Daily Markup #629: Thinkfluencer, coder, entrepreneur, and investor Khailee Ng is Tatler Asia’s Most Influential 2022 honoree

Ching Yee Ho

November 10, 2022 · 2 min read

No country too small for big dreams

You may have noticed a familiar face on the cover of Tatler Malaysia’s November 2022.

Congratulations Khailee for being recognized as Tatler Asia’s Most Influential 2022! Not bad for a kid who made a living out of web design. (What are you talking about?)
“I used to flip the classified pages of newspapers, and if a company advertised something, where you only had a number to contact and no website, I’d call them and offer my [web design & development] services,” reminisced Khailee Ng, Managing Partner at 500 Global, of his adolescence in Malaysia.
Who would have guessed that Khailee’s contagious entrepreneurial and creative spirit began as a coder!
Most of us, however, may know that Khailee co-founded two companies — Says.com and Groupsmore — with fellow entrepreneur Joel Neoh, who is currently helming 500-backed fintech startup Fave, which was acquired by Pine Labs last year. Both Says.com and Groupsmore were acquired too, with Says.com even being listed on the Malaysia stock exchange.
“I spoke to my dad about how he and his siblings spent their life savings to educate us and give us opportunities, and how the money I made from the sale of Says.com was more than their entire life savings combined. Technology is the way forward, to help others unlock generational wealth, and in a shorter span of time. It was quite a revelation,” Khailee said.
“Knowing that this power exists, I had two options: either I start building more companies or do something more meaningful with my life. If I build more companies, I only create wealth for myself, but I felt that journey would be a lot less fun if you’re not enriching those around you,” he added. So, he began investing in others as an angel investor.
“The rest of the world definitely has talented people, and there’s plenty of markets that are untapped. So, if we believe in the potential of other markets, where there’s good local talent, why not invest there?” Khailee shared.
Khailee is realizing his dream of investing in the rest of the world with 500 Global, whom he met in 2012. Today, he oversees US$2.7B worth of assets under management across 81 countries with the team.
Read the full interview on Tatler Asia.