climate

Investor angles:

Investors should keep an eye on SEA-listed juniors with Indonesian and Malaysian refining tie-ups, and support late-stage ventures in recycling and traceability—key enablers of a sovereign resource strategy.

As the dust settles on this materials race, one truth stands out: control over essential minerals and hydrocarbons will define the next decade of growth and geopolitical influence. Whether you’re a venture founder building the next generation of mapping algorithms, an investor backing low-impact mining startups, or a fund manager evaluating the risks of polar-oil policy, now is the time to stake your claim.

If you were wondering about the headline figures, here’s a conservative breakdown:

• Iron-ore (Pilbara): US$2.5 trillion
  (Sell 50 billion t at US$100/t → US$5 T, minus US$50/t costs → US$2.5 T)
• Oil (Antarctica): US$17.5 trillion
  (Sell 511 billion bbl at US$70/bbl → US$35 T, minus US$35/bbl costs → US$17.5 T)
• Battery metals (Li, Ni, Co): US$0.9 trillion
  (US$1.5 T in-ground value, minus 40 per cent costs → US$0.9 T)
• LNG (Pacific-coast): US$0.5 trillion
  (US$1 T value, minus 50 per cent liquefaction and shipping → US$0.5 T)
• Rare earths and specialty minerals: US$0.15 trillion
  (US$0.3 T value, minus 50 per cent processing → US$0.15 T)

Total potential: US$2.5 + US$17.5 + US$0.9 + US$0.5 + US$0.15 ≈ US$20 trillion.

You can also find me on my podcast and newsletter, where I share regular insights on geopolitics and leadership.

—

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In a region where capital, talent and regulation move as fast as technology itself, Southeast Asia’s founders are discovering that success hinges on more than a good product. It depends on how well they can communicate with investors, employees, regulators and customers across half a dozen cultures and time zones.

A decade ago, few local entrepreneurs thought of “communications strategy” as a core business function. Today, it’s becoming a survival skill.

Words as currency

In the early stages of a company’s life, communication performs a function that finance cannot: it turns vision into alignment. “At pre-seed, your biggest expense isn’t money, it’s misunderstanding,” says a Singapore-based venture investor who has backed more than 30 early-stage startups across ASEAN. “Founders who communicate well raise faster, hire better, and pivot without chaos.”

The logic is straightforward. Early-stage startups operate with incomplete information, remote teams and cultural diversity that can blur priorities. A structured communication plan, defining what gets shared, when, and with whom, prevents the drift that often unravels young companies before product-market fit is reached.

Research supports the intuition. A 2024 study on organisational effectiveness by the University of Malaya found that clear internal communication correlates strongly with team retention and output, particularly in cross-border teams, now the default in Southeast Asia’s tech sector.

The investor lens

The region’s founders also face an unusual communications challenge: they pitch across borders. A Thai fintech might court Singaporean venture capital, Japanese corporate investors and Indonesian retail partners, each with its own cultural and linguistic cues.

“Fundraising here is not just about the deck,” says an investor at a Singapore family office. “It’s about how the founder frames ambition in a way that makes sense to a Japanese CVC and a Silicon Valley fund simultaneously.”

Inconsistent messaging is one of the quickest ways to erode confidence. Investors now expect formal communication structures from the outset: regular updates, consistent metrics and transparent narratives about growth and risk. What once looked like bureaucracy has become a marker of maturity.

Also Read: How founder misalignment quietly erodes companies in the age of AI

The external battlefield

A good communications strategy is also a competitive moat. In sectors such as fintech, health-tech and climate technology — where regulation and public trust are central — the ability to articulate value, compliance and purpose can make or break a startup’s reputation.

Many Southeast Asian founders underestimate this. Public-relations consultants note that companies tend to hire communications support only after a crisis: a data leak, a product recall or an ill-timed social post. “By then, the story is being told for you,” says a Bangkok-based adviser who works with regional startups on crisis communications. “Founders who prepare early are the ones still standing after a bad news cycle.”

Complexity by design

The diversity that fuels Southeast Asia’s startup scene also complicates it. A founder expanding from Singapore to Indonesia must localise not just product and pricing but also language, tone and expectations. What sounds assertive in English can come off abrasive in Bahasa Indonesia.

