Small town, big ambition: Perak-based Malaysian tech companies compete with global giants

In the 1990’s the Multimedia Super Corridor was a literal corridor between Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan, with a focus on the aptly named Cyberjaya.

“The main reason to be based in Sitiawan is that Wong is from here and dislikes city life. When he started the company, he ran the business out of a room in his home,” he said. The company is also now seeing an increased interest from Europe and the Middle East, and despite expanding beyond SEA, Chieng said the company is sticking to its name as the brand is well known among gamers.

“The attitude is different. I noticed young people in big cities tend to have more expectations and demands in terms of salary, benefits and career progression,” he said. The company pays for gym and swimming pool memberships, and booking badminton courts. It also did away with complimentary snack food in the office to create a healthy environment.

'We just believe that we have a better quality of life being based in Ipoh,' says Radica Software founder and CEO Thomas Yip. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star“In the industry that we operate in, digital tools allow us to bring people from very far away closer together,” he said. Radica Software's office is still headquartered in Ipoh, even though the company's clientele includes many MNCs and international firms. — Radica Software

Asked if being based in Ipoh put Radica out of sight and out of mind from local tech bodies like the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation , Yip said it wasn’t an issue apart from taking a long drive for meetings in Klang Valley. It then decided to get into the hardware game with its subsidiary brand JOI after being approached by Microsoft and Intel, separately, back in 2014.

Since it’s a fast-paced industry, he was also worried that if it took the company too long to get approval from bodies such as the Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia or Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, the devices would become outdated by the time they hit the market.

Ko, an Ipoh native, said initially he faced discrimination from potential partners when revealing that the company wasn’t based in the Klang Valley. But over time the company was able to prove itself with a consistent track record.

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