This M’sian went from building muscles to building appetites with his fine dining restaurant
For many people, there will be different moments that change their life. It could be when you landed that job, when you became a parent, or even when you learnt a new skill.
For Jon Chew, it was fitness company Les Mills and how it launched his career. He went from being obese to losing 20kg in three months under its fitness training programme, and ended up signing up as a Body Combat instructor.
He spent 15 years in the industry sharing his passion for fitness and developing instructors across Southeast Asia. Jon described it as one of the best times of his life.
Eventually though, he realised he could no longer resist his calling: his passion for food.
Thus, Jon decided to take the opportunity to fulfill his dream of running a restaurant focused on pairing wine with good food.
First he opened Soul Kitchen, then rebranded it to Copaa.
From fitness to food
In 2020, Soul Kitchen opened its doors in Plaza Damas, KL, serving Asian fusion cuisine. The restaurant’s ambience could be described as young and modern with its velvet furniture and neon lighting.
As it was opened at a time when the pandemic was still raging on, they had to do deliveries, and thus focused on innovating their food accordingly for ideal consumption at home.
It went on to become quite a success, with rave reviews from local food bloggers. But behind the scenes was a different story.
Transitioning from fitness to being a restaurateur was one of the hardest times of his life, he shared. He had no experience running an F&B business and after just five days of operations, his whole team left.
“I was forced to learn everything from scratch, including how to cook,” he said. “But I was lucky to have support from my business partner Karthik, and a very experienced chef (Chef Niezam) who taught me all the basics.”
Once he started getting the hang of things, Jon began focusing on mastering sauces and other more challenging cooking skills.
Moving into a new arena
After two years though, the ex-fitness trainer figured it was time to rebrand and relocate. A new beginning, as some might call it.
It took a few months to get everything in order, but the rebirth of Soul Kitchen came in July 2023. Now, nestled in Desa Sri Hartamas is Copaa, Jon’s newly improved restaurant.
Explaining his reason for the rebranding, Jon said, “I trusted the wrong person. Everything including the location and ambience were not right. So with the rebranding (AKA Copaa), I just wanted to have a new start to make it right.”
But with a tighter budget, Jon confessed that he couldn’t afford an interior designer and contractor. So he did what most Malaysian entrepreneurs have done before—DIY’ed it.
Most of the renovations were done by his teammate, KJ, who came from an interior designing background.
As for Copaa’s food, Jon credits his fitness career that allowed him to frequently travel the world. “I had the chance to try many cuisines, from street food to Michelin-starred restaurants, and all the great wines,” Jon explained.
“Since then, I have always been passionate about the pairing experience, so it made me want to venture into that.”
The menu and concept was crafted by Jon and Copaa’s Chef Bob, all of which look simple but pack a punch and Asian twist.
Along with the food comes the wine, which Jon carefully curates and pairs to elevate the taste of both consumptions.
To him, the key to doing F&B successfully is consuming enough of your food (and drinks) to understand your ingredients. So while he never attended culinary school, his recipes and pairings are based on his creative imagination, and what goes well with his curated wines.
You may be wondering, why did Jon specifically choose Asian fusion cuisine for his fine dining restaurant? After all, most people still associate fine dining with Western food.
“From traveling around Southeast Asia, I have developed a strong palate for Asian food, so I decided to do what I know best,” he replied.
Jon’s an avid believer of self improvement and expresses it in his career. He continues to learn different aspects of being a restauranter.
He explained, “My role is a hybrid one, from the kitchen to the floor. From previous experience, I told myself I don’t want to be highly dependent on chefs. Therefore, it’s good that I learn everything.”
Staying in good shape
The vision for Copaa is to build a community of people who appreciate good food and wine. It’s also somewhere Jon looks to create value for its customers, such as a social networking spot.
That said, the 36-year-old entrepreneur has his eye on a much wider target than restaurant-goers. But what he has in mind for expansion isn’t another outlet per se.
Instead, he hopes to sell some of Copaa’s in-house creations, like its sauces and pumpkin chips to the mass market.
For now, he reported that Copaa continues to prosper. The restaurant reportedly has a 10% to 15% growth rate, with business picking up ever since Chinese New Year this year. Jon even shared that they finally hit six figures in sales.
And if you’re wondering whether Jon is still in the fitness industry, the answer shouldn’t be surprising. He still runs workshops to train instructors. That is, when he’s not busy running Copaa.
