AngelCentral Deep Dive Series: Understanding and Investing in Generative AI Startups

According to a release by EY, in the first quarter of 2024, $3 billion was invested globally by venture capital in Generative AI projects and based on these trends continuing across the year, total global investment is on track to reach more than $12 billion in 2024, representing an increase of nearly 100% from the prior year. 

The GenAI space is still largely nascent, with more than 75% of GenAI start-ups being in early stages or not having raised any equity funding yet. Acknowledging that GenAI is still in its early stages, many investors have indicated the need for a long-term perspective, and observing the tangible business and economic impact.

In a recent Gartner survey, 49% of survey participants reported that the primary obstacle to AI adoption is the difficulty in estimating and demonstrating the value of AI projects. Business value continues to be a challenge for organisations when it comes to AI. 

So is Generative AI a passing fad or should you invest in one? Join us for an insightful panel featuring renowned VCs in the region - Murli Ravi, Co-Founder of Tin Men Capital, Malina Platon, ex-Global Head of UiPath, as well as Oliver Tan, CEO & Co-Founder of ViSenze. They will share their views on the generative AI landscape, investment strategies, opportunities, and challenges.

📋On the Agenda: 

• What are the market potential and real world application examples
• Is the market ready and paying for gen-AI services?
• What are the key indicators of a promising generative AI startup
• What to look out for when evaluating AI startups (eg. are the founders using the technology in a truly differentiated way?)
• What are the unique challenges faced by AI startups and the support/resources required 
• Insights into the current market trends and future growth potential of the sector

Who Should Attend this Workshop: 

🔎 Investors who are looking to diversify their portfolio with investments into generative AI startups

🔎 GenAI founders looking to evaluate their startups suitability for fundraising

Secure your spot today and be part of the generative AI revolution!

About the Moderator

Mr. Phey Teck Moh, Partner, AngelCentral

Phey Teck Moh is a mentor and angel investor in the Singapore entrepreneur ecosystem. He co-founded AngelCentral, to build a community of angel investors; offering education workshops and curate startups for angel investments. At Entrepreneur First, Teck Moh is a mentor to extraordinary people to build amazing startups from scratch. Xpanasia is an advisory company specializing in Telecommunications and Information Technology companies in Asia Pacific.

He had retired as Asia President, Motorola Solutions in May 2013. During his tenure, Motorola Solutions Asia Pacific grew to more than US$1B. Prior to Motorola, Phey was the President & Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Internet, a NASDAQ- listed Internet service provider in Asia Pacific. He started his career at IBM and moved to Compaq.

About the Panellists

Mr. Murli Ravi, Co-Founder, Tin Men Capital 

Murli is Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Tin Men Capital, a Singapore based Venture Capital firm that invests primarily in B2B software startups operating out of the Southeast Asia market. Prior to venture capital, Murli was at Temasek Holdings in the mid-2000s, where he covered the global natural resources sector including mining, agriculture, alternative energy, commodities trading and more. He also worked on other sectors such as beverages, infrastructure, technology and manufacturing. He is a seasoned venture capitalist and was Head of South and Southeast Asian investments at JAFCO Investments, Japan’s largest independent venture capital firm. Murli has been a board member (both as investor and as an independent director) of over 25 companies, which spanned Singapore, India, United States, and Australia, the largest of which had a headcount of over 2,000 employees.

Mr. Oliver Tan, CEO & Co-Founder, ViSenze

Oliver Tan is the Co-Founder and CEO of ViSenze, a AI retail tech company that is recognized by CB Insights, Forrester and Gartner for its innovations and AI solutions. An ex-corporate suit turned AI startup entrepreneur, Oliver advocates retail transformation and digital innovations with AI. In public service, Oliver also serves on public organizations from AI to Intellectual Property to Fashion, helping advance AI adoption and developments responsibly.

Ms. Malina Platon, ex-Global Head, UiPath

Malina is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in global sales, business development, and strategic partnerships across the IT industry. Over the past 15+ years, she has held leadership roles in various multinational companies as well as start-ups; currently, she is the Founder and General Manager of Global Digital Ventures and the representative of Central Family Office, the family office of Marius Tirca, UiPath Co-Founder. In 2016, Malina joined UiPath, the global leader in Robotic Process Automation (RPA). During her tenure, she contributed to the company’s phenomenal growth from 30 employees to 6,000, achieving a revenue increase of over 1000X. As one of the first sales leaders in Bucharest, Romania, she was responsible for the Go to Market strategy and global expansion across India, Japan, APAC, and EMEA regions. She also played a key role in establishing legal entities across APAC, focusing on operations in Southeast Asia and setting up UiPath’s headquarters in Singapore since 2018.

In her present advisory capacity, she specialises in guiding startups on regional expansion and strategy development. Her technology focus areas include automation, RPA, AI, digital transformation, low-code/no-code platforms, and cybersecurity. Malina is also the co-founder of Sponsors in Tech Singapore, a non-profit organisation focused on empowering women in the tech industry.