Under The Radar

For this session, we’re going to talk about how artificial intelligence is influencing the way investment firms shape their business decisions.  Founded in 1992, our guest Saxo is an international investment firm for investors and traders under the supervision of the Danish FSA, with a reach of over 2,500 professionals around the world including in key financial hubs such as Singapore. Touted as o...

For this session, we talk to a company whose ticker symbol only has one letter.  Bingo if you’ve guessed Visa. On that note, did you know that Visa was actually founded by the Bank of America when it launched its first consumer credit card programme in the US?  Well, a lot has happened since, with the firm expanding internationally in 1974 and the introduction of the debit card in 1975.  Fast forw...

Supporting financial institutions in their efforts to leverage technology and transform digitally. That’s what we are going to talk about in this session with my guest from Temus.  Established by Temasek in partnership with UST, Temus provides digital transformation solutions for the private and public sectors, and aspires to be a strategic partner in realising the Singapore Government’s Smart Nat...

It has been close to four months since our earlier interview with the CEO of HSBC Singapore Kee Joo Wong.  At the time, we talked about HSBC’s new Innovation Banking Unit carved out from the UK subsidiary of SVB, and whether HSBC would move into catering services for players in the VC and startup landscape. Kee Joo told me to keep a lookout for an interesting development out of the unit that will...

Did you know that Poland is becoming an increasingly attractive and leading market for activities in financial innovation due to its well-developed infrastructure, quality business environment and outstanding talent?  In fact, the country boasts half a million IT professionals, the most in the Central East European region. Not only that, Poland also consistently ranks among the top three countries...

You might have heard of Stormtroopers in the Star Wars franchise. But what about YouTroopers?   Well, YouTroopers is a term used to describe globetrotters who use multi-currency mobile wallets and prepaid debit cards by fintech startup YouTrip! Launched in 2018, YouTrip is a regional financial technology startup that seeks to empower people with a smarter and more convenient way to pay in foreign...

Today we’re going to talk about one of the world’s largest software companies that is currently playing in the cloud technology and enterprise IT space.  Drumrolls, and bingo if you’ve guessed Oracle. Founded in 1977, Oracle provides organisations around the world with computing infrastructure and software, to help them innovate, unlock efficiencies and become more effective.  These include enterp...

Today we’re going to talk about a company that helps organisations navigate the most advanced cybersecurity threats in this day and age.  Founded in January 2022 with the merger of McAfee Enterprise and FireEye, Trellix is a global company that helps firms gain confidence in the protection and resilience of their operations through its open and native extended detection and response (XDR) platform...

Today we’re going to talk about a gaming company that has a triple-headed snake trademark.  Does Razer come to mind? Founded in 2005 and dual headquartered in Irvine and Singapore, Razer is widely recognised as a leading brand for gamers in the US, Europe and China. With a fan base that spans every continent, the company has designed and built the world’s largest gamer-focused ecosystem of hardwar...

What is the first thing you do when you check in at a hotel? While some might check out the fittings like the beds and the space, others might want to soak in the ambience.  But ever wondered what makes a hotel feel a certain way – say like a home away from home?   The answer perhaps lies in the details – say the fragrance, amenity kits, door gifts and other finishing touches, and that is precisel...

Today we’re going to bring you an inside look into a company said to be a US$62 billion revenue global technology powerhouse.  Drumrolls – bingo if you’ve guessed Lenovo. Founded in 1984, the firm delivers a portfolio of PCs and tablets, monitors, accessories, smart home and collaboration solutions, as well as smart infrastructure data centre solutions around the world.  In fact, the firm has sinc...

This is the conversation for you if you’re looking to travel the world and sail the seven seas in the upcoming December holidays. Founded in 1969, our guest Royal Caribbean International is the world’s largest cruise line. The firm prides itself on its history of innovation from being the firm with the first surf simulator to the fastest internet at sea.  It also has a global network across major...

Enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. That’s the mission of our guest for today Qualcomm Technologies.  Founded in 1985, Qualcomm is a semiconductor designer and an innovator in wireless communications technologies. The firm relies on third party manufacturers like TSMC and Globalfoundries to make chips, which are then sold to smartphone makers.  While it i...

