Evolet is a home-grown digital platform that provides secure salary management for employers, as well as financial access and savings for the unbanked. We catch up with Founder and CEO Johnson Yu to discuss the challenges in serving the needs of unbanked Malaysians and the migrant workforce in the country, how they plan to digitalise the underserved segment of the population, and how all of this started with a conversation with a grass cutter.



Image Credit: Julia Tim

Evolet is a home-grown digital platform that provides secure salary management for employers, as well as financial access and savings for the unbanked. We catch up with Founder and CEO Johnson Yu to discuss the challenges in serving the needs of unbanked Malaysians and the migrant workforce in the country, how they plan to digitalise the underserved segment of the population, and how all of this started with a conversation with a grass cutter.

Image Credit: Julia Tim

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.

Digitalising the Nation’s Unbanked 

Like many founders, entrepreneurship wasn’t in the plans for Selina – she always wanted to become a doctor, and the dream was to become an Intensive Care Unit specialist. Unfortunately that dream came to an end around 8 years ago after she experienced a slipped disc, but reportedly didn't have the support she needed to recover.



She told the Vulcan Post that when she asked to be assigned lighter duties for three months as she healed, she was told she did not have a future in the anaesthesiology and ICU departments anymore, and that she should just leave and find something else to do. And this eventually led to Disruptive Doctors, a platform for doctors to connect with other like-minded doctors within the community, find mentors within their sector, upskill themselves through their academy, and find jobs.



We speak to Dr. Selina Chew to dive further into her entrepreneurial story, the shift from doctor to startup founder, the business potential here, and her ambitions ahead for this platform.

Like many founders, entrepreneurship wasn’t in the plans for Selina – she always wanted to become a doctor, and the dream was to become an Intensive Care Unit specialist. Unfortunately that dream came to an end around 8 years ago after she experienced a slipped disc, but reportedly didn't have the support she needed to recover.She told the Vulcan Post that when she asked to be assigned lighter duties for three months as she healed, she was told she did not have a future in the anaesthesiology and ICU departments anymore, and that she should just leave and find something else to do. And this eventually led to Disruptive Doctors, a platform for doctors to connect with other like-minded doctors within the community, find mentors within their sector, upskill themselves through their academy, and find jobs.We speak to Dr. Selina Chew to dive further into her entrepreneurial story, the shift from doctor to startup founder, the business potential here, and her ambitions ahead for this platform.

Disruptive Doctors: Connecting & Upskilling Forward-Thinking Doctors

Today on the show, we speak with Manickavasagam Palaniandy, Founder of Lean Partner–they’re a boutique consulting firm that specialises in Agile Operation Transformational Management, providing consultations in operational excellence, as well as training & certifications.



Lean Partner was founded back in 2013 and they have executed more than 2800 projects delivering more than US$ 100 million of total value with a client portfolio of over 200 organisations.



This includes the likes of Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and government-linked corporations across multiple countries in both the ASEAN and European regions that achieve a minimum of 10x ROI.



In today’s discussion, Manicka shares his 24 years of experience in the industry, emphasising on Lean Partner's commitment to driving growth and digitalisation in various industries, and how their unique approach to consultancy sets them apart in a competitive field.

Today on the show, we speak with Manickavasagam Palaniandy, Founder of Lean Partner–they’re a boutique consulting firm that specialises in Agile Operation Transformational Management, providing consultations in operational excellence, as well as training &amp; certifications.Lean Partner was founded back in 2013 and they have executed more than 2800 projects delivering more than US$ 100 million of total value with a client portfolio of over 200 organisations.This includes the likes of Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and government-linked corporations across multiple countries in both the ASEAN and European regions that achieve a minimum of 10x ROI.In today’s discussion, Manicka shares his 24 years of experience in the industry, emphasising on Lean Partner's commitment to driving growth and digitalisation in various industries, and how their unique approach to consultancy sets them apart in a competitive field.

Lean Partner - 10 Years Of Operational Excellence

Founded in 2014, Bateriku.com wants to list in 2027, hit revenue of RM170 million in 2024, and continue to expand its margins and profitability.



On this episode of Open For Business, we speak to Founder and CEO Azarol Faizi about the 10 years journey and how his previous OEM business led to Bateriku.com, the evolution from car battery replacement service to an ecosystem, its plans for growth and how to expand margins, how the funds raised will be used, and its 2027 IPO aims.



Bateriku.com started as an on-demand car battery replacement service provider in Malaysia and has evolved into an ecosystem that connects car users to roadside assistance, trusted workshops, auto parts marketplace and ancillary services. 



The company has served close to 1.5 million car owners and made RM95 million revenue in 2023, clocking in double-digit EBITDA and single-digit Profit After Tax (PAT). Bateriku expects to hit RM170 million this year.



Announced on April 1st, Bateriku.com successfully raised RM10.1 million in funding through a joint investment by VentureTECH and VentureTECH SBI, as part of a RM37 million funding round. Other investors for this round include KWAP and Gobi Partners. This was only their second round in 10 years of business. The first external funding round was an RM10 million round in 2022 from Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad.

Founded in 2014, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://Bateriku.com">Bateriku.com</a> wants to list in 2027, hit revenue of RM170 million in 2024, and continue to expand its margins and profitability.On this episode of Open For Business, we speak to Founder and CEO Azarol Faizi about the 10 years journey and how his previous OEM business led to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://Bateriku.com">Bateriku.com</a>, the evolution from car battery replacement service to an ecosystem, its plans for growth and how to expand margins, how the funds raised will be used, and its 2027 IPO aims.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://Bateriku.com">Bateriku.com</a> started as an on-demand car battery replacement service provider in Malaysia and has evolved into an ecosystem that connects car users to roadside assistance, trusted workshops, auto parts marketplace and ancillary services. The company has served close to 1.5 million car owners and made RM95 million revenue in 2023, clocking in double-digit EBITDA and single-digit Profit After Tax (PAT). Bateriku expects to hit RM170 million this year.Announced on April 1st, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://Bateriku.com">Bateriku.com</a> successfully raised RM10.1 million in funding through a joint investment by VentureTECH and VentureTECH SBI, as part of a RM37 million funding round. Other investors for this round include KWAP and Gobi Partners. This was only their second round in 10 years of business. The first external funding round was an RM10 million round in 2022 from Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad.

Digitalising the Nation’s Unbanked

In 1 playlist(s)

Open For Business

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips