[SINGAPORE] From digital storytelling and heritage street food to beauty tech, advanced manufacturing and skincare innovation, these five companies are showing how creativity and technology can transform everyday experiences, spanning what we eat and watch to how we care for ourselves.
They are among the finalists of this year’s Emerging Enterprise Awards. Established in 2008, the awards recognise startups and young businesses across Singapore and Asia, providing resources to boost their growth.
Such high-performing businesses have an enterprising mindset, consistently pursue growth and are always on the lookout for new markets.
This year’s awards are co-presented by The Business Times and OCBC, and supported by Mastercard; Rajah & Tann Asia; RSM Singapore; the Agency for Science, Technology and Research; Enterprise Singapore; and Paia from CBRE.
Where local stories go global
Good Foodie Media connects communities across South-east Asia through food, travel and lifestyle content
Good Foodie Media is a digital media group that tells stories about food, travel and lifestyle – the kind of content people love to share.
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Through brands such as KL Foodie, Penang Foodie and Halal Foodie, we connect communities with experiences and businesses that matter to them.
The journey began in 2016 with Penang Foodie. We were a few passionate creators who believed social media could help small and local businesses – especially hawkers and small and medium-sized enterprises – reach customers without big advertising budgets.
That idea grew faster than we imagined; today, Good Foodie Media is a network of platforms and creators sharing authentic, local stories across Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. We’ve since grown into a team of nearly 90 across content, business development, key opinion leader (KOL) management, and operations, all working together to drive the next phase of growth.
Our approach has always been community-first. People connect best with content that feels real, and our strength lies in building lifestyle brands that audiences trust.
Across more than 30 brands, we reach over 44 million followers across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and other platforms.
Unlike traditional publishers, we own and operate all our channels, giving us full control over storytelling, engagement and data insights.
This lets us create high-impact campaigns through in-house creative and KOL teams who understand both digital trends and local culture.
We are expanding geographically and technologically, growing across South-east Asia with new content verticals and collaborations, while investing in artificial intelligence (AI) tools, data analytics and new formats such as live commerce, short-form dramas and creator partnerships.
Our long-term vision is to become South-east Asia’s leading lifestyle-focused digital media network, connecting communities and brands through meaningful, authentic stories that celebrate everyday life.
Flipping tradition into a regional brand
Munchi Pancakes modernises traditional min jiang kueh with inventive flavours and formats
Munchi Pancakes modernises Singapore’s traditional min jiang kueh with creative flavours and formats. Inspired by a family hawker legacy, we set out to preserve local heritage while appealing to younger, modern consumers.
Blending tradition and innovation, Munchi offers soft, chewy pancakes in flavours such as biscoff, matcha and kaya, alongside a round, on-the-go version designed for convenient enjoyment. Quality and consistency are maintained through a central kitchen that supports all outlets.
From our first Yishun stall in 2014, Munchi has expanded to 39 outlets, with 20 more planned by 2026. Our research and development (R&D) team develops about five new flavours each year, guided by customer feedback, market trends and collaborations with business partners.
We also implemented a cloud-based point-of-sale system for real-time performance tracking, and are exploring AI tools to enhance quality control, optimise production and reduce wastage.
To support our overseas growth, we are investing in new equipment to develop ready-to-eat and ready-to-drink products for the Asia market, alongside plans to enter B2B sales in 2026 through pilot collaborations.
Like many in the food and beverage industry, we faced major challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we adapted quickly by embracing delivery platforms, launching an online ordering system and building a central kitchen to streamline operations. Although competitors have imitated our products, we view this as validation – a sign that our concept has made an impact – and continue to innovate, maintain quality and strengthen our brand leadership.
Our long-term vision is to make min jiang kueh a proud national snack and grow into a leading regional heritage brand that connects generations.
Bringing global innovation home to South-east Asia
EVO Commerce creates locally designed, world-class beauty and personal care products for Asia’s fast-growing market
EVO Commerce is a house of next-generation consumer brands redefining personal care and beauty technology across Asia.
Our flagship brand, Stryv, creates innovative grooming and self-care products that combine cutting-edge engineering, superior design and accessible pricing, empowering people to look and feel their best every day.
Our journey began with a simple observation: Despite being a S$43 billion market, South-east Asia’s beauty and personal-care industry remained underserved.
