Open For Business BFM Media

We’re joined by Toh Kean Wee, the Founder and Managing Director of TPE, one of the largest whiteboard and writing instrument manufacturers in Malaysia. Starting from humble beginnings in a 1,000 Sq. Ft. cottage in 2008, TPE has grown into a modern 50,000 Sq. Ft. manufacturing facility, meeting high export market demands.

Mr. Toh has navigated the competitive whiteboard manufacturing industry, establishing TPE as a significant market player. His entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen have driven TPE’s growth in both domestic and global markets. As the whiteboard industry evolves, Mr. Toh shares valuable insights into emerging trends and TPE’s future role in the industry.
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On this episode of Open For Business, we speak with Lakshita Wijerathne, CEO at Eutech Cybernetic, a Smart Technology solutions provider that owns Iviva, a full-fledged smart property management platform that enables efficient management of spaces, buildings and cities.

With over 20 years of experience and headquartered in Singapore, Eutech works with a global network of partners in 15 countries, seven smart precincts and cities as well as a 300m square footage area of spaces across Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East. Their solutions are catered for owners and operators in the real estate industry with the Iviva platform.

Along the course of the conversation, Lakshita give us a sense of how Iviva was established, what differentiates it with other smart technology platforms in the market and what the future holds for Eutech in the foreseeable future.
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“To our surprise, we realised probably 6 or 7 out of 10 customers that walked in didn't really know us, (before that,) we thought we were famous. That was a huge awakening call”.

Founded in 2013 by Nicole Wong and Stan Chui, Sometime has evolved from an online-only business to a brand with multiple physical outlets and collaborations with designers across Asia.

In this episode of Open for Business, we speak with Stan Chooi, co-founder and CEO of the Malaysian fashion brand, Sometime. Stan shares his transition from the advertising industry to fashion, his partnership with Nicole Wong, the challenges of starting this business, and the rationale behind the brand's offline push. Stan also gets into the role of strategic partnerships and potential future considerations for funding and business expansion.
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In recent years, Malaysia has been faced with a rising student dropout rate, with over 14,506 students leaving school prematurely in 2023 alone. That’s according to the National Social Council. This alarming trend highlights the urgent need for innovative ways or solutions to keep students engaged and invested in their education.

With this in mind, MyFuturity Global aims to step in with an application, called StudentQR, designed to transform the education landscape through real-time monitoring and gamification.

In this episode, we speak with Syed Huzaifah Syed Omar, the Founder and CEO of MyFuturity Global, a company that specialises in mobile app content for various industries such as education and training, architecture, film and healthcare, who will share his insights on addressing this critical issue and how StudentQR aims to reshape the future of education in Malaysia.
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Founded in 2022, Patriot Biotech describes itself as a group of scientists, inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs who want to bring molecular-based biotechnology to the masses in Malaysia and the world, while nurturing and building local talent and technology.

Today on Open For Business, we explore the ambitions of this startup, their focus on genomics and its applications to aquaculture and value to academia and universities in Malaysia. We’ll also explore Gan's journey to Australia and back, and how that’s informed the way he’s built Patriot Biotech, why he left academia and a stable career, and how he’s built a bootstrapped and profitable business.
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“If there is a time to start a business, it is now, while we’re young.”

A lunch between co-workers in their mid-20s in 2014 turned into a startup that has raised RM46 million, is now close to profitability, and wants to generate RM80-90 million in revenue in 2024 powered by its growth in Indonesia.

In 2014, 5 months after an initial discussion over lunch in 2014, Goh Chee Hau and Nadhir Ashafiq started TheLorry. The goal was to connect drivers and their vehicles with business and consumer transport and logistics jobs, with the vision that this would all be powered by proprietary tracking, route optimization and payments technology.

With just a handful of drivers in the early days, today TheLorry is present in 4 countries in the region, namely Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, and partners more than 7,000 drivers who provide services like professional house moving, furniture dismantling and disposing, and B2B logistics.

The startup is no stranger to funding rounds. Back in 2016, it raised US$1.5 million in its Series A round, close to RM24 million in its Series B funding round in 2019, and most recently, RM4.1 million through ECF on pitchIN last year.

On this episode of Open For Business, you will learn about TheLorry’s origins and ambitions, their evolution over the last decade, and what the path ahead looks like for this Malaysian-born startup.
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