Close Menu
TechBrunchTechBrunch
  • Home
  • AI
  • Apps
  • Crypto
  • Security
  • Startups
  • TechCrunch
  • Venture

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

What's Hot

Clay confirms that it has closed a $100 million round at a $3.1 billion valuation

August 5, 2025

WhatsApp adds new features to protect against fraud

August 5, 2025

Hackers stole the identity of Cisco customers using voice phishing attacks

August 5, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
TechBrunchTechBrunch
  • Home
  • AI

    OpenAI seeks to extend human lifespans with the help of longevity startups

    January 17, 2025

    Farewell to the $200 million woolly mammoth and TikTok

    January 17, 2025

    Nord Security founder launches Nexos.ai to help enterprises move AI projects from pilot to production

    January 17, 2025

    Data proves it remains difficult for startups to raise capital, even though VCs invested $75 billion in the fourth quarter

    January 16, 2025

    Apple suspends AI notification summaries for news after generating false alerts

    January 16, 2025
  • Apps

    WhatsApp adds new features to protect against fraud

    August 5, 2025

    Spotify expands audiobook access to US Family Plan members for the first time

    August 5, 2025

    Openai says ChatGpt is on track to reach 700m-a-week users

    August 4, 2025

    Elon Musk says he's reclaiming Vine's archives

    August 4, 2025

    Chariture.ai adds social feeds to its app

    August 4, 2025
  • Crypto

    North Korean spies pretending to be remote workers have invaded hundreds of businesses, CloudStrike says

    August 4, 2025

    Telegram's Crypto Wallet will be released in the US

    July 22, 2025

    Indian Crypto ExchangeCoindCX confirms $44 million stolen during hack

    July 21, 2025

    North Korean hackers blamed record-breaking spikes in 2025

    July 17, 2025

    Bitcoin surpasses $118K at the second highest high in 24 hours

    July 11, 2025
  • Security

    Hackers stole the identity of Cisco customers using voice phishing attacks

    August 5, 2025

    SonicWall urges customers to disable SSLVPN in reporting ransomware attacks

    August 5, 2025

    Google says AI-based bug hunter has discovered 20 security vulnerabilities

    August 4, 2025

    Confusing accused of scraping websites that explicitly blocked AI scraping

    August 4, 2025

    Commerce Dept.'s backlog reportedly has suspended Nvidia's H20 chip license

    August 1, 2025
  • Startups

    7 days left: Founders and VCs save over $300 on all stage passes

    March 24, 2025

    AI chip startup Furiosaai reportedly rejecting $800 million acquisition offer from Meta

    March 24, 2025

    20 Hottest Open Source Startups of 2024

    March 22, 2025

    Andrill may build a weapons factory in the UK

    March 21, 2025

    Startup Weekly: Wiz bets paid off at M&A Rich Week

    March 21, 2025
  • TechCrunch

    OpenSea takes a long-term view with a focus on UX despite NFT sales remaining low

    February 8, 2024

    AI will save software companies' growth dreams

    February 8, 2024

    B2B and B2C are not about who buys, but how you sell

    February 5, 2024

    It's time for venture capital to break away from fast fashion

    February 3, 2024

    a16z's Chris Dixon believes it's time to focus on blockchain use cases rather than speculation

    February 2, 2024
  • Venture

    Clay confirms that it has closed a $100 million round at a $3.1 billion valuation

    August 5, 2025

    NEA destroys ICONIQ and get startup insights from Chefrobotics in 2025

    August 5, 2025

    Only two days left to save $675 to destroy tickets for 2025

    August 5, 2025

    What should the founder think about if they are trying to raise the series c?

    August 2, 2025

    Venture company CRV raises $750 million and returns capital to investors, then downsizing

    August 1, 2025
TechBrunchTechBrunch

HD raises $5.6 million to build Sierra AI for healthcare in Southeast Asia

TechBrunchBy TechBrunchApril 3, 20245 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Telegram Email


Chatbots have come a long way. For years, they were limited to responding with predetermined responses that followed simple logical structures. However, customers may have complex problems, and a tree diagram of possible responses cannot have enough branches to account for all the edge cases that arise. Thankfully, with the advent of large-scale language models, chatbots have finally become useful. Armed with mountains of data, the startup is now leveraging generative AI to create custom chatbots for all kinds of businesses and use cases, especially when you want to see what people are buying. is being created.

Thailand's HD builds chatbots targeted at one such industry: healthcare. The company started as a marketplace for third-party healthcare and surgical services and believes it is a strong case for developing conversational AI for the healthcare customer's journey.

“The products we sell are not the typical products you would buy on Amazon. These are hospital services, so people shop the same way they would shop offline,” said co-founder Sheji Ho. told TechCrunch.

Even though HD's Marketplace HD Mall has a description of each product, Ho says people still prefer to ask questions first. “90% of his chat messages are asking about product information. Chat Commerce Process [is similar to] It’s an offline experience,” he explained.

