The single-origin chocolates from Lemuel Chocolate are worlds are apart from the typical chocolate bars we typically see at supermarkets.
For one, they consist of only two ingredients — roasted cocoa beans and raw organic cane sugar.
They are also sustainably sourced, and handcrafted in an in-house production facility.
Chocolatier and founder of Lemuel Chocolate, Ronald Ng, has been in the chocolate industry for close to 30 years.
He can even be likened to Willy Wonka, the owner of the chocolate factory in the famous movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
A Three-Decade Journey With Chocolate
Ronald Ng (right) / Image Credit: Lemuel Chocolate via Facebook
In an interview with Vulcan Post, the expert chocolatier shared that he had loved chocolate ever since he was a child. This fuelled him to work part-time at a chocolate factory during his secondary school days.
After college, Ronald found a job in a Malaysian chocolate factory across the causeway, where he spent 15 years working his way up the ranks to be a research and development (R&D) manager from a production scheduling assistant.
He even studied chocolate, and spent some time in Germany specialising in a ‘Chocolate & Sugar Confectionery Technology’ course.
Ronald later returned to Singapore armed with new knowledge on how to develop innovative chocolate products.
His other chocolate-related stints included a freelance chocolate consultant that helped chocolate-related companies in process-planning and product development.
Before founding Lemuel Chocolate, he had also started a chocolate trading business specialising in chocolate-related souvenirs.
A family tour to Japan in 2015 and meeting his old classmate, Hideki Sakanishi, changed his craft of chocolate and motivated the duo to start Lemuel Chocolate in 2016.
A Mini Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Factory
Image Credit: Burpple
Ronald and Hideki took inspiration from the Dandelion Chocolate factory-cafe in Tokyo, which had a mini factory located within its storefront.
The chocolate lover then went into research mode, going to cacao plantations in India, and experimenting with chocolate-making at home.
Amid positive feedback from friends and family, he set out to make Lemuel Chocolate a reality.
Hideki and myself were inspired by how craft chocolate makers whom we visited in Japan made different origins of cocoa beans into chocolate, all from scratch. One such company is the US-originating Dandelion Chocolate. We loved their concept, the cocoa aroma that filled the shop and the complexity of flavours stemming from their chocolates.
We decided quite quickly to start something similar or if not the same in Singapore, seeing as it was something niche and unique still.
Ronald Ng, Co-founder of Lemuel Chocolate
Like Dandelion Chocolate, Lemuel has a mini production facility within its retail store at Star Vista — the first of its kind in Singapore.
Together with his daughters Natasha and Nathalie, Ronald makes Lemuel’s chocolates from scratch in their production kitchen.
They begin with roasting various types of single origin cocoa beans spanning from Africa, and India to Latin America and Southeast Asia. The roasted beans are then cracked and winnowed, which is the process of separating the cocoa nibs from their shells.
The cocoa nibs, which are 100 per cent cocoa, will then be made into chocolate, with the only other ingredients being organic raw cane sugar.
The whole process takes over a month. Ronald shared that every chocolate bar is hand-wrapped with eco-friendly paper made from the leaves and pulp of the mango and banana trees.
The quality and effort that goes into making the chocolates shines through, as Lemuel has managed to attain eight international chocolate awards for their single-origin bars.
Furthermore, they have also received recognition from international businesses like Shake Shack, with their chocolate being used in the burger chain’s ice cream.
Lemuel Chocolate featured in Shake Shack’s Shack Attack / Image Credit: Lemuel Chocolate via Facebook
Ronald and his daughters are also constantly innovating.
He shared that during the Covid-19 lockdown period, Lemuel continued to find ways of reaching out to customers by using e-commerce and social media platforms to market their products.
Image Credit: Lemuel Chocolate via Facebook
It led to the creation of various delivery kits, that were well-received by customers, with the store generating almost S$40,000 of revenue from online sales.
Spreading The Appreciation For Craft Chocolate
Image Credit: Lemuel Chocolate via Facebook
The team has recently opened their second outlet at 27 West Coast Highway, which features a cafe concept.
The new store will also serve as a venue to carry out product research and development, and conduct workshops and classes.
Educating and sharing experiences with customers is a big part of Lemuel’s business mission, as Ronald believes that this will help create a greater awareness and appreciation for craft chocolates.
This is why Ronald frequently conducts workshops, classes and factory tours.
In an interview with LoveWholesome, Ronald shared that customers are usually more willing to dish out between S$12 and S$15 for a single-origin chocolate bar after witnessing the painstaking process behind its creation.
Furthermore, sustainability also plays a big role in the business. All the cocoa beans are sustainably sourced, which resonates with the ethos of fair trade and uplifting the income of farmers.
The Second Generation Of Chocolatiers
Lemuel wants to expand its reach to more Singaporeans, so the team is looking to open another retail store in the near future.
However, bringing the business abroad is Ronald’s ultimate dream, and he hopes to be able to open outlets in countries in Asia Pacific in the years to come.
Succession to the business is also on the table. Ronald’s daughters have the same passion and love for craft chocolate, and have worked closely with him to develop the business.
Nathalie, a Food Science graduate will head Research and Development while Natasha who is a Business graduate will head Marketing and Communications,
“With their similar ambitions and passion for the business, I foresee a great team that will surely realise our expansion dreams,” said Ronald.
“Building a franchise that upkeeps quality and passion is our ultimate goal.”
When the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live were first revealed, my immediate reaction was, “What? How are they going to fit and stay in your ears?”
I just couldn’t figure it out, until I had them in my own hands (and put them into my own ears).
Inside their compact squarish case, they sit like two detached kidneys, or for a more attractive picture, they look like very shiny jellybeans.
The last and only pair of Samsung wireless earbuds I’d reviewed was the Samsung Galaxy Buds+, and as hard as I tried to find something that I hated about them, I couldn’t.
During that review, I was surprised as Samsung had never seemed like a strong contender in the wireless earbuds scene to me.
After all, its first products were TVs and today, some of its most well-known products are its phones.
On the other hand, brands like Jabra and Sudio had their focus on audio equipment from the start, and we’ve reviewed Jabra’s Elite 75t here and multiple models of Sudio wireless earbuds here.
With my Samsung Galaxy Buds+ experience, it’d be unfair to say that I had low expectations for the Buds Live.
Looks: She’s An Extra-Curvy One
Samsung has a gift for making compact casings that are easy to open with one hand, with the Buds Live one being the easiest yet, I believe.
The shape also allowed for a better one-handed grip while doing so, as opposed to the Buds+ case’s pill shape.
It looks and feels good in the hand.
Now, taking out the actual earbuds was where it got a little tricky. Most earbuds have some sort of edged contour where you can get a firmer grip on them (for the Buds+, it was the winged tips).
On the Buds Live, however, it’s smooth all-around. No hard edges, just curves.
Still looks like a shiny kidney to me.
The casing over the charging points can be switched out for something rounder in shape (same thickness).
This should give you a gauge for how big (or small) they are.
From the other side too, because why not.
With their shiny, polished coatings, it’s easy to lose your grip on them too, so I was extra careful whenever I took them out.
They fit better than expected, especially since they were also larger than I expected (from just looking at pictures). Thankfully, once they’re in, they don’t stick out oddly.
But putting them in wasn’t as effortless as I would’ve liked.
I had to do quite some pushing until they were at a point where, 1) they fit securely in my ears, and 2) the audio sounded clear and not distant.
Once I had them in securely, I could jump around and jerk my head from side to side without them falling out.
Because they’re so shiny, it almost feels like they give the illusion of being smaller in the ears, and the Mystic Bronze colour helps too.
Instead of silicone tips encasing the speakers, they’re directly facing your ear canals.
Without the silicone tips, even after I shoved them as far in as they’d go, I still felt like the fit wasn’t as “sealed” as that of silicone tipped earbuds. But eventually, I just got used to it.
Audio: On Par, With Minor Improvements
You’d think the speaker design means that the sound quality would be loads better, but I honestly couldn’t find much difference between the Buds+ and Buds Live.
My audio problems with the Buds Live were similar to the ones I had for the Buds+, with the exception of an improvement to how the treble quality came across.
I mostly used these to listen to music, and from listening to a few different genres like pop and rock, they performed wonderfully for the former, and less so for the latter.
When it came to anything with more bass, I felt like the music just blended together into something more monotone, which was slightly disappointing.
Overall, for certain genres, it felt like I was listening to my music through a thick blanket, but it didn’t dampen my enjoyability too much.
I know this sounds bad, but it’s an improvement to me as I felt that way about the Buds+ in general (whatever genre of music), so at least the Buds Live is doing better.
There is a way to make things even better though, and it’s through the Samsung Galaxy Buds app.
I recommend downloading the app if you haven’t already, if only to get more control over how the Buds Live work.
In it, I could adjust the equalisation according to pre-set modes, and setting it to Bass Boost helped my aforementioned issue slightly.
Other Features: It’s A Hit Or Miss
Samsung states that these have active noise cancellation. I’ll state that I find that claim rather oversold.
You’ll still be able to hear most of what’s going on around you, and a little less if you’ve got music playing.
Turning the feature on and off also doesn’t make much of a difference except for cutting out low humming/droning background noises.
When it came to calls, I could hear the other person clearly, but I was told that I sounded soft and muffled, which is odd because Samsung mentioned having a “voice pickup unit” for better speech detection.
I’m still not a fan of touch controls (buttons are superior, fight me), but Samsung makes them more bearable both in the Buds+ and Buds Live.
They carry over the useful beeps that let you know when you’ve tapped them once (to pause or play) or when you tap and hold (to increase or decrease volume on either earbud).
To change what your gestures control, you’ll have to open up the app.
Verdict
Were my expectations met?
Yes, and more than that, Buds Live exceeded them. Once again, Samsung has managed to surprise me with its wireless earbuds.
Pretty cute. And no, I didn’t go swimming, this was just for the aesthetic.
The Buds Live always connected quickly to my phone, though it’s worth noting that they can only connect to one device at a time.
Thanks to their shape, they’re quite a fun pair of earbuds to wear and didn’t fail to pique the intrigue of everyone I showed them to.
There are still minor improvements to make, but I’d still consider them quite the catch at a price of RM699 for the quality offered.
As they’re only RM100 more than the Buds+ (RM599), they might not be worth upgrading to if you’re already using the latter.
However, if you’re simply looking to try some Samsung wireless earbuds, both are great choices at their price points. It’ll just be down to which one you’re more interested to try.
Pros
Cons
Shape of earbuds is unique, eye-catching and fun
One-size-fits-all design might not fit very small ears well
Clearer audio quality in terms of treble
Bass-heavy music still sounds muffled
Despite the shape, they fit securely enough for active movement
The “sealing” sensation of silicone tipped wireless earbuds is missing, so active noise cancellation isn’t as effective
You can learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live here.
VP Verdict is a series where we personally try and test out products, services, fads, and apps. Want to suggest something else for us to try? Leave a comment here or send the suggestion into our Facebook page.
However, being a delivery rider is not free — there are many expenses that this group of people need to spend on.
But as the number of riders grows, many businesses are also springing up to support their careers. Here’s a look at what some of these businesses are.
A Growing Demand Of Bicycles
Riders mainly divide themselves into two camps: those who cycle, and those who ride motorbikes. People who deliver on foot are only a small group.
Joel Chong for one, is a part-time delivery rider who has been working for the ‘big three’ — Deliveroo, Grab and foodpanda — since 2018.
In the past two years, he has already gone through two bikes.
The first is a premium bicycle sold by local brand Ascent Bikes. The second is an electric bicycle (e-bike) sold by another local brand, Punggol Lew. Both bikes cost at least S$1,000 — half his monthly earnings.
Image Credit: SGSME
Bikes above S$1,000 are popular among riders who are willing to pay for comfort, safety, and a better experience. However, cheaper bikes are equally popular among riders, Joel observes.
The Decathlon brand, in particular, is well-loved for its range of “decently-priced” bikes, coming in at around S$200 to S$400 for a set of wheels.
Regardless of which bikes they go for, most riders have to take their bikes for recurrent servicing, which can cost up to S$100.
Those who use higher-end bikes need to change their gear every couple thousand kilometres.
On the other hand, cheaper bikes need more frequent maintenance servicing, which can amount to higher costs of about S$300 a year.
Moving From E-Scooters To E-Bikes
After e-scooters were banned from footpaths and roads, most riders turned to e-bikes as their new vehicle of choice, Joel observes.
