Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

Grobrix brings urban farming into everyday spaces with its modular, vertical green walls, allowing workplaces, schools, and communities to grow fresh produce indoors. Designed to be both practical and visually appealing, these edible walls provide a sustainable way to cultivate herbs, vegetables, and edible flowers with minimal maintenance. More than just a farming solution, Grobrix helps foster a sense of community, promotes wellness, and encourages a hands-on connection to food.  On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Mathew Howe, Founder & Urban Farmer, Grobrix, to find out more.   Presented by: Hongbin Jeong Produced and Edited by: Alexandra Parada (alexparada@sph.com.sg) Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!

Getting investors to meet and support tomorrow’s game changing startups – that’s what we are going to talk about today. Founded in 2023, our guest A2D Ventures aims to be the region’s leading early stage startup investing platform and angel syndicate, expanding access to innovative companies and democratising venture capital.  At the moment, the firm has a portfolio of 15 companies spread across a wide range of industries such as biotech, proptech, fintech, deeptech as well as aviation and electric vehicles. Most recently, A2D Ventures had in June 2024 invested in Seaplane Asia, a company that offers air charter and seaplane services connecting islands and coastal areas, in a funding round led by venture capital firm TK & Partners. It had also in May 2024 invested in US sustainable mining startup BANIQL in a US$1.6 million seed round.  But what is A2D Venture’s investment mandate to begin with? Who are the investors under its syndicate, and what is the return on investment they are aiming for? What is the total amount of capital deployed to startups under its portfolio for now? Meanwhile, A2D Ventures had in January teamed up with InnoSpace Thailand, a public-private joint venture in the country, to come up with Thailand’s next big accelerator.  But what should we know about the accelerator and what synergies will the accelerator bring to A2D Ventures as it sources for the next unicorn in the country? On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Ankit Upadhyay, CEO, A2D Ventures.

A few days on since Singapore’s 1-0 friendly defeat to Nepal, and it seems like the rhetoric surrounding the National Team has changed for the worst - but is it really all doom and gloom? Perhaps not, with the news of a certain Perry Ng gaining his PR status, and a host of younger Lions making the step up. On today’s show we’ll hear from TWO players who could well and truly breath fresh life and add fresh blood to the Lions  - Perry Ng & Jordan Emaviwe. READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/perry-ng-looks-forward-to-getting-singapore-citizenship-and-giving-back Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg

South Korea is facing a political crisis of historic proportions as the Constitutional Court deliberates on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment.  Weeks after the trial concluded in late February, the court’s silence has fueled speculation - are justices meticulously ensuring a legally airtight ruling, or is political pressure influencing the decision? With deepening political divides, mass protests, and concerns over economic and diplomatic stability, the prolonged uncertainty has raised critical questions about the integrity of South Korea’s institutions. On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Benjamin A. Engel, Assistant Professor, Department of Korean Studies at Dankook University, to help unpack the current political turmoil in South Korea.

Singapore shares were little changed today as investors put the US Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates behind them.  The Straits Times Index was up a marginal 0.05% at about 1pm (12.56pm) to 3,932.39 points, with a value turnover of S$512.58M in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch today, we have Top Glove, after the Malaysian glove manufacturer reported a net profit of RM30.3 million (S$9.1 million) for its second quarter ended Feb 28, reversing from a net loss seen the year before. Elsewhere, from China’s import of US cotton, cars and some energy products plunging in the first two months of the year, to Japan’s core inflation hitting 3% in February – more international headlines remain in focus. Also on deck – more on Nike’s latest earnings under its new CEO. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Benjamin Goh, Head of Research and Investor Education, SIAS.

According to a recent Reuters poll, investors have maintained their short bets on most Asian currencies. That's as they assessed the prospects of an escalating global trade war. Analysts say with growing concerns over Trump's tariffs, market players will gradually increase short conviction on Asian currencies, especially given their recent strength, as risk reward for shorting could improve. On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Peter Chia, Senior FX Strategist at UOB, to find out which Asian currencies could be the biggest winners and the biggest losers from escalating trade tensions from the US.

With the 2025 Formula 1 season up and running, Sports Minutes is in conversation with 17-year-old Singaporean racer Kabir Anurag, part of the Alpine Development Team. He shares his journey—from the Winter Series to life with an F1 team, the sacrifices of living abroad, and balancing academics with racing. We also dive into Singapore’s support for motorsport talent and his road ahead. Buckle up for an inspiring ride! READ MORE:  https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/buoyed-by-strong-start-to-2025-singaporean-f4-driver-kabir-anurag-aiming-for-banner-campaign Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg

Fur Folks Home is Singapore’s first standalone pet hospice, founded by Dr. Angeline Yang, veterinarian and co-founder of VetMobile SG. It provides palliative care, short-term medical boarding, and holistic treatments for aging, terminally ill, and special-needs pets. Designed as a compassionate alternative to traditional pet boarding, Fur Folks Home ensures that pets receive specialized medical attention and comfort in their final stages of life while giving their guardians peace of mind. On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Dr. Angeline, Veterinarian & Co-Founder of VetMobile SG, to find out more.   Presented by: Hongbin Jeong Produced and Edited by: Alexandra Parada (alexparada@sph.com.sg) Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!

Singapore shares rose today as investors continue to mull a move by the US Federal Reserve to hold interest rates.  The benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) was up 0.6 per cent at 3,931.3 points at  around 10 am.  In terms of companies to watch, we have Sembcorp Industries after units of Sembcorp Industries and Sarawak Energy tied up with Prysmian for a hydropower project that could supply Singapore with 1 gigawatt (GW) of green electricity from the Malaysian state.  Elsewhere, from the US Federal Reserve holding off on interest rate cuts and the implication on Singapore banks and S-REITs, to how Softbank Group said it would acquire Ampere Computing in a US$6.5 billion all-cash deal – more international and corporate headlines remain in focus.  Also on deck – Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang saying that his company had not been approached about purchasing a stake in Intel.  On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian dived into the details with Terence Wong, CEO, Azure Capital.

After spending an unexpected 9 months in space, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have finally returned to Earth. Their journey back was marked by a dramatic re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere aboard a SpaceX capsule, which deployed four parachutes for a smooth splashdown off the coast of Florida But what led to their prolonged stay aboard the International Space Station? How did they adapt to the unexpected challenges of an extended mission? And what does this mean for the future of space expeditions? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Simon Gwozdz, CEO and Founder of Equatorial Space Systems to find out more.   Presented by: Hongbin Jeong Produced and Edited by: Hongbin Jeong and Nadiah Koh (nadkoh@sph.com.sg)  Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!