Local tech start-ups aim for global market penetration, grateful for MTDC's support

By Rosemarie Khoo Mohd Sani

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 (Bernama) -- Doluvo Sdn Bhd, the brand owner of Popsmalaya, a home-grown brand of fruit-based ice cream, is aiming high to export its products to 30 countries next year from 15 countries currently. 

Doluvo co-founder and chief executive officer Rose Yasmin Abd Karim said the company, which is present in France, Germany and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, hopes to spread its wings to more European countries and the African market. 

She said the 100-per cent Bumiputera-owned business which started as a home-based operation in 2016 has the capacity and capability now to expand its product offering, including introducing new flavours and adding more functional ingredients such as probiotics and high protein, especially for the advanced countries' market. 

“We are grateful to the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) for helping us and selecting this company as a recipient of the Halal Technology Development Fund.

“MTDC believes in and supports our innovation in terms of production capacity, automation assistance, branding and other aspects so that we continue to produce consistent, quality and evolutionary products.

“Our aim for next year is to be the main choice for 'freezer popsicle' in the United States through Amazon.com,” she told Bernama after being announced as the winner of the Women Entrepreneur award in conjunction with MTDC's 30th Anniversary Celebration yesterday.

Rose Yasmin added that the goal to compete in the US is driven by the desire to apply pressure on the company to be more advanced and to level up its game in this business.

She said that Popsmalaya as a business idea came about when she was thinking about solving the logistical problem of freezing which was costly.

Subsequently, she and her partner innovated an ice cream that could be stored at room temperature, free from preservatives and artificial colours, and made from real fruits.

Meanwhile, MTDC's 'Rising Star' award winner was Longe Medikal Sdn Bhd, a local medical innovation company, whose technology such as 'pre-planning surgery' is now being adopted by hospitals under the Health Ministry, private hospitals and also medical associations.

Longe Medikal chief executive officer Muhammad Izzat Ahmad Sabri said this achievement proves the potential of local technology development companies in the field of medicine to shore up the capability in order to penetrate the global market.

“We have really grown and are thankful to have collaborated with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and MTDC in terms of guiding, funding and commercialisation.

“MTDC has also introduced us to the Health Ministry and from there we have signed contracts with several big companies that wish to utilise our technology. (As such), we hope to deepen our existence in the ASEAN market further," he said.

Muhammad Izzat said that the company will continue to upscale its business and aims to be listed on Bursa Malaysia in the next 10-15 years. 

-- BERNAMA