Open For Business

On a mission to transform Malaysia’s fitness ecosystem, local fitness entrepreneur, Chang Yi Hern has recently acquired the homegrown, multi-award winning sportswear brand, Ultron Sportswear. With this acquisition, Chang aims to provide Malaysians with greater and more convenient access to locally-manufactured running apparel and gear, while adding to the fitness ecosystem that he’s looking to bui...

One of the biggest concerns for parents is making sure their little ones are growing up healthy and happy. But parents who have fussy eaters may struggle in this regard, and that’s where Singapore-based children’s food company HaruPlate steps in. As parents themselves, co-founders Chen Shiqin and Irvin Tan discuss how HaruPlate started as a solution to their own kid food problems, and how they aim...

How would you like to be surprised by a message from a celebrity? Well, just Holla. Holla is a celebrity engagement platform where fans get Shoutouts with their favourite artists, performers, personalities and influencers. Is this a fad or will this be a growing phenomenon? Image credit: Shutterstock | venimo See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neelesh Bhatia, CEO and co-founder of Singapore-based edtech startup, Akadasia talks to us about their newly launched digital ecosystem to empower educators. Freejoo allows educators to access pedagogy-based professional development courses to upskill their teaching, use digital tools to design engaging lessons, and collaborate and network with one another respectively. How is this a game-changer?...

Load2Go is a large truck logistics company. They don’t just deliver parcels. They deliver containers. To date, they have made 15,000 bookings and generated total 12 million sales revenues with over 2000 drivers. The brainchild of Ivan Seah shares more about his journey. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Commerce. Asia is an All in One eCommerce ecosystem that integrates best of breed technology solutions, talent development programmes and big data insights for South East Asian businesses to succeed online. We catch up with Executive Chairman Ganesh Bangah and his quest to raise RM20 million. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would you bet on the King of Fruits? A recent claim by the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture revealed durian as a new source of agricultural wealth. With an estimated global market size of US$18.72 billion in 2019 and a projected reach of US$30 billion by 2025, could durian investments be the next wave for financial protection? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While urban businesses get to eye the fresh business tools like buy-now-pay-later or e-wallets, business owners in underdeveloped areas are still struggling with basic infrastructure needs, digital penetration and seamless logistics. This is why Quinton Group established a platform to provide a value-added digital ecosystem for the underserved communities in Malaysia. We speak to CEO Dato Alvin Oo...

HelloFoods is a data-driven food company that focuses on providing choices for their customers. Through the use of data for development of brands and distribution of cloud kitchens, they aim to cater to a world with ever changing taste.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been a rising focus on healthier alternatives to our favourite treats. What are our options, and more importantly, do they match up to the “real” sweets? Anas Norman and Kn Norman, masters of communications and branding respectively at Sugalite, a boutique OEM company specialising in alternative sweeteners, shed some light on the issue. Image Credit: Shutterstock | Kabachki.photo See omn...

Automation has become more prevalent in our society especially with the advent of IR 4.0; Lim Chee How, CEO of AI vision tech company, Tapway, explains what AI vision tech is, the surprising variety of uses for it, and how the company has evolved over the course of the pandemic. Image Credits: Shutterstock | metamorworks See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SmartPeep is an AI health-tech company that develops automated monitoring system to prevent accidents and assist healthcare professionals to respond better towards patients and elderly. They aim to revolutionise elderly care by leveraging AI technology to provide better health, safety and well-being for the seniors through their AI monitoring system which monitors, tracks and detects anomalies via...

The B2B trade flow is more complicated and tedious than B2C, and this made it harder for B2B businesses to transform digitally over the course of the pandemic. We speak to TK Chuah, CEO of Boostorder - an all-in-one B2B commerce enabler about speeding up the digital transformation shift amongst B2B businesses, using automation, actionable insights and fintech. Image Credits: Shutterstock | thodona...

eMLab solutions are natural based biological engineers. They are utilising effective microorganisms to get net zero carbon emissions, thus reducing climate change impact and moving towards carbon neutrality by 2050. eMLab develops carbon sequestration solutions for industry, companies and municipalities to reduce their carbon emissions. We discuss the innovation behind this cutting edge solution w...

After fulfilling their dream of opening up a restaurant making their favourite Peranakan food, and dealing with a newborn, Alicia and Derson were swiped sideways by the pandemic. No longer able to rely on dine-in customers to keep their business running reliably they had to quickly come up with something to help hold onto their business, their staff, and their sanity.  See omnystudio.com/list...

As we look at goals for the new year, one thing to consider is picking up a new skill. Maybe you might want to take a programming course, or perhaps you’re thinking about joining that new spin class at the gym. Well, another option for those that have a bit of a sweet tooth could be learning some more advanced baking recipes. Shaku Ratha Krishnan, founder of Bake & Chill, a baking recipe box s...

Jungle House has a mission to build safe houses for local honeybee populations one hive at a time. We understand the motivations behind the founders in their pursuit of caring for and improving the lives of these honeybees, their keepers, and their environment. Image credits: Shutterstock | Nadezda Sereda See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food waste releases methane gas, a greenhouse gas which causes warming in the atmosphere. CH Green is a pioneer and leading Green Technology Company that specialises in the business of organic and food waste management. CH Green was selected as one of the winners in the Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) Innovation Challenge entitled Upcycling River Waste to Wealth and has taken part in MAGIC’s Socia...

Vircle is Malaysia’s First Parental-Controlled Nurturing Solution, teaching responsible spending and consumption habits. With the goal to involve kids in their financial planning, the founder Gokula Krishnan Subramaniam discusses with us the mechanics behind it, their growth thus far and their involvement with Endeavor’s ScaleUp. Image Credits: Shutterstock | Dmitry Lobanov See omnystudio.com/list...

The pandemic has sparked a rush of entrepreneurship as many realise that they are no longer satisfied with the typical 9-5. But how can you make that transition easier? SMEGO is a platform for entrepreneurs and businesses to go digital; founder and CEO Dato’ Westin Chew explains how it streamlines the entrepreneurship process, why the existing tools aren’t enough, and their big plans for crowdfund...

Part of the Carro Group, MyTukar is the largest digital used car platform across ASEAN that offers a full-stack service for all aspects of car ownership. The discussion with Jeffery Ong touches on his aspirations for the expansion of MyTukar and insights on the growing Malaysian online second hand car market. Image credits: Shutterstock | Mikbiz See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lily's Homemade is a gluten free, low carb, Keto and kid-friendly sausage maker that's disrupting the gourmet sausage industry in Malaysia. Despite being a relatively smaller player, they’re pressuring commercial sausage makers to not only lower their prices, but produce good quality and healthier options in the market. Founders Sam and Vicky Hammett talk to us about the struggle of being small an...

Ray Go Solar was founded in 2012 by Dato Ray Tan with a mission of building a more sustainable world by making renewable energy a way of life. From a banker, he pursued his degree in solar engineering and proceeded to establish Ray Go Solar. Talking to us more about the company is the CEO himself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‍How much do we think about our impact on sustainability? Maybe we try to recycle tupperware, maybe we try composting, and maybe we participate in Meatless Mondays. But what about the very clothes on our backs? Ariff Faisal, founder and CEO of Kualesa, a direct-to-consumer online brand selling apparel made from bamboo textiles, shares his take on sustainability and his unique contribution to t...

From lecturing to starting 25 businesses, Haslinda Alias shares with us why she started Gogopasar, how she plans to uplift the B40s and the future of the business. Image Credit: Shutterstock | rawf8 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.