Under The Radar

You might have heard of Stormtroopers in the Star Wars franchise. But what about YouTroopers?   Well, YouTroopers is a term used to describe globetrotters who use multi-currency mobile wallets and prepaid debit cards by fintech startup YouTrip! Launched in 2018, YouTrip is a regional financial technology startup that seeks to empower people with a smarter and more convenient way to pay in foreign currency through in-app exchange. Think of it as a money changer, but located within a mobile application.  Besides providing individuals with a hassle-free way to pay in foreign currency through in-app exchanges, the firm also provides individual and SME clients with personal and corporate cards that they can use to spend in stores.  The company raised US$50 million in its latest Series B funding round to invest in technology and innovation, as well as to hire over a hundred workers to launch in new markets across Southeast Asia. But why is the firm expanding aggressively at this time, and what kind of innovations can we expect on this front?  How will that accelerate financial inclusion in the region? In this Singapore Fintech Festival edition of Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Arthur Mak, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, YouTrip.

Today we’re going to talk about one of the world’s largest software companies that is currently playing in the cloud technology and enterprise IT space.  Drumrolls, and bingo if you’ve guessed Oracle. Founded in 1977, Oracle provides organisations around the world with computing infrastructure and software, to help them innovate, unlock efficiencies and become more effective.  These include enterprise resource planning software, human capital management software and customer management software that companies use to streamline mundane operations like financial reporting, payrolls processing, or to better analyse customer needs.  Serving some 430,000 customers in 175 countries across industries, the firm generated US$50 billion in revenue in FY 2023. But what is the role of APAC in the bigger scheme of things?  On that note, Oracle had in April announced a plan to open a second cloud region in Singapore to meet the growing demand for its cloud services. What does it mean by a cloud region and how does it position the firm for future growth? Meanwhile, the firm also signed a multi-year partnership with Microsoft to provide computing infrastructure that supports the explosive growth of the AI-enabled Bing conversational search.  What is the rationale behind this partnership between the frenemies, and how will AI reshape the competitive landscape in the software industry? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Chris Chelliah, Senior Vice President, Technology and Customer Strategy, Oracle JAPAC.

Today we’re going to talk about a company that helps organisations navigate the most advanced cybersecurity threats in this day and age.  Founded in January 2022 with the merger of McAfee Enterprise and FireEye, Trellix is a global company that helps firms gain confidence in the protection and resilience of their operations through its open and native extended detection and response (XDR) platform.  The firm serves over 40,000 customers and nearly US$2 billion in revenue and touts itself as the market leader in the cybersecurity scene.  But what exactly does it mean by extended detection and response? What are the products and services provided by the firm specifically, and what is the state of the firms’ operations post-merger? Across the wider industry, Grand View Research values the global extended detection and response market at US$754.8 million in 2022 and expects it to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20.7% from 2023 to 2030.  But what are the growth opportunities for Trellix? And what are the trends to watch out for in the evolving security landscape? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Vicki Batka, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific & Japan at Trellix.

Today we’re going to talk about a gaming company that has a triple-headed snake trademark.  Does Razer come to mind? Founded in 2005 and dual headquartered in Irvine and Singapore, Razer is widely recognised as a leading brand for gamers in the US, Europe and China. With a fan base that spans every continent, the company has designed and built the world’s largest gamer-focused ecosystem of hardware, software and services. It also has 16 physical stores around the world including 11 in the US and the rest in Taipei, Hong Kong and Singapore.  Looking ahead, Razer’s CEO Min-Liang Tan outlined the firm’s plans to expand to 100 outlets with the initial focus on North America and does not rule out a public offering in the US.  But what are the drivers of growth Razer sees in the gaming space that would support such a network of physical stores? Could moving into lifestyle products be the key to extending Razer’s sphere of influence? Speaking of lifestyle products, Razer seems to be doubling down on partnerships with luxury brands, working with Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbanna on a line of clothing, with watch brand Panerai on a new watch, and with supercar brand Automobili Lamborghini on a gaming laptop.  The move comes as non-gaming brands seek to tap the gamer demographic. Question is – how far can such partnerships boost Razer’s top and bottom lines and position it as the go-to gaming company for the affluent? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Addie Tan, Global Head of Lifestyle Division, Razer Inc.

What is the first thing you do when you check in at a hotel? While some might check out the fittings like the beds and the space, others might want to soak in the ambience.  But ever wondered what makes a hotel feel a certain way – say like a home away from home?   The answer perhaps lies in the details – say the fragrance, amenity kits, door gifts and other finishing touches, and that is precisely the work of our guest for today. Founded in 2004, GUAVA Amenities is not only a major player in the guest amenity space, but a world leader in Sustainable Guest Amenities. The firm curates and designs unique wet and dry amenity, gift and ancillary solutions. It prides itself on pioneering an ecosystem business model that enables the world’s largest hospitality chains, airlines and cruise lines to reduce plastics by up to 90% and costs by over 20% by decentralising production and distributing directly without intermediaries.  But what is an ecosystem business model exactly? And why is the firm hinging on sustainability as part of its value proposition and to what extent does that benefit top and bottom lines? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Gabriel Tan, CEO, GUAVA Amenities.

