The Singapore-based AI company Wiz.ai on Friday announced that it completed a USD 6 million pre-Series A funding round, led by GGV Capital. Also participating were Wavemaker Partners, ZWC Partners, Insignia Ventures, and the Orion Fund, which is managed by K3 Ventures.
The company said that it aims to expand the company’s product offerings and grow its teams in Southeast Asia.
Founded by Jennifer Zhang in 2019, Wiz.ai has deployed conversational AI technologies within large corporations in Southeast Asia. The firm’s focus is to adapt AI solutions for ASEAN languages. Its offices in Singapore, China, and Jakarta are housing a growing team of scientists, researchers, linguists, and dialogue designers.
“Through improved AI chatbot technologies, conversational AI will revolutionize call center functions and improve customer engagement,” Zhang said in a press statement. “Deploying these technologies in businesses across Southeast Asia requires a deep understanding of local languages, culture, and the business landscape, so we continue to bring in exceptional talent from the region to our diverse team of experts in conversational AI.”
The company finds that a key challenge is the capturing and processing of insights from interactions with customers. Wiz.ai says it’s able to cut costs while improving service levels with personalized inbound and outbound calls in English and other languages like Bahasa.
“People typically think of a talkbot as just an automated mouth. Wiz.ai’s talkbot also has the ears and the brain to form a complete solution,” said Paul Santos, managing partner at Wavemaker Partners.