Conceived the idea for interchangeable heels on your house porch.
Began early prototyping with no industry precedent to follow.
Selected for Stanford Go-To-Market Accelerator, refining business model and global pitch.
Built Prototype 1, funded through Cradle CIP150 grant.
Formed a team of 4.
Launched internationally — reached 20 countries in first wave.
Developed Prototype 2 with improved engineering and aesthetics.
Funded through Platcom Commercialisation Fund (RM 250K).
Expanded reach to 31 countries.
Set up a global supply chain for sourcing, production, and delivery.
Established own manufacturing facility to control quality and speed.
Team grew to 8 members.
Achieved faster turnaround on small production runs.
Won global and national awards.
Began global distribution partnerships.
Faced major setback when a government reimbursement grant was not disbursed, leaving us with debt from meeting grant obligations without repayment.
Launched Kickstarter campaign, achieving 200% funding target.
Manufacturing was shut down; pivoted to OEM manufacturing.
COVID-19 disrupted OEM production, halting product delivery.
Attempted to revive OEM production.
Severe floods destroyed remaining stock and raw materials.
Mestrae operations ground to a halt.
Took on alternative jobs and consulting to repay debt.
Applied startup lessons learned to help other founders and corporates avoid common scaling pitfalls.
Quietly redesigning Mestrae technology to take advantage of cheaper prototyping and better engineering solutions.
Planned an open-source version under OwnIt by Rangkai.Store to democratise innovation in the space.
Developing Tiga, a wearable line for underserved groups (elderly, pregnant women, autistic children, and pets).
Target date to resolve financial struggles.
Begin preparing for official relaunch of Mestrae, OwnIt, and Tiga.
Start refunding early customers and re-engaging the community.
Relaunch Mestrae with new engineering, better fit, and expanded style range.
Launch OwnIt (Rangkai) — the open-source heel tech platform.
Introduce Tiga wearables to market.
Rebuild a global creative-tech brand rooted in innovation and openness.