Open For Business

How does an American expat become the founder of Malaysia's only B Corp-certified batik brand? For Amy Blair, what started as a project to help one woman has grown into Batik Boutique, a multi-million ringgit social enterprise on a mission to take Malaysian heritage to the world.

Founder and CEO Amy Blair joins us to share her 12-year journey. She discusses how she navigated criticism as a foreigner in a heritage craft, the strategic pivot during the pandemic that transformed her business, and her vision for building a premium, global brand.

We discuss:

• The 12-year journey of building a premium social enterprise.

• Navigating the challenges of being an expat founder in a heritage craft.

• How a pivot to face masks during COVID-19 unlocked their now best-selling apparel line.

• The importance of B Corp certification for global brand building.

• Their growth strategy to hit RM7 million in revenue and expand internationally.

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In an age of retrenchment tsunamis and career uncertainty, many midlife professionals are asking: what's next? For our guest, the answer isn't just finding another job, it's about embracing an entrepreneurial mindset to build your 'Act 2.'

Dash Dhakshinamoorthy, Co-founder of Act 2, joins us to discuss his mission to help both individuals repurpose their careers and organizations find their next growth engine. He explains his philosophy of "effectual entrepreneurship", a research-backed method for leveraging uncertainty with affordable losses to turn transitions into opportunities.

We discuss:

• How to reframe entrepreneurship as leveraging uncertainty, not taking huge risks.

• The "Act 2" philosophy for repurposing your midlife career for fulfillment.

• Why founder development is more important than venture success.

• How large corporations can build an entrepreneurial mindset to find new growth.

• An introduction to the "effectual entrepreneurship" methodology.

  For mid-career professionals navigating a pivot, and for leaders trying to foster innovation, this is a guide to building an entrepreneurial mindset for what comes next.

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Needle, an AI-powered marketing platform from Singapore, starts by helping founders generate ideas and determine business and marketing priorities and then provides personalised recommendations for effective tactics. We speak with Kiyan Foroughi, CEO and Co-Founder at Needle about the rationale behind their inception and their fundraising journey, how they developed their platform that’s backed by AI and how Kiyan aims to grow and scale the business going forward after securing a seed funding round.

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In Malaysia's crowded grab-and-go coffee scene, a new player has exploded onto the market, opening 50 outlets in under two years. Backed by $2.5 million in funding, Koppiku is betting it can win by targeting the often "underserved middle segment" of the market.

Founder and CEO Rajiv Bhanot joins us to share the story behind their rapid growth. He discusses his journey from medical doctor to F&B entrepreneur, the strategy of offering an "aspirational, yet affordable" product, and the crucial lessons learned from a year of intense experimentation to fine-tune their playbook for scaling.

We discuss:

• The strategy that grew the company to 50 outlets in under two years.

• Why they are targeting the "underserved middle segment" of the coffee market.

• How they use data and customer feedback to drive rapid product innovation.

• Their "playbook for scale" learned from extensive location experimentation.

• The unit economics of a high-volume, low-ticket F&B business.

  For F&B entrepreneurs and investors, this is a dive into hyper-growth, brand positioning, and the realities of Malaysia's coffee wars.

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Plant-based living was once seen as a niche trend in Malaysia, a passing fad, or something at odds with our love for sambal and satay. But with VegFest now in its seventh edition, it’s clear that something deeper is taking root.

Gulshan Kaur Rai and Mandeep Singh Sidhu share how Malaysia VegFest grew from a small idea into a thriving movement. We dive into the cultural pushback, the business opportunities, and the values driving a lifestyle shift that’s as much about justice and sustainability as it is about food.

Is Malaysia ready for a plant-forward future? And what does it really take to change the way a nation eats, and thinks?

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US-based Aircraft Propeller Service (APS), a leading independent propeller MRO company, has opened its first-ever Asian facility right here in Selangor. But in a competitive region, why did they choose Malaysia as the hub for their Asia-Pacific ambitions?

Fergus Lopez, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at APS, joins us to detail the strategic rationale behind their investment. He discusses their unique competitive advantage as the only licensed source for proprietary OEM repairs in the region and their plan to build a "center of excellence" with a 100% Malaysian, highly-trained workforce.

We discuss:

• The strategic reasons for choosing Malaysia as their APAC hub.

• Their competitive advantage as a licensed MRO for proprietary repairs.

• How the Malaysian facility operates as a "center of excellence."

• The booming turboprop market in Asia and their plan to capture it.

• Their long-term vision to expand beyond propellers into a major MRO player.

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What does a five-star hotel opening say about the direction of a city, or the confidence of a global brand?

We speak with Till Martin, General Manager of the soon-to-launch Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown. With over three decades at Hyatt and a career spent opening hotels across Asia and the Middle East, Till shares why KL Midtown was chosen, how Hyatt views Malaysia as a growth market, and what it takes to lead in a hospitality landscape that’s rapidly evolving.

From cultural sensitivity and team-building to the practical challenges of post-pandemic hotel launches, this conversation explores what it means to bet on place, people, and purpose.

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Confetto, a digital marketing agency from Singapore specialising in social media and content creation for brands targeting Gen Zs, has quickly become one of the region’s rising stars. Founded by fashion designer Silvia Teh and her husband, the company began as a tech platform helping SMEs automate brand visuals, but a bold pivot turned it into a full-fledged creative agency. Now in its third year, Confetto has scaled to 7-figure revenue, captured the attention of Gen Z audiences across Southeast Asia, and done it all without external funding. We discuss how the pivot from tech to content transformed their growth, how Confetto keeps content culturally relevant and entertaining, as well as what the future looks like for the business.

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What started with just RM1,000 and a stroke of luck during the pandemic has grown into a RM500,000-a-year fitness business. But for Movement Dynamics, the journey is about more than just personal training; it's about building a brand that people aspire to be a part of through content, events, and corporate wellness.

Founder Kevin Khaandor joins us to share his five-year journey of evolving his business from a traditional personal training studio to a comprehensive fitness brand. He discusses the strategic pivot to the more profitable B2B corporate wellness and events, and his long-term vision to build a content-driven brand with a future fitness app.

We discuss:

• The five-year journey from a RM1k investment to a RM500k business.

• Why they expanded from B2C personal training to high-margin B2B corporate wellness and events.

• The strategy of using "satellite gyms" to scale in an asset-light way.

• How they use content as a key driver for business growth.

• The long-term vision to build a fitness brand people aspire to join.

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Just six months in, Singapore-based Inductiv is developing an enterprise-grade GenAI platform designed for startups and businesses in complex industries like finance and healthcare. Championing this is Saurav Dhungana, a data scientist with deep experience in U.S. healthcare, telecom, and fintech. This episode dives into how Inductiv is approaching AI agent development for enterprises of all sizes, the unique challenges of building in APAC, and what it takes to go from MVP to market-ready in a rapidly evolving AI landscape.

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