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 : Tech Talk: Jan Wong, Founder, Open Minds, on Malaysia’s Martech Digital Edge.

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

Tony Nash, CEO, Complete Intelligence 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

Michael Chang, Head of Investments, Eastspring Investments Bhd gives us an outlook on Asian equities.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Delren Douglas, President of AGECOPE talks about the new Elderly Action Plan 2026–2030.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Tan Sri Nazir Razak, Chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council 2025 shares his views on navigating Southeast Asia’s economic uncertainty.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Andrew Chan of the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association discusses Budget 2026 expectations.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

Dr. Benjamin Barton of the University of Nottingham Malaysia discusses UK-India bilateral relations.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Tony Nash, CEO, Complete Intelligence tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) We take a look at the FBM KLCI as well as regional capital markets.

9:35 AM

Ringgit & Sense

Siew Yuen Tuck, co-founder of Ringgitplus talks about some findings from RMFLS 2025.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Umar Abdul Aziz, Co-Founder, Mokky’s Pizza, shares his journey from a humble roadside stall to five thriving outlets in just three years.

11:00 AM

Tech Talk

Jan Wong, Founder, Open Minds, on Malaysia’s Martech Digital Edge.

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

Dr Sivapalan Vivekarajah & Ng Sai Kit share expectations/wishlist from tech startup & semicon ecosystem ahead of Budget 2026.

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

Our flagship show, we feature both game-changers and groundbreakers in the hot seat.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

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

3:05 PM

Beyond the Ballot Box

We speak to Dr Lee Hwok-Aun from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute about the good, the bad and the ugly of the government’s Budi95 fuel plan.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

Caring for patients with serious or terminal illnesses is not an easy feat. We speak to a palliative care nurse about her profession and why the role of nurses is vital in palliative care.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

6:00 PM

Talkback Thursday

8:00 PM

BBC World Service

Why are some animals black and white in colour? This episode of Crowd Science dives deep to find the answers.