Under The Radar

Bringing London's West End to the far reaches of the world. That’s what we are going to talk about today.  Our guest for today is the British Theatre Playhouse, a Singapore-incorporated theatre production company that has produced and presented a series of highly successful British productions in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and the UK. Since its founding in 2004, the company has brought in over 20 shows to Singapore through events such as charity galas and has moved into musicals of late.  But what are the reasons behind the moves to diversify? And to what extent does dollars and cents have a part to play? Meanwhile, the company is also currently exploring gamification and on demand theatre plays, after witnessing how the world came to a standstill during the pandemic.  To what extent can its on-demand offerings increase the monetisation of its theatre productions. Also - how will increased monetisation of its production help the firm gain more funding from investors? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian found out more about the ins and outs of the theatre production business from Cecilia Leong-Faulkner, Managing Director, British Theatre Playhouse.

Our guest for today will certainly ring a bell, especially if you love to print out all your electronic documents. Drumrolls - we are talking about FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corporation, also formerly known as Fuji Xerox before a rebranding exercise done between 2020 and 2021.  From a copier printer company back in the early 1990s, FUJIFILM Business Innovation has now evolved to meet the demands of a digital economy. The firm’s portfolio now includes not only printing equipment, but also the manufacturing and sales of world-class workflow solutions.  In particular, FUJIFILM Innovation is setting its sights on the hybrid work phenomenon by offering document share services and electronic signatures.  Meanwhile, the company is also deepening its roots in its printer business. For one thing, FUJIFILM Business Innovation Singapore has taken its first step towards the Direct-to-Consumer market this year, by working with e-commerce platform Lazada to launch the brand’s first official LazMall flagship store in Singapore in March.  But really - what else can we look forward to as the company positions itself for the next bound of growth?  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian finds more about the company’s priorities ahead with  Adeline Goh, Chief Marketing Officer, FUJIFILM Business Innovation Singapore.

Can you imagine a world without keys? Well, that’s the vision of a Singapore-headquartered company that makes smart locks and lockboxes.  Founded in 2015, igloocompany offers a holistic suite of software and hardware products that enable seamless and secure accessibility for a robust digital economy.  Since then, igloocompany has also grown over the years to include an enterprise focused vertical, which focuses on large-scale access management.  Its smart locks and lockboxes, meanwhile, are sold in more than 100 countries all over the world, including in the US.  The startup was listed on Forbes Asia’s 100 small companies and startups to watch in 2022, and was reported to serve over 400 enterprise customers with 5 million digital credentials issued. The firm charged ahead in 2021 to expand in Austin, the US, and get a slice of the US$46 billion smart home market over the next few years.  It set an ambitious target then to deploy 1 million devices in the US across the next three years, but what is the status right now?  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Best Haputpong, VP of Business Development, igloocompany for more.

At this time of the day we want to ask the question - what’s for afternoon tea. We're asking this question because we’re talking to a company that sells a snack commonly paired with Kopi O or soybean milk.  Bingo if you’ve guessed Youtiao or Chinese fried dough sticks. Our guest for today is You Tiao Man, which had its humble beginnings in a hawker stall back in the 1940s.  That is, before its fourth generation owner transformed it into the multi-chain food manufacturer it is today.  The company is now one of the largest wholesalers of You Tiao to hotels, caterers, restaurants, food courts and hawkers in Singapore and began distributing to supermarkets in Singapore in 2021.  From a traditional hawker business into a B2B and B2B2C manufacturing brand, we want to find out how this process has been for You Tiao Man, and what’s next for the company.  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Audrey Chew, Chief Executive Officer, You Tiao Man for more.

We’ve talked in depth about artificial intelligence, synthetic data and ChatGPT. Now, what’s next? How about a new AI chatbot called SeaGPT?  Developed by Singapore-based company Greywing, SeaGPT uses GPT-4 technology to help shipping companies navigate port agency communication hurdles.  With SeaGPT, emails related to port agency communication can be instantly automated. It can also handle questions by crew managers, saving time and reducing the risks of errors or miscommunications.  Greywing says its SeaGPT solution can be further integrated with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Whatsapp and SMS. But really, how powerful can SeaGPT get?  And with the global maritime digitisation market estimated to generate US$423.4 billion by 2031, how much of a market share is Greywing aiming to get with SeaGPT? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter posed these questions to  Hrishi Olickel, CTO and Co-Founder of Greywing.