Based on a quick online search, the typical price of an e-bike ranges between S$390 and $1,400. Joel’s JI Move e-bike, in particular, costs around S$1,200.
E-bike riders also need to buy spare batteries, says Joel, who uses two batteries per shift.
One battery costs up to S$300. While larger ones store more energy, they cost a hefty S$800 — and they’re also rarely used due to their heavier weight.
“(Because of the weight and price), there’s a dark market for battery repacks,” Joel divulges.
Some riders solicit underground manufacturers for repacks so that the batteries can hold a higher charge, he says, adding that e-bike batteries also require the approval of the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Bike and e-bike spending for a single rider costs, at minimum, about S$1,400 on average per initial purchase. This roughly estimates to about S$14 million generated for bikes per 10,000 riders alone.
Investing In Small Motorcycles
The motorcycle industry is also benefitting from the growth in delivery riders.
The number of motorcycles in Singapore has been decreasing since 2011, but numbers rose from 137,000 to 140,000 between 2018 and 2019, according to a Statista report.
Vicknash Muthaiah (Vicky), a full-time foodpanda and Grab delivery rider, recounts that delivery riders saw a swell in numbers during that period.
Vicky, who has been delivering for the past two to three years, has spent S$1,800 on a small secondhand motorcycle for his delivery job.
The delivery rider already owns a personal motorbike, but it was too big and “clunky” for delivery. Reasoning his second purchase, he says that small, cheap bikes can be abused, and also use less petrol.
It’s common for delivery riders to trade their existing motorbikes for a cheaper, smaller bike, he adds. Smaller bikes are faster and maintenance costs are also lower despite the higher frequency of repairs.
Typically, a cheap Class 2B used motorbike costs anywhere between S$3,000 and S$10,000, according to SG Bike Mart.
Sharing a breakdown of typical bike expenses, Vicky says that miscellaneous costs can amount up to S$300 a month and a rider typically spends S$40 on servicing every two weeks.
Helmets, which cost around S$50, are also a compulsory purchase for motorcyclists under LTA regulations.
In total, a new rider who decides to buy a secondhand motorcycle would need to invest an average of S$6,000 per year on motorcycle and maintenance.
Using offhand calculations, that means an influx of 10,000 new riders would result in net purchases amounting to about S$60 million.
Donning The Delivery Uniform
Riders like Joel and Vicky also make other small purchases on top of their main investments into vehicles.
Both estimate the price paid for apparel to amount to a one-off of around S$200 per rider.
Compulsory purchase for delivery riders include the welcome pack from food delivery firms, which consists of the rider’s clothes, food delivery bag, and an optional raincoat.
The average cost of a welcome pack across the ‘big three’ is around S$100.
Image Credit: Rappler
On top of the basics, delivery riders also purchase arm socks, activewear and covered footwear from brands like Decathlon.
Combined, that’s about S$2 million spent on apparel per 10,000 riders.
Insuring Against The Worst-Case Scenario
Delivery riders don’t have to provide a portion of their earnings to the Central Provident Fund (CPF), but their propensity for traffic accidents means that insurance purchases are crucial in case of a worst-case scenario.
“Riders normally get into an accident at least once,” Vicky admits.
Delivery riders rushing for time limits tend to make reckless decisions, particularly for younger riders, he explains.
A trip to the A&E already costs around S$90, says Vicky. Those with serious injuries, like fractures, are unable to work and would need to claim insurance to cover their health and living expenses.
To date, Grab, foodpanda and Deliveroo have declared that third-party insurance has been purchased for their riders. Deliveroo stated that its riders have been covered for up to S$1.5 million since 2019.
Image Credit: Stomp / Facebook
Taking out commercial insurance isn’t always compulsory but for platforms like Grab and Deliveroo, riders need to take out their own commercial insurance plans to cover accidents that occur during deliveries.
For a typical 18-year-old motorcyclist with zero experience, the cheapest insurance plan costs around S$700, with comprehensive plans going up to S$1,100, according to Seedly.
That means that insurance spending can reach over S$10 million per 10,000 delivery riders.
Total Expenditure Of S$86 Million
One of the few bright spots in the 2020 economy, the food delivery industry is generating businesses of its own — in the bicycle, motorcycle, apparel and even insurance industries.
Breakdown on expenses of a food delivery rider / Image Credit: Vulcan Post
Based on back-of-envelope calculations, delivery riders may have already returned an estimated S$86 million back to the economy.
Although the delivery rider has its own hidden costs, they earn it all back, says Joel.
He adds that delivery riders earn a decent wage. He reportedly earns about S$2,400 per month, based on a four-day 12-hour shift.
Reports have also stated that top-performing riders can earn up to S$7,000 per month — though netizens have responded to this statistic with scepticism.
On top of their major upfront investments, delivery riders’ day-to-day purchases, like the hawker shops they frequent, are also benefitting from their patronage.
Currently, there’s little to no research on the delivery rider micro-economy. It’s also difficult to assess the extent of spending that delivery riders make based off on-the-ground interviews.
However, according to our preliminary investigations, it looks like Singapore has found ways to generate a healthy business ecosystem of its own.
Food waste is one of the biggest waste streams in Singapore and the amount of food waste generated has grown by around 20 per cent over the last decade, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).
In 2019, Singapore generated around 744 million kg of food waste — that’s equivalent to two bowls of rice per person a day, or around 51,000 double decker buses.
Food wastage is a real problem — it does not only cause environmental problems, but also affects our food security and puts pressure on our resources.
When Preston Wong, 31, saw his family members clearing out excess expiring food items from the refrigerator one day, he wondered if a platform could be built to facilitate a redistribution of surplus food.
He pitched the idea to his National University of Singapore (NUS) schoolmate, Kenneth Ham, 30.
The duo didn’t even share the same classes — Preston majored in law and accountancy, while Kenneth majored in computer science — but they knew each other from church.
In their final year at NUS, they decided to take the leap to develop an app to tackle food wastage in Singapore by reducing the amount of buffet food that’s thrown away at the end of the day.
“Treat Food As Treasure”
Called treatsure, Preston described it as “Singapore’s first food-saving app” with a mission to get consumers to “treat food as treasure”.
It helps businesses to tackle food wastage using tech solutions, and offers consumers a new channel to discover unique food at great value while doing good to reduce waste, he added.
treatsure app / Image Credit: treatsure
Although treatsure was established in 2016, the app only launched in the market in 2017.
As with most startups, we had resource constraints for capital and labour to develop the product, but we managed to pull together help from different sources to build our first version app.
– Preston Wong, co-founder of treatsure
They started up with S$50,000 in initial capital, and subsequently raised an undisclosed funding.
Sustainability was a rather “novel concept” back then, and it was hard to get businesses and consumers to understand and adopt their solution.
They pitched to early adopter partners like Grand Hyatt Singapore and AccorHotels, which were aligned to sustainability and supportive of their pilot testing.
When they received some traction, they went on to convince other hotels and restaurants to get onboard the platform.
Today, they have over 20 hotel partners, including Fairmont Singapore, Swissotel the Stamford Singapore, Marriott Singapore Tang Plaza, Novotel Singapore, Mercure Hotels, Hotel Jen, Carlton City and Furama.
Buffet In A Box
With their takeaway buffet-in-a-box, users can pack food from participating hotel or restaurant buffets in the last 30 to 60 minutes of the buffet timeslot, from S$10 per box.
Treatsure’s takeaway buffet-in-a-box / Image Credit: Grand Hyatt Singapore
How it works is that users turn up at the restaurant, scan a hotel QR code with the app, and make payment at the counter before they will be given their treatsure box as an admission ticket of sorts to proceed with their packing.
Users can buy more than one box, though some outlets set a limit of four boxes.
Preston also stressed that the app does not sell leftovers.
“The excess food a user would pack and take away is the same food as what a dine-in customer who take from the same buffet line before the buffet closes,” he explained.
Preston Wong (extreme right) with treatsure users / Image Credit: treatsure
Since the circuit breaker in April however, self-serve buffets have been suspended by the government until further notice and most hotels are cautiously reopening with a la carte buffet models.
“We are still closely monitoring the developments in this space and the model may evolve accordingly. Even with an a la carte model, there might still be wastage from preparation or ingredients but that is likely to be much less than a buffet-line service,” said Preston.
“In the meantime, we have collaborated with our hotel partner Grand Hyatt to supply excess takeaway meal boxes and cheeseburgers for sale instead.“
Buy Surplus, Blemished Or Expiring Food Items
Preston Wong (left) doing grocery delivery / Image Credit: treatsure
From reducing wastage of buffet food, treatsure has since expanded its services to also offer surplus grocery delivery.
Grocery wastage is part of the bigger food wastage problem affecting distributors and suppliers up the food supply chain.
We started tackling this upstream problem in 2019 with a few grocery partners. They shared with us the problems of excess food inventory with a limited shelf life or packaging defects, and limited channels to clear them.
– Preston Wong, co-founder of treatsure
Some of their early grocery partners include UglyFood, Atasco, Amoy Canning, Olive Groves and more recently, food importer and distributor Ban Choon.
However, Preston shared that they faced a key challenge working with retailers in the first version of the app, especially in terms of convincing the bigger local F&B and supermarket chains to come onboard.
“They had their perspectives and practices towards surplus food management and was not ready to accept a solution like ours.”
“It was at that time we discovered a greater magnitude of surplus food in the hospitality industry and our platform focused on that problem instead with a winning model endorsed by prominent hotels,” he added.
treatsure’s surplus groceries / Image Credit: @cocothekoala via Instagram
Now that they’ve gotten various suppliers and distributors onboard, treatsure delivers surplus, blemished or expiring items — such as fruits, vegetables, eggs, snacks and drinks — to your doorstep.
Besides the delivery option, users can also opt for self-pickup. This option was temporarily suspended, but they have since partially resumed pickup services at the Central Business District and NUS.
Unlike their buffet-in-a-box, COVID-19 has propelled demand for their surplus grocery service as more choose to stay home and order groceries online.
According to Preston, the circuit breaker months provided a particularly strong boost to their business.
“At one point, we saw our sales orders grow three to four times the pre-circuit breaker volume,” he added.
Working Towards A Zero-Waste Lifestyle
Kenneth Ham (left) and Preston Wong (right), treatsure co-founders / Image Credit: treatsure
To date, treatsure has seen over 20,000 users in their food-saving community, and over 300 per cent increase in their user base year-on-year.
While growth is good, they faced a challenge in terms of technology as their user base continually increases and when they first introduced a new grocery segment in the app.
We had limited resources to execute changes and enhancements needed for pain points that we heard of from users. We reached out to our users and offered them the best customer service engagement we could provide, while explaining to them we were trying our best to find resources to improve.
Thankfully, the National Environment Agency supported us with a five-digit Towards Zero Waste grant to revamp our app and many users never gave up on us. Today, what you see is a brand new, more user-friendly app.
– Preston Wong, co-founder of treatsure
Moving forward, the team is looking to enhance their app further and build on newer technologies and innovations for food sustainability.
Currently, they are working on onboarding more grocery and suppliers so they can offer a wider range of surplus food products, as well as lifestyle partners with sustainability products that could have been repurposed from surplus food and other excess.
Some of these partners include The Sustainability Project, Bamboo Straw Girl and UnPackt.
Wrapping up the interview, Preston said that he views businesses as a force of good.
“Businesses must create purpose and impact on our society and the world.”
“We must remember why we started what we started, but we also need to be nimble to explore new, creative ways of achieving our why.”
Featured Image Credit: treatsure via Facebook / treatsure via Medium
It announced today that the upcoming store will be officially opened this Thursday (10 September).
The upcoming store will be housed in a dome-like structure that floats on the waters of Marina Bay — and will the be first Apple store in the world that sits on water.
Apple fans who are ready to camp to enter the store on opening day have to take note that they can’t just show up without an official entry pass.
They would have to book an appointment here first. Capacity will be limited, so visitors may experience wait times before entering the store.
Even if you can’t make it inside on opening day, you can still sneak a peek from the outside since the exterior is see-through.
For now, you can simply enjoy the Apple store at MBS in photos:
Image Credit: Apple
Entirely surrounded by water, Apple MBS offers uninterrupted 360-degree panoramic views of the city and its spectacular skyline through its all-glass dome structure.
