On 2 October 2025, Mole, a Malaysian AI-powered digital business card networking platform, and House of Oma, a tattoo studio and cultural space, brought together over 70 founders, investors, and community builders for Startup Fxckups Vol. 4: Pain Edition — a celebration of failure, resilience, and community.

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Hosted at the creative space House of OMA, the night redefined what it means to grow through pain, blending startup stories with art, fashion, and connection.

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True to Mole’s mission of helping professionals build authentic connections beyond the surface, Startup Fxckups proved that vulnerability is what truly unites a community.

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Many in the room shared that what they heard that night were things you’d never learn in business school — lessons that could only come from lived experience.

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For the founders on stage, it felt like a release — a kind of group therapy where they could finally speak their truths, let go of mistakes, and turn pain into perspective. In doing so, they created a space of trust and understanding that lingered long after the event ended.

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“Pain is universal — but so is growth,” said Melly Ling, CEO of Mole. “Startup Fxckups is about turning the weight of failure into connection. By partnering with House of OMA, we wanted to build a space where founders could be real — not just about their wins, but about what broke them along the way.”

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The Art of Pain and Healing

The collaboration between Mole and House of OMA embodied a shared commitment to authentic storytelling through art and design. At the heart of this partnership was OMA artist Michael 'Waldo' Wong, who crafted the visual identity for Startup Fxckups Vol. 4.

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His creative direction extended beyond the event poster and marketing collaterals to include the official T-shirt and flash tattoos — symbolic pieces that celebrated the pain, growth, and resilience of founders.

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Drawing inspiration from a familiar household remedy found in many Malaysian homes — often used to ease pain — Waldo reimagined it as a metaphor for the founder’s journey: a reminder that pain is something to be acknowledged, celebrated, and cared for.

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Through his design, the night’s theme “Pain” came to life visually, blending local nostalgia with the universal experience of resilience.

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Own a Piece of the Night‍

The visual identity of Startup Fxckups Vol. 4 didn’t just stop at the poster — it extended into the limited-edition t-shirts and stickers you saw that night. If you want to carry the spirit of connection, resilience, and authenticity forward, you can get your own merch here.

Each tee is more than fabric — it’s a conversation starter, a statement of solidarity.

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Moments That Moved the Room

Elevator Pitch Kickoff: Mole CEO Melly Ling broke the ice with the first 60-second pitch, followed by Ji En, CEO of Chambers Lab, and Marco Lai, Business Development Manager at Agmo Group. Their quickfire pitches set the tone for an evening of courage and connection, proving that authenticity is the new charisma.

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OMA Takes the Stage: After sharing the story behind his pain-relief-inspired design, Michael Waldo Wong introduced the limited-edition merch that embodied the night’s theme.

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What followed took everyone by surprise: Mole CEO Melly Ling, Startup Fxckups founder and moderator Jeff Cheok, and OMA tattoo artists; Carrelyn ‘Carebear’ Chow, Jet, and Russell Lloyd turned the runway into a dance floor — strutting through the crowd in the official t-shirt merch to an upbeat pop track.

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The playful moment lit up the room and drew applause all around — because what’s the point of going through pain if you can’t laugh at yourself every now and then?

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The Panel That Hit Home: As the fashion-show energy settled, the panel began — and the room stayed locked in. Founders shared stories that were honest, funny, and painfully relatable. There were shared laughs, nods of recognition, and moments of reflection that reminded everyone why this community exists in the first place.

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The Founders Who Took the Stage‍

The night featured four speakers whose stories captured the grit, humor, and heart of building through pain:

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Donald Ng, Co-Founder of Mida.so
‍Donald co-founded Mida.so, a global SaaS making A/B testing simple for scrappy marketing teams — no developers required. After failing his first startup as a solo tech founder, he’s now building Mida to grow profitably from day one across the US and EU.

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Darvesh Daswani, CEO of Payd
‍Darvesh founded Payd, a financial wellbeing platform in Malaysia and Thailand that gives employees faster, fairer access to their pay. With 15 years of fintech and recruitment experience, including an MBA from INSEAD, he’s turning cash flow from a workplace challenge into a runway for growth.

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Thalia Bondoc, Marketing Director at ORA Group
‍Thalia drives innovation in DTC healthcare at ORA Group. As Head of Community at Women in Tech Malaysia and a WOMEN IN TECH® ️APAC Winner 2023, she blends entrepreneurial experience with a passion for building diverse, inclusive communities.

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Riley Goh, Founder of Game Dates
‍Riley founded Game Dates®, Lighthouse Mastery, and Trainers Unite™, turning setbacks into systems that help people grow. With dice, cards, and play, she transforms clarity into cash flow — showing teams and professionals that when failure feels like a game, you’re ready for the next move.

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“We glorify the failures here, because that’s where the real lessons are,” said Startup Fxckups founder and moderator Jeff Cheok. “When failure stops being scary, that’s when founders get brave again.”

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Ecosystem & Partners

The event was made possible with the support of Antler, Growth Charger, and Cradle, alongside community-driven partners including Mida.so, Zus Coffee, Enya, Batik Boutique, and Zelda’s Truth. Ecosystem collaborators such as Herizon, Female Founders in Malaysia & Southeast Asia, and Runway Ventures added to the community’s strength, while ticketing was powered by Eventsize.

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Beyond the stories and laughter, Startup Fxckups Vol. 4 reaffirmed Mole’s belief that growth comes from connection — and that every setback carries the seed of something meaningful. The night reflects Mole’s ongoing mission to make networking more human again, by creating spaces where real conversations spark lasting connections.

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“Bringing a tattoo studio and a tech startup together was unexpected, but that’s what made it powerful,” said House of OMA founder Khang Wei. “The space came alive with real stories and real emotions. People listened without judgement, and that openness made it easy for the speakers to be honest. That’s what community looks like.”

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