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In focus
- AI agent startups building on WhatsApp face competition from Meta
- Southeast Asia’s AI agent landscape reveals who’s building for businesses and how their products work
- Singapore-based Nexstrom raises US$12 million to help chipmakers move beyond silicon
Hello reader,
The most-used app on my iPhone is a note-taking app called UpNote. Its cloud sync lets me move between my phone and Windows PC without worrying about which device has my latest notes.
Apple already provides a free Notes app, but using it through the iCloud website on my PC is a pain in the ass. UpNote fits the way I work better, and that’s enough for me to keep paying for it.
There’s room to build a business around needs that a platform’s own product doesn’t fully meet. But what happens when that platform starts closing the gap?
That’s the challenge startups selling AI agents on WhatsApp are facing. Meta has begun offering its own agent to businesses using the messaging app, giving it a direct route to the customers these startups want to reach.
In today’s top story, I look at how startups such as Singapore’s Voltade and Indonesia’s Mimin are dealing with the new competition. Their strategy rests on capabilities beyond answering messages, such as connecting to other software, handling company-specific processes, and supporting conversations outside WhatsApp.
My loyalty to UpNote comes down to a small but meaningful difference in my daily routine. For AI agent startups building on Meta’s turf, survival means making their own differences worth paying for.
Glenn Kaonang, journalist
Top Story
They built AI agents on WhatsApp. Then Meta entered the chat
Image credit: Ulla
Singapore ceiling-fan brand Crestar uses Voltade to handle conversations across WhatsApp, email, and its website, with customization for warranty and servicing processes that its AI manager says Meta’s agent doesn’t support.
Meanwhile, Mimin helps enterprise clients configure their agents and connect them to existing systems – work its CEO says can take up to two months.
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