Image Credit: Apple
Inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, an oculus located at the apex of the dome provides a flooding ray of light that travels through the space.
Image Credit: Apple
In the store, visitors can explore curated Apple products and accessories, receive personal technical support from Geniuses, or simply take in the stunning view of Marina Bay.
Image Credit: Apple
The Forum is centred around a Video Wall, which will serve as the stage for Today at Apple sessions featuring Singapore’s artists, musicians, and creators.
Entrepreneurs and developers interested in receiving training and advice can meet with Apple team members in Apple’s first underwater Boardroom, located on the lower level of the store.
Image Credit: Apple
If you can’t secure a slot, fret not. The new Apple store will allow walk-ins from Friday (11 September).
Since the store is highly-anticipated, do expect long queues. Remember, we’re still in the midst of a pandemic — so be sure to avoid crowds and practice social distancing!
The store isn’t going anywhere anyway, so you have plenty of time to drop by in the future.
Author’s Blurb: Internships can come with a bad rep sometimes. On one hand, you’re getting paid in experience, but on the other, you might be overworked and not compensated enough, if at all. When I was applying to internships for my final semester in uni, my priorities were that it was a company that created meaningful content and offered decent pay.
As getting a full-time job right off the bat may not be an easy achievement for many who are unemployed in this current situation, internships are the next best thing.
There’s always something to be learnt, and they typically only last 3 months or less anyway, if your plan is still a full-time job sooner or later.
We took a look at what companies in Malaysia are currently looking for interns and offering pay of RM500 up to RM1,000.
During our search, we managed to find 23 under several different industries with recent job postings, but do note that the list is also non-exhaustive.
The job postings were made between August to September 2020, and we chose that timeframe so that there’s a higher possibility of the roles still being vacant.
All information listed below is accurate according to their respective job advertisements at the time of writing.
Consultancy
The related fields of studies required under these companies (with the exceptions of LPA Wealth Advisory and Human Inc) include Business Studies, Business Administration, Business Management, Commerce, Economics, Finance, Accountancy, Banking, Marketing or equivalent.
1. LPA Wealth Advisory Sdn Bhd
Image Credit: LPA Wealth Advisory
LPA Wealth Advisory is a financial and consultancy service under Great Eastern, established in 2004.
Though no prior studies in any fields are required of university students or recent graduates applying for this job, candidates must possess good business acumen and communication skills, be meticulous and able to work in a fast-paced environment.
Thinq Wealth provides financial consultancy services to advise clients on financial needs regarding matters of property loan, refinance, business loan, wealth accumulation, wealth protection, and wealth distribution.
No work experience is required, but candidates must possess at least a Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree, or Postgraduate qualifications in the aforementioned fields.
Life & Beyond provides consultation and advice to private and corporate clients in the areas of life planning, risk management, as well as estate planning and distributions.
Candidates should be undergraduate Malaysian students from either Risk Management or any of the related disciplines mentioned earlier.
No work experience is required but candidates must be able to converse in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Mandarin.
The role they’re looking to fill is:
Internship for Business Studies / Administration / Finance / Marketing Students
Human Inc provides consulting and curated learning experiences for companies going in need of strategic change and workplace culture transformations.
No specific field of study is required, but fresh grads must be able to commit 6 months to the role and be fluent in written and spoken English, and ideally, another language whether local or international.
The related fields of studies required under these companies (except Direct Lending Sdn Bhd) include Finance, Accounting, Business Studies, or equivalent.
5. Direct Lending Sdn Bhd
Image Credit: Direct Lending
Direct Lending is a fintech company acting as a personal lending platform, enabling borrowers to find, apply and receive the financing that best suits them in a safe and affordable manner.
No specific field of study is stated, but candidates must enjoy solving problems and be comfortable with multitasking and work well under pressure.
A master franchiser of FamilyMart and a subsidiary of QL Resources Berhad, QL Maxincome is an established company listed on the main market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad.
No prior work experience is required but candidates must have a Diploma or Degree in Business Administration or Management, or any of the fields mentioned above.
Wezmart International Bhd provides services in financial compliance and advisory to SMEs that include up-and-coming startups and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Fresh graduates must be computer literate and pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, ACCA, CIMA, ICSA, or a Business Diploma.
Launched in Indonesia, Stockbit is a fintech startup that owns an integrated social networking platform for stock traders and investors, complete with professional analytical tools and real-time charting and information.
Expats and fresh grads pursuing or holding a Bachelor’s Degree in finance or marketing or any major mentioned above can apply.
Those with experience or interest in the Malaysian stock market would have an added advantage.
Incorporated in September 2001, Supreme Integrated Services Sdn Bhd provides comprehensive financial and estate planning services with will and trust as the foundation.
For this customer service and document filing role, interested applicants must be currently pursuing a Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Business Studies, Business Administration, or Business Management, Marketing, Finance/Banking or equivalent.
10. Sales Connection (Good Works Technology Sdn Bhd)
A startup division under Good Works Technology Sdn Bhd, Sales Connection is a business intelligence system and consulting service that helps companies to simplify operations, organise data and provide intelligence for business decision-making.
For this customer and business sales management internship, candidates must be able to speak English and Bahasa Malaysia, and possess at least a Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree or Post Graduate Diploma, or Professional Degree in any field.
Having Social Media Marketing skills will be an advantage.
This telesales role requires interns to possess at least a Professional Certificate, Diploma, Post Graduate Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree, or Professional Degree in any field.
Candidates must also be fluent in both written and spoken English, as well as have good interpersonal and negotiation skills.
Though they’re open to fresh grads, candidates with experience in Telesales or Telemarketing are encouraged to apply.
Hailing from the US, Haskell has 50 years of experience delivering engineering, design and building solutions.
As a marketing intern, candidates must possess at least a Bachelor’s Degree or Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Studies, Administration, Management or equivalent.
Having skills and experience in digital content writing, data analysis, design skills in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign are an added advantage. Proficiency in English, Bahasa Malaysia, or other languages is a bonus.
Supplycart was founded in 2016 as a B2B Software-as-a-Service startup for companies to digitalise their business spending processes.
No former work or study field is specified for this marketing job, but applicants must be able to participate in an open, creative, innovative company culture, as well as strive towards results and focus on getting things done.
Unicom Interactive Digital is an interactive digital company that specialises in interactive technology, game development, and customisable interactive media.
Applicants must have current enrollment in an undergraduate course for Marketing, Communications, or a similar field, and be familiar with marketing computer software and social media platforms.
Biofresh specialises in hygiene services. The company manages hygiene risks at all sorts of properties to create healthier and fresher environments for employees, guests and customers.
Applicants for this sales and marketing role must be pursuing at least a Diploma or Bachelor Degree in Sales and Marketing or in related fields.
Forwrd is an advertising agency creating content and marketing strategies to boost e-commerce sales.
Candidates for their marketing role must be proficient with written and spoken English. Background in Advertising, Business or Marketing is a plus. Knowledge with Excel and Google Sheets is an added advantage.
Pocca Dot Media is a digital marketing agency that plans and executes strategies for client objectives, brand assets and marketing directions.
No prior experience or study fields are specified for this role, but applicants should be proficient in creating engaging content on all social and digital platforms, as well as have excellent verbal and writing skills in English.
Blaupunkt Car Entertainment offers a variety of products from car entertainment to car accessories, to provide innovative, affordable, reliable products for automotive info-tainment systems.
Candidates must be proficient in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom or equivalent, as well as have basic photography skills in composition and lighting for this graphic design job.
The related fields of studies required under these companies include Human Resources, Business Studies, Business Administration, and Business Management or equivalent.
19. Anthola Insurance Agencies Sdn Bhd
Anthola Insurance Agencies provide advisory services to business owners and individuals on managing business and personal risks ranging from marine, property and casualty, liability, personal lines and many more.
Candidates must have a Degree or Diploma that is applicable to Talent Management and the mentioned disciplines.
Having an understanding of the insurance industry or a background in entrepreneurship, counselling, psychology, or operations is an added advantage.
DKSH CSSC provides market expansion services handling on-the-ground logistics for companies who want to grow their business in Malaysia.
Candidates must possess or be pursuing at least a Bachelor’s or Professional Degree in the disciplines stated above and be able to start their internships in October or November 2020.
Startek is a leading global provider of technology-enabled business process outsourcing solutions.
Applicants must possess or is currently pursuing a Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in the fields mentioned above, and be able to speak in Mandarin (preferred), Bahasa Melayu, and English.
The related fields of studies required under these companies include Information Technology or equivalent.
22. vimigo
Image Credit: vimigo
vimigo provides SMEs a solution to automate and manage their businesses on their cloud-base software.
Candidates must possess at least a Bachelor’s Degree, Post Graduate Diploma, or Professional Degree in the discipline mentioned above, or in Computer Science, Science & Technology, or equivalent.
Bottom line: Looking for internships can be exhausting, especially when you just aren’t sure what’s next after your studies. Hopefully, this list will come in handy if you’re looking to fulfil your diploma or degree’s merits, or even if you may want to jump out of your current job and try something completely different.
You can read more job searching related articles here.
This year has proven to be an extremely tough one for job seekers, especially graduates fresh out of polytechnics or universities.
However, not all hopes are lost as there are many SGUnitedTraineeships specifically targeted towards fresh graduates, internships and some entry-level roles available offered by companies like tech giants and government agencies.
While the economy recovers, fresh graduates can take this chance to gain work experience and grow their skillsets.
That said, we’ve compiled a list of 12 companies in Singaporethat are hiringfresh graduates right now:
1. Shopee
Image Credit: Shopee
Shopee is a Singaporean e-commerce platform headquartered under Sea Group (previously known as Garena). It is also one of the fastest growing online platforms in Southeast Asia.
Bytedance is the parent company of widely popular Chinese social media app TikTok.
Besides TikTok, their portfolio of applications and content platforms, which includes Helo, Vigo Video, Douyin, and Huoshan, are available in over 150 markets and 75 languages.
They are currently calling for applications for their 2021 Summer Internship and Fresh Graduate programmes. The application period closes on 30 November, and interviews will start in early October.
If you are not looking for internships, they also have jobs for fresh graduates across a range of disciplines.
Some open positions at Bytedance:
Site Reliability Engineer Intern (Video Infrastructure)
Software Engineer Intern (eHR)
Content Strategist Intern (English)
Research Engineer (NLP)
Machine Learning Engineer (Recommendation)
User Operation Specialist (Content Product & Operation)
3. Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA)
Image Credit: Govinsider
Defence Science and Technology Agency is a statutory board under the Ministry of Defence (Mindef).
DSTA is responsible for performing acquisitions management, systems management, systems development for the Mindef and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
They are offering traineeships across different disciplines, from corporate communications to software engineering. These are full-time positions and would give you the opportunity to learn the ropes in a stat board.
If you are not looking for traineeships, they also have roles for fresh graduates across engineering, enterprise IT and cybersecurity.
Some open positions at DSTA:
Corporate Communications Trainee
Business Analyst Trainee
Business Partnerships Trainee
Analyst
Engineer, Building and Infrastructure
Software Developer, Enterprise IT
4. Singapore Tourism Board (STB)
Image Credit: PCMA
Singapore’s lead development agency for tourism is calling for applications to its Management Associate Programme for fresh graduates.
According to STB, every new graduate will be groomed under the 12-month programme to gain exposure and hone skills through hands-on assignments.
Candidates will have the opportunity to build knowledge in various areas of the tourism sector via two attachments in any of the Divisions in STB and a stint in the Singapore Visitors Centre to interact first-hand with visitors to Singapore.
Upon successful completion of the programme, they will be deployed in one of the divisions in STB to develop in-depth knowledge and expertise in a specific area.
There may also be chances of getting posted to any of their 20 regional offices around the globe, if international travel opens up by then.
Open positions at STB:
Management Associates
5. KPMG
Image Credit: Consultancyasia
KPMG in Singapore is part of a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services.
In the ASEAN region, KPMG member firms operate across all 10 countries.
They are looking for six-month trainees across different departments such as Finance Operations & Technology, Corporate Tax & Compliance, Personal Tax and Data & Analytics.
A variety of roles for fresh graduates and graduates with two years of experience are available. Here are some of the divisions you may be allocated to:
Enterprise Development
Global Markets
Programme & Policy Development
Business Ecosystem-building
Standards & Quality Assurance
Associates will have the opportunity to work in ESG, in Singapore enterprises, in Trade Associations & Chambers, or in other partner organisations.
