Asst. Prof. Chen Yotchanan has directly partnered with OpenAI to launch Asia’s first global AI Accelerator, nurturing 10 startups in healthcare and education. He highlighted this as an important initial step to establish Thailand as ASEAN's startup hub.
28 Aug 2026 GMT+7 Mr. Yotchanan Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) launched the project “OpenAI x MHESI AI Accelerator” at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center during the Techsauce Global Summit 2026. This project is a national collaboration between the Thai government and OpenAI, a global leader in artificial intelligence technology, marking the first official OpenAI Accelerator program established in Asia.
The OpenAI x MHESI AI Accelerator project is conducted in partnership with the National Innovation Agency (NIA), Mahidol University, and Techsauce. It aims to train and transfer technology to 10 Thai startups in the medical and education sectors over eight weeks, pushing innovations from prototype stage to commercially viable products, and supporting Thailand to become an AI Hub in the ASEAN region.
Bringing OpenAI into this project aligns with the government’s digital economy policy to prepare for future challenges, especially transitioning to a fully aging society. Thailand’s elderly economy is projected to grow to 3.5 trillion baht by 2033, alongside education reforms to produce personnel suited to the digital labor market.
Mr. Yotchanan said Thailand’s competitiveness in the AI era is not just about access to technology, but the ability to develop trusted products that solve citizens’ problems. This collaboration is Asia’s first with OpenAI to create an Accelerator, marking a key step to establish Thailand as a regional startup hub.
The AI Accelerator serves as a bridge linking Thai startups with government resources, universities, investors, and OpenAI experts. It aims to leverage research strengths into practical applications focusing on health and education, sectors prioritized by the government. The main goal is to foster domestic innovation, deliver tangible benefits, and prepare Thai private sectors for global competition.
Current data shows Thailand ranks among the top 20 countries worldwide in ChatGPT and Codex usage, reflecting the population’s openness to new technologies.
Sandy Kunvatanagarn, Head of ASEAN Policy at OpenAI, added that OpenAI is pleased to collaborate with MHESI to help Thai startups scale solutions from national to global levels. Representatives from selected startups, including CARIVA (developer of an AI voice agent for hospital call centers) and Curico (an AI-based learning platform for children), revealed the program provides $2,000 USD in API credits and one-on-one mentoring from OpenAI’s team. Both companies plan to pilot their products in leading hospitals and over 200 Bangkok early childhood development centers before the Demo Day on 6 Nov 2026 GMT+7.
The 10 startups selected for this project in health and education sectors are CARIVA, Wello Food, Dietz, Precisionize, FitSloth, Curico, insKru, Floaino, EasyKids Robotics, and Globish.