KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — Four Malaysian startups have been named in the business magazine Forbes Asia’s 100 To Watch list.

The companies are:

In total, companies from 16 countries and territories were represented — with India topping the list with 20 years, followed by Singapore (15), mainland China (10), Japan (nine) and Indonesia (eight).

“Startups on our fourth annual Forbes Asia 100 To Watch list have collectively drawn over US$2 billion (RM8.75 billion) in total funding to date, with 83 of these companies raising capital since the start of 2023.

“This influx of investment was driven by their innovations, spanning some of the world’s hottest industries such as spacetech, biotech and robotics,” said Rana Wehbe Watson, the editorial director/special projects at Forbes Asia in a statement.

Forbes Asia said the list was produced from solicited online submissions, and nominations from accelerators, incubators, universities, venture capitalists and others.

The companies must be privately owned for-profit ventures, and have no more than US$50 million in annual revenue and no more than US$100 million in total funding through August 7.

Here are the descriptions of the companies, according to Forbes Asia:

Applecrumby (e-commerce and retail)

Cofounded by husband and wife Sean and Jesmine Tan, Applecrumby sells baby products, including chlorine-free diapers and wipes, with subscription packages for repeat orders.

iMotorbike (e-commerce and retail)

Kuala Lumpur-based iMotorbike is an e-commerce platform for buying and selling used motorcycles, which promises reliability with 170-point inspections and easy returns.

LiveIn (food and hospitality)

Catering to young professionals in search of affordable housing in Southeast Asia, LiveIn works with landlords to help them sublet and manage rooms in their properties in Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

Paywatch (Finance)

Paywatch offers employees early access to their wages in Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong. Using its app, employees can view their earnings based on their working hours and withdraw money in real time. It also provides employers with HR tools to track employee hours and assign tasks.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/money/2024/08/27/from-retail-to-hospitality-four-malaysian-startups-listed-in-forbes-asia-100-to-watch-list/148332