This startup founder is seeing success in Ipoh

Dan Lain-Lain (Malay for “and others”) is a weekly column by TIA journalist Emmanuel Samarathisa that dissects the goings-on in the Malaysia tech scene but with a heavy mix of current affairs, policy, and politics. Click here to read past articles.

Most discussions around startup hubs in Malaysia revolve around two areas: the Klang Valley and Penang. Rightfully so – they are the most developed parts of Peninsular Malaysia.

The capital city, Kuala Lumpur, is in the Klang Valley while Penang has long been touted as the “Silicon Valley of the East.” So these states naturally steal the spotlight.

But there are still some who go against the grain: founders who establish startups in places outside Malaysia’s urban bubble, such as in Ipoh.

Situated 200 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh is a city in the state of Perak. It’s located in between Kuala Lumpur and Penang and is served by the country’s major highway, the North-South Expressway.

There’s a punctual intercity rail service you can take from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh and vice versa. It also has an airport with direct flights to other Malaysian cities as well as Singapore.

If you’re still scratching your head over the location, this is the hometown of Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh. She still has a house there.

When it comes to the tech scene, however, there’s nothing much brewing in Ipoh – or at least that’s what the headlines tell us. Success stories are few and far between.

The latest was in 2022 when German conglomerate Siemens acquired Radica Software, a little-known engineering startup, for an undisclosed sum. Radica still operates out of Ipoh.

But after some digging, I found 33-year-old Mike Chu Chin Hong, an Ipoh native and the founder of PTT Outdoor.

As its name suggests, PTT is an ecommerce platform that offers a wide spectrum of products related to outdoor activities. These range from hiking sticks and sleeping bags to camps and hammocks.

PTT makes 3.5 million ringgit (US$762,000) in yearly revenue. But what differentiates it from other companies or resellers, at least according to Chu, is that it has its own flagship brand, Tahan, named after Peninsular Malaysia’s tallest mountain.

What drew me to Chu, however, is simply the curiosity of running a tech-enabled company outside Kuala Lumpur.