PETALING JAYA: Four Malaysian companies BrioHR, DoctorOnCall, Dropee and iHandal Energy Solutions have made it to the Forbes Asia inaugural 100 to Watch list.
Forbes Asia today released the inaugural 100 to Watch list, which spotlights notable small companies and startups on the rise across the Asia-Pacific region.
âCompanies on the 100 to Watch list are making remarkable progress and impact in spite of the challenging climate brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Their inclusion on the list comes in part from addressing significant problems with innovative solutions,â said Forbes Asia editor Justin Doebele.
The 100 to Watch list features a diverse range of companies spanning industries such as biotechnology & healthcare, e-commerce & retail, food & hospitality and education & recruitment.
Across the Asia-Pacific region, 17 countries and territories are represented, with the lively startup communities in India and Singapore producing 22 and 19 companies respectively. Hong Kong has 10 and Indonesia has eight companies on the list.
For the selection of the 100 to Watch list, Forbes Asia solicited online submissions, and invited accelerators, incubators, SME advocacy organisations, universities, venture capitalists and others to nominate companies as well. The final 100 was selected from over 900 submissions.
To qualify for consideration, companies had to be headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region, be at least one year old, privately owned, for profit, and have no more than US$20 million (RM84 million) in its latest annual revenue or total funding through Aug 1.
Forbes Asia editors evaluated each submission, looking at metrics such as a positive impact on the region or industry, a track record of strong revenue growth or ability to attract funding, promising business models or markets, and a persuasive story.