Today we’re going to bring you an inside look into a company said to be a US$62 billion revenue global technology powerhouse.  Drumrolls – bingo if you’ve guessed Lenovo. Founded in 1984, the firm delivers a portfolio of PCs and tablets, monitors, accessories, smart home and collaboration solutions, as well as smart infrastructure data centre solutions around the world.  In fact, the firm has since 1995 shipped over half a billion PCs, and make three devices every second.  The company ranks the #217 in the Fortune Global 500. It is also listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where it is included as one of the initial members of the Hang Seng TECH Index.  Why are we talking about Lenovo? We’re talking about Lenovo because while it is widely known for its consumer products, the firm is very much into B2B services. For one thing, it works with Formula 1 to build technology infrastructure that facilitates the flow of data collected on race tracks. But how far will B2B business be a key driver for growth?  Speaking of growth, the firm has a history of acquiring major firms including IBM’s PC business back in 2005.  More recently, the company had in June last year acquired stakes in two digital units of Hong Kong telecoms firm PCCW to grow its IT services business. But how far will the firm rely on M&A and investments in other firms for future growth? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Fan Ho, Executive Director and General Manager, Asia Pacific Solutions and Services Group, Lenovo.

This is the conversation for you if you’re looking to travel the world and sail the seven seas in the upcoming December holidays. Founded in 1969, our guest Royal Caribbean International is the world’s largest cruise line. The firm prides itself on its history of innovation from being the firm with the first surf simulator to the fastest internet at sea.  It also has a global network across major sea routes. Just to give a sense of Royal Caribbean’s global footprint, the firm’s fleets visited 256 ports in 64 countries on 6 continents around the world back in 2017.  But how important is Asia to Royal Caribbean in the bigger scheme of things?  What is the role of Singapore as a market given how it was one of the first to allow ships to be homeported during the pandemic, and how it has been the homeport of Asia’s largest cruise ship, the Spectrum of the Seas?  How far will the firm’s attention shift from Singapore to China post-pandemic with Asia’s largest cruise ship, the Spectrum of the Seas, returning back to its original homeport of Shanghai in May 2024? Meanwhile, Disney Cruise Line has signed a deal to homeport its newest cruise ship here in Singapore for the first time. What does this mean for Royal Caribbean, and what will it take for Royal Caribbean to homeport even larger ships here in Singapore? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Bert Hernandez, Senior Vice President, Royal Caribbean International. 

Enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. That’s the mission of our guest for today Qualcomm Technologies.  Founded in 1985, Qualcomm is a semiconductor designer and an innovator in wireless communications technologies. The firm relies on third party manufacturers like TSMC and Globalfoundries to make chips, which are then sold to smartphone makers.  While it is not a hardware firm, Qualcomm still transforms the way we work, live and communicate through its processors and modems.  Take your Samsung Galaxy phones powered using Qualcomm Technologies’ 5G connectivity solutions, or even the technologies behind the smart and connected factories that make the items we consume.  The firm is perhaps closer to us than we think. But with preliminary data from the International Data Corporation showing worldwide smartphone shipments declined 0.1 per cent on-year to 302.8 million units in the third quarter of 2023, what bearing will this have on Qualcomm Technologies’ business?  Meanwhile, Qualcomm Technologies said in May that it is transitioning from a communications company to an “intelligent edge computing” firm. But to what extent has that got to do with the rise in Generative AI?  On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Ehsanul Islam, VP Engineering & Regional Head of Qualcomm Technologies SEA.

Spaghetti, macaroni, fettuccine and linguine and you get it.  Pasta is a favourite when it comes to dinner choices but did you know that the global pasta market is actually worth some US$45 billion in 2022?  In fact, Fortune Business Insights projects the figure to reach US$68.97 billion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of 5.26% during the forecast period of 2023 to 2030.  But how does a pasta manufacturer work, and what are the intricacies when it comes to operating a company that is reliant on commodities such as wheat?  Well, let’s pose these questions to our guest for today. Established in 1877, Barilla is an Italian family-owned food company that is now present in over 100 countries.  The firm is a world leader in the markets of pasta and ready-to-use sauces in continental Europe and is widely recognised as a symbol of Italian know-how.  On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Federico Vescovi, Asia Pacific President, Barilla.

What comes to mind when you put messaging and mini programmes together? How about Tencent?  Founded in 2013, our guest for today is from Tencent Cloud, which provides businesses across the globe with stable and secure industry leading products and services.  We’re talking about businesses across a wide range of industries including the fields of gaming, media and entertainment, finance, healthcare and more. But what are the specific products and services offered in more granular terms? Speaking of products and services, Tencent Cloud worked with authorities in Abu Dhabi to transform its TAMM application into a SuperApp.  That’s by consolidating over 700 essential public services from more than 30 government entities and the private sector on a single, standardised mini programme.  But how does it work exactly and how far can the model be replicated to serve public and private  sector clients in Singapore and Malaysia?  Meanwhile, what is the outlook for Tencent Cloud in the near future given how Microsoft and Amazon reported robust financial performance on their cloud businesses. To what extent is Web3 a key growth driver? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Kenneth Siow, General Manager (Singapore/Malaysia) at Tencent Cloud International.