For getting people to recycle by rewarding them for it

Co-founder and CTO, Klean

One of the biggest challenges in recycling plastic is changing the public’s perspective to recognise its value, prompting Syed Zain Almohdzar to co-found recycling platform Klean. It operates AI-driven reverse vending machines and a rewards-based app that gives consumers everyday perks for recycling empty plastic bottles and aluminium cans. It even has a partnership with Resorts World Genting, offering a free theme park ride in exchange for five plastic bottles.

Read more: Announcing The Gen.T x Credit Suisse Social Impact Awards

For smart tools that make managing money a cinch

Co-founder, Planto

With Planto, Ankit Suri is making it easier for people to manage their finances. The app links a customer’s accounts in one place and provides them with visual insights and suggestions to optimise their finances, using AI to personalise the financial advice, budgeting tools and products it offers. It has been downloaded more than 100,000 times, making it the most popular AI financial manager in Hong Kong.

For spearheading the growth of telehealth in Asia

Founder and CEO, Lydia AI

With the aim of democratising healthcare, Anthony Lee’s Lydia AI is perfectly placed at the nexus of health and technology. The company uses patented artificial intelligence and vast volumes of health data to create a personalised health assessment app. It not only helps identify the risk of major diseases, but also comes with customised insurance recommendations that empower users to seamlessly take the next step in safeguarding their health.

Read more: How These Two Entrepreneurs Are Using Technology To Cut Building Emissions

For enabling businesses to become more sustainable

Co-founder and CEO, Evercomm

Ted Chen co-founded energy IoT company Evercomm in 2013 with the aim of leveraging the power of technology to lessen the burdens on the climate. The fast-growing cleantech startup works towards decarbonisation by adopting a data-driven approach to improve businesses’ energy and operational efficiency without sacrificing production, tracking their real-time energy consumption, waste and actual need.

For detecting disease (almost) before it starts

Co-founder and CEO, Mirxes

To Lihan Zhou, early detection is the best medicine. The co-founder of rapidly growing biotechnology company Mirxes, he helped to develop the use of MicroRNA (MiRNA) to locate nascent cancers, and develop the Fortitude Covid-19 detection system, producing a million tests weekly. In 2021, Mirxes raised US$87 million in Series C funding and established Southeast Asia’s largest Industry 4.0 in vitro diagnostic (IVD) manufacturing facility.

For helping Southeast Asia go cashless with an innovative payment method

Co-president, Ascend Money

Co-president of Ascend Money, Monsinee Nakapanant has led the company to become the biggest e-wallet in Thailand and a leading fintech company in Southeast Asia. With operations across six countries, the company serves 30 million people and has a network of 50,000 agents facilitating payments. In Thailand alone, it sees more than 8 million monthly active users and works with 200,000 merchants nationwide.

Read more: How These Entrepreneurs Use Tech And The Power Of Connections To Make A Positive Impact

For leading Indonesia’s aquaculture revolution

Founder and CEO, eFishery

For enabling community leaders to become retailers

Co-founder and CEO, Super

For Indonesia's 260 million citizens, spread across 77,000 islands, retail is necessarily local and socially driven. Steven Wongsoredjo's app Super is the Pinduoduo of Indonesia, driving hyperlocal social commerce via community leaders so everyone can access essential goods at the best value, while streamlining supply chains. It has raised US$106 million in funding from investors including Softbank, DST Global and Insignia Ventures Partners.

For helping people better understand their own mental well-being

Founder, KnowYourself

Lifestyle brand KnowYourself is an evolution of Qian Zhuang’s popular online psychology blog. The platform now has more than 10 million users, many of whom are young people seeking advice on mental wellness. Backed by investors such as ZhenFund and Eight Roads Ventures, the brand seeks to raise awareness of mental health through workshops and an app offering self-help tools, meditation sessions, psychological assessments and text-based counselling.

Read more: These Entrepreneurs Are Using Tech To Save The Planet. Here’s How

For helping the Philippines’ treasured neighbourhood stores become more competitive

Co-founder and CEO, GrowSari

ER Rollan’s app GrowSari allows sari-sari stores, the family-run neighbourhood convenience shops that dominate the Philippine retail economy, to order items they want to sell and have them delivered the next day, free of charge, helping them compete with larger retailers. The company combines multiple orders to drive down prices from suppliers, which is how it generates its profits. It has raised US$110 million in funding across four rounds.

For digitising China’s healthcare industry

Founder and CEO, Synyi AI

Zhang Shaodian’s company Synyi AI uses artificial intelligence to organise and analyse clinical data, offering practical solutions to the healthcare industry by automatically translating clinical reports into structured databases and standardised data. The company is also a frontrunner in the development of smart hospitals in China. It has raised US$157.4 million in funding, including a 2021 Series E round worth US$77.3 million.

For powering the autonomous driving future

Co-founder and CEO, Hesai Technology

As the autonomous driving industry continues to grow and driver assistance becomes standard in cars, so does demand for cutting-edge sensor technology. Meeting that demand is laser sensor company Hesai Technology, which under the leadership of its co-founder and CEO Li Yifan has worked with 12 of the world’s top 15 autonomous driving companies.

See more of Gen.T's content on social impact. See all the honourees on the Gen.T List 2022.

NOW READ

“Offsets Aren’t Enough”: One Company’s Race To Net Zero Goes Beyond Buying Carbon Credits

How Green Are Electric Vehicles Really?

How Technology Has Advanced Since The Start Of The Pandemic