So going after two passions is completely doable, as long as you know how to manage them.
Also Read: Navigate hybrid work’s pain points like productivity & security issues via this webinar
Featured Image Credit: Copaa
This M’sian runs ultramarathons, designs illustrations & now brews kombucha—meet Uncle Jeff
There’s a kombucha brand in Malaysia that goes by the name of Uncle Jeff Drinks. I don’t know about you, but the name “Uncle Jeff” evokes the image of some middle-aged gentleman who might not be caught up with the trends.
Yet, there’s nothing quite “uncle” about the brand’s founder Jeff Lau.
The name, not-so-Uncle Jeff explained to Vulcan Post, simply came from the fact that his godchildren and friends’ children started to call him Uncle Jeff.
“And I am not getting any younger in the future, so might as well call it ‘Uncle Jeff Drinks’,” he concluded.
Having graduated from communication design, this first-time entrepreneur also runs an illustration brand called Mr. Vegetabird where he draws and creates stationery.
Oh, and did we mention, he’s also an ultramarathon runner?
(I had to look up what an ultramarathon is. It quite literally is a marathon, but make it ultra hard and ultra longer than a normal marathon.)
The man has even completed 10 back-to-back Iron Man triathlons in 10 days back in 2019. Talk about commitment.
Nowadays, though, Jeff is bringing that commitment and focus to the entrepreneurial scene. Currently considering Uncle Jeff Drinks—or UJD for short—to be his full-time job, here’s what the ultramarathon athlete’s kombucha brand is all about.
Turning a hobby into a business
It started during the pandemic, like many other businesses established in the past couple of years.
While stuck at home, the athlete started to “play with food”. After watching YouTube videos and reading recipe books on it, he decided to start brewing beverages.
“To be honest, I hadn’t tried any kombucha before I started to brew kombucha, hence I have no idea and don’t know what to expect from tasting it,” he shared.
With that, he faced a lot of failures, even experiencing kombucha explosions that left glass shards everywhere.
“It burst out when I opened the kombucha,” he explained. “I over-fermented it, and it taste awful.”
It took the athlete one year of experimentations before he launched UJD.
Mixing up unique flavours
Handling the production process all by himself, Jeff caringly brews every bottle of kombucha from scratch. The whole process of brewing sweet tea to waiting for it to ferment into kombucha will take two to three weeks, depending on the flavour.
UJD’s fixed menu includes original, mix berries, lychee, pineapple, lemon and ginger, blueberry, and strawberry.
Every month, though, Jeff will come out with a limited new flavour that complements the timing. For example, during Chinese New Year, he brewed up some Mandarin orange kombucha and grapefruit kombucha.
Jeff has also come up with some more uniquely named beverages, such as Kopitiam (starfruit-flavoured) and Mamak (featuring notes of calamansi).
“I love food and drinks, so whenever I taste something nice and interesting, I will note down and try similar ingredients with kombucha,” Jeff said about his inspiration. “Sometimes, it tastes really awful but sometimes it’s incredibly tasty. I enjoy this ‘lab experience’.”
Sourcing his ingredients from hypermarkets and wet markets, UJD uses all natural ingredients, with no artificial flavouring, he claimed.
“At the moment, I’m still doing 100% of the labour, no machines involved,” he clarified. “Once the kombucha is ready to bottle, I will sanitise all the bottles and bottle them one by one.”
Taking his business offline
Starting out, Jeff had supplied his kombucha as a white label product to a cafe, as well as completed corporate orders.
From his own savings and the profit from those efforts, he was able to start his own stall at Eslite Spectrum, the department store in Starhill KL.
According to the entrepreneur, it was Eslite Spectrum that reached out to the UJD team to become a vendor at their location.
While the production side is a one-man show, Jeff works with a marketing staff as well as one full-time and two part-time employees to run the Uncle Jeff Drinks booth.
He shared that the startup capital for the stall (including the fridge as well as ingredients) was around RM40,000.
“We have been at Eslite for 100 days and have sold 2,000 bottles,” he said. Each bottle is priced at RM16.
Currently, UJD kombucha can only be found in Eslite Spectrum, but customers in the KL area can also reach out via Instagram to purchase the beverages.
Jeff doesn’t plan on having an online store for now due to lack of manpower.
