Sea Ltd forms dedicated AI investment team to hunt for startup deals

Sea Ltd has established a dedicated AI investment team under the president's office to evaluate startup deals globally and support both internal and external AI initiatives. The group is led by longtime executive Endong Zhang, who also oversees teams studying how the Singapore-based internet giant can apply AI across its businesses.

The move builds on a strategy Sea outlined earlier this year, when it expanded its partnership with Google to develop AI tools spanning ecommerce, digital entertainment, and digital financial services. Sea's three main businesses — Shopee, Garena, and Monee (formerly SeaMoney) — each face varying degrees of AI disruption and opportunity, from recommendation engines to fraud detection and game development.

The investment team comes at a critical juncture. Sea's shares fell more than 45% from their September 2025 high after fourth-quarter earnings missed expectations, and investors are watching closely for new growth drivers. Monee's revenue grew 54.3% year-on-year to US$1.1 billion in Q4 2025, while net income rose 72.9% to US$410.9 million, suggesting the financial services arm remains a bright spot worth investing AI capabilities into.

Why it matters for Singapore: Sea is one of Singapore's most valuable homegrown tech companies, and its AI strategy signals how the country's largest digital firms are preparing for the next growth cycle. A dedicated AI investment team — rather than a scattered, project-by-project approach — suggests Sea is treating AI as a core strategic pillar rather than an operational add-on. For Singapore's broader AI ecosystem, this means deeper corporate investment in AI talent and startup deal-flow, potentially strengthening the local AI startup scene through Sea's deal evaluation and partnership network.