Open For Business

When a Malaysian business gets paid in Singapore dollars, the money usually takes a detour through the US dollar, picking up fees and delays along the way. Sera wants to take out the detour.

Sera is an on-chain exchange that lets payment companies, wallets and businesses swap one country’s stablecoin directly for another, Singapore dollars for ringgit for example, settled in seconds. It never holds its users’ money. Live on Ethereum since May 2026, it has processed more than US$7 million in volume, and it plugs into apps like YouApp, which lets travellers pay any DuitNow QR merchant with stablecoins.

Founder Douglas Gan has been building tech companies since 1997, from ShowNearby to cross-border wallets. He joins us to explain stablecoin FX in plain terms, how a free-to-use exchange plans to make money, and why he thinks Malaysia is quietly one of crypto infrastructure’s biggest talent pools.

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Most technology knows your taste through what you buy, search for or click on. Lekondo thinks what you actually wear says far more.

Founded by Malaysian Yeng Tan, who grew up in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, the New York-based app lets people post their outfit of the day. AI picks out each item and builds a digital closet over time, and users can see how people dress around the world. Since launching in January 2026, it says it has passed 100,000 users in more than 50 countries.

In 2025 Lekondo went through a16z speedrun, Andreessen Horowitz’s accelerator programme. It has since raised about US$3 million from investors including Verdict Capital and Japan’s DG Daiwa Ventures.

Yeng joins us to explain what a “third space for fashion” is, how a free app turns style into a business, and what it takes for a Malaysian founder to raise from Silicon Valley.

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While the AI ecosystem is filled with developer meetups and technical hackathons, a gap remains for non-technical professionals, creatives, and entrepreneurs who need hands-on familiarity with AI tools. PROMPT:CITY is tackling this space by collaborating with cultural events like Urbanscapes 2026 to reach everyday consumers and hobbyists where they spend their time.

Wong Joon Ian, Founder of PROMPT:CITY, joins Open for Business to discuss how he is building a sustainable events and media platform around AI education. He breaks down the unit economics of ticket sales versus corporate sponsorships, the rise of "vibe coding" and bespoke software, navigating creative backlash against generative tools, and his strategy for expanding the platform across Asia-Pacific subcultures.

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In 2015, a professional wedding planner preparing for her own marriage hit a brick wall. Despite her industry connections, she collided with the premium bridal market’s quietest rule: top-tier designers cut their gowns for one body type. If a bride falls outside those rigid proportions, the luxury tier shuts its doors. 

Rejecting the standard industry compromise of cheap lookalikes, East Chin flew to Barcelona. There, she discovered independent European ateliers crafting extraordinary, inclusive garments without the famous-name markups, and she returned home to build The Gown Atelier around them - Four hundred gowns spread across a lot of different labels, so that the bride nobody else could dress would walk down the aisle in something she loved.

East joins us to strip away the romance of the wedding industry and expose the arithmetic of renting dresses. We break down the reality of competitor price wars, and discuss exactly why a premium gown that once paid for itself in two rentals now demands five. We also explore the logistical machine behind Malaysia Bridal Fashion Week, and the expensive lesson East learned when she realised her own personal taste did not match the market she served.

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Jaedals was created to kill the historical compromise between comfortable “trekky sandals” and style. But the brand's true differentiator lies in its unconventional production engine. Rather than relying wholly on traditional factory assembly lines, the company employs underserved women across Singapore who sew and embellish the sandals directly from their own living rooms. 

After spending nearly two decades building global campaigns for advertising agencies like Ogilvy and TBWA, founder Maggie Dumra launched the brand last year and immediately weaponised her corporate experience to scale the business. Today, Jaedals operates a flagship store in Orchard Road's Mandarin Gallery and secures premium shelf space at Club 21 and KrisShop. By deliberately reinvesting every dollar back into product and team development, the bootstrapped company tripled its revenue over eighteen months without taking a single cent of institutional equity. Now, the brand is pushing into its first international market: Malaysia.

Maggie joins us to unpack the precise unit economics of a Jaedal sandal and the real financial trade-offs of her decentralised production model. We explore why the company actively chooses to delay profitability, and whether a brand deeply tied to one city's culture can successfully capture the Malaysian market.

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Batik Boutique is accelerating its retail expansion with the launch of its 1,500-square-foot flagship outlet at Merdeka 118, alongside achieving B Corp recertification with a 92-point score. The social enterprise saw a 75% year-to-date growth in its B2B segment and a 20% rise in B2C retail, further boosted by a viral moment when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wore their joint-designed shirt at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Amy Blair, Founder and CEO of Batik Boutique, joins Open for Business to unpack how the brand capitalised on its Formula 1 collaboration with the Bahrain International Circuit. She discusses managing artisanal supply chains alongside retail expansion, utilising AI for operational efficiency and B2B design, and balancing corporate gifting with long-term brand equity.

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For more information on BFM's SME event, click the link here.

Gyms in Malaysia aren’t known for big profits, and there’s no shortage of them. So why would seven friends who train together open another one?

COR3 in Kota Damansara is a “box,” the term functional fitness folks use for their gyms. It’s a semi-outdoor space packed with barbells and weights. Six months after opening, it already has more than 150 members.

Joanne Lim and Eddie Yap, two of the seven co-founders, join us to talk about why they started COR3 and how the business works.

We discuss: 

• Seven founders, no single boss: How a group of friends from very different careers makes decisions together, and how they funded the gym.

• Fitness meets hospitality: What sets COR3 apart, how they make first-timers feel welcome, and why they put community and good coaching first.

• The business side: Why they chose a semi-open space, how they plan to grow, and their partnership with AirAsia ahead of Malaysia’s first HYROX race this December.

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For more information on BFM's SME event, click the link here.

Virgin Honey makes ready-to-use Acacia honey spoons, with an aim to offer a cleaner and more convenient way to enjoy honey without the mess of a traditional jar. Founded by Veenondhra Subramaniam, the Malaysian FMCG start-up is building a business around a familiar product in a different format.

We discuss who buys single-serve honey, how Virgin Honey is building its market, and what it takes to turn a simple product into a scalable food business.

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For more information on BFM's SME event, click the link here.

Kakao Origin serves non-alcoholic drinks made with Malaysian single-origin chocolate, the first of its kind in the country. It started as a stall in Central Market and now has a flagship at Dayabumi.

We talk about who pays RM16 to RM20 for a cup of chocolate, how they source beans from Malaysian farmers, and whether a drink shop can boost the local cacao industry. 

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For more information on BFM's SME event, click the link here.

Frank Marini started in the mailroom of an American tour company as a part-time college job. Thirty years later he runs Railbookers Group, the world's largest independent rail holiday company. It builds trips around trains - the rail, the hotels, the sightseeing and the transfers. It offers more than 5,200 rail journeys, employs almost 400 people across seven countries, and is the national tour operator for Amtrak in the United States.

Last October it opened a Singapore hub to serve Southeast Asia, and Malaysia is now one of its markets. More Asian itineraries are on the way.

Frank talks to us about what an independent rail holiday actually is, building a business by listening to customers, and why train travel is having its biggest moment in decades.

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