This law graduate created an award-winning blender business as a side hustle

Seng Yong (Andrew) Poh didn’t set out to become the “blender guy.” 

In fact, he was knee-deep in law books, focused on building a solid, stable, and conventional career in the legal world. 

But somewhere between case studies, coursework, and a desire for extra income, Poh found himself tinkering with a side project.

It was highly unusual and a far cry from the prestige and tradition of law — the project was a blender.

Poh standing next to HiBlendr products sold in-store at Watson, Malaysia. Source: Seng Yong (Andrew) Poh

Starting his own business for side income and a healthy lifestyle

But not just any blender. Poh’s project was Hiblendr. Sleek and designed to spark healthier lifestyles, the product would go on to win awards. 

And it all started in a tiny room in Manchester, UK. 

“It was during bar school when I first came up with the idea,” Poh shares. “I was looking to start a side gig to increase my allowance while preparing for my law degree. It will be nine months long, and you don’t get paid much.”

Coming up with a business model was relatively simple for him. It had to be online and have a positive impact.

But finding the specific product to sell eluded him — until he did some self-reflection.

At that time, Poh was juggling work, studies, and life. Nothing felt balanced. And somewhere in the chaos, health often took a back seat.

He realised he wasn’t the only one struggling to keep up with it all while trying to eat (or drink) a little healthier. 

“I faced a lot of constipation problems when I was in the UK,” Poh laughs. “I wasn’t eating enough fruits, and of course, in the UK, you tend not to eat so…healthily. To be honest, I was just too lazy to cut the fruit.”

Poh pursued a Bachelor’s of Laws (LLB) at Brickfields Asia College and the University of Liverpool. Source: Seng Yong (Andrew) Poh

Smoothies or fruit juices were what Poh needed to increase his daily fibre intake. Purchasing it ready-made from juice shops wasn’t an option as it was too expensive.

Making them at home was the only way. 

But there was another issue: the only blenders he could find in the UK were too big and would occupy too much space in his kitchen.

Plus, he had no idea how he would bring it back to Malaysia, or even sell it off to someone in the UK. 

It was also around the time when Starbucks was selling its popular limited edition tumblers that would get people queuing for hours.

That’s when the idea hit: why not create a mini blender that actually fits into the fast-paced lifestyle of his generation?

And so HiBlendr was born. 

The brand is on a mission to become Southeast Asia’s No. 1 wellness brand, with a bold goal of helping one million people kickstart their journey to feeling better, inside and out.

Since day one, HiBlendr’s signature Juice Cup Pro has appealed to many.

Today, tens of thousands sold in countries like Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and China. 

Recently, it even bagged the Red Dot Design Award 2025 — basically the Michelin Star of product design. 

Brands such as Seiko, Pepsi, LG, Nokia, and Lenovo have been awarded and recognised by the Red Dot Design Award.

Not too shabby for an idea that started in a uni dorm room.

Beyond HiBlendr, Poh has also co-founded 50gram Wedding, Malaysia’s first one-stop wedding planning tool. Source: Seng Yong (Andrew) Poh

‘You don’t need a business degree to start a business, so I did law’

Starting his own business was something Poh have always wanted to do. But when it came down to choosing his degree, he decided on law.

“It was some time after high school when I realised I didn’t have any particular subject I was interested in,” he recalls. “I was in the science stream and accounting, but I had no interest in any of it whatsoever. So, I was left with business, mass communications, or law.” 

When he took a closer look at his options, law seemed the most promising. 

“I was so close to choosing business, but I realised that you don’t need a business degree to start a business, so I did law,” says Poh. “You need a law degree to become a lawyer, which means that the degree has somewhat more value than the other.” 

Poh attending a football match during his time in the UK. Source: Seng Yong (Andrew) Poh

Poh pursued a Bachelor’s of Laws (LLB) at Brickfields Asia College (BAC) in Malaysia, his home country. After two years, he moved to the University of Liverpool in the UK to complete his final year as part of BAC’s UK transfer programme. 

He’s a football fan, so that played a part in why he chose to study in the UK and at the University of Liverpool.

Upon graduation, Poh joined BPP University in Manchester to pursue his Bar Professional Training Course and graduated with a 72% pass rate in a single sitting — that’s where he came up with his award-winning blender idea.

He now holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) & Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) from the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn. 

Poh has also practised law as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya and trained as a Pupil-in-Chambers at Zaid Ibrahim & Co, the largest law firm in Malaysia, in addition to running HiBlendr.

Today, he runs his own business and is a legal associate at Christopher Yeo & KP Chang.