Analyse Podcast

Yuying Deng, Co-founder and CEO of Esevel, transitioned from corporate law to tech entrepreneurship, launching her platform to tackle remote work IT challenges during the pandemic. She discusses the importance of a mindset shift from HQ-centric views, emphasizing that talent exists globally and should be nurtured regardless of location. Yuying shares invaluable lessons on resilience, the need for early customer feedback, and how to effectively hire and promote remote teams. Her vision for Esevel is to become the top solution for global IT operations, enhancing workplace inclusivity.

Kamal Brar, Senior Vice President at Confluent, shares his journey from Oracle to mastering data streaming. He delves into how real-time data is crucial for AI success, highlighting its role in integrating disparate systems securely. Kamal discusses Confluent's evolution and its significance in India's massive payment infrastructure, enabling efficient AI solutions. He offers insights on navigating data fragmentation and the importance of open-source technologies. From healthcare innovations to the future of payments, his vision shows how data streaming is transforming enterprise landscapes.

Jing Yang, Asia Bureau Chief at The Information, dives deep into the evolving landscape of Chinese startups targeting global markets. She discusses ByteDance's shift in strategy and its surpassing revenue compared to Meta, yet trailing in profits. The importance of AI and robotics in this transformation is highlighted, along with Zhang Yiming's increased investments in AI. Jing also reveals how Chinese entrepreneurs now face a critical choice: to build for China or the global market, emphasizing the challenges and competitive pressures they encounter.

Craig Wiley, Senior Director of Product Management at Databricks, leads the conversation on the crucial link between data and AI in accelerating ML development. He shares eye-opening statistics: 85% of AI evaluations are done solely by engineers. Craig dives into the evolution from classical ML to GenAI, revealing tools like Agent Bricks for better evaluations. Customer success stories from Suncorp and AstraZeneca illustrate the real-world impact of Mosaic AI. He champions the need for trustable and systematic model evaluations in enterprise AI.

"I think the biggest trap to potentially fall into is, "Hey, it's moving so fast, so much is changing. Let's just wait it out." Completely the wrong approach. You just gotta get started." Nick Eayrs from Databricks "As tech people within the shipping industry, how do we explain, how do we make it accessible to all our users? So that's where we came up with the idea of a data supermarket, with in mind really the target of enabling self-service for our business. So by giving the analogy of a supermarket, it was much easier at the beginning to explain our business." - Simon Fassot from Hafnia Fresh out of the studio, Nick Eayrs, Vice President of Field Engineering for Asia Pacific and Japan at Databricks, and Simon Fassot, General Manager and Head of Global Data and Analytics at Hafnia, join us to explore how data intelligence is transforming enterprise AI across diverse industries in Asia. Nick explained the fundamental distinction between general intelligence and data intelligence - emphasizing how enterprises gain competitive advantage by training AI on their proprietary data rather than public knowledge. Nick showcased customer success stories including Standard Chartered Bank and TechComBank and shared his perspectives on how senior executives can take advantage of AI by moving fast rather than wait and see. Last but not least, Nick offered what great would look like for Databricks in Asia Pacific and Japan in serving their customers. Adding the lens of the customer, Simon shared Hafnia's transformation from legacy SQL Server systems to a unified Databricks architecture serving their global shipping operations and elaborated on how the company is breaking down silos with their data supermarket and "Marvis" AI copilot for maritime operations based on retrieval augmented generation. This is Part 1 from Databricks Data + AI Event Singapore.  Episode Highlights: [00:00] QOTD by Nick Eayrs and Simon Fassot [00:49] Introduction: Nick Eayrs from Databricks [03:32] Customer obsession means deeply understanding their business context [05:22] Data intelligence versus artificial general intelligence explanation begins [06:42] AI trained on your data creates competitive advantage [08:17] Only 15% of companies have correct AI infrastructure ready [11:17] Don't wait for AI perfection, just get started now [12:30] Agent Bricks simplify AI development using natural language [13:49] Standard Chartered Bank cybersecurity use case with SIEM [16:22] TechCom Bank in Vietnam customer brain with 12,000 customer attributes [18:32] Shared responsibility model for ethical AI deployment [25:24] Asia Pacific psychology focuses on future, not past [26:28] Most important question: How do you get started? [30:18] What does great look like for Databricks? [33:16] Introduction: Simon Fassot from Hafnia [35:18] How Hafnia transformed to full cloud architecture centralizes data through Databricks [36:28] Self-service access needed for 300 onshore, 4000 vessel employees [37:00] Three user types: operations, business intelligence, domain experts and Use Cases for Hafnia [41:32] Unity catalog controls data quality for AI cases [42:21] Two-phase Gen AI: ingest unstructured, then consume data [44:25] How to implement Generative AI: One bad AI answer loses all user trust [45:31] How reports in Hafnia use RAG embedded in workflows [46:47] Data supermarket analogy simplifies self-service for business [48:39] Marvis AI personalizes Gen AI within company context [49:46] Neo4j partnership adds graph capabilities to ecosystem [53:33] DNA Port platform unifies scattered dashboards and applications [54:22] Databricks enables focus on business value over operations Profiles: Nick Eayrs, Vice President of Field Engineering, Asia Pacific & Japan at Databricks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-eayrs/ Simon Fassot, General Manager and Head of Global Data and Analytics at Hafnia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-fassot-68b95135/ Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast. Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/ Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup Subscribe Newsletter on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7149559878934540288

