AI-powered mentorship for Southeast Asia’s talent

This article is a part of Startup Spotlight, a series that features young, up-and-coming startups.

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Brian Tan studied biochemistry in the UK and wanted to return to Malaysia as a management consultant. He struggled to understand the local industry and position himself correctly until access to mentors who had built careers in consulting accelerated his journey.

This experience revealed how unevenly career guidance is distributed. Tan started FutureLab.my to make structured mentorship accessible for anyone building a career or business in Southeast Asia.

😟 Problem

Many people enter the workforce without guidance from someone experienced in their field. In Southeast Asia, over half of graduates feel unprepared for work.

Youth unemployment is above 10%, and employers cite a lack of industry exposure among candidates.

💡 Solution

FutureLab is a mentoring platform connecting users to industry professionals. The platform uses AI to help users grow with clarity. The firm:

• Matches mentees with mentors and provides tools to support the relationship.
• Users set goals and are matched with curated mentors.
• Sessions are run through the platform.
• AI generates insights and next steps after each meeting.
• Organizations can use the service to run internal or external mentorship programs.

Image credit: Timmy Loen

📊 Market size

FutureLab estimates its serviceable opportunity in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and the Philippines is 43.8 million Malaysian ringgit (US$10.7 million) in lifetime value (LTV) over five years.

This is based on the segments the company is currently selling into:

• Universities: 80 institutions at about 30,000 ringgit (US$7,351) per year on a three-year cycle, creating 7.2 million ringgit (US$1.7 million) in LTV.
• Organizations: 120 corporates, accelerators, and government programs at about 60,000 ringgit (US$14,702) per year over three years, creating 21.6 million ringgit (US$5.3 million) in LTV.
• Individuals: 50,000 users purchasing credits at an average lifetime spend of 300 ringgit (US$74), creating 15 million ringgit (US$3.7 million).

🤝 Team

• Brian Tan: Founder and CEO. A former management consultant with Accenture and Ethos & Company. He has experience in digital strategy and organizational development.

🚀 Traction

🏆 Competition

💰 Financials