Grace Oh, Founder of Sol Menopause, Asia’s medically reviewed menopause app, shares how her platform is changing the way women manage midlife health at home, at work, and beyond. Designed to be both evidence-based and community-driven, Sol aims to break the stigma around menopause by providing women with trustworthy guidance, holistic support, and a space to understand and advocate for their wellbeing. We discuss what led Grace to create Sol, how she’s aiming to tackle one of healthcare’s most underserved conversations, and what it means to build a business that’s both purpose-driven and data-informed.



Image Credit: Shutterstock

Grace Oh, Founder of Sol Menopause, Asia’s medically reviewed menopause app, shares how her platform is changing the way women manage midlife health at home, at work, and beyond. Designed to be both evidence-based and community-driven, Sol aims to break the stigma around menopause by providing women with trustworthy guidance, holistic support, and a space to understand and advocate for their wellbeing. We discuss what led Grace to create Sol, how she’s aiming to tackle one of healthcare’s most underserved conversations, and what it means to build a business that’s both purpose-driven and data-informed.Image Credit: Shutterstock

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.

Sol's Vision to Break Stigmas Around Menopause

Founded in 2018, Sagtec Global Limited was a three-person operation in Kuala Lumpur, aiming to digitise Malaysia's F&B sector. Fast forward to March 2025, and Sagtec listed on the NASDAQ at an IPO price of $3.60. But the public markets have been unforgiving, the stock has since lost nearly 50% of its value.



Kevin joins BFM to unpack the realities of a NASDAQ listing. We discuss why he spent $2.1 million (nearly 30% of his raised capital) on listing fees, why he chose the US over a local exchange for "branding and credibility," and how he plans to recover shareholder confidence.



We discuss:




The Origin Story: Why Kevin quit a stable job in 2018 to digitize an industry still relying on handwritten orders, and how the pandemic became his biggest tailwind.


The NASDAQ Reality Check: Why list in the US? Kevin defends the decision as a branding play to open doors in markets like Thailand, despite the stock’s poor performance and lack of US investor understanding.


The $2.1 Million Lesson: The true cost of listing and why Kevin admits he underestimated the need for Investor Relations (IR) post-IPO.


From SaaS to RaaS: The shift to "Robot-as-a-Service." How Sagtec plans to deploy robotic arms for cooking and prep to generate recurring revenue from multi-chain restaurants.


The AI Pivot: Is it just buzzwords? Kevin explains how they are integrating AI not for chat, but for data analytics, helping restaurant owners identify best-selling items and peak hours automatically.


Risk Management: Addressing the concentration risk where 3 customers make up 60% of revenue and 2 vendors account for 60% of costs, and the plan to diversify through direct sales.

Founded in 2018, Sagtec Global Limited was a three-person operation in Kuala Lumpur, aiming to digitise Malaysia's F&amp;B sector. Fast forward to March 2025, and Sagtec listed on the NASDAQ at an IPO price of $3.60. But the public markets have been unforgiving, the stock has since lost nearly 50% of its value.Kevin joins BFM to unpack the realities of a NASDAQ listing. We discuss why he spent $2.1 million (nearly 30% of his raised capital) on listing fees, why he chose the US over a local exchange for "branding and credibility," and how he plans to recover shareholder confidence.We discuss:<ul><li>The Origin Story: Why Kevin quit a stable job in 2018 to digitize an industry still relying on handwritten orders, and how the pandemic became his biggest tailwind.</li><li>The NASDAQ Reality Check: Why list in the US? Kevin defends the decision as a branding play to open doors in markets like Thailand, despite the stock’s poor performance and lack of US investor understanding.</li><li>The $2.1 Million Lesson: The true cost of listing and why Kevin admits he underestimated the need for Investor Relations (IR) post-IPO.</li><li>From SaaS to RaaS: The shift to "Robot-as-a-Service." How Sagtec plans to deploy robotic arms for cooking and prep to generate recurring revenue from multi-chain restaurants.</li><li>The AI Pivot: Is it just buzzwords? Kevin explains how they are integrating AI not for chat, but for data analytics, helping restaurant owners identify best-selling items and peak hours automatically.</li><li>Risk Management: Addressing the concentration risk where 3 customers make up 60% of revenue and 2 vendors account for 60% of costs, and the plan to diversify through direct sales.</li></ul>

Sagtec: From POS Systems to NASDAQ & A 50% Stock Drop

On this episode of Open For Business, we speak with Paul Dass, Managing Director of Green Street Farms, about what it means to grow food with care in the heart of a city.



