BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Enterprise  >  Open For Business  >  RPG Commerce - The Startup Behind Montigo, Thousand Miles, Bottoms Lab, and Cosmic Cookware

RPG Commerce - The Startup Behind Montigo, Thousand Miles, Bottoms Lab, and Cosmic Cookware

Melvin Chee, Co-Founder & CEO, RPG Commerce

12-Jul-23 10:00

RPG Commerce - The Startup Behind Montigo, Thousand Miles, Bottoms Lab, and Cosmic Cookware

What do consumer brands such as Thousand Miles, Bottoms Lab, Montigo, and Cosmic Cookware have in common? They were all built by the same Malaysian startup – RPG Commerce.

RPG Commerce is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce startup that develops consumer brands and products targeted foreign markets. Some of their in-house brands are apparel and homeware brands Thousand Miles, Bottoms Lab, Montigo, and Cosmic Cookware.

Since its launch in 2017, RPG Commerce has raised a total of US$34.5 million from Temasek-backed Vertex Ventures, East Ventures, UOB Venture Management, and RHL Ventures, but money doesn’t always buy success, especially in the consumer market, so how has one company been able to launch and operate multiple consumer brands in such a short time?

To find out, we speak to Melvin Chee, the co-founder and CEO of RPG Commerce. We’ll also get into why he started by targeting foreign markets instead of building up at home first, how they’ve managed to successfully launch these consumer brands, and what’s next for RPG.

Produced by: Roshan Kanesan

Presented by: Roshan Kanesan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  entrepreneursSMEinternationalmarkets

Tags:  Direct-to-Consumerdtcstartupmalaysian startupentrepreneurship





Play / Pause

Listen now : Mattsplained: Matt Armitage, Founder, Kulturpop

Today’s Shows



6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Tim Mulholland, President, TJM Limited, Chicago tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Prof. Alexis Dudden of NUS discusses what’s at stake in Japan’s snap election this Sunday.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Dr. Renard Siew, Climate Change & Sustainability Expert discusses if Malaysia’s e-waste import ban will make a real change.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Juan Carlos Moreno Gutiérrez, Chargé d’Affaires of Colombia in Malaysia, discusses Colombia-Malaysia ties and his views on the US–Venezuela crisis.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dr. Michael Montesano, Associate Senior Fellow, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute talks about Thai election.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

Trung Ghi, Partner and Head of Energy & Utilities at Arthur D. Little in Asia Pacific, discusses the global critical minerals landscape in the wake of US government's recent moves.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT)Tim Mulholland, President, TJM Limited, Chicago tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

Geoff Howie, Market Strategist, Singapore Exchange gives us an outlook for Singapore's market.

9:35 AM

What's The Focus

We wrap up the week’s biggest conversations to keep you in the know.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Co-founders Sean Tan and Jesmine Tan join us to break down what has changed since we last spoke to them in 2024, how their revenue mix and operations have evolved, the commercial logic behind their move into kids skincare, the economics of selling across online and physical retail, and how they are balancing scale with profitability as they plan for 2026 and beyond.

11:00 AM

Mattsplained

Matt Armitage, Founder, Kulturpop

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

MTDC 2

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

Juan Carlos Moreno Gutiérrez, Chargé d’Affaires of Colombia in Malaysia, discusses Colombia-Malaysia ties and his views on the US–Venezuela crisis.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

An eclectic selection of BBC shows, curated with variety in mind.

3:05 PM

Front Row

Young theatre makers push boundaries in The Young Blood Experiment. We speak to Yanu and Yuthes Umadevi Navarathinam about their bold new plays and ideas.

3:20 PM

Front Row

Tune in to find out about the latest happenings in the local arts scene, and get the lowdown on the best shows and exhibitions in town.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

We look at MAKNA’s 30-year history in helping improve the lives of cancer patients.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

A countdown of the 5 biggest stories of the day, to catch you up on all you need to know!

6:00 PM

Popcorn Culture

We review Sam Raimi’s survival-horror flick, Send Help, and then ask: What are the best depictions of survival, whether in movies or TV?

7:00 PM

Just For Kicks

8:00 PM

Bar None

Bowling legend, Esther Cheah joins us in the studio to reflect on her career after announcing her retirement recently.

9:00 PM

The Selector

Covering all styles of music from indie, dubstep, folk, soul, electro and everything in between from some of the most exciting artists in the UK.