AWS' Klein on AI Trends & Business Outlook
Olivier Klein, Chief APAC Technologist for AWS, discusses his outlook on how trends like Agentic AI is changing model structures and application of artificial intelligence for businesses in the region. He speaks with Annabelle Droulers on the sidelines of SuperAI Conference in Singapore on "The China Show". (Source: Bloomberg)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fast Company
an hour ago
- Fast Company
From start-up to scale-up: Strategies for growth
Starting a business is one of the most rewarding and high-stakes journeys an entrepreneur can undertake. It's a well-known statistic that 90% of startups fail, with many never making it past their first year. But why? According to CB Insights, the leading causes of failure include running out of cash, an inability to raise new capital, a lack of market demand, and getting out-competed. Launching a business is no small feat, but the hurdles don't end once it's off the ground. A whole new set of challenges emerges as companies transition into their next phase of growth. Brian Halligan, Hubspot co-founder, has a philosophy he uses to describe businesses that are maturing beyond the start-up stage and stepping into a new chapter of expansion: he calls these companies scale-ups. While a startup is typically focused on finding product-market fit and building a foundation, a scale-up company has achieved that initial validation and is now focused on growth—expanding its customer base, operations, and revenues. This scale-up phase is a crucial inflection point in a company's journey. The ability to scale effectively often separates the small percentage of businesses that make a lasting impact from the majority that stall out. Transitioning into a scale-up phase means shifting from scrappy survival to strategic growth, and that requires a different mindset, different systems, and a different approach to leadership. DRIVING SUSTAINABLE, LONG-TERM GROWTH WITH SCALABLE PROCESSES Sustainable growth starts with clarity: clear priorities, a defined mission, and an unwavering focus on what truly moves the needle. Scaling businesses are often bombarded with opportunities that seem promising but can easily become distractions. Instead of saying yes all the time, successful leaders understand the power of strategic prioritization (hint: saying 'no' is just as important as saying 'yes'). For example, doubling down on key customer segments or continuously refining your core product delivers far more value than stretching resources too thin across multiple pursuits. Sustainable growth isn't just about scaling fast; it's about scaling smart—making every decision with the long-term resilience of the business in mind. As your company grows, so does operational complexity. What worked for a five-person team won't scale to fifty, let alone 500. To avoid bottlenecks and inefficiencies, growth must be supported by strong, scalable processes. My leadership team and I are prioritizing two critical areas this year: documentation and automation. We're ensuring repeatable workflows are well-documented so that new team members have a clear roadmap to follow. At the same time, we're investing in automation tools to handle repetitive tasks, freeing our team to focus on higher-priority, more complex initiatives. These changes weren't just about efficiency. It was about preparing the company to scale without losing speed. Scaling shouldn't feel like a house of cards ready to topple. With strong operational foundations, you can build a business that adapts and grows sustainably. MAINTAINING COMPANY CULTURE AND CORE VALUES Scaling doesn't just test your business model—it tests your company culture. Rapid hiring, if not managed carefully, can dilute the values that made your startup a great place to work in the first place. Culture isn't just a set of core values on your website, it's how decisions are made, how teams collaborate, and how work gets done every day. To protect our culture, we take deliberate steps during periods of fast growth. Every hiring decision we make is guided not only by skills and experience but also by alignment with our core values. We invest in leadership training, host annual events to bring the entire company together, and run regular engagement surveys to ensure we're fostering a strong, connected workforce, despite having employees across the world. Scaling should never feel like a choice between growth and culture. There is no universal right or wrong way to maintain a great company culture, but intentionality is key. A strong team aligned with your mission is critical to long-term success. STAYING AGILE IN A DYNAMIC MARKET Perhaps the most underestimated strength a company can have is agility. Market conditions shift, customer needs evolve, and competition intensifies as you grow. Companies that succeed in scaling are those that remain agile, constantly refining their product offerings and optimizing for product-market fit. According to Halligan, agility doesn't mean changing direction at the first sign of turbulence, but having the discipline to adapt intelligently when