Open For Business

The non-bank lending industry, comprising licensed money lenders, pawnshops, and used car dealers, often operates on paper ledgers and Excel sheets. Johnny Tin, a former banking tech consultant, left his 9-to-5 to change that.

He joins us to discuss Arkmind, his company attempting to digitalise this unglamorous sector. We explore how Arkmind bootstrapped its way to RM1 million in annual revenue, the impact of the Consumer Credit Act, and how they are helping traditional lenders use AI to approve loans in hours instead of days.

We discuss:

• Why non-bank lenders are still stuck on paper and physical ledgers.

• Building an end-to-end digital lending system, from licensing to collection.

• Bootstrapping from RM100k and pivoting from project fees to SaaS.

• How Arkmind uses client data to build custom AI credit scoring engines.

• Targeting 40% annual growth and expanding into Islamic loans and BNPL.

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Prof. Dr. Billy Tang’s journey from paraplegic farmer to global changemaker is at the heart of PWD Smart FarmAbility, a disability-led social enterprise transforming food security and community resilience. After an accident that left him paralysed, Billy reimagined how agriculture could work for people with limited mobility, low income, or no farming experience.

The result: the HOPE Box and Soil-U-tion™ Model, a regenerative, zero-synthetic system now used across many households, Program Pendidikan Khas Integrasi (PPKI) / Special Education Integrated Programme schools, elderly homes and refugee communities. It produces clean vegetables every 10 – 14 days and tilapia protein every few months, while restoring microbial soil life and reducing food bills.

In this conversation, Billy shares his personal turning point, the business engine behind PWD Smart FarmAbility, the realities of scaling social innovation, and why disability-led leadership belongs at the centre of Malaysia’s future food story.

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While the rest of Southeast Asia was chasing the "super app" dream and burning cash on subsidies, Qualgro took a different path. For the last decade, this VC firm has quietly focused on the "boring back end of the internet", B2B software, data, and AI.

General Partner Weisheng Neo joins us to explain why this approach is paying off. 

He also discusses why the NASDAQ isn't always the best exit for regional startups (and why the Tokyo Stock Exchange might be), why he views the current funding climate as a "natural correction" rather than a crisis, and how to build companies for "quality growth" in an era of high interest rates.

We discuss:

• Why Qualgro bet on B2B software over consumer tech.

• The "mid-market ceiling": Why $200-400M exits are the sweet spot for SEA.

• The Appier case study: Why they listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

• Identifying "AI-native" startups vs. ChatGPT wrappers.

• Why "management by consensus" is a death knell for startups.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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With a 50/50 revenue split between local and international markets, Superdough has quietly grown into an 8-figure entertainment powerhouse. Already operating across the US, South Korea, and the UAE, the company behind Breakout and Hauntu is now accelerating its global expansion with unique new models.

Co-founders Johnny Ong and Kelly Low join us to share their strategy for scaling mid-tier entertainment concepts abroad. They discuss their new "student-run" franchise partnership in Texas, their major upcoming expansion into Montreal, and why they are pivoting to the kids' market with Spy Game Jr.

We discuss:

• The journey to 8-figure annual revenue and 25% YoY growth.

• Their strategy for managing a 50/50 local vs. international portfolio.

• The unique "student-run" franchise model with a US school district.

• Why they created Spy Game Jr. to capture the kids' market.

• How AI is helping them visualize and balance game puzzles faster.

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Malaysia’s property market is crowded, competitive, and increasingly shaped by branding that goes far beyond logos and brochures. In this episode, we speak with Evon Chong and Aaron Bok, Co-Founders of IMAJEN, a property-focused branding consultancy that specialises in curating desire for places through storytelling, identity and experience design. We explore how the founders came together, how they built a profitable premium agency from the ground up, the operational challenges behind scaling a taste-led business, and their ambitions to grow IMAJEN into a regional creative force.

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Founded in 2001 with just RM10,000 in savings and RM110,000 borrowed from friends and family, Symbiotica Specialty Ingredients has grown into a major Malaysian manufacturer, exporting active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to 70 countries. After 23 years of organic growth, the company entered a new chapter in 2024 when Ekuinas acquired an 80% stake.

Founder and CEO Ajoy Gopinath Prabhu joins us to share his 24-year journey. He discusses how Symbiotica carved a niche in the high-value steroid market, the rigorous path to US FDA approval, and why he chose to partner with private equity to professionalise the family business for its next phase of growth.

Ajoy has been nominated for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 Malaysia Awards in the Master Entrepreneur Category, alongside other notable figures like Dato' Davis Chong (Solarvest), Datuk Kamarul Redzuan Muhamed of Uzma Bhd, and ZUS Coffee founders Ian Chua and Venon Tian.

We discuss:

• The journey from a RM10K trading startup to a RM125M manufacturer.

• How Symbiotica competes globally with giants from India and China.

• The rigorous process of achieving US FDA and international certifications.

• Why the founders sold an 80% stake to Ekuinas after 23 years.

• The transition from an owner-operated family business to a corporatised entity.

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Malaysia’s gaming industry has crossed the billion-dollar mark, but a critical talent shortage threatens its momentum — from programmers and tools engineers to live-ops developers. Curine Ventures and Xsolla launched the Xsolla Curine Academy (XCA) in 2023 to close that gap, by building industry-ready creators through hands-on training, mentorship, and direct alignment with studios, universities, and publishers.

In this conversation with Kaveh Wong, Founder of Curine Ventures and Co-Founder of Xsolla Curine Academy (XCA), we explore the academy’s business model, how it stays commercially relevant through industry partnerships, and its vision to build a realistic and sustainable talent engine for Malaysia’s next phase of gaming growth.

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When Michelle Hah stepped into her family’s fire safety business, it was already a trusted name built on decades of service. But she saw the potential to go further. Under her leadership, Fire Fighter Industry evolved from a small supplier of extinguishers into one of Malaysia’s largest integrated fire safety providers, spanning design, installation, and compliance. In this conversation, Michelle shares how she modernised a legacy company, built resilience in a highly regulated sector, and charted a sustainable path forward rooted in both mission and growth.

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18 months ago, co-working operator WORQ planned to raise RM40 million to fuel its expansion. But halfway through the process, they stepped back from the raise, claiming that it wasn’t because they couldn't get the funds, but because they had hit the startup "holy grail": generating enough internal cash flow to fund their own growth.

Co-founders Stephanie Ping and Andrew Yeow join us to break down key wins and challenges since our last conversation in February 2024, the mechanics of their landlord partnership model, why and how they act as a footfall attraction for buildings, and their upcoming expansion into "Urban Wellness" via WORQ Wellness, with offices featuring pools and jacuzzis, launching in Jan 2026.

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What started in 2010 as a simple wedding RSVP tool has evolved into a complete event technology platform. After a crucial pivot away from the consumer market, Evenesis now powers corporate events and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions), combining software with essential on-the-ground managed services.

Founder and CEO Ts. Yusno Yunos joins us to share his 15-year journey of bootstrapping (with the help of grants) to profitability before finally taking strategic investment from VentureTECH.

He discusses why the "free-to-use" model failed in the wedding market, how managed services became their key differentiator against global SaaS competitors, and their ambitious plans to expand into Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

We discuss:

• The pivot from a B2C wedding app to a B2B corporate event platform.

• Why they bootstrapped for 14 years before taking VentureTECH investment.

• The "managed services" differentiator: why pure SaaS doesn't work in SEA.

• Using AI for business matching and "event health checks."

• Their expansion strategy for Indonesia, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.