Tracking the alumni networks powering SEA’s AI startups

A new crop of AI founders is emerging in Southeast Asia as people leave their coveted roles at companies like Microsoft, Grab, GoTo, and Alibaba to capture the upside of the AI boom.

Years ago, Tech in Asia tracked various alumni networks that had reshaped Southeast Asia’s tech scene. At the time, much of the talent was chasing opportunities in consumer internet sectors like ecommerce and fintech.

Now, we aim to map where this new wave of AI founders is coming from and what they’re building next. This shift could shape how AI companies are built in the region: which problems they target, how quickly they scale, and where the value ultimately accrues.

Despite its underdog status in global AI, Southeast Asia is home to over 680 active AI startups, accounting for more than 30% of all startup funding in the region last year, as per Google and Bain.

For this visual story, Tech in Asia tracked 214 founders across 125 AI startups operating in Southeast Asia. The founders previously held engineering, product, data, or senior leadership roles at major technology companies in the region before leaving to build startups that have AI as the core of the product.

Editor’s note: This tracker doesn’t load on Tech in Asia’s mobile app. Switch to a web browser if you’re on a phone. Sorry for the inconvenience. We’re working on a fix.

Microsoft emerged as the most influential corporate talent pipeline in the dataset, with alumni from the company going on to found nine AI startups across Southeast Asia.

Grab and Alibaba followed close behind, each producing five AI startup founders. This underscores how a handful of large technology companies are becoming breeding grounds for the region’s next wave of AI entrepreneurs.

Some of these founders have already attracted significant funding and become some of the region’s most closely watched AI entrepreneurs. The most prominent example is Manus, whose co-founder, Tao Zhang, previously worked at ByteDance. The startup’s rapid ascent has drawn attention following its high-profile acquisition by Meta.