Soaring AI Business in Vibrant Tech and Startup Scene in Hong Kong

With a rapid-growing market, Rocketbots’ AI platform let businesses design their own chatbots to improve customer engagement and internal communications

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is likely to be one of the most disruptive innovations in modern times. Different industries are poised to integrate AI into their fields. Seeing big potential of AI across verticals, Rocketbots, a startup based in Hong Kong, helps companies to leverage AI technology and drive business growth.

“Regardless of industries, as long as there are hundreds of messages coming in everyday, it’s worthwhile for the company to get a chatbot to reduce cost in customer service,” said Gerardo Salandra, CEO and Co-founder.

Rocketbots automates customer support with AI-powered chatbot software, letting users create, customise and manage the chatbot for their business. Their software can also be integrated to Facebook Messenger, Website, SMS, and even Wechat mobile app, giving customer access to using advanced technology in a much simpler way.

Gerardo Salandra comes from El Salvador in Central America. Having studied in Germany, as well as working for global technology companies such as IBM and Google, opportunities brought him to Hong Kong and his first entrepreneurial adventure.

“I cannot think of a better place to launch Rocketbots than Hong Kong,” said Gerardo, “it is an incredible and mature test market. If we know that the product is working in Hong Kong, we are sure that it will work for other regions too.”

“With the city’s well-developed legal infrastructure, I can rest assured that everything will happen smoothly once a contract is signed. I also know that it is safe to keep our money in Hong Kong,” he added.

Like many other startups, getting the company funded has never been easy. “I remember at the beginning there were months that I couldn’t afford my own salary,” Gerardo recalled, “but we are very lucky to meet some important investors in Hong Kong who not only helped us to grow, but also advised us how to improve the technology and bring Rocketbots to the next level,” said Gerardo.

After launching a few projects, Rocketbots has received a lot of enquiries by potential customers around the world. As their client base widens, Rocketbots is also preparing for the next round of funding to further expands their Hong Kong-based business which is a proven success.

“I am amazed by how fast-paced and progressive the startup scene is in Hong Kong,” he added, “there are also many corporates starting their own incubator programmes; Cyberport and Hong Kong Science and Technology Park are also leaving their footprint in the tech industry, they are getting more and more ambitious in growing the scene.”

“My advice to startup entrepreneurs is to dream big, don’t just look at the Hong Kong market, but to look beyond,” Gerardo concluded, adding that entrepreneurs should leverage InvestHK’s services and events to expand their network and grow their business from Hong Kong.