Some open positions atESG:
Associates, Demand Planning Unit (2-year contract)
Associate, Digital Business Analyst (2-year contract)
7. Schaeffler (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
Image Credit: Schaeffler (Singapore)
Schaeffler is a global technology company that connects engineering and development hubs worldwide, with around 86,600 employees.
They are hiring interns and trainees for up to 12 months across software engineering, product design, demand management, machine learning, design thinking and so on.
Some open positions atSchaeffler:
Regional Controlling and Project Trainee (6 months)
HR Trainee (Up to 6 months)
Front End Developer Trainee (Up to 6 months)
Design Thinking Trainee (Up to 12 months)
Machine Learning Trainee (12 months)
Industrial Product Design Trainee (Up to 12 months)
8. Singtel
Image Credit: Nikkei Asian Review
Singapore’s leading telecommunications provider Singtel is currently hiring for entry-level roles as well as interns.
The available positions range across various departments including finance, customer lifecycle management, sales development, marketing technology and data management, and so on.
Some open positions at Singtel:
Finance Associate (Finance Operations) Trainee
Digital Executive (12 months)
mRemit Sales Development Executive (12 months)
CLM Associate (12 months)
Business Continuity & Risk Governance Specialist (12 months)
It administers the various statutes pertaining to money, banking, insurance, securities and the financial sector in general, as well as currency issuance.
They are hiring trainees across multiple disciplines ranging from policy to international relations to social media marketing.
Some open positions at MAS:
System / Business Analyst Trainee
IT Project Trainee
ODC-Project Management Trainee
PD-Payments Licensing & Sup Trainee
DEVOPs Developer Trainee
Change Management Comms Trainee
10. Lucence Diagnostics
Image Credit: Lucence Diagnostics
Lucence is a fast-growing precision oncology developing non-invasive blood tests for cancer detection and treatment selection.
They are looking to hire over 30 people to grow its business in coronavirus mass testing technology based on saliva tests.
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national confederation of trade unions, as well as a network of professional associations and partners across all sectors in Singapore.
They are hiring trainees across leadership, membership, economic policy, project management and more.
Some open positions at NTUC:
Workforce Trainee
Membership Trainee
Leadership Trainee
Industrial Relations Trainee
Economic Policy Trainee
Project Management Trainee
12. Lazada
Image Credit: Branding in Asia Magazine
Launched in 2012, Lazada Group has grown to become the leading online shopping and selling destination in Southeast Asia.
Their strong performance has earned the support of key investors such as Alibaba Group and Temasek Holdings.
They are currently hiring trainees across brand marketing, category management, supply and demand, and so on.
Why Traineeships And Internships Are Not A Bad Thing
The job market has been bleak and available full-time positions for fresh graduates are few and far between.
While the job market is weak, fresh grads can take up short-term traineeships and internships to tide them over for the time being while hunting for suitable job roles.
While internship stints don’t pay very well (mostly pay S$2,000 and below a month), graduates can take this opportunity to gain exposure to the working world and hone their skills.
Furthermore, they offer potential for conversion to full-time and perhaps by the time the Covid-19 pandemic is over, you may have gained some work experience and be offered a full-time role.
Featured Image Credit: HSBC / Yicai Global / Lazada / pymnts.com
This adds on to the rhetoric that even though paper qualifications might help boost one’s job-seeking efforts, many companies value past work experience, dedication as well as character over education level.
In fact, there are actually many jobs out there that do not require employees to be degree holders, yet offer a high pay.
The Definition Of A ‘High Pay’
According to The Economist 2020 Cost of Living Index, Singapore is ranked as the most expensive city in the world, in a three-way tie with Osaka and Hong Kong.
Top five most expensive cities / Image Credit: The Economist
The average cost of living for a single person in Singapore (excluding rent or house loans and a car) is around S$800 a month when living frugally. This figure goes up depending on the lavishness of one’s lifestyle.
According to Seedly, the 50-30-20 Allocation Rule is an ideal model one should use to segment their salary, with 50 percent of one’s monthly salary going towards expenses. The other 50 percent should go towards savings.
Our income from employment is a key indicator of economic well-being.
According to the Ministry of Manpower, the median gross monthly income in Singapore is S$4,563. This is the income of a typical worker, and anything higher than that can be deemed as a ‘high salary’.
Here are some jobs that Singaporeans might not be keen on doing, but still pay relatively well each month:
#1: Automotive Mechanic
Image Credit: Prestige Car Services
According to Glassdoor, mechanics earn an average of S$6,000 a month. Though it may seem unexpected, car workshops actually provide mechanics with a good career progression.
There is a high volume of vehicles in Singapore, which in turn leads to a greater demand for automotive mechanics.
Back in 2015, it was reported that Singapore’s car workshops were hit by a labour crunch — and there was a serious shortage of skilled labour at car workshops.
With the number of vehicles on our roads steadily increasing, the demand for automotive mechanics are unlikely to fall anytime soon.
#2: Hawker
Image Credit: Behind the Food Carts
Waking up in the wee hours of the morning to prepare food and toiling for long hours in a hot and stuffy kitchen is likely what deters Singaporeans from taking on a job in a hawker store.
Of course, that is just what one can make working in a hawker store. Being the boss of your own hawker store probably entails a much greater monthly salary.
There has been a longstanding myth that hawkers don’t earn a lot in Singapore, which was debunked through Seedly’s calculations. According to them, it is possible for a hawker to earn a profit upwards of S$5,000 a month.
Of course, it has to be taken into consideration that business has significantly fallen since the Covid-19 pandemic, and having a loyal base of customers will be important for these hawkers to continue sustaining profit.
#3: Make-Up Artist, Beautician
Image Credit: Saubhaya Makeup
As a makeup artist, one’s portfolio is definitely more important than having a degree or educational qualifications.
However, that does not make it a low-skilled or low-paying job.
According to Daily Vanity’s list of bridal make-up artists and their rates, prices can go as high as S$1,000 per wedding night.
MoneySmart also highlighted that freelance make-up artists can make up to S$180 to S$400 for half a day’s work for one look, and a full day comprising two looks can make up to S$450 to S$1,500.
#4: Financial Advisor
Image Credit: Caproasia
In Singapore, financial advisors and insurance agents are often synonymous for each other. However, some financial advisors do act as investment advisors as well.
To be a financial advisor, one does not require a college degree. However, they will be required to pass the Singapore College of Insurance exams.
Financial advisors typically work under an insurance company, and receive a basic salary from the company. This is typically along with a commission they receive from closing sales.
If a premium costs S$2,000 a year, with a 50 per cent commission, selling 100 premiums can result in a financial advisor earning S$100,000 worth of commissions.
According to Platinum Advisors, how much one earns as commission is “directly related to the amount of effort put into their work”.
Most insurance agencies also provide on-the-job training, and established agents that go on to lead teams often earn five figure monthly incomes.
#5: Bus Driver
Image Credit: Ministry of Health Singapore
Working as a bus driver is unfortunately not the first career choice for most. This can be seen from Singapore’s shortage of bus drivers.
Admittedly, being a bus driver will not garner you a pay of above S$5,000 in Singapore. However, due to the shortage, transport firms like SBS Transit, SMRT and Go-Ahead have increased salaries to entice Singaporeans to take on the role.
As of 2019, SBS and SMRT are offering new bus drivers up to S$3,500 monthly salary, on top of a S$3,000 joining bonus.
Other incentives include up to 21 days of annual leave, free bus and MRT rides as well as medical benefits.
Should We Be More Open To Taking Up These Jobs?
Many Singaporeans are undoubtedly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and retrenchments have reached an all-time high.
It is perhaps time for us to shed the sentiment that only the jobs that are offered to degree holders can be considered as ‘good’, or the misconception that only with high levels of education can you achieve a high-paying job.
Many times, it is possible to carve a career out of passion for the arts or food, or even when you do not have the highest level of education.
Featured Image Credit: Best Lobang,Our SG Heritage, Vanilla Luxury
In 2016, Qing Xiang realised that he had put on a “belly”, and his energy levels were dipping after working full-time for several years.
To get fit, he turned to sports but a high-impact activity like running “wasn’t his thing”. That was why Qing Xiang resorted to cycling.
Perhaps as a side effect of his career, the ex-engineer ended up building his own bike.
“I asked myself, how hard could it be? So I did the research, bought the parts, made all the mistakes… Unlike hair, if you cut bike cables too short, they won’t grow again,” he says, laughing.
Qing Xiang’s first custom bike / Image Credit: Ascent Bikes
Qing Xiang’s custom-made bike began catching the attention of his family and friends, and requests for custom bikes of their own started to pour in.
The engineer quickly realised that there was a demand for high-quality bicycles and started monetising his craft.
Built For Urban Environments
Ascent Bikes didn’t start off with millions in the bank.
“The startup was completely bootstrapped — self-funded, with earnings rolled back into tools, parts, and manufacturing,” says Qing Xiang.
One of Ascent Bikes’ first major investments was a batch of custom-designed bikes. Named Bolt Mini Velos, these bicycles are manufactured from their own custom moulds.
It was costly, but worthwhile. The team needed to build compact, manoeuvrable and nimble bikes for an urban environment like Singapore.
Typically, such bikes would need to fit inside an HDB lift or a house, be carried up overhead bridges or mix with pedestrians, so they need to be small and lightweight, Qing Xiang explains.
Currently, the price of a Bolt Mini Velo starts at S$1,099. It’s designed to be one of the lightest bikes for its price at 8kg, according to Qing Xiang.
Since their first Bolt Mini Velo, Ascent has also added Road Bikes and Fixed Gear components to their product suite — all are built for speed.
“It boils down to this: See what your users are trying to do, identify gaps in what they are using, and come up with a solution that solves their problems and differentiates your company from the others.”
Ascent Bikes has even gained traction overseas. The startup ships worldwide to over 10 countries, including the United States, Germany, Norway and United Kingdom.
Social media is the key conduit for their international audience, Qing Xiang clarifies.
“I have to salute (our customers’) willingness to take a chance on a small brand, half a world away.”
Riding With The ‘Fixed Gear’ Community
Part of Ascent Bikes’ success is attributable to its bonds with its customers. One of the startup’s additional services is “late-night advice,” Qing Xiang jokes.
“There have been many clients that I’ve gotten to know, and some of them are now friends who ask me things like — what should I study in the future, how do I start a business and more.”
Currently, Ascent Bikes partners with one of Singapore’s bike messengers to “test ride” their bikes. Lutfi Fuadi, a self-professed cycling fanatic, has been biking professionally for six years.
Lutfi typically covers the distance from Bugis to Tanjong Pagar at speeds of up to 40 km/h per day. His work puts him in a unique position to assess the hardiness of bikes.
Arif Ibrahim celebrating his win at Metasprint Duathlon 2020 / Image Credit: Ascent Bikes
On top of partnering with professional bikers, the startup also sponsors cycling athletes. That includes silver medallists who participated in the Duathlon Mixed Relay for the 2019 SEA Games on Ascent’s Zenith Elite carbon fiber wheels.
Last year, the startup also organised a 200-strong meetup with international cycling star Zach Gallardo. The YouTuber has over 74,000 subscribers on his channel, dedicated to the sport of fixed-gear riding.
Fixed-gear bicycles are a big deal among the cycling community. Essentially, they’re stripped-down bikes that offer maximum control with no coasting, relying on back-pressure on pedals to brake.
“My whole team was involved, and it was a vindication of the brand recognition we had been trying to achieve among the fixed gear community,” Qing Xiang recalls.
Due to the circuit breaker, more people are riding recreationally or becoming food delivery riders, and demand for bikes are growing.
Singapore’s bike hobbyist community is becoming a force to be reckoned with.
“You only need to go to places like Tanah Merah Coast Road and Seletar Airport on weekends to see road bikers out in force,” says Qing Xiang.
Partnership With Triathlon Club / Image Credit: Ascent Bikes
The latest ban on e-scooters has escalated bike sales, Qing Xiang observes.
“It’s gotten to the point where there’s a shortage of parts due to demand, (but) we are working hard to deliver our bikes in a timely manner.”
“In general, you get what you pay for. Entry-level components work well at first, but degrade over time. I personally suspect this is the reason so many bikes get abandoned at the void deck of HDB flats.”
“It’s such a waste, and my goal at Ascent is to prevent this by making the riding experience delightful.”