A communication strategy forces early thinking about localisation: which markets to prioritise, what tone to use, who should speak publicly and in what language. It also identifies risk, from political sensitivities to differing data-privacy norms. “Good communication isn’t just PR; it’s operational infrastructure,” says a Jakarta-based accelerator head.

When silence costs more

Internal communication is equally critical. Rapid scaling often strains cohesion: remote engineers, new managers, shifting priorities. The absence of structured updates breeds anxiety and turnover.
A 2025 ASEAN Human Capital survey found that nearly 40 per cent of startup employees who quit cited “lack of clarity from leadership” as a key reason, outranking salary dissatisfaction.

Founders who maintain regular, transparent communication, even when the news is bad, preserve trust. “People forgive mistakes faster than silence,” observes the HR director of a Singapore logistics startup that scaled from 15 to 200 employees in 18 months.

Also Read: The hustle’s toll: Why some of Southeast Asia’s brightest founders are stepping back

Beyond storytelling

Southeast Asia’s next wave of founders is learning that communication is not merely about storytelling but about systems. The most effective companies institutionalise it early: monthly investor reports, weekly team updates, multilingual playbooks for new markets and pre-approved crisis plans.

The payoff is resilience. In volatile markets, clarity buys time and credibility. Investors read it as discipline; employees experience it as culture; regulators interpret it as maturity.

The bottom line

In Silicon Valley, communications may be a luxury; in Southeast Asia, it’s a necessity. Founders operating across borders, languages, and power structures cannot afford improvisation. A clear, consistent communication strategy, built before scale, not after, is now part of the region’s startup DNA.

As one Singapore-based venture capitalist puts it: “Founders who can’t explain what they’re doing won’t survive here. The market’s too complex, and the silence is too expensive.”

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The Taipei City Government has announced that “InnoPad Taipei,” located in Nangang, will officially open in 2026. Spanning approximately 5,300 square meters, the hub benefits from Nangang’s strategic location at the convergence of three major rail systems and its proximity to the Neihu Technology Park and Nangang Software Park technology clusters. 

InnoPad Taipei will serve as a cornerstone of the city’s “Three Arrows for Startups” policy. It integrates three major strategies, namely: funding support, talent cultivation, and market matchmaking. The hub aims to become “the first landing point for startups entering Taiwan.” It will provide entrepreneurial teams with comprehensive support from initial setup through growth to international expansion.

A flexible landing platform for startups

InnoPad Taipei is more than just office space. It is designed as a dynamic platform for creative exchange and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The hub features three functional zones: a co-working area, independent office spaces, and meeting & co-creation facilities. These zones offer diverse options tailored to startups at different stages. This creates a flexible workspace charged with creative energy. To encourage teams to settle in, those signing a one-year contract will receive complimentary company registration services. In effect, this will streamline the incorporation process. International startups with a clear landing plan are also welcome to apply. They will receive professional consulting support to help them quickly integrate into Taiwan’s market. The city will also bring in domestic and international incubators and corporate partners. This is set to strengthen the hub’s global collaboration capacity and industry connections.

For startup mentorship, InnoPad Taipei will host internationally-oriented accelerators with proven track records, providing coaching, resource connections, matchmaking opportunities, and investment facilitation—further fostering co-creation between startups and established enterprises.

Building a global startup ecosystem

InnoPad Taipei’s is designed to cultivate an ecosystem where creative ideas become products and services, and innovation grows into viable businesses. The hub will regularly host international startup showcases, matchmaking events, and hands-on training programs to attract global entrepreneurs and investors seeking opportunities in Taipei. Whether you’re a newly founded team, a company seeking partners, or an international startup looking to establish a presence in Taipei, you’ll find the resources and connections you need here.

“We hope everyone who chooses to start a business in Taipei can feel the support and energy this city offers,” the city government stated. InnoPad Taipei is much more than a building—it symbolizes Taipei’s readiness to embrace the next wave of innovation. Through a robust entrepreneurial environment and a diverse international resource network, Taipei will build an open, welcoming, and competitive startup ecosystem, attracting innovative forces from around the world and becoming a truly global entrepreneur-friendly city.

