Whale Adds US$40M For Enterprise AI Expansion Across APAC
e27 reported that Whale raised a US$40 million Series C extension, taking the round to US$100 million, while the company still has not named Middle East launch dates or customer-level outcomes.
Whale has added US$40 million to its Series C financing, bringing the round to US$100 million as the Singapore-headquartered company expands enterprise AI deployments across Asia Pacific and North America, e27 reported.
The new capital is earmarked for teams, partnerships and integrations with local infrastructure.
Whale Series C Reaches US$100 Million
CMB International led the extension through an investment fund focused on AI and frontier technology, alongside SMBC Asia Rising Fund, the corporate venture capital arm of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.
Krungsri Finnovate, Singtel Innov8, Hyundai Motor Group and Charisma Partners also joined the extension.
Earlier Series C participants included Bosch Ventures, MTR Lab, MDI Ventures, Gentree Fund and Linear Capital.
The funding gives Whale more strategic distribution in Asian banking, telecommunications and corporate networks while it tries to sell enterprise AI systems for physical operations rather than only document or chat-based workflows.
Whale operates in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and other Asia-Pacific markets, with a growing North American base.
The company also plans to enter the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, but the report did not include launch dates or first customers for those regions.
Cameras And Sensors Feed Whale's AI Operating System
Whale describes its core platform as an AI Operating System for business operations.
Its Business World Model processes signals from cameras, sensors and audio, while its SpaceSight product tracks foot traffic, dwell time, engagement and compliance across physical locations.
Echo, another Whale product, reviews frontline sales conversations for performance patterns and training needs.
Whale lists further modules for content distribution, workflow automation, knowledge management, compliance, AI infrastructure and governance.
Company figures cited by e27 list more than 1,600 enterprise customers in over 45 countries and more than 600,000 edge AI nodes managed globally.
The customer base spans retail, automotive, food and beverage, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, fashion and apparel.
Jerry Ye, Whale's founder and CEO, stated that the company is scaling global teams, deepening enterprise partnerships and expanding platform integrations with local infrastructure.
He described enterprises as trying to turn unstructured operational data into decision-ready intelligence as operating costs rise.
Strategic Investors Bring Banking And Telecom Channels
Krungsri Finnovate brings connections to Thailand and ASEAN through Bank of Ayudhya and MUFG.
Singtel Innov8 adds telecommunications and enterprise-connectivity channels, while the Japanese and Chinese banking investors add corporate networks across Asia.
Palida Artispong of Krungsri Finnovate described the investment as reflecting Whale's ability to support a full-suite omnichannel product across the customer journey.
She added that Krungsri's Thailand and ASEAN footprint could help Whale expand regionally.
SMBC's Mayoran Rajendra, managing director and head of AI Transformation Office, called Whale's ability to structure data from physical environments the attraction for the bank.
He described the combination of Whale's technology and SMBC Group's client network as a way to deliver value across industries and regions.
Physical Operations Keep Governance Gaps In View
The report said Southeast Asia remains a heavily offline economy despite rapid digital adoption.
It cited Google, Temasek and Bain research that put the region's digital economy on a path toward roughly US$1 trillion in 2030 gross merchandise value, while much commercial activity still runs through stores, bank branches, dealer networks, food outlets and service counters.
The same e27 report identified regulatory constraints around AI governance, data localisation, privacy and biometric surveillance.
It pointed to Singapore's AI Verify framework and to personal-data protection work in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.
Whale is entering a crowded market that includes RetailNext, Trax, Verkada, Samsara, Observe.AI, Gong, CallMiner, SenseTime and Megvii, according to e27.
Enterprises in Southeast Asia often rely on local systems integrators, cloud providers, CCTV vendors and point solutions rather than one AI operating layer.
Whale has not named its first Middle East customer.
