Enterprise Explores

The talent recruitment landscape has significantly evolved over the years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated these changes. We are witnessing updates to policies and more flexible work hours and benefits to cater to the changing interests of the workforce. Here at BFM, our conversations with various service providers that closely collaborate with corporate HR teams often highlight a major concern: retaining talent rather than merely attracting it. The question now is, how can corporations motivate their teams and support their evolving work interests?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this month, the government’s Special Voluntary Disclosure Programme (SVDP) 2.0 kicked off. Starting from June 6th 2023 all the way to 31st May 2024, the aim is to encourage non-compliant taxpayers to report any incorrect or undisclosed taxes over the years, covering both direct and indirect taxes. This includes a 100% waiver on tax penalty and seems to be targeted at the informal sector, including areas such as social media creators and e-commerce businesses.Today on BizBytes we speak to Soh Lian Seng, Head of Tax, KPMG about who should be taking up the SVDP 2.0, common mistakes that compliant and non-compliant taxpayers may not realise they’re making, and whether this initiative is unfair to all the folks that have been paying their taxes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an era where online job listings have become the norm, an insidious undercurrent of job scams has been steadily infiltrating the job market. The impact of these scams is far-reaching, not only depriving desperate job-seekers of their hard-earned savings but also eroding trust in the recruitment process itself.Photo Credits: ShuttershockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Malaysian-based full-stack insurtech startup PolicyStreet announced a US$15.3 million (RM67 million) Series B fundraising round, led by Khazanah Nasional. DigitalNews Asia notes that other investors in the round include lead investors from the Series A round Altara Ventures, as well as Gobi Partners and Spiral Ventures.PolicyStreet intends to use the funds to strengthen its technology and underwriting capabilities to drive further growth of the business, which includes regional expansion, starting with Australia.On the back of this sizable funding round, today on BizBytes we speak with PolicyStreet’s CEO and Co-Founder Yen Ming Lee about how this RM67 million funding round will be utilised, the benefits of having a partner like Khanazah, and what’s next for the digital insurance space in Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Overseas expansion has been instrumental for growth for Asia’s biggest consumer products companies, growing 3 times faster overseas than in their home market with 9 of the 50 firms generating more than half of their total revenue offshore and another 15 generating more than 25% of total revenue offshore.Today on BizBytes we take a deeper dive into a recent Bain & Company report that explores how APAC consumer products firms expanded overseas quickly. Helping us with this was Gino Dizon, Partner at Bain & Company. He is a member of Bain’s Consumer Products, Retail, and Mergers & Acquisitions practices.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2023 saw a slew of impressive announcements that will certainly delight Apple enthusiasts and tech-lovers alike.We catch up (again) with Matt Armitage from Kulturpop.com to have a run through some of the announcements to get his thoughts.Photo Credits: ShuttershockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of BizBytes, we explore the Malaysia Startup Ecosystem Roadmap, or more commonly known as SUPER. We take a look at its role, the potential support Malaysian startups can expect, and how it’s trying to address key concerns in Malaysia’s startup ecosystem, including issues such as the fragmented and potentially confusing nature of many of the initiatives and agencies launched to support the local startup ecosystem.Joining us for this conversation was Harmender Singh, Vice President with the SUPER Project Management Office at Cradle Fund.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it take to discover the next Unicorn in Malaysia, or even to be the next Unicorn in Malaysia?We’re going to be going on a journey through the thriving startup ecosystem of Southeast Asia, and reflecting on its rapid expansion and the catalysts that have spurred growth. We probe into innovative business models and the success stories they've propelled, while also touching on the promising sectors for venture capital. We also delve into the crucial role of platforms like E27's TOP100 and the upcoming Echelon Asia Summit, in fostering startups and explore how they are partnering with local organisations to tackle unique business challenges. We’re joined today by Mohan Belani, CEO of e27Photo Credits: ShuttershockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday, HKSTP - that’s the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation revealed a plan to empower Malaysian businesses and talents with global growth ambitions to unlock the huge HK-Greater Bay Area (GBA)-China market opportunity.They launched the “Innovation Mixer” – an outreach programme aimed at collaborating with enterprises and talents from all around the world to expand the innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystems in the region. They also unveiled the Market Discovery Programme, designed for global tech ventures expanding their reach into the China and broader Asian markets, through Hong Kong.Needless to say this caught our attention and we wanted to learn more about what these 2 initiatives could look like and they’re potential impact, so we got in touch with Albert Wong, CEO of HKSTP, to help break this down for us and explore the potential benefit to Malaysian businesses. In case you’re not familiar with HKSTP, here’s a bit of background:HKSTP has been around since 2001, so 22 years, and has strived to build up Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology hub. Some of the ways they’ve tried to do this include attracting and nurturing talent, while helping accelerate innovation and commercialise technology for entrepreneurs, to not just to grow in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, but also Asia and beyond.A quick look at some numbers show some pretty impressive achievements. They have established an ecosystem that has supported 14 unicorns, along with R&D hubs with over 13,000 research professionals and over 1,400 technology companies focused on healthtech, AI and robotics, fintech and smart city technologies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) unveiled plans to bolster Malaysian businesses and talents aiming to tap into the HK-Greater Bay Area (GBA)-China market. Two key initiatives include the "Innovation Mixer," a global collaboration program for enriching regional innovation and technology ecosystems, and the Market Discovery Programme, set to boost global tech ventures in China and Asian markets via Hong Kong. Albert Wong, CEO of HKSTP, gives us insight into the initiatives' potential impact and benefits to Malaysian businesses. HKSTP's established ecosystem has already fostered 14 unicorns and over 1,400 tech companies in areas like healthtech and fintech.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.