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Singapore has long been Asia’s digital powerhouse, but the rules of online discoverability have fundamentally changed in 2025. Artificial intelligence is no longer a buzzword — it is the new gatekeeper of search. From Google’s AI Overviews to Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, and Gemini live summaries, generative and answer engines now decide which brands get seen first. Traditional SEO, built for 10 blue links, is rapidly becoming obsolete. The winners are mastering AISEO — the discipline of optimising for AI-driven answers, citations, and conversational discovery.

The AI revolution hits digital marketing hardest in Singapore

Across industries — finance, e-commerce, real estate, and luxury retail — Singaporean companies are witnessing a seismic shift. AI engines no longer just rank webpages; they synthesise answers, cite sources, and generate responses in real time. A brand that dominates Google’s classic SERP can still disappear entirely from an AI summary if it hasn’t optimised for Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). For Singapore’s hyper-competitive market, where consumer attention is measured in milliseconds, this is existential.

Legacy SEO agencies are struggling to keep up

Marketers across the island are voicing the same frustration: their long-standing SEO agencies, some retained for over a decade, are suddenly “too slow” or “handicapped” in this new battlefield. Contracts built around keyword density, backlink volume, and page-speed scores are delivering diminishing returns when AI engines ignore 90% of traditional ranking signals in favour of semantic authority, entity recognition, and citation trustworthiness.

Also read: How the top 10 best HR systems in Singapore reveal the new standards for HR technology

Top 10 mistakes traditional SEO agencies make in the AISEO era

Here are the most common — and costly — missteps still seen in 2025 Singapore boardrooms:

 

Global giants and Singapore powerhouses are all-in on AISEO

From Paris to Singapore, the shift is unmistakable. LVMH, Cartier, and Richemont are quietly redirecting seven-figure budgets from traditional link-building campaigns into entity-building, proprietary research, and AI-citation strategies. On the tech side, ByteDance (TikTok’s parent), Shopee, Grab, and homegrown ERP leader Multiable have made AISEO the centrepiece of their 2025–2026 growth plans. These organisations understand that appearing in the top three cited sources of an AI answer delivers exponentially higher brand recall than ranking #1 on a classic SERP that fewer people see.

In Singapore specifically, forward-thinking conglomerates and SMEs alike are elevating AISEO above legacy SEO on the marketing agenda. Quarterly board meetings now start with one question: “Are we winning the AI answer?”

Late movers will play permanent catch-up

History shows that search paradigm shifts create winner-takes-most dynamics. Brands that were slow to mobile-first in 2015 or to e-commerce in 2020 never fully recovered their lost share. The AISEO gap compounds monthly: every week a competitor publishes original research, earns high-trust citations, and strengthens its entity graph is another week the laggard falls further behind in the training data of tomorrow’s models.

In Singapore’s digital economy, companies that treat AISEO as “next year’s project” risk permanent relegation to the underdog lane — mentioned only when an AI model needs a footnote, never the headline.

The message from Marina Bay to Jurong is clear: adapt to AI-driven discoverability now, or prepare to be summarised out of existence.

Also read: Why Singapore manufacturers must embrace MES for the future

Why we write this article

PRbyAI aims to share updated market news using our team’s tech knowledge, helping B2B customers make informed decisions.

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While global public markets show positive signs of recovery, Southeast Asia’s journey toward establishing clear and dependable exit pathways for its digital leaders remains critical for long-term investor confidence.

The e-Conomy SEA 2025 report, prepared by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, confirms that investor sentiment is highly focused on exit viability, alongside a proven path to profitability.

Also Read: After the Gold Rush: What comes next for SEA’s digital economy

Global uplift, regional lag

Globally, signs of public market exits are emerging, marked by rising volumes of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) across exchanges like the NASDAQ, HKEX, and SSE Star. In H1 2025, the Americas and the regions of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa saw IPO volumes increase by 11 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively, compared to H2 2024.

In contrast, the SEA-6 region experienced a 21 per cent decline in IPO activity during H1 2025. Despite trailing the global recovery, the regional pipeline remains robust.

The strong local pipeline

Digital leaders in SEA are working actively towards listing, demonstrating a strong regional pipeline that signals hope for recovery:

• Indonesia’s Exchange (IDX): Aiming for 66 listings this year.
• Malaysia’s Exchange (KLSE): Aiming for 60 listings this year.