Syazmin was a final year student when she went to the UK in 2016. Her husband, Hafidz, who quit his job in Doha, Qatar, followed her to be by her side.
Restless and lonely in the house while his wife attended classes, he took notice of the craze the Europeans had towards handmade bath and body products.
Out of a mix of his boredom, curiosity, FOMO (fear of missing out) on this opportunity, as well as access to cheap ingredients, he tried his hand at making his own bath bombs.
BUIH’s products set up at their pop-up bazaar stall / Image Credit: BUIH
While Syazmin didn’t pay any attention to his experimentations in the beginning, she soon joined him.
“After months of trials and tribulations, we ended up with a whole lot of soaps, bath bombs, and scrubs.”
“It was then that we thought, ‘Ok, so what do we do with all these products? Maybe we could try and sell it?’” she said.
Striking a Eureka moment, they began building an online presence on Instagram under the brand BUIH.
4 years later, they’re now selling in a 5-star hotel gift store.
From IRL To URL
BUIH already had some online sales and a steady follower growth before it started selling in Kuala Lumpur bazaars in 2017.
This form of retail allowed the couple to further spread their presence in the market.
It also gave them the opportunity to interact with local customers, who weren’t convinced about buying—or even saw the need for—bath bombs, unlike the crowd in the UK.
“It was a challenging journey I’d say, we had to educate society on why our products are unique and different from what the current market has to offer,” Syazmin said.
Bringing their products to bazaars / Image Credit: BUIH
With a consistent presence on Instagram and interactions with customers at bazaars and exhibitions, doubtful Malaysians became fans.
So when LUSH launched in Malaysia in 2018, BUIH was mostly unaffected by it because of its existing following.
Not to mention, they’re also the cheaper option, if we’re simply comparing price points.
The cheapest bath bomb you can get at LUSH costs RM30, while BUIH sells theirs at RM19.90.
With their confidence within the retail sector, they decided to add a different revenue stream to their business.
Gifts + Retail = Hotel Gift Stores
They ventured into the events sector, selling their products as door gifts at corporate events and weddings.
“The revenue has been steadily growing. Gifting contributes to more than 60% of our revenue, whilst retail and online sales each contribute to 30% and 10% of our total revenue,” Syazmin said.
Soaps and bath bombs packaged for gifts / Image Credit: BUIH
Much to Hafidz and Syazmin’s surprise, BUIH’s growth exceeded their expected targets, so much so that it caught the attention of a 5-star hotel in Penang, the Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Hotel.
“We were approached by the E&O team about the possibility of having BUIH products in their shop, and we were delighted to have been given such an offer and we’ve been there for quite some time now,” she said.
Most Malaysian homes don’t even have bathtubs to enjoy bath bombs, so selling them in hotel gift stores is a strategic move.
Hotels have a bathtub in every room, and guests don’t have to worry about racking up water bills (but water conservation is always a good thing to practice nonetheless).
Handmade & Sustainable
“Indeed, we are inspired by LUSH, particularly by their sustainability business model and their environmental ethos,” Syazmin said when we pointed out similarities between the brands.
BUIH’s soap bars are plant-based and coconut oil is used in all of their products. Recyclable PET bottles are also used for packaging.
Even with their business growth, the couple still makes everything by hand.
On how they manage to do so, Syazmin said, “We have this rule of not taking too many large orders at the same time so that we can ensure we can deliver to our customers according to the timeline and utmost quality.”
Colourful scrubs and soaps fill the shelves / Image Credit: BUIH
She and Hafidz make up the core team of BUIH, but they hire an extra team of friends and family to help with accommodating orders at events and bazaars.
Additionally, scaling up the company has always been their future plan for BUIH.
In doing so, we’ve started our outsourcing journey by strengthening our suppliers and business partners network. We’ve engaged with multiple original equipment manufacturer (OEM) players and discussions have been made to outsource our products using our original recipes.
Syazmin, co-founder of BUIH
“We are also looking to strengthen our presence in the retail segment, and we’ll be in a few more popular retail brands in Malaysia,” she said.
BUIH currently retails at Robinsons KL and The Gardens. They also have clients that include Isetan KLCC, Sephora, and Monki.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced yesterday that TraceTogether tokens will be distributed for free nationwide from September 14 till November.
Residents in Jalan Besar and Tanjong Pagar will be the first to get the tokens as these districts have a larger proportion of seniors.
MOH notes that seniors are more vulnerable to COVID-19 and are also less likely to own a smartphone.
Residents can go to the TokenGoWhere website for more details on the collection sites and timing.
The TraceTogether token is a contact-tracing device that enables quick tracking of people who have been exposed to COVID-19 cases.
It is a small device that can be easily slipped into bags or pockets. The token exchanges Bluetooth signals with other nearby tokens or mobile phones together with the TraceTogether app.
The interaction is logged in the devices. All logs will be encrypted and logs older than 25 days will be automatically deleted.
If the user becomes infected with COVID-19, the device will need to be physically handed over to the authorities to extract data needed to do the contact tracing.
You Can Only Enter Certain Higher-Risk Venues With TraceTogether
Minister-in-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan said the government will pilot a scheme that requires people to use either the TraceTogether token or app to check in at certain venues starting next month.
The TraceTogether app has been downloaded 2.4 million times so far, “but we actually still want to push participation in this programme because this is one of those things where the more people we have onboard, the more effective the level of protection afforded to all of us,” he said.
This approach could allow for a safer increase in capacity limits at larger events and premises with any potential future easing of measures.
“For these sorts of events where you’re going to have more people interacting, it’s not enough to just know who has been in this building, say, in the last hour,” explained Dr Balakrishnan.
“You actually want to know, of that group of people who happen to be in the building, who actually has been in close proximity to each other. In order to have that level of granularity, you do need proximity data.”
In a Facebook post, Minister Lawrence Wong said that this pilot scheme will gradually be expanded to more venues.
“Especially in settings where there are large groups of people, close interactions, and where masks are not worn eg. hotels (wedding functions), F&B outlets, cinemas, gyms and certain workplaces,” he added.
S’poreans To Get SMS Alerts If They Were In Same Venue As COVID-19 Cases
Separately, the authorities will also be introducing a self-check and text message service from 10 September.
With this new service, people can be alerted if they have visited the same venues at the same time as COVID-19 cases, based on their own SafeEntry records.
The self-check service will be available on the TraceTogether app, SingPass Mobile or wereyouthere.safeentry.gov.sg.
SMS alerts will be sent to a smaller group of individuals who were at locations seen to pose a higher risk of transmission at the same time as COVID-19 cases as well.
This includes dining places and gyms where people do not wear masks for extended periods.
“These features will help everyone to play their part to stay ahead of the pandemic, and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe,” MOH said.
Even though online shopping is a much more convenient way to shop, there are still some risks associated with it. You could spend hours just sifting through multiple listings of the same product and the cheapest one could be a fake option too.
Which is why online shopping platforms like LamboPlace have measures in place to deal with these issues.
LamboPlace works with official retailers and local businesses and they even have their own logistics arm for speedy 1-day delivery.
Only Verified Vendors Allowed
As LamboPlace only works with verified vendors, official retailers and brand owners, you don’t have to go through multiple reviews and doubting whether the product you’re buying is genuine or not.
A wide variety of products available
LamboPlace also informed us that they only accept one product from a brand. Such decisions prevent the marketplace from being too saturated with the same products. They also want to create a marketplace that is trustable and easy for customers to use.
Example: You’re looking to buy a new Samsung Galaxy Note20 in Mystic Bronze from LamboPlace. When you search for the phone, you’ll only see one listing for a genuine Samsung Galaxy Note20. (There may be different listings for different specs and colours.)
This saves you time and money, as you don’t have to look for the best price or checking to see if it’s a legit product.
They Provide Benefits To Vendors Too
If you’re a merchant looking to sell on LamboPlace, they have plans in place to support and grow your business. Currently, they’re equipped with tools to help merchants go digital with their free onboarding services.
LamboPlace informed us that they’ve also set aside roughly RM500,000 to help out the merchants with promotions, digital advertising on social media, offline billboards and even onboarding/fulfilment services.
“This move alleviates the need for small business owners to employ additional manpower to manage marketing and customer service. We want to keep supporting our e-commerce community and constantly provide them with the best deals, especially during these unpredictable times.”
Dato’ Jason Yap, CEO of LamboPlace
Ensuring That Your Shopping Variety Isn’t Limited
Aside from working with official retailers, LamboPlace also works with small local businesses via LamboBazaar, helping them reach different customer bases. Here you can find local and artisanal products that include food, skincare, and even homemade candles.
You can find a plethora of health and wellness products under LamboWellness and on LamboFresh, you can purchase fresh seafood, vegetables and meats delivered right to your doorstep.
Aside from those, they’re also working with big-name brands such as Puma, Hypergear, Sony, Supreme, Nike, Sharp and Electrolux.
They also stock official Supreme products
Official products from JBL
Getting Our New Norm Supplies In A Day
Even after MCO was lifted, going to a physical shop is still a hassle. We have to wear masks, scan QR codes and get our temperature checked too. And the check-in process can also be delayed when you’re going on a busy day.
So, we decided to check out what LamboPlace has to offer. We ordered supplies for the office such as hand sanitisers, surface cleaners, face masks, toilet rolls and snacks.
We checked out using the LamboPlace app
We used the app version of LamboPlace and signed up on the platform using a Google Account. Of course, you can still log into the app with other methods.
We went through the list of stuff that we wanted to buy fairly quickly. Because there’s no need to compare or check if they’re verified products, we went through the whole process in just a few minutes.
In terms of the products offered, the LamboPlace team told us that they’ve done preliminary filtering and selected the best product for you so you don’t have to endlessly scroll and hope that you get the item you searched for.
After adding all the items we wanted onto the cart, we made the order at around 9 AM. To our surprise, some of the products arrived on the same day too.
Most orders within Klang Valley do arrive within a day (with no extra charges). But, delivery time will vary when you’re outside of Klang Valley. As for delivery fees, you’ll be charged per order from different merchants and the fees can be as low as RM2.
Celebrating The Platform’s First Anniversary
LamboPlace celebrated their first anniversary on August 28 and they ran a few promotions on their platform:
Up to 90% off on more than 500 brands
Shop Online Malaysia Flash Deals starting from RM6.99 onwards
Get local favourites from LamboBazaar
RM8 Free shipping using code: SHIPITFREE – For first 99 orders*
Lambo Mooncake Festival Save up to 50%
CitiCyberSale Biggest savings up to 90% discount + complimentary shipping *Terms and conditions apply.
“Our goal is to create a worry-free and authentic shopping environment, on top of building and growing local online businesses, ultimately empowering the E-commerce scene in Malaysia,” said Dato’ Jason Yap, CEO of LamboPlace.
Start shopping on LamboPlace by clicking this link here.
Keep an eye out on LamboPlace’s Facebook for deals and promotions.
E-commerce is still an ever-changing landscape. The most common version we’re used to is the type where we already have something to buy in mind, and head straight to the website to buy it.
Most e-commerce giants cater to this.
But what if we started having sites that specifically catered to another type? One that’s similar to the bazaar experience complete with live interactions with merchants, but virtually?
Floop is a Malaysian startup preparing to launch, and it’s catering to the crowd that purchases based on their emotional needs and wants before trying to logically justify their purchase.
Think of those times when you’ve been to a bazaar and seen merchants promoting their products in-person.
It catches your attention and you head towards it to see more, and you might even end up buying it.
This is what Floop is trying to recreate to a certain extent, by creating a site that allows merchants to market their products live online.
“But how is this any different from merchants who are already selling on FB Live?”, you might ask.
We brought this question to Koi Hann Yung (Hann), founder of Floop.
An Improved Alternative To FB Live
“With FB Live, buyers have to go through a very manual, inconvenient journey just to purchase an item,” he replied.
“Without the direct checkout feature that we’re offering on Floop, sellers are potentially losing customers as keen buyers aren’t able to make their purchases instantly.”
Floop is implementing a payment system on their own site that Hann described as being “one so simple even a non-techie will be able to operate”.
However, I can’t help but think that Facebook still offers merchants the advantages of being a free service and allowing easy access to the existing fanbase on their own page.
On Floop, they’d have to pay a small fee for every transaction made (the actual percentage of which is still being decided upon).
