AIS paves the way for start-ups by rewarding digital innovation

This year, over 1,500 people from 300 teams signed up for the project. The final ten were selected to pitch their work to a committee composed of experts.

The winner of this year’s competition was FlowAccount, developers of an easy-to-use cloud accounting solution for small businesses. The runner-up was Socialgiver, a website that offers special rates from top brands all over Thailand while supporting charity projects that are changing lives. 

As part of their prizes, both teams will attend the Regional Operator Workshop in Singapore this month and participate in the Regional Challenge in Jakarta, Indonesia, in December. 

Choco Card, a loyalty card that unites all rewards cards into one, won the special “Best FinTech Startup Award” prize from Kasikornbank.

Pratthana Leelapanang, AIS’s executive vice president of marketing, said all of the diverse products submitted cover all functions and concur with the digital lifestyle. They include on-demand economy services; entertainment and lifestyle services; and social enterprises. These businesses are for society, Pratthana said. They include payment systems and financial technologies, and they encourage smart living through the Internet of Thing (IoT).

The three primary decision criteria for the AIS initiative were the readiness of the product with a clear business road map; room for growth on regional and international levels; and skilled and capable team members who understand business and have good presentation abilities.

“As for the plan to further support the winning teams, products will be co-developed and planned for business marketing aimed at scaling to the market, launching services and reaching the international market within 3-6 months,” said Pratthana.

AIS also has a policy to support every start-up team in becoming business allies with AIS in every aspect with budget support of over Bt100 million throughout the entire project. 

Over the past four years, 11 teams have passed selection market trials and achieved service launches. They are ShopSpot, Infographic (Thailand), Aommoney, Noonswoon, The Trippacker, Fourleaf, Golfdigg, Local Alike, StockRadars, AIS U Academy and BentoWeb. The overall value of these companies exceeds Bt1 billion.

Every team has already got funding from Thai and foreign investors. More than 80 per cent of the start-ups that entered the business guideline process have survived and are still operating today, which is a good indicator of the project’s success, Pratthana said. 

The remaining 20 per cent are currently developing products, getting ready to launch on the market and attracting new customers.

“AIS The StartUp 2015 activities show that start-up communities in Thailand are growing stronger every year. These people are highly capable and are second to none. Now AIS has moved forward as a full-fledged digital life service provider,” Pratthana said. 

 “It is clear that Thai start-ups are now strong, prepared to compete and ready to shine in terms of creative areas and differentiation. They also have clearer business outlooks and target groups. They can market domestically and expand abroad.”

The broader market environments provide consumers with easier access to the Internet, making them more familiar with digital services. The business sector has also accepted and become convinced that the digital environment will facilitate business, generate income, expand markets, reduce costs and truly improve business effectiveness. 

“All of these support start-ups will develop new channels and opportunities to develop products that successfully respond to future trends,” said Pratthana.