Together, IPOs in Indonesia and Malaysia accounted for approximately 70 per cent of the region’s total IPO volume over the last 12 months, cementing their role as regional market leaders for public exits. Singapore also maintains an intense preparatory phase, with 30 IPOs currently in the pipeline.

Importance of exit pathways for VC

Investor expectations underscore the need for clearer exit strategies. Dependable exit pathways are listed as one of the four key factors contributing to profitability and investor confidence, alongside realistic entry valuations, clear paths to profitability, and proven monetisation models.

The cautious uptick in private funding, particularly towards late-stage companies, is inherently linked to the anticipation of healthier exit avenues, either through IPOs or through acquisitions driven by the large cash reserves amassed by established local digital leaders.

Also Read: AI-ready but not AI-proof: The skills gap Southeast Asia must close

As the region moves into its next digital decade, the convergence of increasing profitability (with 80 per cent of early-stage portfolio companies now profitable) and more apparent IPO activity in key markets is essential for restoring complete, long-term investor confidence and driving continued capital deployment across the technology ecosystem.

The post Recovery without returns: Why SEA’s tech exit problem persists appeared first on e27.

The full integration of AI and the management of evolving talent dynamics necessitate significant process re-engineering within law firms and legal teams.

However, this often proves to be the most challenging step, particularly when coupled with intense client pressure regarding efficiency and pricing.

The process Improvement Gridlock

Implementing process changes is frequently hampered by poor internal communication and practical barriers. For example, in large law firms, gathering all stakeholders is rare, resulting in uneven adoption and unclear communication. The necessary workforce required for implementation often conflicts with billable work, making it challenging to prioritise systemic process improvement.

Also Read: AI is already in Asia’s legal sector — The question is who’s falling behind

Furthermore, slow and bureaucratic approval procedures can render proposed changes irrelevant by the time they are finally sanctioned.

For a successful process change, articulating the ‘why’ behind the shift is essential to secure genuine buy-in. Effective initiatives require both top-down leadership support and bottom-up engagement to create shared ownership. This is particularly evident in regional organisations, where stakeholder engagement across offices — such as between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong — is crucial to maintain consistency and prevent fragmentation.

The governance vs. agility trade-off

Legal organisations face a core challenge in striking a balance between robust governance and operational agility. Larger, established companies typically have extensive policies that ensure strong governance, but these policies often slow down innovation due to lengthy approval processes.

Conversely, agile smaller entities risk fragmented or reactive processes that can elevate operational risk. Legacy systems often persist, not because they are effective, but because teams lack the resources to update them properly. Defined roles, responsibilities, and clear process ownership are vital to striking the necessary balance between governance and flexibility.

Also Read: From search to suggestion: How AI is rewiring SEA’s path to purchase

AI and the client expectations revolution

Generative AI is shifting client expectations dramatically. Clients increasingly demand that their legal partners mirror the efficiency and innovation seen within their own organisations. It places immense pressure on firms to adopt AI tools rapidly.

This pressure is driving an intense debate around client billing and disclosure. Since generative AI saves time and therefore reduces traditional billable hours, firms are grappling with how to charge for the expensive technology itself. Some firms are beginning to bill clients directly for the use of generative AI. Roundtable participants agreed on the importance of transparency and open conversations with clients as the nature of legal work continues to change.

The future of legal pricing

The conversation around pricing models is intensifying. Generative AI is amplifying the existing tension between the traditional billable hour and value-based billing. While boutique firms are increasingly experimenting with value-based models, many clients still prefer the familiarity of hourly rates.

Transitioning to a value-based model requires significant cultural and operational restructuring, particularly in calculating how to price work that has been augmented or produced by AI. As Jonathan Voo, Senior Innovation Manager at Johnson Stokes & Master, summarises, the true value emerges when the entire ecosystem works together: “Instead of chasing individual solutions, the real value comes from how the whole ecosystem works together to solve these interconnected problems and match innovation with what lawyers actually need.”

Also Read: Asia’s legal AI challenge isn’t tech; it’s talent and mindset

Ultimately, the prosperous future of the legal industry depends on the seamless integration of people, technology, and process. This fosters a community of practice that promotes responsible, inclusive, and commercially effective legal innovation.

The post Why legal’s biggest AI problem isn’t technology appeared first on e27.