Putting his design prowess to work
Flavours aside, something special about UJD’s products is the quirky designs on its packaging, designed by none other than Jeff himself.
“I love colour, and I like to give every flavour a different theme and design,” he shared. “Hopefully customer who bought it, they can enjoy the illustration while drinking the kombucha.”
The charming packaging paired with the flavours seem to help different UJD’s products from the many other local kombucha brands that have popped up over the years.
Some of the more well-known ones include WonderBrew, ChaCha Kombucha, Boocha, Brew by Root Wild Kombucha, and more.
“Honestly I don’t have a strategy to set UJD apart from other kombucha brands, I just do what I like (I know it is very capricious),” Jeff commented.
And what he likes is a sparkling, super fizzy kombucha that’s on the less sweet side. To ensure that the products’ flavour profiles align with customer preferences, UJD offers tasting sessions for customers before they decide to purchase a product.
The team also explains to customers how to properly store kombucha so it won’t explode, since Jeff himself has been there and done that.
Breaking out the bubbly
Eyes set beyond KL, Jeff hopes to bring UJD to pop-up markets in areas such as Penang and Johor. The team is also looking forward to working with different cafes and brands, and perhaps enter retail stores.
But before embarking on all those projects, the plan is to shed awareness on kombucha first. Apparently, six out of 10 people who visit UJD’s stall still have no idea what kombucha is.
Of course, Jeff would know that life’s a marathon, not a sprint. So, hopefully we’ll be able to witness UJD continue to grow sustainably down the road.
- Learn more about Uncle Jeff Drinks here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Also Read: Planning an event in KL? These 5 factors will ensure your venue can cover your bases.
Featured Image Credit: Uncle Jeff Drinks
From startup to success: How these S’pore entrepreneurs stay ahead with the right resources
“I was first triggered to read about climate change when I went snorkelling at Lady Elliot Island in Australia,” recalled Michelle Chow, founder of Pass It On, an environmentally conscious lifestyle brand based in Singapore.
“As I saw the contrast between healthy, thriving and bleached corals, it dawned on me that my then four-year-old niece might not be able to see the breathtaking reefs when she is of age to dive.”
The epiphany propelled Michelle to embark on a research journey – one that would make any scholar proud. She not only delved into the complex world of climate change and its profound impact on our planet, but she also went on to build a brand that specialises in making plantable candles to support reforestation and other sustainability efforts and spreading of awareness.
Michelle has gone from a curious onlooker to a passionate climate advocate, all thanks to her fateful underwater encounter at the Great Barrier Reef. However, that was never an overnight phenomenon and wouldn’t be possible without a mental odyssey into the world of books and resources.
Indeed, in an era where people’s first action tends to be “just Google it”, it’s refreshing to find a group of people who still value libraries in search of answers and boost their knowledge. We are talking about people like entrepreneurs – the go-getters who are always on the lookout for new information that can give them an edge in their businesses.
Reading is the most important thing that entrepreneurs can do
When asked if Michelle was particularly inspired by any books or articles, she said that it’s hard to pinpoint one. “It was the overall gravitas of the situation that got me hooked.”
Darius Cheung, founder of online property platform 99.co shared a similar sentiment. “I am a big fan of books – eBooks, to be precise. I read mostly on topics related to running a company and leadership. For leisure, I indulge in science fiction,” he candidly said.
Darius strongly believes reading is one of the most important things that entrepreneurs can do. Most of the time, it’s not just about the content, but the act of reading that is the game-changer.
“Reading is like taking your brain to the gym,” Darius described. “The mental workout stretches your brain muscles, improves your cognitive agility, resilience, and more importantly, broadens your perspective.”
Indeed, reading levels up the entrepreneurial game, but being an entrepreneur is tough. There are only so many hours in a day, and most of those are spent on securing deals and partnerships, meeting people, and figuring out where the business would go next. Reading hardly makes it to the top of the list of to-do things.
With that, Michelle believes in the cultivation of habits. Usually, her reading routine consists of going through the daily news articles in the morning, a few key topical reads around climate change and sustainability throughout the day, and a handful of self-improvement books as her nighttime reads.
For daily news, Michelle’s go-to sources are Channel NewsAsia, The Straits Times, and The Economist, which she subscribes to.
For climate news, she is actively on CNN Climate Instagram, Singapore Climate Rally Instagram, and Eco-business News on Telegram. She also opted for direct notifications from many sustainable-related websites like Good On You, BBC Earth, among others.
