OpenAI and Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) announced an eight-week accelerator to assist Thai startups in transforming promising prototypes into products ready for real-world use and growth. The initiative, called the OpenAI x MHESI AI Accelerator, brings together ten startups operating in health, wellness, and education. It marks OpenAI’s first public-private partnership with the Thai government focused on supporting local startups, with partners including the National Innovation Agency (NIA), Mahidol University, and Techsauce.
The accelerator aims to bridge the gap between prototype and deployment by providing participating founders with mentorship from OpenAI and Thailand’s technology, research, and startup communities. Over eight weeks, startups will receive US$2,000 in API credits, one-on-one technical guidance, and access to OpenAI’s latest frontier models. Each team will also have a dedicated mentor throughout the program, with weekly sessions covering product design, engineering, automated testing, evaluation, responsible AI, privacy and security, cost management, growth, and fundraising.
Thailand’s strong technical talent and deep expertise in healthcare and education, supported by a growing AI community, make it an ideal location for the accelerator. Internal data shows Thailand ranks among the top 20 countries globally for ChatGPT weekly active users, with Codex usage growing more than 350-fold since the start of 2026. This momentum underscores how AI is increasingly used in Thailand to write software, develop products, and achieve meaningful work. The next step is to help more of these ideas move beyond early prototypes and become products people can use and trust.
Source: openai
