Under The Radar

From content writing, to providing human-like responses in chatbots, and to even coding. Generative AI has made its potential known to the world with the introduction of ChatGPT.  But besides, did you know that generative AI can be used in the process of drug discovery as well?  Today we speak with Insilico Medicine, a clinical stage AI driven drug discovery company that is delivering breakthrough...

Today we speak to one of the world’s largest fast moving consumer goods companies Unilever.  While we may be fairly familiar with Unilever, our guest for today is Unilever Food Solutions, which is the dedicated professional foodservice business of Unilever operating in 76 countries around the world. But how does Unilever Food Solutions fit in the bigger picture for the FMCG giant? Also, what does...

Founded in 2015, G8 is a Singapore headquartered company that develops and constructs renewable energy projects across the globe.  It also uses its expertise in subsea cable and engineering technologies to develop solutions that effectively connect large offshore wind turbines and floating solar systems to land.  The group currently has over 3GW of renewable energy and subsea transmission projects...

Artificial Intelligence could help you plan your travel itinerary, come up with recipes.  But what about an AI-powered model that could capture patterns in the stock and options market that signals M&A, earnings shocks or FDA drug approvals?  Well, today we’re going to talk to the fintech company behind this AI model.  Founded in 2016, Qraft Technologies provides its AI models to banks, asset...

It is all about perfumes and fragrances today. And on that note, we want to bring you an inside look into a Singapore-based haute   perfumery brand called Maison 21G.  Founded in 2020, Maison 21G aims to make personalised perfumery accessible for all. The company says it is the first collaborative perfumery house for the luxury lifestyle generation, who wants to stand out from everyday common scen...

Today we want to talk about a Finnish tech company that will take you back to the days without smartphones and tablets.  You might have guessed it already - yes - we are talking about Nokia.  Founded in 1865, Nokia is a B2B technology innovation leader in networking, bringing together the world’s people, machines and devices to realise the potential of digital in every industry.  It was also once...

Building an unbroken cold chain within ASEAN. That’s become increasingly important as rising demand for perishables drive the need for cold storage to extend the shelf life of food items.  Our guest for today Commonwealth Kokubu Logistics does just that. Founded in 2018, Commonwealth Kokubu Logistics, is a joint venture between Commonwealth Capital - that’s the company behind F&B brands such a...

We’re going to talk about watches today. When it comes to watches, the first that comes to mind might be those that come with sober round dials, say your Rolex or Omega watches.  Instead of that, we want to talk about watches that look like spaceships, cost US$100,000 and above, and have a waitlist stretching from years to almost a decade.  Founded in 2005, MB&F started with a dedicated fan ba...

Ever wondered where all the millionaires are right now? And where they intend to migrate to in the near term?  Well, that’s what we are going to talk about today with UK-based consultancy firm Henley & Partners.  The company is a global leader in residence and citizenship by investment, with over 40 offices worldwide. It also runs a leading government advisory practice that has raised more tha...

This company will likely ring a bell, especially if you’re clearing your annual leave, submitting your taxi claims or an accountant working on your company’s financial statements.  You may have guessed it by now -  we’re talking to SAP. That’s a company behind the enterprise resource planning or ERP systems companies use to manage their day-to-day activities like accounting, purchasing inventory,...

What comes to mind when you think of peanut butter sandwich biscuits? How about Julie’s biscuits? If you’ve been having Julie biscuits lately, you might have realised that their blonde-haired Julie logo doesn’t look quite the same.  In fact, Julie might look slightly younger now - and that’s thanks to a global rebranding effort by the company in 2020 to capture younger consumers.  And if you’ve be...

Founded by the co-founder of foodpanda and budget hotel chain Zen Rooms, Kiren Tanna, Una Brands is an e-commerce aggregator that acquires and scales e-commerce brands based in APAC.  The company focuses on acquiring companies with strong independent branding and which have annual revenue of between US$300,000 and US$20 million, and uses technology to optimise and automate product placement and ma...

