The AI sector is frothy, filled with "wrappers" disguised as deep tech and companies blurring the line between innovation and snake oil. Yet, Agnes AI claims to be different. By combining a "Snapchat-style" social feed with an enterprise-grade productivity suite, they aim to capture the 99% of Southeast Asian users who aren't paying for ChatGPT.



Bruce Yang, Co-Founder and CEO, joins us to explain why Agnes AI is building a "mobile funnel" to drive desktop software sales. He breaks down their transition from Sapiens AI, their claim of "Sovereign AI" (training their own models rather than relying on APIs), and their ambitious goal to replace your entire office stack, from Word to Slack.



Image Credit: Shutterstock

The AI sector is frothy, filled with "wrappers" disguised as deep tech and companies blurring the line between innovation and snake oil. Yet, Agnes AI claims to be different. By combining a "Snapchat-style" social feed with an enterprise-grade productivity suite, they aim to capture the 99% of Southeast Asian users who aren't paying for ChatGPT.Bruce Yang, Co-Founder and CEO, joins us to explain why Agnes AI is building a "mobile funnel" to drive desktop software sales. He breaks down their transition from Sapiens AI, their claim of "Sovereign AI" (training their own models rather than relying on APIs), and their ambitious goal to replace your entire office stack, from Word to Slack.Image Credit: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-using-ai-his-cell-phone-2549619317?trackingId=c004a196-ab75-476e-bfd6-e4a7a01d7e5a">Shutterstock</a>

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.

Replacing Microsoft Office with Memes? Inside Agnes AI

The Southeast Asian payments landscape is a fierce battleground, crowded with global giants like Stripe and Adyen, regional heavyweights, and local gateways. Yet, HitPay has carved out a lucrative niche, processing over $1 billion annually for more than 10,000 businesses across the region.



CEO Aditya Haripurkar joins us to explain why the region needed an "SMB-first" payments player. He details HitPay’s journey from e-wallet and a Venmo parallel to securing a $16 million Series A led by Tiger Global, driven by a 100% compound annual growth rate.



We discuss:


The Boom: How HitPay went from processing $100k to $20 million monthly in under two years.


Differentiation: Why focusing on "omni-channel" and local payment methods beats the enterprise-first approach.


The Business Model: Why HitPay gives away POS software and website builders for free.


Capital Efficiency: processing $1 billion annually with a team of just 36 employees.

Future Trends: Why HitPay is integrating stablecoin payments for Singaporean merchants.

The Southeast Asian payments landscape is a fierce battleground, crowded with global giants like Stripe and Adyen, regional heavyweights, and local gateways. Yet, HitPay has carved out a lucrative niche, processing over $1 billion annually for more than 10,000 businesses across the region.CEO Aditya Haripurkar joins us to explain why the region needed an "SMB-first" payments player. He details HitPay’s journey from e-wallet and a Venmo parallel to securing a $16 million Series A led by Tiger Global, driven by a 100% compound annual growth rate.We discuss:<ul><li>The Boom: How HitPay went from processing $100k to $20 million monthly in under two years.</li><li>Differentiation: Why focusing on "omni-channel" and local payment methods beats the enterprise-first approach.</li><li>The Business Model: Why HitPay gives away POS software and website builders for free.</li><li>Capital Efficiency: processing $1 billion annually with a team of just 36 employees.</li></ul>Future Trends: Why HitPay is integrating stablecoin payments for Singaporean merchants.

Being SME-First: How HitPay Scaled to $1B Volumes

When most people think of buffets, they think of indulgence, not innovation. But for treatsure Co-Founder and CEO Preston Wong, surplus food became a business opportunity. After gaining traction in Singapore with its “buffet-in-a-box” concept, treatsure is now partnering with top hotels like The Westin and Grand Millennium to reduce food waste in Malaysia’s hospitality sector. In this episode, Preston shares how treatsure balances sustainability with profitability, and what it takes to scale a purpose-driven business across borders.

When most people think of buffets, they think of indulgence, not innovation. But for treatsure Co-Founder and CEO Preston Wong, surplus food became a business opportunity. After gaining traction in Singapore with its “buffet-in-a-box” concept, treatsure is now partnering with top hotels like The Westin and Grand Millennium to reduce food waste in Malaysia’s hospitality sector. In this episode, Preston shares how treatsure balances sustainability with profitability, and what it takes to scale a purpose-driven business across borders.

Turning Buffet Waste Into A Business

The non-bank lending industry, comprising licensed money lenders, pawnshops, and used car dealers, often operates on paper ledgers and Excel sheets. Johnny Tin, a former banking tech consultant, left his 9-to-5 to change that.



He joins us to discuss Arkmind, his company attempting to digitalise this unglamorous sector. We explore how Arkmind bootstrapped its way to RM1 million in annual revenue, the impact of the Consumer Credit Act, and how they are helping traditional lenders use AI to approve loans in hours instead of days.



We discuss:


Why non-bank lenders are still stuck on paper and physical ledgers.


Building an end-to-end digital lending system, from licensing to collection.


Bootstrapping from RM100k and pivoting from project fees to SaaS.


How Arkmind uses client data to build custom AI credit scoring engines.


Targeting 40% annual growth and expanding into Islamic loans and BNPL.

The non-bank lending industry, comprising licensed money lenders, pawnshops, and used car dealers, often operates on paper ledgers and Excel sheets. Johnny Tin, a former banking tech consultant, left his 9-to-5 to change that.He joins us to discuss Arkmind, his company attempting to digitalise this unglamorous sector. We explore how Arkmind bootstrapped its way to RM1 million in annual revenue, the impact of the Consumer Credit Act, and how they are helping traditional lenders use AI to approve loans in hours instead of days.We discuss:<ul><li>Why non-bank lenders are still stuck on paper and physical ledgers.</li><li>Building an end-to-end digital lending system, from licensing to collection.</li><li>Bootstrapping from RM100k and pivoting from project fees to SaaS.</li><li>How Arkmind uses client data to build custom AI credit scoring engines.</li><li>Targeting 40% annual growth and expanding into Islamic loans and BNPL.</li></ul>

Replacing Microsoft Office with Memes? Inside Agnes AI

In 1 playlist(s)

Open For Business

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips