Throughout Southeast Asia, the tech sector is booming. Companies of all shapes and sizes are looking to modernise, fast.
BrainTip AI – and its flagship platform Dalfin – enables businesses to update their legacy platforms quickly and cost-effectively, ensuring they can evolve their systems to meet rapid growth.
With Austrade support, BrainTip AI is expanding across Southeast Asia. The company has secured 2 major contracts in the Philippines following introductions from Austrade. Now, it is exploring opportunities in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
‘Exporting can feel uncertain at times, especially in new regions,’ says BrainTip AI’s Founder and CEO Sanil Panicker. ‘Having Austrade there makes the journey feel much less isolated.’
Supporting the modernisation of legacy systems
Founded in Perth in 2021, BrainTip AI builds practical AI solutions for businesses. Its flagship product, Dalfin, is a no-code platform that allows organisations to build and update enterprise software simply by describing what they want in plain language.
‘The idea is to remove long development cycles and make systems easier to evolve as the business changes,’ explains Panicker.
BrainTip AI works with large and mid-sized organisations, with customers in logistics, retail, healthcare, supply chain management and more.
‘Most have legacy software that’s difficult to adapt or extend at speed,’ Panicker says. ‘They use Dalfin to modernise parts of their operations without having to replace everything at once.’
Securing success in the Philippines
The challenge Dalfin addresses is not limited to Australia. While Panicker didn’t have a ‘grand export plan’, once the product was proven, heading overseas was a natural next step.
Today, exports make up ‘a meaningful part of the business’, Panicker says, with the majority coming from Southeast Asia.
BrainTip AI has seen particular success in the Philippines. In December 2025, the business inked a major deal with S&R Membership Shopping, a large, membership-based food retail company, to support an end-to-end digital transformation project.
It was Austrade that facilitated the first introduction to S&R, Panicker says.
‘At the time, S&R had already evaluated several no-code and low-code platforms and was close to making a decision,’ he says.
The BrainTip AI team was able to quickly assess existing systems and ongoing operational needs. And the alignment was clear.
‘This was an important milestone,’ says Panicker. ‘It validated Dalfin in a large, complex retail environment and showed that Australian technology can hold its own at scale.’
Also in the Philippines, BrainTip AI has signed an exclusive partnership with BED Global Holdings. The company will use Dalfin as a core digital and AI platform for urban development and “smart city” initiatives.
‘The 2 use cases are drastically different, reinforcing the flexibility of the platform,’ says Panicker.
BrainTip AI founder Sanil Panicker (right) has found plenty of interest in Southeast Asia for the Dalfin platform, which helps businesses modernise their legacy systems quickly and cost-effectively.
Expansion across Southeast Asia
These 2 partnerships highlight the size of the opportunity in the Philippines. Businesses there move fast, Panicker says, but they’re constrained by slow, legacy software and fragmented technology systems.
That means there’s demand for practical solutions that can be deployed quickly, work with existing infrastructure, and support long-term growth.
Panicker is seeing that need echoed throughout Southeast Asia. BrainTip AI has pilot programs and active discussions underway in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
‘There is a real opportunity to help teams modernise operations, without long, risky transformation projects,’ he says. ‘Dalfin fits into that space.’
Austrade’s foundational support
Throughout BrainTip AI’s Southeast Asian export journey, Austrade has been a constant.
Panicker participated in the Southeast Asia Business Exchange mission to the Philippines in 2025, which directly led to the partnership with BED. Later, Austrade also made the introduction to S&R Group.
‘That introduction mattered a lot,’ Panicker says. ‘It came with the right context and trust, which meant we could focus on real conversations instead of credentials or cold selling.’
The intro ‘changed the dynamic completely’, allowing BrainTip AI to engage at a deeper level from the beginning, and to prove what the Dalfin product could do.
‘That set the foundation for everything that followed,’ says Panicker.
Panicker has also benefited from Austrade’s Indonesia Landing Pad program and participated in Austrade missions to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. In every market, Austrade has created networking opportunities, made introductions, and offered insights into how businesses operate on the ground.
All of this helps establish trust with local players.
‘Austrade’s support gives structure and credibility as we enter new markets,’ Panicker says. ‘It’s made it much easier to have meaningful conversations early, rather than learning everything the hard way.’
Relationship-building the key to export success
As Southeast Asia continues its rapid modernisation, Panicker sees immense opportunities for Australian tech. There is demand for AI solutions that are reliable and that can keep pace, he says.
‘Australian companies are generally well-trusted in the region,’ he adds. ‘My advice would be to take the time to understand the market and build relationships before pushing for sales.
‘And engage with Austrade early. Their local insights and support can save a lot of time and mistakes.’
Go further, faster with Austrade
Austrade’s Go Global Toolkit helps you learn the export basics, find the right markets and understand market requirements.