From Musang King durian to Vietnamese coffee, XO-ice have blended the best of Asia with the craftsmanship of Italy, creating gelato that’s lower in calories, lower in sugar, and higher in protein, and yes, you can eat it straight from the freezer. Jennifer Lee and Donatien Monod, the co-founders of XO-ice, join us to talk about turning an indulgence into something you can enjoy with a little less guilt and a lot more flavour.

From Musang King durian to Vietnamese coffee, XO-ice have blended the best of Asia with the craftsmanship of Italy, creating gelato that’s lower in calories, lower in sugar, and higher in protein, and yes, you can eat it straight from the freezer. Jennifer Lee and Donatien Monod, the co-founders of XO-ice, join us to talk about turning an indulgence into something you can enjoy with a little less guilt and a lot more flavour.

The flagship entrepreneurship show on BFM, featuring personal business stories from early stage start-ups, all the way to billionaire octogenarians in Malaysia and abroad. Notable guests include Martin Cooper (father of the mobile phone), Julian Assange (founder of WikiLeaks), Ralph Henry Baer (father of video games), Tony Buzan (Mindmap Guru), Isaac Tigrett (Hard Rock Cafe founder), Robert Kiyosaki (Financial Guru), Nick Vujicic (motivational speaker) and more. Tap into this valuable resource of shared experiences for the SME industry, which also touches on news, issues and trends affecting the business community and beyond.

Open For Business

Discover fresh concepts, tackle obstacles, and unleash growth - Open For Business is the dynamic show where BFM engages with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and industry trailblazers, igniting inspiration, sparking success, and exploring new business models.

Asian Flavours, Italian Craft, and a Healthier Scoop of Gelato

In Southeast Asia, nearly 40% of food is wasted before it ever reaches the consumer. Much of this spoilage happens in the "last mile"—the chaotic journey between massive edge-of-city cold warehouses and the neighborhood restaurants, wet markets, and food courts that actually serve the community. For these SMEs, traditional cold rooms are a financial nightmare, often demanding over RM50,000 in upfront capital for equipment that frequently breaks down.



Founded in 2024, Polar Cold is replacing this broken system with a decentralised network of hyperlocal, energy-efficient cold rooms. Co-founders Jonathan Harvey and Joe Khoo have built a rental model that provides SMEs with industrial-grade, IoT-monitored cold storage for a fixed monthly fee.



Joe join us to unpack the operational reality of Hardware-as-a-Service, the hidden costs of tropical refrigeration, and their upcoming expansion into Malaysia.

In Southeast Asia, nearly 40% of food is wasted before it ever reaches the consumer. Much of this spoilage happens in the "last mile"—the chaotic journey between massive edge-of-city cold warehouses and the neighborhood restaurants, wet markets, and food courts that actually serve the community. For these SMEs, traditional cold rooms are a financial nightmare, often demanding over RM50,000 in upfront capital for equipment that frequently breaks down.Founded in 2024, Polar Cold is replacing this broken system with a decentralised network of hyperlocal, energy-efficient cold rooms. Co-founders Jonathan Harvey and Joe Khoo have built a rental model that provides SMEs with industrial-grade, IoT-monitored cold storage for a fixed monthly fee.Joe join us to unpack the operational reality of Hardware-as-a-Service, the hidden costs of tropical refrigeration, and their upcoming expansion into Malaysia.

Polar Cold: The Agritech Startup Rebuilding Urban Refrigeration

In 2023, after years of utilising seed and VC funding to scale their operations, BloomThis co-founders Penny Choo and Giden Lim executed a rare strategic move: they bought their company back. Today, the fully independent, vertically integrated floral and gifting e-commerce platform is generating 8-figure annual revenues with healthy 7-figure profit margins across Malaysia and Singapore.



Penny joins us to dissect the hard metrics behind their success. We scrutinise the unit economics of a perishable supply chain, how to protect brand equity against the cheap discounting of TikTok social commerce, and the strategy behind driving customer retention in an industry reliant on episodic, once-a-year purchases.

In 2023, after years of utilising seed and VC funding to scale their operations, BloomThis co-founders Penny Choo and Giden Lim executed a rare strategic move: they bought their company back. Today, the fully independent, vertically integrated floral and gifting e-commerce platform is generating 8-figure annual revenues with healthy 7-figure profit margins across Malaysia and Singapore.Penny joins us to dissect the hard metrics behind their success. We scrutinise the unit economics of a perishable supply chain, how to protect brand equity against the cheap discounting of TikTok social commerce, and the strategy behind driving customer retention in an industry reliant on episodic, once-a-year purchases.

Life After VC: How BloomThis Scaled to 8 Figures Solo

Perimenopause is rarely discussed in boardrooms, yet it causes 1 in 4 women to consider leaving the workforce — often at the absolute peak of their careers and earning potential.



Joanne Ho knows this firsthand. After successfully building Malaysia’s first retail cupcake chain - Cupcake Chic, and scaling an online flower delivery business - Happy Bunch, Joanne found herself stepping away from her work. She assumed she was dealing with severe executive burnout. In reality, she was experiencing perimenopause.



Realising that millions of women lack the language, awareness, and access to personalised hormonal care, she launched Menopause Asia in October 2025. The bootstrapped digital health platform connects midlife women directly with licensed doctors for hormone therapy, metabolic health programmes, and lifestyle support.



Joanne shares the emotional and strategic journey of building a health-tech startup, plus the steep learning curve of entering a regulated medical space, and why supporting women through midlife is not just a healthcare issue, but a critical corporate retention strategy.

Perimenopause is rarely discussed in boardrooms, yet it causes 1 in 4 women to consider leaving the workforce — often at the absolute peak of their careers and earning potential.Joanne Ho knows this firsthand. After successfully building Malaysia’s first retail cupcake chain - Cupcake Chic, and scaling an online flower delivery business - Happy Bunch, Joanne found herself stepping away from her work. She assumed she was dealing with severe executive burnout. In reality, she was experiencing perimenopause.Realising that millions of women lack the language, awareness, and access to personalised hormonal care, she launched Menopause Asia in October 2025. The bootstrapped digital health platform connects midlife women directly with licensed doctors for hormone therapy, metabolic health programmes, and lifestyle support.Joanne shares the emotional and strategic journey of building a health-tech startup, plus the steep learning curve of entering a regulated medical space, and why supporting women through midlife is not just a healthcare issue, but a critical corporate retention strategy.

Asian Flavours, Italian Craft, and a Healthier Scoop of Gelato

In 1 playlist(s)

Open For Business

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips