Open For Business

Many businesses were heading towards bankruptcy during the MCO. Flour was one of them. With a new outlet set to open just before restrictions were set, founder Yogesh Upadhey had to figure out ways to keep the eatery afloat while planning for a future that was uncertain. We speak to Yogesh about how Flour pulled through, expansion plans, as well as what he has learned from this unprecedented time....

Mattresses aren’t normally bought online. You’d want to feel and test the mattress for comfort before making a decision. But local brand Joey Mattress claims otherwise. With an extensive trial period and ease of delivery, the company is one of the few that have taken mattress shopping online. We speak to Winson Chong and Joey Tan, founders of Joey Mattress, about the impact of the MCO,...

In the time of COVID-19, having access to health advice and updates has taken on even more significance and importance. Dato’ Chevy Beh, founder of BookDoc, which is the largest end to end healthcare platform in Malaysia, and the only one endorsed by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, discusses the challenges of ramping up his platform in a pandemic. See omnystudio.com/listene...

Like Quarantine Cupid said, “We may be on lockdown but love is still in the air!” We speak to matchmaking agency Dateworks about how they quickly pivoted their face-to-face business into a comfortable virtual setup during the MCO to connect customers grounded at home, and help Malaysians find love in the age of corona. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plus Solar and it’s founders have come a long way from buying mixed rice at RM2.50 and having issues simply collecting payment. Now, they provide renewable energy solutions in the form of solar power to clients like IKEA, KLIA, Mah Sing Plastics, Spritzer and Secret Recipe to name a few. To cement claims of growth, they have achieved the RM150 million revenue mark by the end of last financia...

With the pandemic raging, a new spotlight has been thrown onto health services and equipment, and as everyone has been practicing physical distancing and even quarantine, it hasn’t been easy to check up on our elderly relatives for fear of putting their health at risk - but not checking up on them is just as worrying. Laurent Yew, founder of Preventech, discusses his solution to that problem...

Plant popularity has surged during the pandemic. With more people working from home, the demand for indoor shrubs and stalks to spruce up the environment has spiked exponentially. We speak to Nur Fatyha Farhana (Tya), founder of popular online plant store, Berrykinn, about the ups and downs of this new “green wave”, what business has been like these last few months, and a few tips for...

For businesses that have survived the economic devastation of COVID-19, it’s time to build your foundation to thrive. Jeevan Sahadevan, founder of Leverage Lab, has 21 strategic questions about 3 areas - your customers, products, and competition - to help your company rebuild. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finding a vending machine that has snacks that are both nutritious and healthy is almost an impossibility. myFITBOX were setup up with this exact problem in mind, how to get the best snack to gym customers without it being a major pain.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

42 is the first digital training center that is completely free and available to students with or without degrees. Using peer-to-peer learning, they have trained many talented future developers and offered infrastructures in innovating in Paris and Fremont (Silicon Valley). Now, 42 has rolled out a global development with the opening of 21 campuses across the world in 2020, with Sunway iLabs in Ma...

The pandemic has changed the way we watch movies. Blockbusters have been postponed, cinemas have barely opened, and everyone is relying on streaming services for their entertainment fix. But there was a time when people would watch movies on the big screen from the comfort of their cars. That’s what M-Junction Drive-In Cinema is bringing to the Malaysian market. With everything prepped and r...

Failing Forward features real-life stories from entrepreneurs who have failed and are stronger for it. On this episode, “Forklift-preneur”Nicholas Gan talks to us about his 10-year long battle to take over the reins at his family business EGAN. We also discuss the broad challenges in the changings of guards, how to step into the shoes of giants, and the importance of data in making the...

Failing Forward features real-life stories from entrepreneurs who have failed and are stronger for it. On this episode, “Forklift-preneur”Nicholas Gan talks to us about his 10-year long battle to take over the reins at his family business EGAN. We also discuss the broad challenges in the changings of guards, how to step into the shoes of giants, and the importance of data in making the...

Flexiroam, a provider of global data roaming, has shifted gears to look into other ways to serve customers with their superconnector platform. One of the opportunities is the rise in the number of virtual conferences, now that social distancing measures are in place. For the first time, the International AIDS Conference was held virtually and Flexiroam was selected to be the connector of choice by...

Imagine that you’re a startup during a pandemic. Now imagine that you’re a startup that focuses on co-living and property management during a pandemic. It’s almost enough to make you think about whether you’re going to have any business left at all. At a time when they were due to scale up, LiveIn (formerly known as Hostel Hunting) were forced to make some tough decisions,...

Over the last 6 years, Epic Food Hall has grown from being a single F&B outlet to the operator of a multi-brand cloud kitchen, with 21 internet restaurants under its belt. We speak to Co-founder Wick Kee about the smart kitchen business model and its potential for growth, now that Covid-19 has sped up the adoption of food delivery apps. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Modeled after Cameo, Goceb touts itself as the first personalised celebrity shout-out platform in Malaysia. But different markets have different kinds of celebrities, and with influencers and social media superstars boasting larger fan-bases these days, it’s an interesting time for personality-driven services. We speak to founders Neo and ZiKang about adopting a successful model for the loca...

Going digital has been the number one priority for many companies, big and small. However, the smaller enterprises may not have the resources or equipment to effectively and efficiently put their digital transformation into effect - so what can they do? Joshua Chin, founder of IT equipment rental company SMARTRENTAL, speaks about how they’re helping SMEs with their technology troubles. See o...

Every one of us has a camera in our pocket capable of capturing high-definition videos. Yet despite this democratization of content creation, many brands and companies aren't aware of the potential of "micro films". Gary Chong hopes to change all that with the Micro Film Academy - a space that trains SMEs and businesses to create their own in-house video content. The academy also teaches children,...

With an abundance of dairy-free milk alternatives on the market, which one do you choose? Do you go with Coconut, Almond, Soy, Hemp, Flax? All of these are healthier more sustainable alternatives to dairy. However, they still leave an impact and a carbon footprint. There is however another contender to the market, the humble pea.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With an abundance of dairy-free milk alternatives on the market, which one do you choose? Do you go with Coconut, Almond, Soy, Hemp, Flax? All of these are healthier more sustainable alternatives to dairy. However, they still leave an impact and a carbon footprint. There is however another contender to the market, the humble pea.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Divers have been “dry” for the better part of this year, thanks to Covid-19. But that hasn’t stopped Flow Dive Centre from creating content and activities to whet the diving community’s appetite and spur “revenge diving” for when the coast is clear. We speak to Flow co-founder Melanie Hwa about the bespoke dive centre’s approach to diversifying their busin...

While the local food delivery scene is dominated by two major players, the local catering network is ripe for technological innovation. That's why SmartBite decided to change their focus from a B2C provider to a B2B partner. Alessandro Voltolini, co-founder of SmartBite, joins us to talk about their well-timed pivot, engaging a market that's ready to tech players, and expansion plans amidst the gl...

It has been amazing to see Malaysians come together in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many efforts by individuals and businesses alike to support the many different kinds of frontliners. One of those startups was Savor Of Life, and co-founder and CEO Dr. Shaun Kuan discusses how they helped out frontliners and how their business performed during the MCO. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Digital transformation has been the be-all, end-all of survival for many SMEs over the past few months, and the F&B industry in particular has taken to the Internet in fine form. Christopher de Mello, owner of popular Peranakan & Nyonya restaurant, Mum’s Place, discusses their steps towards e-commerce after nearly 2 decades of purely offline operation.  See omnystudio.com/listen...