Michelle chooses to read based on her present interests around different environmental issues and follows channels (like the ones she mentioned above) that publish quality articles regularly.
For example, the National Library Board (NLB) LearnX Sustainability feature offers a range of age-appropriate videos, podcasts, and reading recommendations that give readers insights into the science and technology behind various sustainability efforts.
“I did bookmark a few articles on possible solutions to climate change – as a reminder to myself on how I started this entire journey with Pass It On,” Michelle said. “And most importantly, my initial desire to make a change.”
Michelle was referring to an article, written by prolific environment journalist Craig Welch in 2019, on the urgency for more aggressive decarbonisation strategies and potential of ground-level initiatives. This is something that’s closely aligned with what Michelle is doing now – trying to make a change in the world via small endeavours.
Likewise, Darius makes an effort to find time to read amidst his busy schedules. He gets most of his reading materials from his personal e-Reader, but also visits the libraries when he is unsure if he wants to invest on a new title.
Beyond libraries, NLB has actually rolled out an initiative that encourages reading and sharing among the community. Called BookNodes, it allows readers to easily pick up a used library book, or scan the QR codes on the bookcase doors to borrow an eBook at different locations such as Foreword Coffee outlets.
With its significant role in fostering a love of reading beyond just the library walls, Darius praised the NLB as a “national treasure” and he often encouraged his team to make good use of its resources.
“I am a big fan of NLB,” he confessed. “My team and I accessed its many resources from books, to periodicals to courses. We promote active use of NLB services especially since many entrepreneurs and professionals are unaware of what is available.”
The convenience and affordability of digital reading materials at NLB
Indeed, both Darius and Michelle value the convenience and affordability of digital reading materials.
In particular, NLB’s eResources cater to busy entrepreneurs and professionals who value reading on-the-go or listening to audio materials and podcasts using their handheld devices. It acts as a personal library in a pocket, which they can access anytime and anywhere.
Many of these books or publications can be found online as part of NLB’s collection of eResources. For example, The Straits Times and The Economist that Michelle subscribes to, are available for free via SPH eNewspapers and eMagazines under PressReader respectively.
In addition, NLB provides a wide range of academic, historical and professional resources. Some of them include BiblioAsia, Infopedia, NewspaperSG, and many other popular journals and archives.
Through the NLB eResources portal and business courses, getabstract book summaries, and business databases. All these can be accessed by simply having an NLB myLibrary account.
“As I grow older, I am drawn to books that are for self-development, or rather insights to life in general,” added Michelle. “Our world gets more crowded with noise, opinions, and thoughts as we go along, and so I find a lot of comfort when I have a good self-help book to turn to and where I can open my mind to new perspectives within my own terms.”
These days, Michelle is especially inspired by John Mackey’s Conscious Leadership and finds it extremely helpful in running Pass It On. For Darius, he said while 99.co is one of the top publishers of market research and trends, they do subscribe to raw market data and hopes that NLB can make more of them accessible in the future.
Reading is an investment in yourself
It’s not just Darius and Michelle who value the power of reading, though. In general, entrepreneurs are believed to be avid readers and some of the more successful people have credited reading as a factor in their success.
They understand that the world is constantly changing, and the only way to keep up is by constantly learning and evolving.
Moving forward, Michelle said that she would love to read more paperback books. But given her environmentally conscious and busy lifestyle, she prefers to read from her handheld devices.
This is why the NLB Mobile app becomes handy. It not only grants her access to NLB’s eResources, but also allows her to borrow physical books via a quick scan of the QR codes or barcodes on the book at the library.
Of course, as much as people like saying “they love to read”, not everyone is on board with reading. There are still some who believe they are too time-starved to read, and that it’s better to be out there in the field making things happen.
To those people, we say this: sure, you can be out there making things happen, but if you’re not constantly learning and growing, you’re going to get left behind. And in today’s fast-paced world, that’s not a risk you want to take.
As Michelle puts it, “Reading is not just a hobby, but it is an investment in yourself.”
This article was written in collaboration with National Library Board (NLB).
Featured Image Credit: Pass It On / Beamstart
Also Read: S’pore entrepreneurs reveal 4 fundamental rules to finding and choosing the “right” co-founder
At 19, this M’sian started a gelato brand that gives ugly, unwanted fruits a second life
When you’re buying loose fruits at the supermarket, chances are that you pick out the nicest-looking ones.
Not this business, though. Called The Unusual Greens (TUG), this homegrown gelato brand is all about using odd-looking fruits, hence its name.
Established by Hailey Yong when she was 19, the founding principle of TUG, according to its website, is that “food should feed people as long as it’s edible”.
“Through a simple delicacy like Italian ice cream, I hope to spark conversations about food waste and raise awareness about how we value food, first starting from Malaysia,” Hailey wrote on the site.
After a full year of running the business, Hailey seems to have done just that, her business and ethos having been featured by various publications, including the Malaysia Airlines Magazine.
However, let’s take a step back and look at how TUG started in the first place.
The start of something unusual
The idea for TUG started in November 2020, when Hailey participtated in the HULT Prize as a first-year university student.
Open to university-level students worldwide, the Hult Prize is an annual, year-long competition that challenges teams to solve pressing social issues such as food security, water access, energy, and education.
For Hailey and her teammates, the theme was “Food for Good”. The challenge was to rethink broken food systems by transforming food into a vehicle for change.
“This prompted me to investigate why food waste was not getting enough attention,” Hailey explained on LinkedIn. “My research found that in Malaysia, 24% of perfectly edible food was thrown away daily, including fruits rejected due to appearance.”
Hailey told Tatler Asia that she was strolling down the fruit section in a wet market when she saw this happen first-hand. An uncle was separating the fruits according to how they looked, she remembered. Fruits with imperfections would be set behind the stall.
Upon asking what he planned to do with the fruit, Hailey was told that they’d either be thrown away or turned into animal feed.
“That’s when I realised how massive the issue was,” she said.
Despite having no culinary experience, Hailey and her teammates stepped up and pitched their idea of transforming fruit that would otherwise be thrown out, into something more purposeful.
And Hailey didn’t just stop at the ideation stage. Rather, she followed through, taking a gap year to fully commit to the creation of TUG, which officially launched in November 2021.
“Our goal is to redefine the value of food by giving a second life to under-appreciated resources (i.e., unusual-looking fruits), into high-quality, healthy desserts using ethical and natural ingredients for authentic flavour and texture,” she explained.
From flawed fruits to unique flavours
While the idea sounds simple enough, it’s important to remember that Hailey didn’t have any culinary experience before starting TUG.
She told The Star that it took a lot of failed attempts before she finalised four recipes for her brand. The brand uses a mix of oat milk and coconut milk to keep its products dairy-free and vegan.
Today, though, TUG offers 10 unique flavours.
This includes flavours such as Kurma Cheesecake, Coffee in Pink, Avocado Houjicha, Bango Toffee, Strawberry Cheesecake, Avocado Pistachio, and more.
The team at Vulcan Post has actually been able to try some of these flavours, thanks to the TUG team’s generosity.
Some of the flavours such as the White Chrysanthemum had been a little hit or miss within our team, but the majority of the gelato had been delicious, especially the fruity ones such as Mango Sorbet.
A frequently asked question that TUG gets, it seems, is whether the imperfect fruits mean they’re rotten.
“Absolutely not,” the brand replied on its FAQ page. “Imperfect fruit does not mean they are rotten. Instead, they have an appearance that did not reach the cosmetic level of the public.”
Having tasted the gelato ourselves, we can attest that it’s true. If we hadn’t known better, we would never be able to tell that it was made with fruit that was deemed imperfect.
An icy competition
Despite its unique hook, TUG faces the struggle of being in a very saturated industry.
Locally made ice creams and gelatos are of no shortage in Malaysia, so how does TUG stack up to the competition?
In terms of pricing, TUG’s gelatos are around RM35 to RM38 for one pint. Its Coffee in Pink, made in collaboration with Macallum Connoisseurs is RM18, but that’s for a smaller 240ml tub.
This pricing is pretty standard—a little more expensive compared to other ice cream brands such as Calli and OohLaLa, but cheaper than Kind Kones.
Considering that TUG prioritises making gelato out of fruits that would not be up to market standards, though, perhaps a good partnership with orchards or fruit sellers would help in bring bringing down the costs and thus prices.
Green pastures ahead
Hailey’s efforts of giving back have started ever since she launched the brand. According to Tatler Asia, since November 2021, TUG has helped nearly 140 families from underserved communities by giving them fresh fruit to eat.