As for the other advantage that I thought FB Live had over Floop, Hann clarified:
One major selling point for many of the existing FB Live sellers is the fact that our platform enables them to actually sync their livestreams across multiple social media channels, so they don’t have to give up their current existing buyers on Facebook.
Koi Hann Yung, founder of Floop
As a value-added feature, sellers on Floop will also be able to view their sales statistics since the team will compile easy-to-read data reports for them.
Hann and his team have been busy acquiring merchants, and he shared that they now have over 300 of them signed up to be onboarded once Floop launches in Q4 2020 after its pilot testing.
Upon launching, they’ll acquire more through an agent programme within Floop’s site for people who want to earn passive income.
Editor’s Note: Information in the above paragraph has been edited to reflect greater accuracy.
Recreating The Live Shopping Experience To An Extent
From a customer’s POV, Floop enables them to pose concerns and questions and get them answered on the spot during a merchant’s product demo Q&A session.
This is one thing that I’d appreciate as a buyer, as oftentimes I find myself still feeling doubts about making a purchase despite ratings and reviews with pictures.
Sometimes, the pictures don’t even do the products justice.
I usually end up hunting down the product offline to really get a feel for it before deciding to purchase it (or not).
While Floop’s live e-commerce won’t be able to replicate that experience exactly, seeing the product’s usage being demonstrated by the merchant would be next best thing to me.
Mock-ups of what the app will look like upon launching / Image Credit: Floop
“That interaction touches on your emotional needs, and is something we at Floop feel is very much needed in today’s online shopping experience,” Hann described.
Customers can also checkout and make their purchases while the livestream continues playing in the background, and benefit from a loyalty programme by Floop.
“Another strategy we are using is the onboarding of influencers whom sellers can engage to help in the promoting and livestreaming of their products,” Hann said.
“We’ve narrowed it down to these strategies to assist us in forming a community where all parties can profit from—be it seller, buyer, agent, or promoter.”
Starting Small, Dreaming Big
As it’s still in its nascent stages, the only revenue stream Floop will have for now is the transaction fee.
“Other revenue streams we foresee further down the line include ad revenues and commissions, though these will come at a much later date once the community is sufficiently big,” Hann said.
He anticipates that they’ll still need to run some experiments to further determine product market fit, but added, “We are confident that Floop will be the next game changer as we focus a lot on consumer needs and keeping up with the trend by constantly evolving.”
To further add value to the site, he shared intentions of building their own e-wallet system to help facilitate their cashflow.
I assume that it’d be tough to convince customers to adopt yet another e-wallet, but I’d be interested to see Floop pull it off.
“Currently, we are only focused within the Malaysian market, and primarily FMCG and health & beauty goods, followed by other categories,” Hann said, adding that they’d like to expand into greater Southeast Asia in the next 2 years.
Floop isn’t the only app in this space that’s offering livestream shopping, however, as Lazada added such a feature in 2018 and Shopee soon hopped on the trend too.
Nonetheless, it’s only an add-on feature for the two e-commerce giants, and not the core of their business model.
So, perhaps Floop has a better chance of grabbing a slice of the multi-billion revenue that livestreaming shopping is predicted to generate in 2020.
Watching Uncle Roger’s egg fried rice video for the first time, I was pretty turned off by it.
I understood the archetype, but seeing a fresh-faced young man on the internet pulling off the character of an old Chinese ah pek was a cringe-fest to me.
However, his 1.1 million subscribers on YouTube would probably disagree with me.
Just 2 months ago, he only had about 10,000 subscribers and an average of 5,000 views per video. Safe to say, he’s since gone viral.
And the video that shot him to virality?
Its title is “Uncle Roger DISGUSTED by this Egg Fried Rice Video (BBC Food)”, and we’re sure everyone with an online presence would have heard of him and this video by now.
Uncle Roger DISGUSTED by this Egg Fried Rice Video (BBC Food)
In the video, he reacts to a video from British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) about a lesson on how to make egg fried rice.
Uncle Roger’s reactions included numerous gestures and comments of disapproval as he mocked the cook, Hersha Patel, saying things like: “You killing me woman! She’s draining rice with colander!”
Comedy skits parodying Asian and Western culture and commentary on current events make up some of the other types of videos he does on his YouTube channel.
Despite not enjoying the egg fried rice reaction video at first, it still led me down a rabbit hole of binge-watching the others.
In particular, the reaction videos to other cooking tutorials online. His over-exaggerated comebacks eventually became helplessly entertaining to me.
Who Is Uncle Roger?
Behind the persona of Uncle Roger is Nigel Ng, a Malaysian comedian in the UK.
In an interview with Vulcan Post, he shared some brief personal history with us, such as his move to the US to study engineering at Northwestern University in Illinois.
That was where he began doing stand up comedy as a hobby. He then relocated to London shortly after to work as a data scientist.
In an interview with South China Morning Post (SCMP), he said that comedy became his full-time job by 2019.
He was performing on television and had been nominated for the Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival in Scotland.
Nigel performing at a comedy show / Image Credit: Nigel Ng
That same year, he started producing content for YouTube and Instagram.
“Uncle Roger came about because I had it as a goal this year to come up with a character for my social media content. After some improvising and workshopping on my Rice To Meet You Podcast, Uncle Roger was born,” he said.
As his jokes heavily centre around Asian culture, it’s hard to imagine audiences in the UK resonating with it.
Nigel agreed, but replied that the point of performing his comedy there was to build up his skills.
“My humour uses Asian culture as subject material, but my experience on the standup circuit in the US and UK has helped me gain the skills of making my comedy accessible to everyone,” he said.
“I think everyone will get the jokes in the videos, maybe asians will get 10% more, but it’s very accessible regardless of race.”
Virality Came Unexpectedly
On how he even decided to do a reaction video about BBC’s egg fried rice video, Nigel said, “A fan of my podcast shared that video with me. I already had the Uncle Roger character at the time, though he only existed in short, 40-second clips on Tik Tok and Instagram.”
“I figured this would be a perfect chance to flesh out this character in a longer video.”
It gained the attention it has today from being shared on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and on Facebook through the group Subtle Asian Traits.
“Then news outlets caught on too. I was really surprised when it went viral but also super grateful,” he shared.
Hersha Patel, who was the unfortunate butt of his jokes in the reaction video, was trolled by viewers online.
He told SCMP, “As it started picking up steam, I did get a bit nervous. I hoped she wasn’t under a lot of attack. Ultimately, the video is just comedy, but you know how the internet is. People get angry really easily.”
Hersha herself actually found the video funny and reached out to Nigel, wanting to clear the air and try to turn it into something positive.
The two collaborated and posted a follow-up video a month after the first one, Uncle Roger Meet Egg Fried Rice Lady. It has since gained 7.4 million views.
Uncle Roger Meet Egg Fried Rice Lady / Video Credit: mrnigelng on YouTube
While Nigel is doubtful that he’ll be able to achieve this sort of virality again, he’s happy to settle for steady growth.
It looks like he’s working his way towards it too. Taking a quick glance at his YouTube page, it’s clear that he’s identified what his audiences want to watch: reaction videos.
He’s since posted a couple more of those and some collaboration videos with other Asian YouTubers to achieve his goal.
“Would I want to go viral again? Of course! But only if it’s a positive thing and not like a scandal,” he joked.
His egg fried rice video gave him the attention he was aiming for / Image Credit: Nigel Ng
As for opportunities, some brands have reached out to him to sponsor his videos. He also has future plans to develop his own stand-up using the Uncle Roger persona.
I don’t really think in terms of ‘making it’. It’s more like if I can do the thing I love doing, which is being funny, and live a decent life while doing it, then I’m happy.
As the demand for food delivery increases, many are hopping onboard the food delivery bandwagon in the hopes of striking it big.
Last month, at least 10 new delivery platforms have popped up during the circuit breaker period. Even after the circuit breaker period, there are many other players have sprung up in the market.
Here’s a look at 10 of such new food delivery players in Singapore:
Chope On
Image Credit: Chope On
During the circuit breaker, dining reservation booking platform Chope pivoted to launch a beta food delivery and takeaway platform, Chope On.
It offers islandwide food delivery from over 200 restaurants with pre-orders that can be set up to a week ahead – but you can also opt for takeaway to save on delivery fees.
Currently, Chope On is available only on desktop. Simply purchase QR code dining vouchers at the website and claim your discounts at the desired outlet.
Check them out here. Delivery fees and minimum orders vary.
Named Capita3Eats (pronounced ‘capita-treats’), the platform offers delivery and takeaway for restaurants like Ajisen Ramen and Hooters. It currently offers free islandwide delivery for orders above S$30 at selected restaurants.
It’s currently available only on desktop. You can browse and place orders online, and pay via Visa or Mastercard.
Check them out here. Free islandwide delivery on orders above S$30 or S$50 for selected restaurants.
Pickupp
Image Credit: Pickupp
A logistics company based out of Hong Kong, Pickupp offers an on-demand door-to-door delivery service that can reach your door within four hours.
The company launched its own food delivery platform during the circuit breaker — a smart move, given that it already has a fleet of deliverymen in its back pocket.
Currently, Pickupp offers deliveries from F&B, bakeries and “lifestyle” products like alcohol and beef jerky on its platform, which is available on desktop and smartphone.
Check them out here. Delivery fees start from S$1.90.
Halal With Hew
Image Credit: Halal With Hew
Founded by a Muslim convert and his wife, Halal With Hew was launched during the circuit breaker to provide a platform for halal home-based businesses.
The circuit breaker coincided with the fasting month, cancelling Ramadan bazaars and putting Hari Raya treats far out of reach for the average consumer. Halal With Hew was launched to streamline the food delivery process between hungry customers and home-based chefs.
The startup was completely bootstrapped but has grown to over a hundred merchants in less than a year, generating about S$32,600 since its inception. The platform is likely to expand to hawkers and restaurants in the future.
Recently, Changi Airport has also launched a delivery business of its own — presumably because the airport isn’t getting a lot of traffic these days.
Named Changi Eats, the desktop-only platform offers delivery from close to 30 eateries located at the airport.
You can mix and match orders from up to five different eateries with no mark up — the prices online remain the same as in-store prices.
Do note that orders must be placed one day in advance and up to two hours before the scheduled delivery slots from 12.30pm to 8pm daily.
Customers can also opt for a drive-thru pick-up option at Terminal 3.
Check them out here. Delivery fees start from S$5 with a minimum spend of S$50. Orders above S$80 will entitle diners to free delivery.
Buy4u
Image Credit: Buy4u / Facebook
This newbie to the food delivery scene offers local hawker fare from famous hawker centres like Old Airport Market and Maxwell Market.
Buy4u also offers halal food delivery from restaurants like Mum’s Recipe and Hindarab. On top of food delivery, you can also purchase frozen seafood and meat, as well as durian from Katong.
The platform is available on desktop and smartphones.
Check them out here. Delivery fees start from S$8.
B28!
Image Credit: Facebook / B28!
Butleric, an AI-platform-as-a-service startup based in Singapore, launched a food delivery and takeaway platform called B28!
Founded by Ron Lee, Butleric has ambitious goals to hit a 1 billion valuation and IPO by 2023, servicing more than 30,000 merchants across the Asia Pacific region.
F&B outlets like Each A Cup and Tatsuya Japanese Restaurant are available for order on B28!. Currently, the app is available only on the desktop.
Check them out here. Delivery fees and minimum orders vary.
Hungryy
Image Credit: Hungryy / Facebook
Built for smartphones, Hungryy is a new delivery app that lets you order food exclusively from halal and Muslim-owned eateries.
Some of its F&B merchants include Meat & Salt and Al Azhar.
Merchants and riders also enjoy the apps’ backend system of food delivery tracking and optimisation. The app already has over 10,000 downloads on the Play Store.
Check them out here. Delivery fees start from S$3.
Deliver.SG
Founded by 33-year-old restaurant consultant Naresh Kumar, it launched in January with over 150 restaurants online.
Image Credit: Deliver.SG
F&B merchants include local F&B like Springleaf Prata Place and Seoul Shiok. Users can take advantage of discounted delivery fees and promotions.
Deliver.SG offers home deliveries on desktop and smartphone.
Check them out here. Delivery fees and minimum orders vary.
Myfood.sg
Image Credit: My Food SG
At least 200 different restaurants are available on the platform, including businesses like the Tuga Portugese Restaurant on Dempsey Road and House of Seafood. Halal deliveries are also included.
