Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the Malaysian economy and the source of its development. Unencumbered by the restrictions that pervade multinational corporations and free of the shackles of the tried and tested, these bright-eyed young entrepreneurs are out here blazing a trail of their own. Bubbling with an insatiable appetite for the innovative and possessing the ingenuity to make it happen, the future belongs to them and they are moulding it by the day. In this exciting new issue, Top 10 of Asia presents (in no particular order) its list of the ten most inspiring young entrepreneurs, showcasing Malaysia’s brightest young entrepreneurial minds and an insight into how each of them is shaping the world in their own special way.
Raudhah Nazran
Recently listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30 2022 Asia List, Raudhah Nazran is a Malaysian government scholar who graduated with honours in law from the United Kingdom (UK). She started her social entrepreneurship in the UK and served as the President and team leader of a UK-based social enterprise for 3 years, managing 104 members from different countries. In Malaysia, she has been given a seat on the advisory board of the Curriculum Development of the Polytechnic and College Community Malaysia, overseeing the module development for the Certificate of Business Operations, making her the youngest board member ever appointed. Raudhah is now the successful founder of Accelerate Global, a youth-led social enterprise aimed at developing underprivileged and marginalised youths through upskilling programmes.
Kevin Wu
Kevin is a five-time founder in the fields of private equity, management consulting, legal services, furniture retail, and food technology. As a trained British barrister and qualified lawyer, Kevin has proven experience in strategic planning, setting up teams, executing go-to-market plans, risk management, dispute resolution, fund allocation, liaising with various stakeholders from board level to executives and more. Collectively across his ventures, Kevin leads a team of over 40 full-time employees with 7 offices, retail stores, and warehouses across Malaysia and Singapore. Kevin’s accomplishments have been recognised by Forbes and industry peers among others.
Jack Yap
Jack Yap is the Co-founder of PHUTURE and has been a plant-based food advocate for more than ten years. A strong believer in utilizing the latest food technologies to develop nourishing foods, his primary goal is to help resolve the daily fibre deficiency of his fellow Malaysians. His favourite quote is “When you have enough fibre; anything is good”. Jack is also on a mission to take his food revolution to a greater scale, and hopes to make a significant impact towards the planet and food sustainability through the introduction of “Planet Friendly Food’. Apart from that, Jack is a seasoned F&B professional in his own right as well as an avid chef.
Ko Chuan Zhen
As Group CEO and Co-Founder of Plus Xnergy, Ko Chuan Zhen sets the group’s direction and strategy, ensuring that they are executed with a focus on getting results. His leadership combined with his passion and in-depth knowledge of clean energy has driven Plus Xnergy Group to become an industry leader and motivates a passionate and reliable team determined to achieve the company’s mission and vision. Ko has made a name for himself among young entrepreneurs who are shaping Asia’s future.
Lee Zhe Xi
A true food lover and always the one to finish off the leftovers in the fridge, Lee Zhe Xi’s childhood years were enjoyably spent standing next to his grandmother in the kitchen, prepping and cooking together. With a strong family bond strengthened by cooking and sharing meals together, he values food as more than something that just fills the stomach – but as a gesture of love taught by his parents. He had wanted to become a chef ever since he was 10 years old, working part-time at a noodle stall in his kampung. After graduating from Berjaya University as a certified chef, he seized the opportunity to work with masters of the fine dining scene. His keen eye for detail in his kitchen at Eat and Cook is apparent, ensuring everything under his care is conducted seamlessly.
Ong Yong Xun
Ong Yong Xun, who also goes by the name Zero Ong, is the Founder of JomStudy, an all-in-one SPM application for students to revise anywhere, anytime. Right after graduating from Form 6, Zero jumped straight into making his dream of JomStudy come true by self-learning how to create a mobile application. JomStudy gathered over 10,000 downloads within 4 months of launching and now it stands at over 150,000 app installations to date. His work has not only been recognised by multiple local media companies but also by Forbes, which named him the youngest Malaysian in the Forbes 30 under 30 for 2021.
Henry Ting
Henry Ting is the Founder and CEO of TTRacing, a leading gaming chair brand in Malaysia. TTRacing has now served more than 300,000 users, growing by triple digits year-on-year. The company expanded its operations to the Philippines in 2020. Having started an online retail gaming hardware company prior to founding TTRacing in 2017, Henry realised that people are spending more time in their chairs than on their beds and that there was a huge potential for ergonomic furniture, particularly for gaming chairs. Henry is constantly looking at ways to provide comfort to gamers by improving their ergonomics in an affordable manner and enhancing their performance over long hours of gaming. The company continues to increase its global footprint and build upon its success.
Tan Guan Sheng
Tan Guan Sheng started as a content creator on YouTube but soon found out how difficult it was for less known influencers like him to get noticed by brands. He launched Ittify in 2015 to help solve this problem: the Malaysia-based startup has built a network of more than 6,000 influencers, and it has developed softwares to match them with brands and analyse results from advertising campaigns. Ittify was acquired last year by Malaysian digital media group iMedia, with Tan staying on as chief executive and continuing to lead the company to greater success.
Elaine Hong
Coming from a background in fast fashion, Elaine Hong finds enjoyment in working with fabric. When the idea to create a sanitary pad for sensitive skin came to mind, she decided to experiment with different kinds of fabric to see which would fare best. Today, she is the founder of Enya, a brand selling Malaysia’s first organic sanitary pads for women with skin issues. The brand became famous after numerous customers shared positive feedback on social media about the product. What’s unique about Enya is that its products are distributed for free and customers are only required to pay for delivery fees.
Azalea Marzuki and Ong Suan Yean
Founders of Malaysian sustainable activewear fashion brand Terrae, Azalea Marzuki and Ong Suan Yean are fitness enthusiasts who have successfully created comfortable and stylish garments for women of all sizes. Made from a combination of organic cotton, deadstock fabric, and Econyl, Terrae keeps its users cool and comfortable while they get their sweat on. The duo offers a refreshing transparency of their entire process, demonstrating how the environment is taken into account at every step of the way, from fabric selection and design to their biodegradable tags and packaging.