Green Street Farms uses aquaponics, a natural system where fish and plants support one another, to produce fresh food while working in rhythm with nature. But beyond the method, this is a story about intention: choosing to grow slowly, thoughtfully, and in a way that stays connected to the people who eat the food.



Paul shares the personal journey behind the farm, the lessons learned from working with living systems, and how reconnecting people to where their food comes from can quietly change how we think about nourishment, responsibility, and care.

On this episode of Open For Business, we speak with Paul Dass, Managing Director of Green Street Farms, about what it means to grow food with care in the heart of a city.Green Street Farms uses aquaponics, a natural system where fish and plants support one another, to produce fresh food while working in rhythm with nature. But beyond the method, this is a story about intention: choosing to grow slowly, thoughtfully, and in a way that stays connected to the people who eat the food.Paul shares the personal journey behind the farm, the lessons learned from working with living systems, and how reconnecting people to where their food comes from can quietly change how we think about nourishment, responsibility, and care.

Greening The Grey — A Farm In The City

Startup accelerators are everywhere, but few operate like AppWorks. Based in Taiwan with a sizable footprint in Southeast Asia, the firm runs an accelerator that takes zero equity and charges zero fees, a model sustained by its associated VC funds.



Alyssa Chen, Principal of the AppWorks Accelerator, joins BFM to explain how this "founder-first" model acts as the top-of-funnel engine for an ecosystem that has raised $6.6 billion in funding across 650 active startups.



We dive into their strategic pivot for 2026, targeting "outlier" founders in Manufacturing AI, Defense Tech, and Onchain Banking, and how they are building a cross-border corridor linking Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore.



We discuss:


The "Freemium" Model: How AppWorks sustains a fee-free, equity-free accelerator by using it as a high-quality deal flow pipeline for its VC funds.


Vetting "Outliers": Why a free program still requires a grueling 30-question application and interview process to filter out value-seekers and find true execution-focused founders.


The 2026 "Request for Startups": Why AppWorks is pivoting to hard tech. Alyssa explains the focus on Manufacturing AI (leveraging Taiwan’s hardware strength), Defense Tech (dual-use commercial applications), and Onchain Banking.


The Southeast Asia Thesis: Despite the region's "exit bottleneck," Alyssa argues that the ecosystem is maturing, with founders shifting from "growth at all costs" to profitability and cash flow.


The Taiwan-Malaysia Bridge: How AppWorks is actively linking markets, using Taiwan for R&D and revenue, Singapore for capital and legal structure, and Malaysia for talent and team building.


Alumni Power: How a network of 2,000+ founders (including 900 CEOs) drives the ecosystem, with 570 active startups helping each other navigate fundraising and expansion.

Startup accelerators are everywhere, but few operate like AppWorks. Based in Taiwan with a sizable footprint in Southeast Asia, the firm runs an accelerator that takes zero equity and charges zero fees, a model sustained by its associated VC funds.Alyssa Chen, Principal of the AppWorks Accelerator, joins BFM to explain how this "founder-first" model acts as the top-of-funnel engine for an ecosystem that has raised $6.6 billion in funding across 650 active startups.We dive into their strategic pivot for 2026, targeting "outlier" founders in Manufacturing AI, Defense Tech, and Onchain Banking, and how they are building a cross-border corridor linking Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore.We discuss:<ul><li>The "Freemium" Model: How AppWorks sustains a fee-free, equity-free accelerator by using it as a high-quality deal flow pipeline for its VC funds.</li><li>Vetting "Outliers": Why a free program still requires a grueling 30-question application and interview process to filter out value-seekers and find true execution-focused founders.</li><li>The 2026 "Request for Startups": Why AppWorks is pivoting to hard tech. Alyssa explains the focus on Manufacturing AI (leveraging Taiwan’s hardware strength), Defense Tech (dual-use commercial applications), and Onchain Banking.</li><li>The Southeast Asia Thesis: Despite the region's "exit bottleneck," Alyssa argues that the ecosystem is maturing, with founders shifting from "growth at all costs" to profitability and cash flow.</li><li>The Taiwan-Malaysia Bridge: How AppWorks is actively linking markets, using Taiwan for R&amp;D and revenue, Singapore for capital and legal structure, and Malaysia for talent and team building.</li><li>Alumni Power: How a network of 2,000+ founders (including 900 CEOs) drives the ecosystem, with 570 active startups helping each other navigate fundraising and expansion.</li></ul>

Sol's Vision to Break Stigmas Around Menopause

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