Beatrice Lion, CEO and Global Partner at True Global Ventures, dives into the world of venture capital. She shares her journey into VC straight from university in 2017 and their focus on investing in seasoned entrepreneurs in AI and blockchain. Beatrice explains the significance of TGV obtaining a Capital Markets Services licence in Singapore for strategic investments, especially in stablecoins and secondaries. She discusses the future of AI and crypto, emphasizing adaptability and innovation in corporate treasury strategies.

In a fascinating discussion, Michael Smith Jr., a tech commentator and co-host of The Generalist podcast, and Daniel Cerventus Lim, a semi-retired entrepreneur from Malaysia, delve into the evolving tech landscape of Southeast Asia. They dissect recent fraud cases affecting investor trust and debate the transition from unicorn aspirations to profitability-focused models. The duo highlights the importance of SMEs over chasing massive exits and reflects on the region's potential, suggesting that a shift toward sustainable business practices may hold the key to future success.

Jamus Lim, Associate Professor at ESSEC Business School and recently elected Member of Parliament in Singapore, delves into the intricacies of Asian economies. He discusses how geography, history, and institutions drive economic outcomes, emphasizing the shortcomings of traditional economic models. Jamus also explores China’s demographic challenges, its industrial evolution, and the implications of its dual circulation strategy. His insights extend to South Korea's and Japan’s unique economic trajectories, shedding light on the persistent influence of historical institutions on contemporary development.

Paul Harapin, Chief Revenue Officer for APAC and Japan at Stripe, shares insights on Stripe's impressive growth in a region contributing 40% of global GDP. He highlights the vital role of AI and stablecoins in revolutionizing commerce, tailored for diverse markets like Japan, China, and India. Paul discusses innovations like agentic commerce toolkits and adaptive pricing solutions that drive scalability. He also explores key trends in AI-powered payments, making a case for stablecoins as a transformative solution for emerging markets.

Feon Ang, Managing Director of LinkedIn Asia Pacific, shares her journey from publishing to leading tech, emphasizing LinkedIn’s role in empowering professionals amidst the AI revolution. She discusses the critical skills gap and the importance of online learning for job seekers. The conversation covers the rapid hiring shifts in the region, emphasizing the necessity for fluency in emerging technologies. Additionally, Feon highlights LinkedIn's initiatives to create economic opportunities and its commitment to supporting disadvantaged communities.