necessary. I often remind our leadership team that adaptability and discipline must go hand in hand. During economic shifts, reassessing product strategy and focusing on core offerings that customers rely on most can be the difference between thriving and merely surviving. After all, product-market fit should already be established in the startup phase—scaling should now focus on optimizing for product-market scale (i.e., ensuring ease of use with more efficient implementation). At the same time, encouraging experimentation and allowing teams to test new ideas quickly is crucial for revenue growth and scaling product-market fit. The challenge lies in striking the right balance between doubling down and pivoting. There's no perfect formula—mistakes will be made. But staying curious, learning from peers and mentors, and drawing insights from those who have scaled before you can help make educated, informed decisions and keep your company agile in an unpredictable economic environment. LOOKING AHEAD The transition from start-up to scale-up isn't easy, but that makes it so rewarding. By relentlessly focusing on these core tenets, many of which Halligan references as part of his scale-up strategy— scalable processes, maintaining a strong team culture, and adaptability in a changing market—you're not just growing a company, you're building a foundation for long-term success.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Nio (NIO) Could Climb 33% as Goldman Sachs Lifts Rating and Price Target
Goldman Sachs upgraded Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio (NIO, Financials) to Neutral from Sell and raised its 12-month price target to $3.80 from $3.70, citing recent cost-cutting measures and a decline in share price. The updated target implies a potential upside of about 9% from current levels. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 3 Warning Signs with NIO. Goldman Sachs analyst Tina Hou noted that Nio's efforts to reduce operating expenses by 20%25%including project cancellations, staff reductions, and streamlined operationscould support margin improvement of 4%10% over the next three years. Nio has faced challenges, including widening losses, a 21% year-to-date share price drop, and heightened competition from Tesla (TSLA, Financials) and BYD. Despite the upgrade, Goldman Sachs remains cautious. It cited weak demand, a high debt load, and reduced delivery expectations as ongoing risks. Nio's cash and investments declined from $5.7 billion to $3.6 billion in Q1 2025, underscoring balance sheet concerns. Wall Street maintains a Hold consensus on Nio stock, with two Buy, seven Hold, and one Sell ratings over the past three months. The average analyst price target is $4.58, suggesting a 33% upside. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
51Talk Online Education Group to Present at the Small Cap Growth Virtual Investor Conference June 26th, 2025
Company invites individual and institutional investors, as well as advisors and analysts, to attend online at SINGAPORE, June 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 51Talk Online Education Group (NYSE American: COE), based in Singapore, focused on global online education, today announced that David Chung, the Company's investor relations vice president, will present live at the Small Cap Growth Virtual Investor Conference hosted by on June 26th, 2025. DATE: June 26th, 2025TIME: 9:30 a.m. EDTLINK: REGISTER HERE Available for 1x1 meetings: June 26th, 2025 This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. Learn more about the event at Recent Company Highlights Gross billings for the first quarter of 2025 were US$21.9 million, a 74.6% growth from the first quarter of 2024. Net revenues were US$18.2 million for the first quarter of 2025, a 93.1% increase from US$9.4 million for the first quarter of 2024. The number of active students with attended lesson consumption was approximately 81,100 in the first quarter of 2025, representing a 75.5% increase from approximately 46,200 for the first quarter of 2024. About 51Talk Online Education Group 51Talk Online Education Group (NYSE American: COE) is a global online education platform with core expertise in English education. The Company's mission is to make quality education accessible and affordable. The Company's online and mobile education platforms enable students to take live interactive English lessons, on demand. The Company connects its students with a large pool of highly qualified teachers that it assembled using a shared economy approach, and employs student and teacher feedback and data analytics to deliver a personalized learning experience to its students. About Virtual Investor Conferences®Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors. Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors. CONTACTS:51Talk Online Education GroupDavid ChungInvestor Relations Vice President davidchung@ WangInvestor Relations Managerwangjinling@ Virtual Investor Conferences John M. ViglottiSVP Corporate Services, Investor AccessOTC Markets Group (212) 220-2221johnv@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