The platform also offers promotions and discounts frequently on its Facebook page. Myfood.sg offers food delivery for desktop and smartphone.
Check them out here. Delivery fees and minimum orders vary.
Could We Be In The Middle Of A Food Delivery Bubble?
More delivery platforms mean that there are a greater number of options to choose from. Potentially, delivery rates could become more competitive.
However, new platforms tend to rely on third-party riders instead of grooming their own fleet. That has led to variations in food delivery service quality, and delays in delivery times.
Grab, Deliveroo and foodpanda already command the food delivery market. The “big three” is well ahead of new players because of their first-mover advantage. The diversity of choices in these apps also vastly outnumber those on new platforms.
Not to mention, other players like WhyQ and Pickupp already occupied the delivery space for the past couple of years, but none have generated the type of attention superapps like Grab has.
If new food delivery platforms want to outlast the delivery boom, they’ll have to find a way to differentiate themselves from the rest.
Featured Image Credit: Hungryy / Buy4u / Chope / eatbook
Even amid the circuit breaker — Singapore’s Covid-19 lockdown equivalent — charities, social enterprises and individuals continued to forge forward in their efforts to help the needy.
In fact, during that period, charities saw a spike in people who required help.
Nizar Mohamed Shariff of non-profit organisation Free Food For All told The Straits Times in April that the number of households who applied for aid increased from “100 to about 1,200 a month”.
While these charity organisations continued to offer aid, some started brand new initiatives to provide some relief to the needy.
Jason Chua and Hung Zhen Long, co-founders of Beng Who Cooks were part of this group.
Beng Who Cooks started in 2018. It is a hawker stall situated in Hong Lim Food Centre, which sells affordable protein bowls.
During the time of the pandemic, the two young founders kicked off the Beng Who Cares Foundation to provide meals for anyone in need.
‘No Questions Asked’ Policy
Image Credit: Seth Lui
The Beng Who Cares Foundation provides free meals for anybody unable to afford them during this time of hardship.
In an interview with Vulcan Post, Jason shared that the duo would not probe — “all someone has to do is ask, and we will deliver the food to them to get over this hard period”.
The initiative started on April 6, just a day before the circuit breaker measures kicked in.
Jason told Official NYPTV that a friend of his related a story to him, about a homeless man going around asking for money. When the man was given S$2, he went to buy himself goreng pisang (banana fritters) and a cup of coffee.
“Both of us [Zheng Long and Jason] have been poor in our life before. We know how it feels, so we do not want anybody to feel the way we felt,” said Jason.
Less than 12 hours after the incident, Beng Who Cares Foundation was launched and the initiative went viral overnight.
Interestingly, the duo has requested for the public to hold back on sending them monetary donations, and instead focus on getting the word out to those they can benefit.
Motivating And Getting Motivation From Those They’ve Helped
Image Credit: Beng Who Cooks via Facebook
Zhen Long shared that there was a homeless man who had been receiving help from the duo.
He later came forward to tell them that he would not require free food anymore, as the duo had inspired him to get back on his feet and find a job.
Likewise, Jason told Vulcan Post that this incident was what he thought was one of the biggest successes of the foundation.
“He actually motivated us more than we motivated him, as it was something we didn’t plan,” said the 28-year-old.
The work of Beng Who Cares Foundation has caught the attention of larger organisations like Volkswagen.
Image Credit: Beng Who Cooks Foundation via Facebook
The German automaker loaned the duo the Golf, which made mass deliveries easier — they were able to receive and deliver at least 30 orders at one go.
Since the initiative began, the Beng Who Cooks Foundation has given out a total of 2,500 to 2,700 meals.
They have also since spent a total of S$15,000 on this initiative.
Navigating Past The Pandemic And Beyond
According to Jason, the list of beneficiaries of the Beng Who Cooks Foundation is currently “pretty short”, and beneficiaries will have to collect the food themselves.
Jason shared that they decided to cease their delivery services after two months. Some people would scold or block them, but due to financial reasons, the move was necessary.
When asked how the business had changed since Phase 2 began, Jason likened it to three years ago, when they first started out.
However, the Beng Who Cooks is still optimistic as the business is “still running.”
“The fall in business cannot be compared to during the Circuit Breaker period.”
Even though he feels that the financial situation might be “depressing” during this period, he is determined to “keep going forward, and not back down”.
“Beng Who Cooks will always be Beng Who Cooks — honest, loud, hardworking.”
Featured Image Credit: Beng Who Cares via Instagram
One interesting finding is that all three of Sea’s co-founders are included in the list.
Chairman and CEO Forrest Li added US$5.53 billion to his wealth and entered the ranks of the top ten richest for the first time ever. He is currently the seventh richest in Singapore.
Meanwhile, Sea’s chief operating officer Gang Ye (No. 11, US$4.3 billion) saw an impressive 356 per cent jump in his net worth — this is the largest percentage gain of any fortune on the list.
Thanks to the exponential rise in Sea’s shares, the firm’s third co-founder David Chen became a billionaire as well and makes his debut at No. 25 with a net worth of US$1.37 billion.
The gaming and e-commerce firm is a homegrown success story best known for its super-hit Free Fire online game, but how exactly did the co-founders grow the company and earn their riches?
From China To Singapore
(From left to right) Forrest Li, Gang Ye and David Chen / Image Credit: Sea
Chen studied computer engineering at the National University of Singapore while Ye went to Hwa Chong Institution and Raffles Junior College. He later attained bachelor degrees in computer science and economics from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
He then worked at Motorola Solutions Inc. and Corning Inc. in China, and later pursued an MBA at Stanford University.
His then-girlfriend (now wife) was also from Stanford. When he attended her graduation ceremony back in 2005, Steve Jobs was also present.
Jobs delivered a memorable commencement speech, urging the class to “stay hungry, stay foolish.” Those four words were ingrained in Li’s mind, and inspired him to chase his dreams.
Growing Garena Into A Gaming Powerhouse
After Li completed his MBA, he followed his wife to Singapore.
He worked for nine months with MTV Network’s digital team before starting his first business, GG Game, which develops single-player gaming products.
Angel investors for GG Game included Skype co-founder Toivo Annus; Bryan, who is the son-in-law of billionaire Robert Kuok; and Kuok Khoon Hong, CEO of palm oil major Wilmar.
He started anew with Garena in 2009, roping in fellow co-founders Chen and Ye.
Short for Global Arena, it is a leading online games developer and publisher with a global footprint across more than 130 markets.
It developed Free Fire, a popular mobile battle royale game, which has hit 100 million peak daily users in the second quarter of 2020.
Garena’s Free Fire game / Image Credit: VentureBeat
According to data from App Annie, it continues to be the highest grossing mobile game in Southeast Asia and Latin America.
In addition, Garena exclusively licenses and publishes games from global partners. It also hosts esports events, ranging from local tournaments to global esports competitions.
In a 2009 interview with TechinAsia, Li simply described Garena as a “community for gamers worldwide.”
At that time — the first year of its launch — it had 23 million registered gamers from 210 countries.
They ramped up their user base through their flagship product, which is a downloadable gaming platform (garena.com).
The most exciting thing about this platform is every time you log on, you will be immediately connected to another 400,000 gamers who are also on the platform at that moment. They are from every corner of the world, but share the same passion on games.
Through the platform, gamers can chat, challenge opponents, and play their favourite games online with millions of other gamers.
According to Li, their big break only came in 2010 when they secured a distribution license in Southeast Asia with US game developer Riot Games, which had just released League of Legends at the time.
It helped Garena turn profitable within the next two years, and opened doors of opportunities for them to secure other game titles.
That was also how it gained the attention of Tencent, which is the majority owner of Riot Games.
In November 2018, Garena partnered Tencent, which allowed it to gain a five-year right of first refusal to publish Tencent’s mobile and PC games across Southeast Asia and Taiwan.
This helped to boost Garena’s already-strong portfolio of PC and mobile games, further solidifying the company as a Southeast Asia gaming powerhouse.
First Foray Into Fintech: SeaMoney
Garena didn’t want to settle to be “just a single-country business” so it thought of ways on how it could expand its business further.
There was a real need to serve the underprivileged middle class of this region. There’s unfortunately a very low penetration of bank accounts across in Greater Southeast Asia.
The majority of adults in places like Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines don’t have a bank account, let alone credit cards, so our next platform was in payments.
Established in 2014, SeaMoney is a digital payments and financial services provider in Southeast Asia.
Its mission is to better the lives of individuals and businesses in our region with financial services through technology.
SeaMoney’s offerings include mobile wallet services, payment processing, credit, and related digital financial services and products. These services and products are offered under AirPay, ShopeePay, ShopeePayLater, and other brands in the region.
According to Financial Times, Li decided to launch e-commerce platform Shopee in 2015 after his daughter said she missed Taobao, Alibaba’s online shopping mall.
Image Credit: Reuters
Shopee has since grown to be among the top two most-used e-commerce apps in Southeast Asia in 2019, based on monthly active users.
It was also the most visited e-commerce website, chalking up 2.1 billion visits against competitor Lazada’s 1.8 billion, according to research from iPrice.
Despite being a latecomer — Lazada and Tokopedia launched three and six years ahead respectively — Shopee has rapidly caught up with these Alibaba-backed incumbents.
Interestingly, the company has yet to turn a profit. While its gaming business has been profitable for years, Shopee has accounted for most of its net losses, which almost doubled year on year, to US$961 million, in 2018.
Li simply viewed Shopee’s losses as a stepping stone to expand the platform.
Internally we don’t think this is a loss because this is not a mature business.
For such a business with such a high growth rate … you do need to invest upfront, otherwise you are not going to make it. Scale matters so much for e-commerce.
In 2017, Garena rebranded as Sea Ltd after it secured US$550 million funding.
The name draws inspiration from, as you might expect, their operating region of Southeast Asia, and also the very ocean that connects us, which symbolises their motto of “connect the dots”.
Garena is a brand that is beloved across our game ecosystem, our Shopee brand has become synonymous with e-commerce in our region, and AirPay is quickly becoming a leader in digital financial services.
We cherish these three brands, and are now embracing an overall identity for our entire company.
– Forrest Li, co-founder and CEO of Sea in a media statement
This is the largest gain worldwide among companies with a starting market value of at least US$1 billion.
Sea has already claimed the title of Singapore’s most valuable homegrown public company after its market value swelled to US$65 billion, surpassing DBS Group Holdings Ltd. for the first time earlier this year.
Revenue has also grown quickly, jumping 163 per cent to US$2.2 billion in 2019, though it’s still just a fraction of DBS’ US$11 billion.
In a video interview, Li said that he has been working in the office seven days a week since April, leading his company through what may be its most pivotal year.
Demand for Sea’s mobile games and online-shopping platform has surged during the pandemic, and the company is bidding on a Singapore digital-banking license to accelerate its push into financial services.
Li is also looking for potential acquisitions in gaming, logistics and e-commerce.
He added that he is well aware that people has been calling his company a Southeast Asian mash-up of Tencent and Alibaba.
We learned a lot from those pioneers. But at the end of the day, we don’t need to be their mini versions. We can just be ourselves.
– Forrest Li, co-founder and CEO of Sea in a 2020 interview with The Business Times
[Article has been updated on 11 September 2020, 10:10am]
The term “unicorn” was first coined in the venture capital industry in 2013 by a venture capitalist named Aileen Lee to describe a privately-held startup company with a valuation of over US$1 billion.
She conceived the term “unicorn” because back then, startups that could grow to be worth more than US$1 billion were so rare that it seems almost magical — just like unicorns.
While they used to be few and far between, the global startup ecosystem has developed and unicorns have became more common.
Historically speaking, San Francisco (not the Valley) reigns as the home of unicorns. Singapore, which has a robust startup scene, is currently home to at least five unicorns – Grab, Sea, Lazada, Razer and Trax.
However, some of them are no longer unicorns as they have went public.
With that, we have identified a list of Singapore-based startups with a huge potential to hit unicorn status in 2021.
PropertyGuru, US$541 Million
Image Credit: PropertyGuru
Founded in 2007, PropertyGuru is the leading property classified business in Southeast Asia, operating in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Founder Steve Melhuish had experienced frustrations in finding a new home, so he partnered Jani Rautiainen to set up PropertyGuru in 2007.
The Group has raised a total of S$740 million in funding over six rounds. It is funded by nine investors, with global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and TPG as the most recent investors.