Moreover, the business also supported other small businesses by buying unbought fruits, which helped save more than 400kg of perfectly edible fruits.
According to the LinkedIn post by Hailey from February 2023, TUG is now looking for potential strategic partners and investments to help take the business to another level.
This may help Hailey in her efforts to create a more sustainable and circular business model for TUG’s operation, something she told Tatler Asia she was aiming to do.
What TUG is doing certainly seems replicable, and if the brand can continue to grow, aspiring F&B entrepreneurs who want to make social impact could follow in Hailey’s footsteps.
- Learn more about The Unusual Greens here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Also Read: Planning an event in KL? These 5 factors will ensure your venue can cover your bases.
Featured Image Credit: The Unusual Greens
Here are 4 lesser-known M’sian dronetech companies that are on the rise
Last September, the government announced that the Malaysia Drone Technology Action Plan 2022-2030 (MDTAP30) was developed as a national agenda to support the dronetech ecosystem.
“The drone industry has the potential to generate RM50.71 billion towards the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) apart from creating 100,000 new employment opportunities by 2030,” then-prime minister, Ismail Sabri said.
This shows that there is increasing demand for dronetech companies and their services.
We’ve already seen local dronetech companies make their mark in Malaysia and even globally, but there are more of them who are also on the rise, and their stories aren’t really known.
With that in mind, here are some lesser-known local dronetech companies and what they do.
1. OFO TECH
Founded in 2016, OFO TECH is a dronetech solution provider based in KL.
The company does data collection, processing, and analysis. They also have a platform to make the data accessible anywhere and anytime through a cloud-based asset management system.
OFO TECH operates in fields like construction, agriculture, telecommunication, oil and gas, and power lines.
Speaking for its success, the company has actually expanded to other branches across the globe too—Romania, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. There are also two branches in East Malaysia, specifically in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.
Besides that, they’ve also established their own R&D centre to develop technological solutions and software development. Some of their well-known clients include PETRONAS and Telekom Malaysia.
In 2018, OFO TECH was awarded the Malaysia UAV Services Entrepreneurial Company of the Year by Frost and Sullivan.
2. DroneCult
Established in 2015, DroneCult was formed by a team who grew up together and shared common interests in parkour and filmmaking, which was how the business was founded.
The team began documenting their parkour excursions on film. This continued for a few years before they launched Dronecult.
Today, the company specialises in filming and photographing events, locations, activities, as well as more technical areas. This includes mapping, inspecting, surveying, and construction progress reports.
The latest addition to their list of services is corporate videos and interviews.
The team’s videography skills can be considered on par with their prior experience and passion in filmmaking. This explains why clients have gone to them to document events and campaign videos.
DroneCult also boasts an interesting list of clientele, with names like Gamuda Land, UMW Holdings, Hong Leong Bank, and UBER.
Vulcan Post had the chance to interview them a few years ago, where we found out more details about the founders and how the company started.
3. Dragonfly Robotix
Started by a former UK engineer and a Malaysian retiree from the oil and gas industry, Dragonfly Robotix was founded in 2012. Unlike the others in this list, the company is based in Sabah.
According to a report by The Star, the company was the first to get approval from Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA).
As Dragonfly Robotix also builds and maintains their own UAVs, it helps the team to fully understand their drones’ capabilities.
Their services are mainly for filming and surveying purposes. The company operates in fields like traffic management and town planning, tourism, forestry and agriculture, and oil and gas.
Some of their more notable clients include SP Setia Berhad Group, Sepang International Circuit, Visit Sabah, and DCA Malaysia.
4. Avion Drone
A subsidiary of the publicly listed OCK Group Berhad, Avion Drone is a drone enabler company that offers drone powered solutions and consultancy.
According to its website, they serve as a “one-stop centre” for corporates, system integrators, government, and individuals.
Avion Drone’s main areas of specialisation are similar to OFO Tech—data collection, processing, and analysis. An additional field Avion Drone operates in is security management, like disaster reconnaissance and border control.
They’re also an authorised distributor of Walkera Technology’s drones in Southeast Asia.
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Of course, this list is not exhaustive, but these were the four with a stronger online presence and stories we could find. Hopefully, we’ll be able to see many more coming up as dronetech becomes more common in Malaysia.
- Read other articles we’ve written about drones here.
