Unicorn insurtech Bolttech has raised over US$600 million to build its global B2B2C insurance distribution platform, which now processes US$85 billion in quoted annual premiums and operates across 39 markets.



Rob Schimek, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Bolttech, joins BFM’s Open For Business to discuss his transition from corporate leadership at AIG to pioneering embedded protection technology.



He explains how Bolttech's orchestration layer enables telecom partners, retailers, and device makers to offer tailored protection products, details the capital-intensive infrastructure required to scale across four continents, and outlines the company's financial transition toward sustained EBITDA profitability and self-funded growth.

Unicorn insurtech Bolttech has raised over US$600 million to build its global B2B2C insurance distribution platform, which now processes US$85 billion in quoted annual premiums and operates across 39 markets.Rob Schimek, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Bolttech, joins BFM’s Open For Business to discuss his transition from corporate leadership at AIG to pioneering embedded protection technology.He explains how Bolttech's orchestration layer enables telecom partners, retailers, and device makers to offer tailored protection products, details the capital-intensive infrastructure required to scale across four continents, and outlines the company's financial transition toward sustained EBITDA profitability and self-funded growth.

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.

Bolttech: Building a US$2.1B Insurtech Platform

Founded twelve years ago, Rhymba Hills has steadily grown into a highly decorated, internationally recognised premium botanical infusion brand. The fully bootstrapped business has secured the prestigious Great Taste Award in the UK and a gourmet award in Paris, while successfully exporting to highly competitive markets including London, Japan, and Dubai. The company has also been appointed as a Strategic Partner for Visit Malaysia Year 2026 and currently supplies premium raw materials to one of the largest tea companies in the country.



Despite the string of global achievements, the operational reality of the business tells a story of immense entrepreneurial endurance. Rhymba Hills is profitable and successfully holds premium retail shelf space, yet after more than a decade of grinding through gruelling two-year sales cycles and overcoming constant rejection, the business still generates under a million ringgit in annual revenue. Founder Ciinndey Wong has navigated the long-steeped growth entirely on her own terms, fighting through self-doubt and the constant pressure of making payroll to keep her vision alive.



Ciinndey joins us for an unusually candid conversation about the harsh realities of slow business growth and what it genuinely costs to survive a twelve-year entrepreneurial journey. We explore the mental fortitude required to keep going when the financial scale does not immediately match the global accolades, as well as the challenges of acquiring customers in a highly traditional beverage market. We also unpack her upcoming export push into Europe and Hong Kong and discuss what the ultimate endgame looks like for a founder who refuses to quit.

Founded twelve years ago, Rhymba Hills has steadily grown into a highly decorated, internationally recognised premium botanical infusion brand. The fully bootstrapped business has secured the prestigious Great Taste Award in the UK and a gourmet award in Paris, while successfully exporting to highly competitive markets including London, Japan, and Dubai. The company has also been appointed as a Strategic Partner for Visit Malaysia Year 2026 and currently supplies premium raw materials to one of the largest tea companies in the country.Despite the string of global achievements, the operational reality of the business tells a story of immense entrepreneurial endurance. Rhymba Hills is profitable and successfully holds premium retail shelf space, yet after more than a decade of grinding through gruelling two-year sales cycles and overcoming constant rejection, the business still generates under a million ringgit in annual revenue. Founder Ciinndey Wong has navigated the long-steeped growth entirely on her own terms, fighting through self-doubt and the constant pressure of making payroll to keep her vision alive.Ciinndey joins us for an unusually candid conversation about the harsh realities of slow business growth and what it genuinely costs to survive a twelve-year entrepreneurial journey. We explore the mental fortitude required to keep going when the financial scale does not immediately match the global accolades, as well as the challenges of acquiring customers in a highly traditional beverage market. We also unpack her upcoming export push into Europe and Hong Kong and discuss what the ultimate endgame looks like for a founder who refuses to quit.

