Open For Business

How can brands better connect with digital creators (at scale) to elevate their storytelling? Enter Cult Creative, a Malaysian creator-first platform that connects brands with a dynamic network of content creators. Founded in 2020 by Shermaine Wong, Cult Creative began as a simple matchmaking tool and has evolved into an ecosystem that streamlines brand collaborations and empowers creators with campaign management and analytics.After securing RM500,000 from The Hive Southeast Asia and receiving grant support from Cradle Fund, Cult Creative is continuing its expansion drive, aiming to 3X revenue in 2025. In this episode, Shermaine shares insights on the platform’s evolution and teases the upcoming launch of new features, including the Creator Academy and enhanced Creator Platform, along with strategies for driving sustained growth in a competitive market.Shermaine won the Founder to Watch award at Cradle Fund’s PLUGIN 2024 conference in December.Here are some AI-generated key highlights from the conversation:Creator Economy Transformation: Cult Creative connects brands with nano and micro-influencers to power marketing campaigns and drive high-quality creator-generated content.Streamlined Platform: The newly launched creator platform simplifies administrative tasks by handling agreements, invoicing, and ensuring 30-day payment cycles for creators.Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with agencies expand access to larger brands, allowing agencies to focus on client management while Cult Creative taps into broader markets.Market Trends & Growth: Leveraging trends like TikTok’s dominance and the rise of UGC, the platform offers a unique value proposition with its Creator Academy, empowering creators to scale their skills and careers.Financial Performance & Future Plans: After achieving 4.2x revenue growth in 2024 (RM1.52M) and paying out nearly RM700K to creators, Cult Creative is targeting 3x growth in 2025 (RM5M) through initiatives like a new brand and agency dashboard, regional expansion into Singapore and Hong Kong, and integrating AI for enhanced productivity and efficiency.Financial Performance & Future Plans: After achieving 4.2x revenue growth in 2024 (RM1.52M) and paying out nearly RM700K to creators, Cult Creative is targeting 3x growth in 2025 (RM5M) through initiatives like a new brand and agency dashboard, regional expansion into Singapore and Hong Kong, and integrating AI for enhanced productivity and efficiency.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Autism Cafe Project is more than just a business. It’s a place where young adults on the autism spectrum gain real work experience, build confidence, and find purpose.Founded by Mohd Adli Yahya, this social enterprise was born out of a father’s love and a mission to create meaningful opportunities for those often overlooked in the workforce. But turning this vision into reality wasn’t easy, with challenges in funding, public awareness, and shifting mindsets about inclusivity.In this episode, we explore how Autism Cafe Project is empowering families, breaking misconceptions about hiring people with autism, and why businesses should step up to create more inclusive workplaces.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Established in 1957, Xin Seng Fatt Industries has been brewing soy sauce for over three generations, supplying restaurants and food businesses with traditionally fermented soy sauce. In 2019, under the third generation leadership, the company entered the consumer retail space with Mu Artisan Soy Sauce, a premium, handcrafted soy sauce brand.In this episode of Open For Business, we speak with Shirley Chia, third-generation Director of Xin Seng Fatt Industries and Founder of Mu Artisan Soy Sauce, as she shares her journey of launching the consumer brand and integrating it into the company’s long-term strategy. We explore the challenges of scaling artisanal production, the delicate balance between B2B and B2C operations, and innovative approaches to brand building in today’s competitive market. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or an industry enthusiast, discover how blending heritage with modern business strategies can create lasting success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we speak with Catherine Goh, CEO at Santan, a brand under AirAsia's non-airline subsidiary, RedBeat Ventures. As of December 2019, Santan marked their first foray into the retail food business, serving meals from countries in ASEAN, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. We’ll discuss how this all came about, the challenges she had to overcome to bring Malaysia’s famous nasi lemak to the skies and her ambitions ahead for the business in 2025 and beyond. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From failures & setbacks to success & profit, on this episode of Open for Business, we speak with Bryant Gan, Founder and CEO of Niagawan Plus—a Malaysian cloud-based accounting software company dedicated to simplifying financial management for small businesses. On the back of winning the All-Star Award at Cradle Fund’s PLUGIN 2024 conference, Bryant shares his entrepreneurial journey with us, from developing an MVP for a friend to seizing a critical market gap in finance management.Founded in 2016, Niagawan Plus now serves over 30,000 paying customers through innovative product design and savvy digital marketing. Bryant explains how the company stands out in a crowded SaaS space, emphasising the importance of effective customer acquisition and retention. He also discusses the potential growth boost from Malaysia’s upcoming LHDN e-Invoicing mandate. The conversation delves into the challenges of scaling a SaaS business, lessons learned from past ventures, and strategic plans for future expansion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Managing distributed and multi-site teams often leads to mountains of paperwork and hampers productivity. In this episode of Open For Business, we speak with John Lee, Founder and CEO of Caction, about how digitisation can streamline workflows and solve these challenges.Founded in 2017 by John Lee, a former GE engineer, Caction wants to improve how companies manage distributed workforces by digitising processes that traditionally relied on tedious paperwork. John explains how their SaaS solution not only automates attendance and job scheduling but also converts real-time data from field operations into actionable insights for better decision-making. With a client roster featuring major names like Hyundai Elevator, and Kone, Caction says it has saved millions of man-hours across industries.In our conversation, John also shares the challenges of scaling a tech startup, customising software to meet diverse client needs, and driving customer retention in a competitive market.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Open For Business, we dive into how MYCRS Sdn Bhd is trying to transform the construction industry by digitising concrete testing. Founded in 2021 by Thomas Yap—whose 18 years of experience include landmark projects like the Burj Khalifa and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge—MYCRS aims to bring transparency and reliability to material testing. Thomas explains how the company is tackling data manipulation in concrete testing through innovative R&D, leveraging advanced technology to ensure accurate results.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Open For Business, we’re serving up some pizzas. We speak with Alan Goh, the Founder of Round, a pizzeria dedicated to authentic Neapolitan flavours and traditional pizza-making techniques. But behind every perfectly charred crust and fresh mozzarella topping lies a journey of risk, reinvention, and the pursuit of quality. What does it take to carve out a niche in Malaysia’s competitive F&B scene? From securing capital to standing out in a crowded market, we uncover the realities of running a pizzeria, and whether there’s a secret ingredient to lasting success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Originally founded in 2016 and restructured in 2022 as The Farm Shop, the company has rapidly scaled its operations—achieving RM4.6 million in revenue in 2024 and setting ambitious targets of RM14.4 million in 2025 and RM56 million by 2026.In this episode of Open For Business, Founder and Managing Director Dr. Tan I-Lene delves into the company’s vertically integrated model, which spans sourcing high-quality dairy from local farms, processing it, and delivering fresh products through retail outlets, direct-to-home channels, and HORECA partnerships.Dr. Tan discusses the challenges of maintaining product quality and brand authenticity amid rapid growth, innovative strategies such as the “godfather offer” subscription model, and the broader implications for food security and sustainability.Whether you’re a business leader in agriculture or an investor intrigued by food tech, this episode provides valuable insights into building a resilient and scalable business in Malaysia’s competitive dairy industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Open for Business, we explore the journey of Vepro Group, a Malaysian robotics and automation company founded in 2003 by graduates of the University of Malaya. Over 23 years, Vepro Group has grown steadily and now aims to reach RM100 million in revenue by 2030. Today, the company represents and collaborates with major brands such as Fuji and Omron and is a member of the International Federation of Robotics. Vepro Group specialises in industrial automation, offering solutions in robotics, automated packaging, palletising, and end-of-line systems.Managing Director and CEO Chu Chee Seng shares insights into the company’s early days—starting with RM300,000 in capital raised from savings, borrowings, and support from friends and family—and its evolution into a business generating around RM30 million in revenue last year, with a target of RM100 million by 2030. They discuss the dual business model that blends consultancy with a growing SaaS offering, the importance of standardising processes through products like the Rakan Robot, and strategies for regional expansion across ASEAN. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.