IN FOCUS
Hello Betamax, I hate flying. It makes me anxious. A lot can go wrong, from booking to boarding alone. I’ve learned that firsthand since moving to Bengaluru for work. In the seven years I have lived here, I have missed more than a few flights. It’s no surprise, as the drive from the city center to the airport can take anywhere from 1.5 to three hours, depending on traffic. A conversation with an online travel executive last year gave me hope that AI could ease some of that anxiety. They said the industry was working toward agents that could plan and book an entire trip from a conversation. They would reserve flights and hotels, ensure a cab arrived at your doorstep, and recommend nearby places and restaurants. Then came Ixigo’s AI agent, which was launched earlier this year. Called Tara, the agent “understands you, assists you, and gets things done for you,” says the company. Finally, I thought. And so, I tried it. I asked Tara to plan a trip to Mumbai around an event. Unfortunately, it got the dates wrong. AI was supposed to disrupt travel, particularly the online travel agencies that dominate the industry. That has not happened yet, and my experience with Tara offers a clue as to why. Moreover, no notable AI upstarts are taking market share from them, not even ChatGPT or Claude. In today’s feature, I take a closer look at AI’s limited impact on travel and why the incumbents are likely to retain control, at least for now. This week also marked the 15th edition of Tech in Asia Conference, our flagship event. On the sidelines, my colleague Samreen sat down with Supabase CEO Paul Copplestone, who explained how the company could become a US$100 billion business. The customers that take it there may not be humans – they may be AI agents. Pranav Balakrishnan, AI reporter
TOP STORIES1️⃣ Last to board: why travel may be AI’s final frontier
Image credit: Ulla
Of all the online commerce categories, travel appears particularly well suited to agentic AI. It was also among the first industries the internet disrupted. Planning a trip requires comparing options, coordinating bookings, and making decisions – precisely the kind of work AI agents promise to handle. My failed attempt to let AI plan an entire trip for me points to a few problems. The tech itself is a constraint. It remains neither reliable nor affordable enough for mass adoption. 2️⃣ Agents – not humans – have picked the next $100b company One of Supabase’s biggest clients has been vibecoding company Lovable. Supabase hosts the latter’s data. In a recent interview, Copplestone recalled that when Lovable started seeing explosive growth and taking up more storage, he thought Supabase was under attack. Instead, it was a sign that people were beginning to build software with AI. The supporting database was no longer being chosen by a developer but by an AI agent. If an AI agent is becoming the customer, what makes it choose Supabase?
A DATA STORY YOU SHOULDN’T MISS20 largest exits in Southeast Asia
Image credit: Timmy Loen
Large exits in the region are a bit like public buses: You wait forever for one, then two come along at once. Grab’s acquisition of 60% of BNPL player Atome Financial for a cool US$1.5 billion rocketed to the sixth spot on our list of the 20 biggest exits in Southeast Asia. Crypto finance company Circle, meanwhile, snapped up Singapore-based cross-border payments firm Tazapay for US$400 million, ranking 16th on the list. Interestingly, the Grab-Atome deal is a rare example of one Southeast Asian company acquiring another on our top 20 list. Of the 13 M&A deals on the list, 10 involved buyers from outside the region.
TRENDING NEWS1️⃣ SoftBank’s credit risk rises as OpenAI exposure grows OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that the company is delaying its IPO. That means bad news for its biggest investor, SoftBank, which has committed to invest about US$65 billion in the AI giant. 2️⃣ Manus nears $500m raise after Meta deal unravels The fundraising would be Manus’ first since Beijing forced it to unwind its sale to Meta. It can be recalled that Meta agreed to buy Manus in December 2025, but Beijing blocked the deal over concerns about sensitive tech transfer. 3️⃣ Former Infosys CEO’s AI startup Hang Ten raises $53m Temasek’s early-stage investment platform, Xora, led the round in Vishal Sikka’s startup. The new round closed about five weeks after an initial US$32 million seed round. 4️⃣ US AI startup Plaud to invest $15.7m in Singapore The wearable AI hardware maker said it would be investing in engineering, product development, and regional operations. The 15,000-square-foot office at Marina Bay Financial Centre will serve as Plaud’s regional base for 12 markets outside Japan and mainland China. 5️⃣ Huawei unveils AI cluster linking up to 4,000 chips The launch comes as US export controls apply to advanced semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and certain high-performance computing items designed or marketed for data-center and AI use. Huawei reportedly aims to build AI systems despite US semiconductor-related restrictions.
POWERED BY THE COMMUNITYCelebrating the partners who brought people together at TIACON 2026. 
Tech in Asia Conference 2026 gathered founders, investors, enterprise leaders, and technology decision-makers across Asia for two days of conversations, connections, and ideas around the future of enterprise AI. Beyond the conference stage, our community partners played an important role in bringing people together, expanding the conversations, and connecting the ecosystem that makes these moments possible. A big thank you to the communities and organizations that supported Tech in Asia Conference 2026: 8Circle, ACE.SG, Block71, Claude Singapore Community, Enterprise Singapore, GovTech, Founders Launchpad, IES-INCA, Menlo Research, noticebob, Performance Pickleball, Startupbootcamp, The AI Capitol, Umeus Group, WhyScripted, Women in AI For Good, and ZFounder. Thank you for being part of #TIAConference2026 and helping make the conversations, connections, and community around enterprise AI stronger. We’re grateful to have had you with us.
PRESS PEEKSThe 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 our site by simply filling out this form. Our team will get back to you by the next business day.
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