To advance its AI ambitions, HD recently raised a 5.6 million Series A round led by SBI Ven Capital, a subsidiary of Japanese financial giant SBI Group, through a joint fund with South Korea's Kyoto Securities and NTU Singapore's NTUitive. raised dollars. M Venture Partners, FEBE Ventures, Partec Partners, Ratio Ventures, Orvel Ventures and TA Ventures also participated in the round.

AI for Southeast Asia

Ho said HD is working to build the “Sierra AI of Southeast Asia's healthcare industry.”

Over five years, Ho and his team found that the faster HD representatives responded to inquiries, the higher the conversion rate. “So there is a very good case for using AI to automate that process,” he said. The company expects conversational AI to not only help reduce costs, but also free up staff to focus on higher-value tasks, such as answering more complex customer questions.

But Ho and his team seem to have a realistic outlook on what they can achieve. Unable to match U.S. companies, which have “almost unlimited access” to powerful GPUs, talent and venture capital, the company is focusing on building vertical AI using local data as an outer moat.

“Emerging markets need to compete using the data they have – unique data that no one else has – and leverage AI,” Ho said. “We see similar things happening elsewhere. Some people call this vertical AI, where you take a vertical domain (specific data specific to a particular business or industry). Build a model on top of it and enhance it to the point where you can build practical AI applications and start monetizing it.”

So HD plans to train the chatbot using a sea of ​​anonymized transaction, chat, FAQ, and product catalog data it has accumulated over the years. Currently, his 30 to 40 percent of the company's transactions are done through chat commerce with customer service representatives.

HD plans to use the new funding to deploy the chatbot for its own market within three months and make the technology available to third parties by the end of this year. Potential customers are hospitals and clinics that require 24/7 customer support. The startup is already working with around 2,000 healthcare providers in Asia, which will allow it to fine-tune the basic language model in the healthcare domain. Ultimately, the chatbot service will give the company a new SaaS revenue stream in addition to marketplace fees.

Post-pandemic fundraising

Like many other startups, HD sought to reduce costs and sustain growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the company “didn't necessarily need to raise” as the company was on its way to profitability after the pandemic ended with double year-over-year growth, Ho also said there was an opportunity to move more quickly as other companies slowed down. Thought.

“We hear voices saying, 'We should raise money when we don't need to.' If we raise prices now, everything else will be cheaper. For example, because everyone stopped advertising in the recession, customers Acquisition costs have become cheaper. Acquisition of human resources has also become cheaper. [costs less] Unfortunately, companies are cutting back on staff. ”

Globally, startup company valuations have been on a downward trend in recent years. HD wasn't immune to the wave, but Ho says he recognized the benefits of accepting a more moderate rating early on.

“I think it makes no sense for companies to worry about valuations this early. Over the past few years, and especially in 2021, we have seen companies start competing at very high valuations. '' he said, pointing to India's health tech unicorn Priston as an example. furious growth.

“Because they were raised at very high valuations, they are forced to grow very aggressively, which leads to founders and companies cutting corners. When you're dealing with people's lives in healthcare, you can't cut corners. We cannot do that,” Ho said.



Source link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

OpenAI seeks to extend human lifespans with the help of longevity startups

January 17, 2025

Farewell to the $200 million woolly mammoth and TikTok

January 17, 2025

Nord Security founder launches Nexos.ai to help enterprises move AI projects from pilot to production

January 17, 2025

Data proves it remains difficult for startups to raise capital, even though VCs invested $75 billion in the fourth quarter

January 16, 2025

Apple suspends AI notification summaries for news after generating false alerts

January 16, 2025

Nvidia releases more tools and guardrails to help enterprises adopt AI agents

January 16, 2025

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Top Reviews
Editors Picks

7 days left: Founders and VCs save over $300 on all stage passes

March 24, 2025

AI chip startup Furiosaai reportedly rejecting $800 million acquisition offer from Meta

March 24, 2025

20 Hottest Open Source Startups of 2024

March 22, 2025

Andrill may build a weapons factory in the UK

March 21, 2025
About Us
About Us

Welcome to Tech Brunch, your go-to destination for cutting-edge insights, news, and analysis in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cryptocurrency, Technology, and Startups. At Tech Brunch, we are passionate about exploring the latest trends, innovations, and developments shaping the future of these dynamic industries.

Our Picks

Clay confirms that it has closed a $100 million round at a $3.1 billion valuation

August 5, 2025

WhatsApp adds new features to protect against fraud

August 5, 2025

Hackers stole the identity of Cisco customers using voice phishing attacks

August 5, 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

© 2025 TechBrunch. Designed by TechBrunch.
  • Home
  • About Tech Brunch
  • Advertise with Tech Brunch
  • Contact us
  • DMCA Notice
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.