Contact: Fiona Chin
Mobile Phone: +6010 792 9888
Email: media@iglcoatings.com
Date: September 6th, 2019

After a rigorous selection process involving hundreds of world-class companies from across Asia Pacific, IGL Coatings has been chosen to join fourteen other growth-stage ventures in the 2019 Unreasonable Impact Asia Pacific programme. Unreasonable Impact is an innovative multi-year partnership between Barclays and Unreasonable Group to launch the world’s first international network of accelerators focused on scaling up entrepreneurial solutions that will help employ thousands worldwide in the emerging green economy.

For twelve intensive days this September, Keong Chun Chieh, Managing Director of IGL Coatings, will gather alongside fourteen other leaders to learn how to further scale their companies with the aim of addressing key global challenges and creating thousands of future jobs. These entrepreneurs are part of the third annual Unreasonable Impact Asia Pacific programme – each have been selected to participate based on their potential to address key social and environmental issues and to create at least 500 jobs within the next five years.

The fifteen innovative companies hail from across the region, some with global operations, and cumulatively the ventures have generated more than USD $177 million and raised more than USD $123 million.

Founded in 2015, IGL Coatings have scaled upwards since incorporation, stunning marketplayers in the industry. IGL Coatings is a technology firm based in Malaysia with the core focus of developing innovative and disruptive nanotechnology products that are set to redefine the industry. They are the world pioneers of low and zero-VOC high-solids coatings. Their product range includes coatings, cleaning, and maintenance for various surfaces including paint, plastic, metal, fabric, wood, glass, and cement for automotive, marine, aviation and industrial applications. They are the first in the industry to have their nanotechnology audited and verified by Nanoverify.

IGL focuses relentlessly on its R&D to replace toxic and dangerous chemicals and coatings and eliminating the toxic and dangerous processes that are often used to make the industry’s “standard eco-friendly” products. But the bottom line of IGL is their customers; they strive to build products that allow the entrepreneurs who use them to build successful and sustainable businesses.

During the immersive program, the entrepreneurs will receive mentorship and bespoke advice from a global community of world class business professionals and serial entrepreneurs including experts from Barclays.

“We look forward to sharing our experience about expanding the growing detailing community and how staying true to our mission in being eco-friendly actually made all the difference,” Keong expressed his excitement about participating in the twelve days programme with other like-minded leaders. Keong strongly believes that IGL Coatings exponential growth will create new job opportunities and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is also proud to wave the Jalur Gemilang this Malaysia Day during the programme as IGL Coatings is the sole representative for Malaysia at the 2019 Unreasonable Impact Asia Pacific Programme.

Lars Aagaard, Chair of Asia Pacific Citizenship Council and Head of Mergers and Acquisitions and Financial Sponsors, Barclays Asia Pacific said, “We are pleased to launch the third Asia Pacific cohort of Unreasonable Impact entrepreneurs, who represent some of the fastest growing economies in the world. Barclays is committed to this innovative partnership and to helping high-growth companies scale up their businesses and create employment opportunities whilst addressing societal and environmental issues.”

Daniel Epstein, Founder and CEO of Unreasonable Group, said: “Unreasonable Impact represents one of the fastest growing networks of impact ventures in the world, demonstrating that it’s possible to do well and good at the same time. We are humbled to partner with Barclays to support these entrepreneurs as they further scale their proven solutions, and in the process, accelerate the creation of millions of new jobs.”

https://www.facebook.com/unreasonable/photos/a.514199758628763/1917719714943420/?type=3&theater

To date, Unreasonable Impact’s ventures operate in more than 180 countries, positively impact the lives of more than 187 million people and have generated more than 20,000 net new jobs. The companies have also raised more than USD $2 billion in funding. IGL Coatings will join this notable global network in its shared effort to create thousands of jobs on the frontier of the green economy.

In 2019, following the first three years of Unreasonable Impact, Barclays committed to support more than 250 high impact businesses through the programme by the end of 2022.

For more information on Unreasonable Impact and its initiatives, visit www.unreasonableimpact.com. For more information on IGL Coatings and its initiatives, visit us at www.iglcoatings.com or join us at our social media networks at www.facebook.com/iglcoatings and www.instagram.com/iglcoatings.

The participating companies include:

Claro Energy (India): Revolutionising the social and economic fabric of rural India through solar pumping technology.

CROWDE (Indonesia): Empowering farmers to become “Agropreneurs” with a cashless agricultural capital platform.

Ecoware (India): Creating 100 percent biodegradable, eco-friendly, and compostable-certified food packaging and garbage bags.

EM3 AgriServices (India): Helping small-scale farmers keep up with globalisation through farm mechanisation and technology services.

EverComm (Singapore): Providing energy-saving solutions and management tools for enterprises.

ideaForge (India): Manufacturing best-in-class UAVs for defense, security, and industrial applications.

IGL Coatings (Malaysia): Formulating and manufacturing eco-friendly, sustainable, and high-performance coatings for industrial and consumer applications.

Lawrencedale Agro Processing (India): Bringing safe and hygienic fresh fruits and vegetables to the marketplace by empowering all shareholders in the agricultural value chain.

Marvelous Foods (China): Expanding consumer interest in plant-based food options with China’s first dairy-free coconut yogurt.

Neutral Fuels (United Arab Emirates): Making environmental sustainability a commercial proposition by converting used cooking oils into biofuel at scale.

OriCiro (Japan): Creating a better bio-economy with innovative genome technologies.

Plastic Bank (Canada, Indonesia, Philippines): Cleaning the oceans and empowering impoverished communities by pioneering a sustainable, circular economy for plastic waste.

S4S Technologies (India): Creating a sustainable supply of processed food products using solar-powered dehydrators. India

Jasberry (Thailand): Eliminating small-scale farmer poverty by partnering with over 2,500 farmers in rural Thailand to grow and sell organic, 100% whole grain, vitamin-rich Jasberry rice.

String Bio (India): Leveraging synthetic biotechnology to convert waste methane to everyday products and foods.

About Barclays

Barclays is a transatlantic consumer and wholesale bank offering products and services across personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management, with a strong presence in our two home markets of the UK and the US. With over 325 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 40 countries and employs approximately 80,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide. For further information about Barclays, please visit www.home.barclays.

About Unreasonable Group

Unreasonable’s mission is to drive resources to and break down barriers for entrepreneurs solving key global challenges (i.e. ensuring renewable energy reaches the 1.3 billion people currently without electricity, reimagining the future of healthcare, or addressing the global unemployment crisis). Through running worldwide accelerator programmes, a globally oriented private equity fund, an extensive network of over 300 serial business leaders as mentors, and advanced storytelling and media activities, Unreasonable is designed to exclusively support entrepreneurs positioned to solve society’s toughest problems. For more information about Unreasonable, please visit www.unreasonablegroup.com.

About Unreasonable Impact, created with Barclays

Unreasonable Impact is an innovative multi-year partnership between Barclays and Unreasonable Group to launch the world’s first international network of accelerators focused on scaling up entrepreneurial solutions that will help employ thousands worldwide in the emerging green economy. Since 2016, Unreasonable Impact has hosted programs each year in three distinct markets: the Americas, UK and Europe, and Asia Pacific. To date, the more than 90 ventures that comprise the global cohort operate in more than 180 countries, have raised over $2bn USD in funding, have generated over $1.9bn USD in revenue, and have created more than 20,000 net new jobs since joining Unreasonable Impact. For more information about Unreasonable Impact, please visit www.unreasonableimpact.com.