When it comes to accolades and achievements, Malaysians are indeed not far behind from their foreign peers. From being the underdogs of science and technological advancement, to standing proudly in the eyes of the world, Malaysians have indeed come a long way. This year, had indeed been a fruitful period for Malaysians as we’ve witnessed social activists and founders of organisations being enlisted in prestigious lists detailing their achievements.
Now, Forbes Asia has spotlighted notable small companies and startups on the rise across the Asia-Pacific region and here’s the best part — four Malaysian firms and startups have made it to the inaugural business news publication, Forbes Asia’s 100 to Watch List today! The editor of Forbes Asia, Justin Doebele said, “Companies on the ‘100 to Watch’ list are making remarkable progress and impact in spite of the challenging climate brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Their inclusion on the list comes in part from addressing significant problems with innovative solutions.”
Selection to be part of this well-coveted list is extremely competitive and to qualify, companies have to be headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region, be at least one year old, privately owned, for profit and have no more than US$20 million (RM85 million) in its latest annual revenue or total funding through 1st August. The methods used in the selection of firms included online submissions and extending invitations to relevant stakeholders to nominate companies, with the final 100 selected from over 900 submissions.
Without further delay, have a look at the four Malaysian startup companies on this list:
BrioHR
Category: Education and Recruitment
Chief Executive and Co-Founder: Benjamin Croc
This company was founded in 2018 by Benjamin Croc, who obtained a Masters in Business Administration in INSEAD. A cloud-based human resources management platform offering all-in-one services from recruitment to payroll for Small-Medium Enterprises (SME) in Southeast Asia, BrioHR has offices in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Paris as well. In March 2021, Benjamin announced that it bagged US$1.3 million from investors including Global Founders Capital and East Ventures.
DoctorOnCall
Category: Biotechnology and Healthcare
Founders: Maran Virumandi and Hazwan Najib
Now, pretty sure everyone who’s constantly on social media have heard of this platform. This digital platform offers telehealth consultations with board-certified doctors, online pharmacy and delivery services as well as booking services for doctors and specialists. Currently, this is Malaysia’s largest and first online doctor consultation platform, with an estimated 3 million users, nationwide!
Dropee
Category: E-commerce & Retail
Founder: Lennise Ng
This startup which was founded in 2017 aims to provide an integrated supply chain network that facilitates transactions between buyers to wholesale sellers in a quicker, more transparent way and empower them to serve their customers better. The platform also allows for both suppliers and retailers to digitise sales orders, track inventories and fulfilment of goods as well as to access real-time analytical reports.
iHandal Energy Solutions
Category: Construction & Engineering
Founder: Aaron Patel
This company specialises in energy efficiency of commercial and industrial buildings improvement through innovative, economical and sustainable engineering solutions. Adding on to this, they offer tailored mechanical and electrical solutions that help clients maximise their energy and operational savings in areas such as water heating, process cooling, air conditioning and waste heat to power applications. The iHandal’s Heatfuse™ technology aims to capture and reuse buildings’ wasted heat and recycle it, offsetting up to 70% of thermal emissions with energy savings as high as 80%!
This is indeed an amazing feat and a source of pride for our fellow Malaysians! Let’s cheer them on continuously in their journey to create a better Malaysia. It would also be great if more encouragement were given to the future generation to pursue ambitions as such.
Source: Malay Mail