As incomes rise and lifestyles evolve, consumers across the region aspire to upgrade the quality of their daily lives.
Yet South-east Asia is rarely among the first markets to access new innovations, as most products debut in China or the US, arriving years later with poor localisation.
EVO was born to change that by bringing world-class innovation to South-east Asia, designed for the region, by the region.
Our differentiation lies in how we blend design excellence, localised innovation, world-class manufacturing partnerships and creative brand collaborations.
We localise products for every market, from voltage compatibility and climate considerations to cultural preferences, ensuring they resonate with South-east Asian consumers.
We also work with tier-one factories that produce for leading premium brands, ensuring quality and scalability, and are building an in-house R&D hub to develop proprietary intellectual property and industrial design.
Collaborations with Disney, Sanrio and Mighty Jaxx pair storytelling with performance-driven design, while our mass-premium positioning offers affordable yet aspirational products for the region’s growing middle class.
EVO is rapidly scaling across South-east Asia, expanding into Taiwan, adding over 20 branded outlets and more than 2,000 retail touchpoints by the end of 2025, and extending into haircare, men’s grooming and oral care.
Our long-term vision is to make EVO Commerce the leading platform for next-generation consumer innovation in Asia by building a family of brands that elevate everyday living through design, technology and purpose.
Crafting the future of Asian bakery manufacturing
Future Food is redefining OEM bakery manufacturing with high-quality, sustainable and customised frozen bakery products
Future Food is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for bakeries, specialising in high-quality, high-consistency bakery and pastry products, including baked frozen, dough frozen, par-baked frozen and custom formulation services.
We primarily serve B2B clients such as large retailers, restaurants, hotel chains and specialty stores, and also support a successful retail bakery brand in Malaysia.
Founded in 2016 to address the lack of premium bakery options in Johor Bahru, our business evolved through close collaboration with clients.
Working with partners such as Ashes Burnnit – where production grew from 100 to 3,000 cartons a month – and with a coffeeshop chain from Day One, validated the demand for a solution-driven, quality-focused OEM partner.
Our approach is unique because we act as a solution partner, not just a supplier. We co-develop products with clients to address market gaps and even help maintain their equipment to minimise downtime.
Sustainability is also core to our model. We upcycle scraps for secondary uses, supplying them to farmers and local fly farms, reducing waste while supporting the circular economy.
Future Food is expanding aggressively across Asia and the Middle East, supported by halal, ISO and HACCP certifications.
We are investing in automation, strengthening logistics with an 11-lorry fleet, and building a third, sustainability-focused factory by 2026 that will feature rainwater collection and waste-heat recovery.
We’re also developing low-sugar, clean-label and AI-driven baking innovations.
Our long-term vision is to become Asia’s benchmark OEM bakery manufacturer, expanding internationally, exploring a public listing, and establishing a Bakery Academy to nurture future talent while embedding sustainability into every process.
Sticking confidence on every dot
Dododots turns acne care into self-expression with its colourful, creative pimple patches
Dododots is a Malaysian skincare brand that makes pimple patches.
We started the business to tackle the root cause of acne insecurity and change how people view acne, with patches of all shapes, designs and colours that let users wear them with confidence.
We probably hold the record for having the most pimple patch designs in the world.
Though we sell only one product, we’ve expanded into over 10 countries and 5,500 retail points in just four years.
Our growth has been powered by storytelling,– sharing our full journey on social media with a combined 500,000 over followers who have grown with us.
We have grown across South-east Asia and will be entering Europe and the US by 2026, expanding our “acne positivity” ecosystem with more products that help people feel comfortable even on bad skin days.
Beyond partnerships with Watsons, Guardian, Miniso and 7-Eleven, we have secured a major K-pop intellectual property collaboration for next year, marking our move into creative global tie-ups.
As first movers, we faced scepticism and challenges scaling without funding.
Yet, we overcame it by convincing retailers through record-breaking sales, staying profitable from our second year, and building a loyal community that connects with our story.
Even with rising imitators, we’ve built a moat through intellectual property, authenticity and emotional connection, staying hands-on at events and listening directly to customers.
Our long-term vision is to build a billion-dollar global brand that empowers acne sufferers, proving that with purpose, creativity and love, even the smallest idea can inspire worldwide change.
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