Spaghetti, macaroni, fettuccine and linguine and you get it.  Pasta is a favourite when it comes to dinner choices but did you know that the global pasta market is actually worth some US$45 billion in 2022?  In fact, Fortune Business Insights projects the figure to reach US$68.97 billion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of 5.26% during the forecast period of 2023 to 2030.  But h...

What comes to mind when you put messaging and mini programmes together? How about Tencent?  Founded in 2013, our guest for today is from Tencent Cloud, which provides businesses across the globe with stable and secure industry leading products and services.  We’re talking about businesses across a wide range of industries including the fields of gaming, media and entertainment, finance, healthcare...

Providing HR recruitment services to specifically the renewable energy industry. That’s what we are going to talk about today.  Incorporated in 2021, Sheffield Green is the renewable energy spinoff of Sheffield Energy, which is a recruitment firm specialised in serving the oil and gas sector over the past 30 years.  The subsidiary provides end-to-end services ranging from supplying technical and m...

Is the Museum of Ice Cream a museum or an attraction? That’s the question we’re going to pose to its business leader today!   Founded by global lifestyle brand Figure8, the Museum of Ice Cream consists of fully immersive spaces like a pool of rubber sprinkles, a unicorn headed slide and more.  With locations in Austin, Chicago, New York City and Singapore, the firm calls itself a pioneer in the ex...

What do shipping and property investments have in common? Well, not much, except for the fact that they are both key pillars of our guest’s business. Listed on the Singapore Exchange since 2007, Uni-Asia is an alternative investment group that specialises in creating alternative investment opportunities. Its investment targets are mainly handysize dry bulk ships and properties.  But what does this...

Giving small and medium enterprises the support they need to sell to the world. That’s what we’re going to talk about today.  Started all the way back in 2015, Amazon Global Selling is a programme that empowers entrepreneurs and SMEs to expand their brands globally.  It does so by providing sellers access to Amazon’s global infrastructure, as well as its network of over 200 million Prime customers...

You might be on the lookout for personalised service and good customer experience when you’re out dining, or on a vacation.  But did you know that even the manufacturing industry is looking to increase their ‘human touch’ to serve customers better? Founded in 2021, our guest for today is Phasio, which is an end-to-end manufacturing interface for precision engineering firms.  The platform supports...

Helping people eat, sleep, exercise and hopefully, feel better. That’s the aim of our guest Mito Health.  Started by Seedly co-founders Kenneth Lou and Chew Tee-Ming this year, Mito Health is a startup focusing on personalised health plans for executives keen on looking beyond annual health check-ups and supplements to maintain their health.  It aims to guide users in improving their diet, exercis...

It may be common for university or pre-university students to give tuition services to their younger peers to earn their first paychecks.  But can you imagine building a multi-million dollar business out of it? In fact that is exactly what our guest for today did.  In fact, 25-year-old Evan Heng started Zenith in 2019 to help Junior College students thrive in the Singapore education system.  The e...

FUJIFILM may be best known for its photo imaging and digital products such as film and cameras. But did you know that FUJIFILM also makes skincare and cosmetic products? In fact, observers said FUJIFILM’s cosmetics business could have been why the firm survived the digital revolution. One of the brands that you may have seen in shopping malls is Astalift, which was launched in 2006.  While making...

You might know of Shell as an energy company or a petrol kiosk operator. But today we are going to bring you another part of the energy giant’s business that you might not know about.  Our guest is from Shell Business mobility. This is a B2B arm which seeks to collaborate with businesses that have a fleet of commercial passenger cars, or even light and medium duty vehicles. Some of the solutions p...

Today we’re going to talk about a company that makes projectors, virtual meeting tools, as well as the equipment for doctors to be able to view X-ray films.  The name of this company is Flemish technology company Barco which was founded all the way back in 1934.  Speaking of Barco, did you know that the firm started out as a business that assembles radios from parts imported from the US? In fact,...