Also Read: Planning an event in KL? These 5 factors will ensure your venue can cover your bases.
Featured Image Credit: OFO TECH
This Johorian saw through the bedsheet industry’s bullsheet, launched a startup to fix it
If you’ve ever had to buy bedsheets, you’ll know that a quality, high thread count set from a reputable brand will cost you quite a hefty amount.
This is something that 28-year-old Lee Jia Wei knows well. After all, this is exactly why he created his own solution, Gaias.
Previously working in the curtain sales industry, Jia Wei decided to venture into entrepreneurship in 2019.
Based in Johor, Gaias started out by selling a plethora of fabric-based items, such as bean bags, luggage bags, and bed linens.
“However, we found that bed linens had better sales compared to other categories,” Jia Wei shared. “Hence, we decided to stop selling other products and focus on developing high-quality bed linens. We worked to refine our existing bed linens and make them more exquisite.”
The founder later shared this move arguably saved the company. Having invested around RM100,000 into the business initially, the team had lost nearly 90% of it before focusing all the remaining funds on bed sheets.
With this pivot, Jia Wei shared that they managed to make a comeback.
Having done his research, he noticed that the retail prices of bed linens are generally high and not very transparent. He has even seen lower-end products marked up, then unethically marketed as being 50% off just to attract customers.
“This is very misleading to consumers,” he said. “When you want to buy a slightly higher quality product, you don’t know where to start.”
With that in mind, he set off to create Gaias, a direct-to-consumer brand that prioritises affordability while maintaining a premium quality.
An exclusive product
The name Gaias comes from the Greek goddess Gaia, who is often referred to as Mother Earth. This name thus represents the brand’s respect and appreciation for the environment, Jia Wei explained.
In the beginning, Gaias only offered pre-orders, which worked out well.
“This model has relatively low costs, without brand premiums, inventory pressure, intermediaries, or rental costs,” Jia Wei explained. “The cost savings are passed on to our customers, and since we manufacture our own bed linens, the production costs are relatively lower.”
One thing that sets Gaias apart is that it works with exclusive tailors and manufacturers who handcraft the sheets for them. However, this business model sounds like it would be more expensive compared to working with an automated production line.
“We once considered a fully automated production line, but after visiting some of the big textile factories, we found that it is not suitable for our existing fabrics,” Jia Wei said.
He also shared that automated production lines are more suitable for relatively low-end textiles. Plus, the main cost of their bed linen is not in the production cost, but rather the fabric, which accounts for 90% of the cost.
“Pure handwork also satisfies the demand for custom-made orders,” Jia Wei said. “So, currently, we do not have plans to fully automate our production.”
Making their bed and lying in it
With other brands such as Kapas Living, Hooga, and Akemi easily accessible online, Gaias is in a rather saturated and thus competitive industry.
Yet, Jia Wei believes that Gaias is in an advantageous position.
“A good bed linen is not something you can determine just by feeling it,” he said. “It requires a real experience, sleeping on it for a month, and washing it a few times to prove that it is suitable for you. To address this issue, we offer a 100-day free trial, which is the only one of its kind in Malaysia.”
During the trial period, customers are not only allowed to sleep on the bed linen, but also wash it.
Other than that, Gaias offers customisable bed linen sizes for customers who might have an oddly sized bed.
The team also offers a free swatch service for online sales so customers can better see the colour and texture of Gaias’ products.
Compare and contrast
Gaias’ bestseller, the Signature Soft Cotton Sheet Set is priced at RM199 for single beds, without a quilt cover. At 300 thread count, this is on the lower end as far as premium bedsheets go.
Coming to its defense, Gaias’ website claims that when the team started designing their sheets, they realised that higher thread count doesn’t always mean higher quality.
“In fact, more threads can actually make sheets heavier and less breathable,” the website reads.
For a country like Malaysia, breathability does seem like a good thing.
Meanwhile, at Kapas Living, its Extra-Long Staple Cotton Fitted Bedsheet Set is RM189 without discounts, but its cotton bolstercase will run you an additional RM55. Kapas Living’s bedsheets boast a higher 400 thread count.
However, Hooga seems to offer a much more affordable option at RM139 for its super single bedsheet sets (20% wider than the usual single bed). With a high 880 thread count, it uses cotton sateen, a material that’s also made with cotton fibres but supposedly has a more satin-y sheen.
