Nov 15, 2021

| Paid Program Patrick Tu is cofounder and CEO of Dayta AI, a Hong Kong-based AI startup focused on the retail sector. Founded in 2018, the startup quickly won accolades from the Hong Kong government and Forbes, as well as backing from HKAI Lab, an accelerator program funded by the Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund and SenseTime, China’s largest AI company. Patrick Tu, Cofounder of Dayta AI OSIM Dayta AI’s key product is a cloud-based software that uses existing surveillance cameras in stores and shopping malls to analyze foot traffic and customer behavior. "We will stream the video to our cloud server and we have our proprietary AI to process the video to give data back to our customers," explains Tu in an interview at an OSIM store in Hong Kong, which sponsored the Dare To Dream series. "This data can help them to better evaluate their business and ultimately bring business impact to them, either by raising sales or helping develop operational efficiency." The startup's AI product won the top Smart Retail Tech Award in the startup category at the Hong Kong Retail Management Association's Smart Retailing Awards 2020. In the same year, Dayta AI was also awarded a certificate of merit in the software and apps category at the Hong Kong government's Hong Kong ICT Awards. And earlier this year, Dayta AI was included in the inaugural Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list, and Tu and his cofounders, Chu Hin Ching and Eugene Ho, were honored in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. According to Tu, more than 10 shopping malls and 200 stores, including those operated by Hong Kong conglomerate New World Development and French luxury group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, currently use Dayta AI’s product. Dayta AI already has clients in Hong Kong, Australia and Malaysia, but Tu has even bigger plans. "We hope to expand to more Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam—these are very nice-growing retail markets," he says. "And maybe two to three years later, we'll also look into the U.S. and the EU market." As with many founders of fast-growing startups, Tu has experienced his share of setbacks and stress. "In the early stage, when we had no customer references, and we are also doing something that is quite sensitive, like cameras and privacy, clients didn't trust us too much," says Tu. "So it took a lot of time to make our customers understand what we do." Tu shares that he isn't sleeping well from stress, often sleeping at 2 a.m. and waking up at 5 a.m. "Sometimes stress will affect my performance in pitching and dealing with the clients," he says. "As a salesman, you have to be charming and you have to persuade your customers. You have to make them believe in your product. But when you're stressed, you probably don't believe in yourself as well, then you lack the confidence in dealing with your customers." A perfect candidate for OSIM’s new uDream Pro Well-Being Chair, Tu gave the wellness brand’s latest innovation a go at the OSIM store. Strongly committed to the integration of the latest technologies to tackle the age-old issue of stress, OSIM’s uDream Pro is the world’s first smart well-being chair that uses "AI Stress BioSensors" to measure and monitor the level of body tension, heart age index, respiratory rate, and can provide a "5-Senses Well-Being Experience" to manage stress, according to OSIM. In addition to OSIM's signature full-body massage, powered by the company's most advanced massage technologies, such as V-HandTM Pro and 4-Hand Pro Massage Technologies, the uDream Pro Well-Being Chair transport users to an immersive wellness sanctuary that addresses the five senses through its built-in "DreamScent Aroma Pods" that produce relaxing scents, surround sound speakers and a multi-color mood light. Tu particularly enjoyed the combination of the "DreamScent Aroma Pods" and surround sound speakers. "The music and the smell makes me feel like I'm in space. That kind of feeling is relaxing," he says. "It kind of makes you forget the work and everything else. I actually want to keep staying here for a while." uDream Pro Well-Being Chair OSIM As a startup founder who works long hours and manages about a dozen employees, Tu sees the benefits of the uDream Pro Well-Being Chair in the workplace. "The surrounding music and the smell—it gives you a feeling of being protected. You're very comfortable here," he says. "You can get away from the stress, from the work and from anybody else." "I think that's pretty good, especially for the workspace with people who have to keep on working day and night," he adds. "They can just rest here and recharge."