Generative AI has been the talk of the town in recent months with the launch of ChatGPT.  But have you ever wondered just how much data is processed for these so-called ‘AI models’ to build up their so-called ‘experience’ and provide us with the answers we want? Plus, how do AI companies get around the issue of data protection worldwide amid rising user awareness on privacy?  Well, one answer to this is the use of synthetic data that mimics real-world data without compromising quality and privacy. Our guest for today is a Singapore-based startup Betterdata, which converts limited real data into limitless synthetic data.  The company says this is faster and safer than traditional data-sharing methods that use data anonymisation to destroy information and ensure privacy. How does this work and to what extent does it lower the costs of acquiring data to an AI firm? Meanwhile, Betterdata has raised US$1.7 million in an oversubscribed seed round, where investors included Franklin Templeton Investments and the Singapore University of Technology and Design. But how does it intend to use the money? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Kevin Yee, Co-Founder and CTO, as well as Dr Uzair Javaid, Co-Founder and CEO at Betterdata for more.

Meatballs! That’s what we are going to talk about today. When it comes to meatballs, the first thing that comes to mind would be perhaps chicken meat balls, or those made from beef, pork, or even lamb, served in soup or with a scoop of delectable sauce.  But how about a giant meatball made from flesh cultivated using the DNA of the extinct woolly mammoth?  Well, that’s exactly what Australian cultured meat company Vow launched in The Netherlands in late March. It said the meatball was made of sheep cells inserted with a singular mammoth gene called myoglobin.  According to the company, the gene is responsible for the aroma, colour and the taste. The mammoth meatball by the way has the aroma of crocodile meat, and is currently not for consumption.  Now, Vow is not the first company that is eyeing the DNA of extinct animals. Biotechnology startup Colossal earlier wanted to de-extinct the Dodo, while others are setting their sights on mammoth proteins.  Question is - how much money is in it for firms to go the extra mile to look back into the past? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with George Peppou, Co-Founder, Vow for more. 

With the earnings season in full swing in Singapore, we want to turn our attention to REITs, and in particular we want to zoom in on AIMS APAC REIT, which has just announced its FY2023 results today.  Listed on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange since 2007, Aims APAC Reit invests in a diversified portfolio of logistics, business parks and industrial real estate across APAC, including subsegments like warehouse and hi-tech space in Singapore and Australia.  The REIT reported a 5.1% year-on-year increase in distribution per unit in FY 2023, representing a distribution yield of 7.5%. Its net property income also surged 18.7% to S$122.5 million for the year, while portfolio occupancy stood at a record high of 98%, with a tenant retention rate of 78.4%.  AIMS APAC REIT says the numbers were driven by higher occupancy in the Logistics and Warehouse segment, which has seen double digit growth across the four quarters thanks to demand coming in from third party logistics players.  But for how long will the logistics and warehouse segments remain defensive, and how will leasing demand look like in FY2024? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Russell Ng, Chief Executive Officer, AIMS APAC REIT for more.

Supercars are on our agenda today, and this time, we want to talk about luxury car brand Lamborghini and its new hybrid model, the Revuelto. Priced at around US$600,000, the Revuelto is Lamborghini’s first ever plug-in hybrid.  The model, which was launched just back in March, already has a waiting list and two years worth of orders by mid-April, signalling the strength of the wealthy consumer amid a global economic slowdown.  But what will the rollout of the model look like with production scheduled to start in the second half of this year and delivery to the US to begin in the fourth quarter? Meanwhile, Automobili Lamborghini also reported a record breaking year for 2022. The company saw its best sales figure and delivered 9,233 cars worldwide - a 10 per cent increase over the previous year.  To what extent was this contributed by Asia and to what extent is the Chinese market a wild card?  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Francesco Scardaoni, Region Director for Automobili Lamborghini Asia Pacific. 

Whether you’re heading out for work or leisure, ride hailing has become one of the most common modes of transportation these days.  Besides tech giants Grab and Gojek, we want to talk about a newer player on the block that has been gaining prominence in Southeast Asia - TADA.  Launched in Singapore in 2018, TADA is the world’s first blockchain-based zero-commission ride hailing application, where its key mobility data such as transactions, movements, and the maintenance of people and vehicles are recorded in a single Mass Vehicle Ledge or MVL ecosystem.   The company further expanded into Cambodia in the same year, before setting foot into Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. But how does the company’s blockchain based application help it differentiate itself against major incumbents in the ride hailing industry? More recently, TADA has entered into a strategic partnership with foodpanda to introduce new user benefits for customers in Asia, starting with Singapore and Cambodia. What does this partnership mean for TADA as it positions itself for future growth?  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down  with Jonathan Chua, Regional General Manager, TADA Mobility (Singapore) for more.