In 2018, its series D funding round clinched US$200 million led by KKR. Their latest funding of S$300 million was raised on 2 September 2020 from its existing investors KKR and TPG Capital.
We think that with the latest funding round that will bring them on its way to a US$1 billion valuation.
Last year, Credit Suisse analysts have suggested that PropertyGuru could be the next ASX-listed (Australian Securities Exchange listed) unicorn, a potential US$1 billion-plus listing on the ASX.
It is worthy to take note that a “unicorn” startup is defined as a privately-held company — once a company becomes a public-owned company, it loses its “unicorn” status.
Ninja Van, US$750 Million
Ninja Van’s co-founders Boxian Tan, Chang Wen Lai and Shaun Chong / Image Credit: Ninja Van
Lai Chang Wen was a finance undergraduate at Singapore Management University when he set up his first startup company, Marcella, which specialises in made-to-measure menswear.
He built up his brand, set up retail stores and eventually expanded into e-commerce.
However, many of his customers’ deliveries were either delayed or lost. That was when he realised that Singapore’s logistics services wasn’t optimised for e-commerce.
This was when he decided to set up Singapore-based last-mile logistics player Ninja Van in 2014 along with two other co-founders, Tan Bo Xian and Shaun Chong.
Investors in the current round include Facebook co-founder Eduardo Savarin’s B Capital Group and ride-hailing giant Grab.
The round comes after a surge in e-commerce activities globally, during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. With the increase in e-commerce orders, logistics also saw increased business as well.
Quek Siu Rui, Lucas Ngoo and Marcus Tan / Image Credit: Carousell
Three friends Quek Siu Rui, Marcus Tan and Lucas Ngoo got to know each other as students at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
They were inspired by their internships in Silicon Valley startups while studying at NUS and founded Carousell in 2012, a consumer marketplace for buying and selling new and secondhand goods.
This comes about seven months after classifieds giant OLX took a 10 per cent stake in Carousell, while injecting OLX Philippines into its business. Through the deal, Carousell added about 100 staff in The Philippines.
Zilingo, US$970 Million
Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoo / Image Credit: Zilingo
Online shopping site Zilingo was founded in 2015 by Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoo as they wanted to help Southeast Asia’s independent retailers sell their products online.
Both Ankiti and Dhruv made to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2018, with Ankiti being one of the youngest female chief executives to lead a startup of the size in Asia.
By September 2017, Zilingo was shipping to eight countries and has seller hubs in Hong Kong, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand, adding 5,000 new merchants in the previous 12 months.
By 2019, Zilingo has signed up 30,000 merchants and has 5 million monthly visitors to its platform, according to Ankiti in 2019.
To date, Zilingo has raised a total of US$307.9 million in funding over six rounds.
In February 2019, the Singapore headquartered startup raised a US$226 million Series D led by Sequoia Capital India, valuing it at what sources close to the company say is around US$970 million.
Their latest funding was raised on 5 December 2019 for an undisclosed amount.
Biofourmis, Near US$1 Billion
Biofourmis CEO and founder Kuldeep Singh Rajput / Image Credit: Biofourmis
Founded in 2016 in Singapore, Biofourmis is a fast-growing AI-powered health analytics ecosystem.
They also acquired two companies. In April 2020, it acquired Gaido Health, an AI platform for continuous monitoring of Post-discharge oncology patients.
Gaido’s tool is able to combine remote monitoring, patient surveys and analytics in order to monitor cancer patients at home and detect possible signs of complications.
While Gaido has been used in clinical trials so far, the tool was not commercially available yet.
The Biovotion AG deal comes with 60 global patents, as well as an impressive list of more than 80 current and previous clients/partners —including major players such as Microsoft, IBM Research, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic.
Sources have said that the Series C funding sends Biofourmis to near-unicorn status.
Rajput has declined to reveal an exact valuation, but said that Biofourmis is now worth around US$1 billion.
The most valuable startup in the world right now is none other than TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance.
The Chinese internet technology company is reportedly worth over US$140 billion, catapulting it to “hectocorn” status and the only one of its kind on the list.
They count Sequoia Capital China, SIG Asia Investments, Sina Weibo, Softbank Group as their key investors.
For aspiring unicorns to move up to the next tier, more late-stage financing typically raised in Series C and D is needed.
According to a report by Temasek, Google and Bain released last year, there are nearly 70 companies valued between US$100 million and US$1 billion in Southeast Asia.
Dubbed the “Aspiring Unicorns” by the report, companies in this tier have raised US$5 billion since 2016.
The funding scene is dominated by e-commerce and ride-hailing companies — for every dollar raised since 2016, 67 cents went to the two sectors. The report categorised food delivery as a subset of ride-hailing.
With Singapore’s robust startup industry – as well as Southeast Asia’s in general – these will most likely not be the last unicorns.
Investors and entrepreneurs should keep a lookout for the newest trends in the region, as well as consider investing in rising industries and companies.
Featured Image Credit: PropertyGuru / Ninja Van / Zilingo / onefc.com / Carousell / Biofourmis
Because of Covid-19, traffic on online-to-offline counselling platform Safe Space has increased by 64 per cent.
The Singapore startup allows people to seek remote counselling over video call and face-to-face sessions. As psychiatrists close or limit their practices, people have been moving to online counselling in droves.
“People were forced to use digital mental health tools,” explains Antoinette Renee Patterson, the co-founder of Safe Space.
“There were rising cases of anxiety because of retrenchment and unemployment, and those in the ‘sandwich generation’ had to look after both their elderly parents and children from home.”
It’s strange to think that you’ll be spilling your darkest secrets to someone you’ve never really met. However, it seems like online counselling platforms aren’t just a temporary phenomenon, and they’re here to stay.
But how effective are they as a mental health tool?
Discovering A Gap In Mental Health Services
Antoinette Renee Patterson / Image Credit: Safe Space via Facebook
For Antoinette, the inspiration for her startup came from a desire to make mental health services more accessible, affordable and convenient.
Originally, Antoinette had been working in digital advertising across several ed-tech startups for over a decade, which she claims to be a very stressful industry.
“Working long hours was championed, and it became normal practice,” she recounts.
“Inevitably, your health deteriorates. You have less time for enjoyment, and you become more irritable.”
The state of the industry was an open secret among Antoinette and her colleagues, but things hit a tipping point when her friend had a panic attack in the office.
In an attempt to help her colleague, Antoinette searched online for emergency mental health services but discovered that the generated list of experts was long and oblique.
We had to go through the whole list one by one. How were we supposed to pick a therapist, or find out who would be nearby and available for a counselling session?
That’s when I realised there was a gap in the (mental health) sector.
– Antoinette Renee Patterson, co-founder of Safe Space
It didn’t take long for Antoinette to get started.
In collaboration with her co-founder, Sufian Yusof, the beginnings of Safe Space sprouted around 2017. The app went public in 2019, marking its official market release.
Making Counselling Affordable, Accessible And Convenient
The Safe Space app offers “freelance” counselling services and are available in-person and via video call.
“Budget constraints and the lack of free time are one of the main factors (impacting) our clients’ frequency of counselling,” Antoinette explains, adding that not everybody has the time, or resources, to travel for therapy.
That’s where digihealth comes in.
Online counselling services allow counsellors to remotely provide mental health services to those living in rural locations, working high-pressure jobs, or self-isolating during a pandemic.
The lower overheads of digital counselling also keep costs low. Therapists don’t have to pay for rental and administrative fees, which in turn pushes counselling fees down.
In contrast, one session at Safe Space costs about S$80 for video calls and S$120 for face-to-face meetings.
Online’s Great, But In-Person Counselling Is Crucial
Image Credit: Facebook / Safe Space
Still, there’s a limit to what online-based counselling can do.
Apps like Better Help use text counselling, which Antoinette considers a “good gateway for those considering digital counselling for the first time.”
However, counsellors need to read your physical cues, she asserts.
“For (cognitive behavioural therapy), actions like how you might be unconsciously picking at your elbow, signal emotions like anxiety.”
That caveat is why Safe Space only offers video call and in-person counselling. Despite the option for video call, in-person services remain necessary since even a video call is limited by the confines of a screen.
For some patients, their home environments aren’t conducive for online counselling sessions.
To resolve that problem, Safe Space uses its own offices or allows select counsellors to open their offices for in-person consultations.
Regardless, online services remain popular among clients. Antoinette estimates that 70 per cent of Safe Space’s clients maintain their video calls despite the option for face-to-face counselling.
Maximising Counselling Hours
All of Safe Space’s counsellors are licensed practitioners under the Singapore Association for Counselling, or Australian Counselling Association.
Several of the counsellors listed on Safe Space’s website / Image Credit: Safe Space
Despite their credentials, the counsellors face the same problem most in their profession encounter — the lack of clients.
“It’s the number one pain point,” Antoinette confirms. “Most of them are older, and lacking in advertising or social media experience. But they’ve become savvier over time.”
“Additional work like sourcing for referrals or filing administrative papers takes time away from serving patients, so we brokered a deal with them to help them fill up their unused hours.”
On top of that, Safe Space also provides its therapists with training in keynote speaking to help them hold educational webinars.
“It helps them break down the stigma, and explains the benefits of therapy. Our clients learn a lot from these sessions.”
However, therapists still need to be adequately compensated — even if costs are kept low, says Antoinette.
“These people take on everyone’s trauma for eight to 12 hours a day to help them feel better.”
Covering S’pore’s Mental Health Needs
To date, Safe Space has served 1,275 clients. The platform is gradually growing as more shift to utilising online mental health services during the pandemic.
The end-goal is to build an end-to-end mental health ecosystem, where all services are interconnected.
“Picture somebody with an eating disorder. They need counselling, a nutritionist, and a physical therapist or fitness instructor to help them get their health back on track,” Antoinette explains.
Safe Space Team / Image Credit: Facebook / Safe Space
Safe Space also plans to expand its range of mental health services. That includes bringing more mental health professionals aboard, including psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists.
Eventually, that will allow Safe Space to dispense medication and treat mental illnesses that require long-term intervention.
Singapore has come a long way in the past five years, says Antoinette. There’s greater awareness and openness to mental health issues but the country is only at the “starting line”.
“Our goal is to be the startup that covers everything — so long as it’s a mental health concern. ”
The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group announced yesterday (September 10) that it will cut around 4,300 positions across its three airlines, Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and Scoot.
However, the number of employees affected may be cut down to 2,400 due to several measures.
For example, a “recruitment freeze” in March meant that many open vacancies were unfilled.
Furthermore, A Voluntary Release Scheme (VRS) was also offered to cabin crew who might have had personal reasons to leave the company.
“Collectively, these measures have allowed the Group to eliminate some 1,900 positions,” said the company.
As a result, the potential job cuts may be reduced to 2,400 in Singapore and across SIA’s overseas bases.
In a media release, the SIA Group said that it would work closely with the affected cabin crew to finalise the arrangements “as soon as possible for those affected” and try to “minimise the stress and anxiety” they face.
In a Facebook post, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said the government would help support the staff affected by SIA’s job cuts.
He noted how the aviation sector had received the “strongest support from the government”, but the layoffs could not be prolonged anymore.
“SIA has also raised significant capital with the support of its majority shareholder. They have delayed this workforce reduction as long as they can, but with air travel decimated by COVID-19, this has unfortunately become inevitable,” said Mr Ong.
Operating At Under 50 Per Cent Of Capacity
Image Credit: Skift
In March this year, the airline said it would will operate only 50 per cent of its scheduled capacity up to the end of April.
It expects to continue operating at under 50 per cent of its capacity compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The airline noted that industry experts forecasted that passenger traffic would not return to what it was before until around 2024.
“Relative to most major airlines in the world, the SIA Group is in an even more vulnerable position as it does not have a domestic market that will be the first to see a recovery,” it said.
Indeed, Singapore’s small land area renders it unnecessary for the domestic flights that other airlines operate.
The Long Road To Recovery
Since March 2020, more than 6,000 of the 27,000 staff from the Singapore Airlines have taken up no-pay leaves.
The airline then said that it had been arranging temporary and secondary job placements for its staff.
This was part of the myriad of cost-cutting measures that the airline employed to stay afloat as the pandemic raged on.
In August, the group announced that all staff below the managerial level would receive a 10 per cent pay cut. Those with more senior positions received higher pay cuts, with the CEO getting his salary slashed by 35 per cent.
This year, the airline reported a record S$1.12 billion net loss in the first quarter.
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