There's a new LLM contender in town

More: Shopee’s lawsuit against a former employee is thrown out and Paytm’s shares fall 20%. [Read from your browser]( Daily Newsletter Welcome to Tech in Asia's free Daily Newsletter! Get full access to our subscribers-only Daily Newsletter and other insightful analysis on the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community by [registering here](.  --------------------------------------------------------------- IN FOCUS In today's newsletter, we spotlight: - An LLM [built for Southeast Asia]( - Tokopedia’s new CEO - Other newsy highlights such as Shopee’s lawsuit getting dismissed and Paytm’s shares crashing down. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hello {NAME} One thing that I’ve always found slightly irritating was how navigation apps would usually mispronounce locations in Singapore. Take the one used in my mum’s car for instance. It would completely mangle certain words to the point they were unrecognizable. Kallang (“Kah-Lahng”) would become (“Keh-lehng”) or something worse. Google Maps would be slightly better but still make numerous mistakes. It underscored the fact that even though these apps have really advanced tech and were built by some of the smartest people around, they would not be able to understand other countries and cultures on a deeper level. I believe that this concept also applies to AI and large language models (LLMs), especially given that they’ve been rising in prominence recently. Today’s story takes a look at how AI Singapore is trying to tackle this issue with its own LLM, dubbed Sea-Lion. -- Jonathan  ---------------------------------------------------------------  THE BIG STORY [Why Singapore’s LLM isn’t sweating GPT-4]( AI Singapore believes that Sea-Lion’s ability to process Southeast Asian languages will complement existing models, including GPT-4. --------------------------------------------------------------- TRENDING NEWS [Genesys acquires Singapore SaaS startup to flex more AI muscles]( Radarr Technologies uses data from relevant real-time online conversations to help companies make decisions. [Pyxis bags $3.4m to help make the maritime industry greener]( The Singapore-based startup said it will use the funds to expand the production of its electric harbor crafts. ---------------------------------------------------------------  VISUAL STORY OF THE DAY [Capital SEA: Southeast Asia’s funding landscape]( Who are the new active investors on the block? Which funding rounds look like outliers? This visual story answers all this and more. --------------------------------------------------------------- SAIGON SUMMIT 2024  Join Tech in Asia’s inaugural conference in Ho Chi Minh City on May 30 Did you know? Tech in Asia is hosting its largest-ever event in Vietnam on May 30! With Vietnam’s digital economy projected to hit US$45 billion by 2025, there’s never been a more exciting time to get involved with its thriving tech scene. Designed for 700+ attendees from across the globe, Saigon Summit offers a fusion of cultural immersion, expert learning, and networking segments that foster an understanding and an appreciation of the local ecosystem as well as cross-border opportunities. From now till February 25, enjoy up to 60% savings on tickets. [Don’t miss out on our early bird deals - get yours now!]( ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING You can also check out a curated list of trending tech events [over here](. - [Saigon Summit 2024: Charting Vietnam’s Tech Future on May 30]( Connect with over 700 regional tech talents at Saigon Summit 2024, Tech in Asia’s largest-ever event in Vietnam. The summit offers an unparalleled fusion of cultural immersion, expert learning, and bespoke networking opportunities, all aimed at nurturing the undeniable potential of Southeast Asia’s next tech hotspot. Grab your tickets before February 25 to save a whopping 60% with our [early bird special!]( ---------------------------------------------------------------  PRESS PEEKS The following press releases were published as they were received, without any editing from the Tech in Asia team. You too can publish your own press release on Tech in Asia by simply filling in [this]( page](. Our team will get back to you by the next business day. - Antler - [Antler Leads $5.1M Pre-Seed Funding for 37 Startups in SEA; Targets Investments in Verticalized AI and Industry 4.0]( This marks the highest number of pre-seed deals in a single round in the region ---------------------------------------------------------------  CONFERENCE LINEUP Check out Tech in Asia’s other signature events lineup for 2024 [here](. - [Product Development Conference (June 2024)]( Gain insights from industry leaders, explore current trends, and learn best practices at our Product Development Conference in mid-2024. Sign up as early as now to get special rates for this two-day event in Jakarta. - [Tech in Asia Conference Kuala Lumpur 2024 (July 2024)]( For the first time ever, Tech in Asia Conference is coming to Kuala Lumpur! Join us in July as tech enthusiasts and industry experts across Southeast Asia get together for the region’s largest tech gathering. ---------------------------------------------------------------  WHO'S HIRING You can post a job [here]( or search for jobs [here](. - [Software Development Engineer in Test]( at Moladin Digital Indonesia Jakarta, Indonesia - [Partneship Strategist]( at PT Kawan Lama Sejahtera Jakarta, Indonesia - [PPIC Manager]( at Aruna Jakarta, Indonesia - [Solutions Engineer Intern]( at Ematic Solutions Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - [Head of IT Engineering (Akulaku Indonesia)]( at Scout.inc Jakarta, Indonesia - [Front-End Developer]( at MC Payment Indonesia Jakarta, Indonesia [ADVERTISE]( | [SUBSCRIBE]( P.S. Don't miss out on the biggest tech news and analysis. Add newsletter@techinasia.com to your address book, contacts, or safe sender list. Or simply move us into your inbox. Tech in Asia thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. 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