In any case, between these brands, Gaias appears to be the only one offering a 100-day free trial, so customers can feel free to try it out to see whether it measures up to their expectations.
Stepping into the offline world
An ecommerce business first, Gaias’ main sales channel is through online means.
However, it’s been trying to expand its offline presence, which proves to be challenging as the costs are relatively higher.
The team thus works with offline partners to sell their bedsheets. This year, they plan to increase the number of offline partners so more customers can experience the products in person.
“We have been very cautious and slow in each step we take,” Jia Wei expressed. “I need more experience to accelerate our progress.” And that’s not a bad strategy to take at all.
Also Read: Planning an event in KL? These 5 factors will ensure your venue can cover your bases.
Featured Image Credit: Gaias
NBA Finals 2023: Anticipated Match Ups and Predictions
As another long and grueling NBA season starts to reach its conclusion, the playoffs are now in sight. While mathematical possibilities remain, many teams have effectively booked their places for the final games of the 2022/23 campaign.
The NBA is the biggest basketball league in the world and the finals are where the excitement builds. The championship pennant is in sight, but who has the form and the strength within their roster to get over the line?
The Famous Five
A number of teams can make it through, but experts are focusing on five franchises as the regular season draws to a close. With around ten games left for each side in that regular campaign, the nba finals odds list the Milwaukee Bucks as the clear favorites.
The chasing pack is led by the second favorites the Boston Celtics, while the top five teams are completed by the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors.
There are some seriously talented rosters among those at the very top of the markets, but who has the best chance of coming through and claiming the championship?
Bucks Backed
Milwaukee Bucks will go into the finals series as favorites following a dominant regular season. Head Coach Mike Budenholzer and his men top the overall Eastern Conference with a record of 51 and 20 from their first 71 games.
That return is the best of any team in the entire NBA for 2022/23, so it’s no surprise that the Bucks are so highly rated.
The key player for Milwaukee across the season has been the giant Power Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. After a brief spell on the sidelines, he returned to help the Bucks deliver a return of 21-2. The team has the best defense in the division, but it’s Antetokounmpo’s contributions at the other end of the pitch that are turning the tide in Milwaukee’s favor.
Nuggets in Pursuit
The team with the best record in the Western Conference are the Denver Nuggets. They may only be third favorites for the NBA Championship but, in a weaker section, they are tipped to go all the way through to the final.
After the first 72 games of the regular season, Denver had a record of 48-24 and that puts them in the clear at the top of the Northwest Division.
The key man for the Nuggets moving forward is Nikola Jokic whose stats show a return of just under 25 points per game. They are coasting to the playoffs, but a run of four straight defeats into March is an obvious concern.
Suns set to Shine?
Phoenix Suns approach the final few games of the regular season with a 38-33 record. They are highly rated, but that return means that they sit down in fourth place in the overall Western Conference standings.
Having traded in Kevin Durant, the Suns have been boosted in the markets, but the departure of Mikal Bridges in the same trade has weakened the defense.
Celtics eye up a Record
For many years the Boston Celtics were the most successful team in the history of the NBA. The team won their 17th Championship in 2008 and that was a record that stood for 12 years until it was matched by the LA Lakers.
The Celtics battled back from a shock at the start of the season, when their former Head Coach Ime Udoka was suspended. Joe Mazzulla stepped in on an interim basis as first, but Boston’s impressive returns saw him land the job full time.
Celtics march into the postseason, but the East is a tough bracket. Injury to Robert Williams is another setback, and Boston face a battle to get through to the finals.
Can Golden State Defend?
After claiming their fifth NBA title in seven years, the Golden State Warriors started the 2022/23 campaign as the defending champions. Their 2022 success came on the back of Stephen Curry’s best ever season, and GSW have coasted to the playoffs once again.
The concern is that the Warriors are a one-man team and Curry’s recent knee injury did nothing to disprove that theory. Further injury issues robbed the roster of Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II, and the result is that Golden State’s defense is suspect. The team is also likely to concede home court advantage during the playoffs, and their record on the road is poor.
The Verdict
It may be fair to assume that the winners of the 2023 NBA Championship will come from the Eastern Conference. While the Nuggets are clear in the West, they are struggling for form and four straight defeats suggests that this section is vulnerable.
Over in the east, those teams are more consistent with the Bucks, the team to beat. Milwaukee are in pole position, and look set to convert this time.
