Open For Business

It’s December and it’s that time of the year when we take stock of our year, the ups and downs and what prospered us as well as what lessons we need to learn. No one better than Jeevan Sahadevan, founder of Leverage Lab to take us through this process! Jeevan will go through 21 questions that will get us thinking hard and deep about our 2021 and extract the wins and lessons that will p...

Malaysia and its neighbouring countries have seen a significant increase in the number of on-demand deliveries. While they have been gaining traction in the market over the past years, the pandemic has truly caused a surge in demand due to travel restrictions and standard operating procedures (SOPs) implemented by the government to prevent the further spread of the COVID-19 virus. Since setting fo...

Sometimes, your brilliant startup idea needs a little kickstart; whether that’s through a bootcamp for extra knowledge, an investor for extra funding, or a mentor for extra guidance. How do you find all those resources? Usha Perumal, CEO of startup incubation company Bluepreneur Asia, discusses that as well as their dedication to empowering startups who create solutions for ocean-based susta...

Orangeleaf Consulting is the leading consultancy in Mendix Low-Code throughout APAC. The consultancy provides digitization and technology innovation consultancy services and custom software system development based on the low-code software development platform Mendix, which allows for software development that is 10 times faster than traditional software programming. Co-Founders Ellice and Tim Hen...

In this, the final episode of Failing Forward, Renu and Audrey reminisce and recap some of the best startup and scaleup lessons they’ve learned from entrepreneurs they’ve featured on the show over the last two and a half years. Click here for more episodes of Failing Forward. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Science Bridge Academy is on a mission to make learning science for primary and secondary school students fun. Dr Chua Hui Yen, the founder, talks to us about why she started the company, their syllabus and her plans for the future. Image Credit: www.sciencebridgeacademy.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Located in the heart of Chinatown, REXKL is an indoor art, retail and food hub. It occupies a historical building constructed before the Japanese occupation that survived three fires. Privileging the reclaimed and repurposed, architects Shin Tseng and Shin Chang give Rex Cinema a new lease of life as a community hub for events, theatre, performances, screenings, facilities, exhibitions and worksho...

Incentivising your team is absolutely crucial to the success of your business, and through the ups and downs of the pandemic it can be tough to not only motivate your staff, but measure their performance. Shane Mun, founder of SME performance reward system Vimigo discusses why he’s so passionate about performance management, the idea behind gamifying the workplace, and how the company has gr...

Mesolitica trains AIs to understand the Malay language. Khalil Nooh, the Co-Founder and CEO of the company joins us to discuss why he started the company, the solutions he hopes to offer and his aspirations for it. Image Credit: Khalil Nooh | Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kon Onn Sein started OA Organik 5 years ago where he focused on empowering the Orang Asli through a one-of-a-kind fair trade community enterprise farm. He joins us today to discuss the inspiration behind it, how they have grown and more. Image Credit: @oaorganik | Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In conjunction with International Children’s Day, we speak to Shailaja Grace Guillory, the CEO of Toothless. At the age of 7, she started her own business called Bloom Teas and she also has a charity organisation called Little Hands Big Hearts. Not only is she an entrepreneur but an author, philanthropist, and international speaker. She talks to us about her businesses, her aspirations and h...

In a recent article, it was mentioned that some 70-90 billion worth of assets, mostly owned by Malays, are unclaimed as of 2020. The article also stated that these assets were frozen and could not be disbursed immediately as their owners died without making wills or any proper inheritance plans. Octowill is a next-gen digital inheritance startup which leverages on patented blockchain based technol...

Reza Cockrell, founder of The Habitat Penang Hill, discusses his movement towards business sustainability through eco-tourism, the goal of making Penang Hill a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and his response to the bounce-back of the post-pandemic local tourism industry. Image Credit: Malay Mail See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NeuXP is an integrated digital banking startup in Malaysia that provides an ecosystem with innovative services and leading-edge financial management tools. They address concerns of non-residents by extending beyond what's normally made available by other providers in Europe, USA and Asia. Jeremy Mah, the CEO tells us why he started NeuXP, its future plans, and more. Image Credit: startup-weekly.co...

Arvinthan Rengaraju and his wife, Chan Heng Leng used to be in the events and F&B business before their toy story came to life. The pandemic forced them to make a major pivot into the toy business, and eventually online warehouse sales, where they now sell well-known products by big brands for limited flash sale events, with discounts of up to 90%. The couple (with a special appearance from a...

Newton Eco Technology Sdn Bhd was founded in 2014 in Malaysia and is focused on the development of energy-saving technology as well as green energy applications. It is a one-stop integrated total energy management solutions provider operating across Southeast Asia, with a strong focus in Malaysia. Executive Director, Nicole Szeto joins us to discuss the challenges they face, growth plans and more....

As we inch towards wrapping up 2021, one of the major lessons gained as a result of the pandemic is the importance of digitisation, especially for businesses to build and maintain their presence in the market. However, while implementing digital solutions has indeed been one of the most popular trends for business owners, many are still reluctant to digitise business processes due to a number of f...

In the age of fast fashion and rampant consumerism, customers are beginning to take a longer, harder look at how they can keep up with the latest trends while keeping sustainability in mind. Thryffy, a fashion consumer-to-consumer marketplace app, is dedicated to helping Malaysians make the shift to thrift. Co-founder Azril Harahap discusses their mission of popularising pre-loved product purchase...

Fetch Me Later is a boarding place for dogs that was founded in 2019, aiming to be the Disneyland for dogs, where pups can have a “pawsome day” or stay playing with their friends and get pampered with treats. Co-founder Sarah and Carlyn talk about being two self-proclaimed “dog-crazy women”, how they’ve been coping, and their passion for keeping everyone’s furry...

Qwork is a Malaysia-based staffing and recruiting platform that aims to empower talent and businesses to sustainably navigate the gig economy. We speak with CEO and co-founder Muna Munirah about building a specialised platform for giggers and connecting them with large and reputable organisations, the battle for fair pay and income security protections, as well as laying the foundation for the fut...

In 2020, the Malaysia Water Purifiers Market had a value of USD 353.2 million. By 2026, it is estimated to reach USD 653.10 million. A driving factor for this growth is the increasing concerns individuals have towards their health and well-being as they want to avoid the risk of drinking contaminated water. Intrix Group however has a convenient solution to this. They have developed a system where...

With the rise of e-commerce and digitalisation, it’s more important than ever for SMEs to streamline their logistics and supply chain processes. Group CEO & co-founder of digital supply chain platform Hatio Group, Bernard Hor, discusses the company’s move from Korea to Malaysia, his passion for supporting Asian SMEs, and the trials and tribulations of the logistics sector. Image Cr...

RECQA is a ready-to-use platform for knowledge sharing where users can upload their learnings through web links, video, documents, images and share these with other team members. Members also have the opportunity to connect with Subject Matter Experts should they have more questions and are in need of mentorship. Co-Founders Mazlita Mat Hassan and Sean Tay discuss why they started RECQA, their inv...

As the year draws to a close and entrepreneurs get ready for the new year and the new things it will bring, Jeevan Sahadevan, Founder of Leverage Lab brings our focus and attention to what needs to end - the Necessary Endings. These are the businesses, processes, employees, relationships and things we need to give up, in order to move forward. Jeevan shares the 8 key areas to have necessary ending...

Josens is a food-tech company that aims to revolutionise the F&B industry through the manufacturing and supply of future superfoods with microalgae as its core ingredient. Jag Kaurah, CEO of Josens talks to us about how he raised funds through equity crowdfunding, his goals for the company and more. Image Credit: Tatiana Frank | Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.