New collaborative platform aims to create business opportunities in the region

● Millet World Trading Post is a “co-working space+” concept that goes beyond physical co-working spaces and emphasises connectivity and collaboration

● The Millet World Trading Post platform dentifies opportunities and matches them with members in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, China and India

● Two memoranda of understanding (MOUs) to be signed with Temasek Polytechnic* and Australian developer San Chuan

A new co-working space+, Millet World Trading Post (MWTP), has been rolled out to target small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), micro businesses, and operators in the arts, culture and creative industry in Asia. 

Inspired by the trading posts of the past, the Trading Posts feature physical working spaces as well as a virtual network accessible through a mobile app for members across Asia. The Asia Pacific-wide online platform originating from Singapore connects the supply and demand dots by identifying opportunities and matching them with members across Southeast Asia, North and South Asia as well as Oceania. MWTP will also work on a membership subscription basis for access to a variety of spaces, ancillary facilities, events and activities.

“Beyond co-working spaces, MWTP’s greatest value-add is to be a business exchange platform for its members,” says Jimmy Soon, Executive Director of Millet Holdings, the parent company of MWTP. “We are confident that it is a scalable business model that will provide deal flows and create a virtuous cycle among small business owners, entrepreneurs and individuals. We hope to create 10,000 MWTP nodes in the region by 2020.”

Two MOUs were signed, with Temasek Polytechnic and with an Australian developer, San Chuan Australia. Soon said that Temasek Polytechnic will use MWTP to provide access to the region for current students and alumni members while San Chuan will give Millet Holdings "immediate access to the Australian market”.

Source: MWTP. From left: Victor Ng, Board Member of Millet Holdings; Jimmy Soon, Executive Director, Millet Holdings; Jorren Yang, Director, San Chuan Australia, part of the SANC Group of Companies; Annie Lim, Director, My Property Global.

Source: MWTP. Samuel Ang, Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department of Temasek Polytechnic (left) with Soon (right) officiating the launch of MWTP node at Launchpad @ Temasek Polytechnic.

Dr Sharon Lim, Chairman Designate of MWTP added: “As business networking is the main pillar of MWTP’s value proposition, MWTP will facilitate a pipeline of activities such as workshops, talks and conferences on the latest innovations and trends, serving as a business exchange centre and a modern 'Trading Post’. This pipeline of interactive activities will support Singapore small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to ‘grow in a pack’ and create collaborative paths into new markets.”

The Trading Post concept has helped Millet secure interest of businesses such as IQkidz, which runs educational programmes for children; Malaysian chocolate maker 18C, and Garam Lada, an Indonesian bakery which caters to special dietary needs.

"Today, these small businesses from the region see an advantage in leveraging on the MWTP network here to create a footprint in Singapore. Likewise, local firms are excited about the prospect of using the MWTP platform to cross venture into regional markets. This kind of massive connectivity of Trading Posts and ecosystem of regional cross-ventures excites us,” said Dr Lim.

There will be seven MWTP “nodes” or venues in Singapore initially: at Temasek Polytechnic, 20 Temenggong Road, The Pavilion at Far East Square, 10 Square@Orchard Central, Northpoint City I and II, and Platform E by SIM.  The spaces currently range from 31 sq ft to 5,000 sq ft in size.  

MWTP nodes will soon roll out in key cities in the region as well, such as Manila, the Philippines; Kuala Lumpur and Malacca in Malaysia; Xiamen and Chengdu in China, as well as New Delhi, India. These will be followed by nodes in countries such as Australia, Laos and Vietnam in early 2019.

MWTP has found investors who are willing to turn their commercial spaces into Trading Posts. The earliest investor in MWTP’s business is Bobby Kok, MD, CJ Stamford Management. Kok will be driving the launch of MWTP in Manila.

Said Kok: “I was keen to invest in MWTP because I could see its potential to impact the lives of entrepreneurs and small business owners, and MWTP has the ability to scale up to serve the region as it gets more like-minded investors who want to make an impact with their investments.”