Taking the Long Steep Approach to Business

Grub by Ahong & Friends is a wildly popular, no-frills steakhouse tucked away in a shophouse behind Happy Mansion in Section 17, Petaling Jaya. Operating with a partially self-service model, and limited seating that strictly demands advance booking, the restaurant serves up premium cuts ranging from New Zealand striploin and Wagyu to Beef Wellington. The core menu is intentionally limited, supplemented by a rotating set of specials driven entirely by what Ahong feels inspired to cook.



Funded by family and friends, the business generates six-figure revenue and has achieved early-stage profitability. However, the operational reality of running an independent restaurant is intensely demanding. Founder Ahong controls almost every single detail of the business himself, to the point where simply keeping the doors open is considered his biggest milestone of the past year. 



The fiercely outspoken Ahong talks to us about the industry's toughest issues, offering sharp critiques on the hidden costs of underpriced food, the damage influencers can inflict on genuine hospitality, and the urgent need to build sustainable career paths for culinary professionals.

Grub by Ahong &amp; Friends is a wildly popular, no-frills steakhouse tucked away in a shophouse behind Happy Mansion in Section 17, Petaling Jaya. Operating with a partially self-service model, and limited seating that strictly demands advance booking, the restaurant serves up premium cuts ranging from New Zealand striploin and Wagyu to Beef Wellington. The core menu is intentionally limited, supplemented by a rotating set of specials driven entirely by what Ahong feels inspired to cook.Funded by family and friends, the business generates six-figure revenue and has achieved early-stage profitability. However, the operational reality of running an independent restaurant is intensely demanding. Founder Ahong controls almost every single detail of the business himself, to the point where simply keeping the doors open is considered his biggest milestone of the past year.&nbsp;The fiercely outspoken Ahong talks to us about the industry's toughest issues, offering sharp critiques on the hidden costs of underpriced food, the damage influencers can inflict on genuine hospitality, and the urgent need to build sustainable career paths for culinary professionals.

An Honest Conversation About Running a Grub Business With Ahong

If you sell products in a physical supermarket, decades of established tracking by companies like Nielsen ensure you know exactly how much product moved, your market share, and what your competitors charged. But in the Southeast Asian e-commerce sector, a market that generated US$157 billion in gross merchandise value last year, that clarity completely vanishes. With product listings constantly changing, sellers bundling items into single SKUs, and categories named differently across six countries and six languages, the online market lacks a single source of truth.



After spending a decade navigating this, Simon Torring partnered with former McKinsey advisor Sarabjit Singh to build a solution. Founded in 2022, their data company Cube successfully estimates online sales down to the individual SKU level. Today, the platform serves over 20 enterprise clients, including L'Oréal and IKEA, and has grown to a team of more than 70 staff. Following a US$3.7 million Series A funding round in April 2026 led by Betatron Venture Group, the company is now preparing to push its analytics into North Asia and Latin America.



Simon joins us to discuss the harsh realities of building a data business in a highly fragmented market that actively resists being measured. We explore the economics of running an enterprise subscription model, the early failures while finding product-market fit, the integration of AI, and their ultimate endgame as a global data company.

If you sell products in a physical supermarket, decades of established tracking by companies like Nielsen ensure you know exactly how much product moved, your market share, and what your competitors charged. But in the Southeast Asian e-commerce sector, a market that generated US$157 billion in gross merchandise value last year, that clarity completely vanishes. With product listings constantly changing, sellers bundling items into single SKUs, and categories named differently across six countries and six languages, the online market lacks a single source of truth.After spending a decade navigating this, Simon Torring partnered with former McKinsey advisor Sarabjit Singh to build a solution. Founded in 2022, their data company Cube successfully estimates online sales down to the individual SKU level. Today, the platform serves over 20 enterprise clients, including L'Oréal and IKEA, and has grown to a team of more than 70 staff. Following a US$3.7 million Series A funding round in April 2026 led by Betatron Venture Group, the company is now preparing to push its analytics into North Asia and Latin America.Simon joins us to discuss the harsh realities of building a data business in a highly fragmented market that actively resists being measured. We explore the economics of running an enterprise subscription model, the early failures while finding product-market fit, the integration of AI, and their ultimate endgame as a global data company.

Bolttech: Building a US$2.1B Insurtech Platform

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