14-05-2025
30 Under 30: Meet The Young Entrepreneurs Shaping AI In Asia
Forbes Asia
In May last year, Jin Kim teamed up with Subeen Pang, 32, and Forbes Under 30 alums Hojun Choi (class of 2023), 31, and Chanyeol Choi (class of 2021), 33, to deliver tech-driven insights to investors, with a focus on hedge fund managers. Their subscription-based platform, LinqAlpha, uses AI to speed up research into more than 60,000 companies in over 80 markets and in 20 languages, it says, trawling through large volumes of data, such as securities filings, financial reports and earnings-call transcripts as well as text files, PDFs and social media. 'What we do is replicate the thought processes of hedge fund analysts through algorithms,' Kim says.
Forbes Asia
Kim is one of the entrepreneurs on the newly created AI category of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list, who are utilizing the cutting edge technology to innovate across industries.
Based in Seoul with an office in New York, LinqAlpha raised $6.6 million in seed funding last year from investors such as Korea-based VC firms Atinum, InterVest, Kakao Ventures and Smilegate Investment. Kim, a former quant researcher with a master's degree in financial engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, heads LinqAlpha's fundamental research engineering team.
'We are on the pioneering edge of what we're doing'
The startup, which says its customers have combined assets under management of more than $100 billion, faces hefty competition in the AI-powered research space, including from financial information giant Bloomberg. Kim says LinqAlpha stands out from other equities-focused AI models by covering more companies outside of the U.S. while working with clients to tailor searches for their specific strategies. 'We are on the pioneering edge of what we're doing,' he avers.
Another ambitious AI startup on the list is Singapore-based Sapient Intelligence. Cofounded by Wang Guan in 2024, it is trying to create artificial general intelligence (AGI), or AI that can match or surpass human intelligence. The startup is combining technology from mathematics, neuroscience and machine learning in the training of AI models that can solve very complex puzzles like Sudoku. Last December, Sapient Intelligence raised $22 million in seed funding from investors including Vertex Ventures and Sumitomo Group, giving it a valuation of over $200 million.
In China, two listees are developing large language models(LLMs).
Founded by Gao Haichuan in 2023, Beijing Qianjue Technology has developed a large language model (LLM) that functions as a brain for robots, helping machines assess the surrounding environment and respond to verbal commands. Qianjue has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from investors including Innoangel Fund and Rivercity Investment. Gao holds a Ph.D. in automation engineering from China's Tsinghua University.
Gao Haichuan, cofounder of Beijing Qianjue Technology
Cofounded by Chen Yuanpei in 2024, PsiBot is also developing AI models for robots. The company says its technology can allow multiple robotic arms to make complex movements such as stacking building blocks. Last year, PsiBot raised an undisclosed amount of funding from GL Ventures and Lanchi Ventures. Chen holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from the South China University of Technology and was a visiting scholar at Peking University and Stanford University, where he was advised by AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li.
Entrepreneurs from across the region are using AI to provide consumer and enterprise services catering to various sectors.
Jacky Koh, Daniel Palmer and Daniel Vassilev cofounded Relevance AI to help companies develop their own AI-based tools and automate tasks without coding. Using Relevance AI's online platform, companies can customize large language models (LLMs) to create email responses and handle data analytics. With offices in Sydney and San Francisco, the startup raised a series A funding round of A$15 million ($9.3 million) in December 2023. Vassilev and Koh, who met in high school, joined forces with Palmer when the trio met at the University of Sydney.
Daniel Vassilev, Daniel Palmer and Jacky Koh, cofounders of Relevance AI.
Cofounded in 2021 by MIT Ph.D.-holders Christian Lau and Vaikkunth Mugunthan, Dynamo AI offers software to run tests on AI programs to identify potential risks, and prevent the models from accessing sensitive data. With offices in India and the U.S., the company has attracted users including Chinese PC giant Lenovo and Dublin-based multinational Experian. It has so far raised $30 million in funding from investors including Nexus Venture Partners and Y Combinator.
AI has also been revolutionizing the entertainment sector. In 2020, Wu Di cofounded Shanghai-based Deemos, which uses AI to help users generate 3D content and digital avatars. Its 3D modeling technology was used in the Chinese sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth 2, and attracted investors' attention. In January, the company raised an undisclosed amount in a series A round from investors including ByteDance, HongShan (formerly Sequoia China) and the MiraclePlus accelerator.
Byeoli Choi, cofounder of Movin.
In South Korea, Byeoli Choi cofounded Movin, a startup that develops AI-based real-time motion capture devices. Based in Seongnam, its devices help game studios, YouTubers and entertainment companies create lifelike animations. In March, Movin raised 4 billion won ($2.7 million) in a pre-series A funding round from investors including Atinum Investment and Naver D2SF, the South Korean internet giant's corporate venture arm. In the same month, Movin established an in-house studio to collect 3D motion data to help companies develop AI-powered humanoid robots. Before launching Movin, Choi worked at Naver's metaverse platform Zepeto.
–Additional reporting by John Kang
Read our complete AI list here – and be sure to check out our full Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 coverage here.
