Plant-based diets are becoming increasingly popular as concerns about health and the environment have grown, with many meat substitute products hitting the grocery store shelves. What is it like being in this game, and how do you compete with the crowd? Alex Ward, COO of Next Gen, a plant-based food tech company, discusses that and more.



Image Credit: zarzamora | Shutterstock

Plant-based diets are becoming increasingly popular as concerns about health and the environment have grown, with many meat substitute products hitting the grocery store shelves. What is it like being in this game, and how do you compete with the crowd? Alex Ward, COO of Next Gen, a plant-based food tech company, discusses that and more.

Image Credit: zarzamora | Shutterstock

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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.

The Next Gen Of Plant-Based Food

The Hooton Retreat is a premium glamping and eco-tourism site in Negeri Sembilan. 

By leveraging its direct adjacency to a permanent forest reserve, the business positions itself as a distraction-free destination for high-spending tourists and corporate leadership teams.



Founded in September 2018, the completely bootstrapped operation has scaled to generate 7-figure annual revenues and was recently recognised by Tourism Malaysia as a primary touristic highlight in the state.



Founder Bryan Gan joins us to discuss the capital efficiency required to build a glamping site, the operational challenges of executing massive outdoor festivals, and the strategic roadmap to position the entire brand for a high-value acquisition within the next five years.

The Hooton Retreat is a premium glamping and eco-tourism site in Negeri Sembilan.&nbsp;By leveraging its direct adjacency to a permanent forest reserve, the business positions itself as a distraction-free destination for high-spending tourists and corporate leadership teams.Founded in September 2018, the completely bootstrapped operation has scaled to generate 7-figure annual revenues and was recently recognised by Tourism Malaysia as a primary touristic highlight in the state.Founder Bryan Gan joins us to discuss the capital efficiency required to build a glamping site, the operational challenges of executing massive outdoor festivals, and the strategic roadmap to position the entire brand for a high-value acquisition within the next five years.

Getting High-Spending Tourists to Sleep in the Forest

Transforming a creative passion into a sustainable business requires strict pricing strategies and solid operational systems. Lakhshmi Priya Suppiah, a former interior architect, launched Ministry of Cakes to build a full-time, bootstrapped bakery brand specialising in premium, custom-designed celebration cakes.



Today, the business generates up to RM300,000 in annual revenue and services major corporate clients, navigating the difficult transition from a home-based kitchen to a physical cafe and event space.



Lakhshmi joins us to discuss the financial mechanics of the premium baking industry, the unit economics of highly customised orders, the operational challenges of executing massive corporate catering events, and the strategy required to scale a creative, design-heavy business without relying solely on the founder.

Transforming a creative passion into a sustainable business requires strict pricing strategies and solid operational systems. Lakhshmi Priya Suppiah, a former interior architect, launched Ministry of Cakes to build a full-time, bootstrapped bakery brand specialising in premium, custom-designed celebration cakes.Today, the business generates up to RM300,000 in annual revenue and services major corporate clients, navigating the difficult transition from a home-based kitchen to a physical cafe and event space.Lakhshmi joins us to discuss the financial mechanics of the premium baking industry, the unit economics of highly customised orders, the operational challenges of executing massive corporate catering events, and the strategy required to scale a creative, design-heavy business without relying solely on the founder.

Baking Cakes That Actually Taste As Good As They Look

Founded in 2020, TYMBA Education Group entered the market to address low pass rates and limited access to accounting qualifications outside major cities in Malaysia. Originally operating as a bootstrapped entity, the company has since achieved 55% year-on-year revenue growth and expanded its footprint across five ASEAN countries.



Recently, TYMBA secured a RM10 million investment from VentureTECH to aggressively scale its proprietary digital learning platform, TYMBAFlex, and deepen its regional presence.



CEO Airil Razali returns to Open For Business to share the company's evolution. We discuss the financial mechanics of transitioning from a bootstrapped startup to an institutionally funded EdTech group, the operational challenge of maintaining ACCA Platinum standards across borders, and whether TYMBA has successfully moved the needle on local demographic representation in the accounting sector since his last interview.

Founded in 2020, TYMBA Education Group entered the market to address low pass rates and limited access to accounting qualifications outside major cities in Malaysia. Originally operating as a bootstrapped entity, the company has since achieved 55% year-on-year revenue growth and expanded its footprint across five ASEAN countries.Recently, TYMBA secured a RM10 million investment from VentureTECH to aggressively scale its proprietary digital learning platform, TYMBAFlex, and deepen its regional presence.CEO Airil Razali returns to Open For Business to share the company's evolution. We discuss the financial mechanics of transitioning from a bootstrapped startup to an institutionally funded EdTech group, the operational challenge of maintaining ACCA Platinum standards across borders, and whether TYMBA has successfully moved the needle on local demographic representation in the accounting sector since his last interview.

The Next Gen Of Plant-Based Food

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