We have come to almost the end of the first quarter this year, and before we kick start April, let’s take a look at an asset class that analysts and observers are keeping their eyes on for this year - hospitality Reits.  With borders reopening and tourism resuming, market watchers believe 2023 will be an exciting time for hospitality trusts.  But there are several questions to address as well. For...

Which camera would you use if you have to take a selfie or a picture right now? Would you whip out your mobile phone or would you bring out a DSLR camera instead?  Well, we're asking this because our guest for today is from world renowned camera maker Canon.  While Canon may be a familiar name, what we might not know about is the company’s efforts to diversify into new products and industries.  Fo...

Founded in 1891, MSD is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life sciences and pharmaceuticals. The company is among the top 10 globally with a revenue of US$59.3 billion in 2022. With the global pharmaceutical industry expected to grow to around US$2.4 trillion in 2029 according to Fortune Business insights, we want to find out what’s next for the company, particularly here in...

How sustainable is humour as a value proposition for a business? That’s the question we want to ask our interviewee today. Our guest for today is from Hepmil Media Group. You might better know them as the parent company of leading comedy brands SGAG, MGAG and PGAG.  Hepmil Media Group, which first started connecting with Singaporeans through localised humour, iconic memes and videos posted on SGAG...

Have you ever passed through automated immigration at airports and wondered who are the people building these biometric systems?  Does NEC ring a bell? Yes, that’s one of the companies behind your smoother experience at airports.  But the company’s operation goes way beyond just biometric systems. NEC is a leading information and technology provider whose expertise includes solutions for carrier n...

Do you still remember the time where you signed off your first employment contract with a ballpoint pen? Well, I’m asking this because we’re going to talk all about signatures, and in particular the rise of e-signatures today.   According to Deloitte, estimates of the global e-Signing market reached between US$2.3 billion and US$2.8 billion depending on the source in 2020. And with the COVID-19 pa...

If you recall, we spoke with used car marketplace Carro some time last month. Today we’re going to bring you an inside look into yet another marketplace - but for alternative investments.  According to the company, Alta is Southeast Asia’s largest digital marketplace for alternative investments ranging from direct investments to late stage private companies, private equity and VC funds, asset back...

The Great Resignation is a term that we’ve heard a lot over the past year.  The term, which was coined in May 2021, described the phenomenon where workers quit their jobs after deferring their decisions to do so early on in the pandemic.  There’s a reason why I’m bringing this term up again - because the hiring scene is what we’re going to talk about on the segment today. According to Statista, th...

At this time of the day we want to ask the question - what’s for - not dinner, but what’s for tea break!  How about bubble tea? Speaking of bubble tea - here’s a fun fact. Did you know that Southeast Asia spent US$3.7 billion on bubble tea and similar “new tea” drinks in 2021?  That, by the way, is according to a report published by venture outfit Momentum Works and payments startup qlub, which al...

If you recall, we spoke about ship chartering on the segment last week. Today we want to double down on that conversation by giving you an inside look into a Singapore-listed integrated marine logistics company called MarcoPolo Marine.  The company works with customers of varying industries on ship chartering and even transhipment services of tugboats and barges. Besides that, Marco Polo Marine al...

Could AI have a hand in equipping healthcare professionals with people management and communication skills? Well according to the founders of Singapore-based AI Startup MediVR, it can!  MediVR is apparently creating generative AI virtual humans that can perceive, talk and respond with human-like training behaviour, allowing professions to practise their people management and communication skills i...

Have you ever wondered what’s behind our 4G, or wifi connectivity? How about a network of shoebox-sized devices sending lasers to one another?  Well, that’s what Singapore-based startup Transcelestial does to bring superfast connectivity to the masses. The company also recently bagged US$10 million in its Series A2 funding led by Airbus Ventures.  Other investors including Cap Vista - which is the...

Singapore is known to be a medical tourism hub due to its good facilities and services, with the country’s healthcare system ranked first in Asia and fourth in the world in the Medical Tourism Index by US-based Healthcare Research Centre. According to the Yusof Ishak Institute Singapore, about 500,000 foreign patients visited Singapore annually for medical treatment prior to the pandemic. While a...