Think City
Think City is a Malaysian urban impact organization and wholly owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, operating grant-funded programmes in heritage conservation, climate adaptation, public housing empowerment, and creative economy across Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, and northern Malaysia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersGeorge Town, Malaysia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Think City does
Think City Sdn. Bhd. is a Malaysian impact organization and wholly owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the country's sovereign wealth fund. Established in 2009 and headquartered in George Town, Penang, with an additional office in Kuala Lumpur, the organization functions as Khazanah's implementing arm for urban regeneration, operating 11–50 staff. Its work spans heritage conservation, climate adaptation, public housing empowerment, creative economy development, and archaeotourism across Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Seberang Perai, and four northern Malaysian states. Core programmes include the George Town Transformation Programme, Laneways Improvement Programme (originated 2012), Warisan KL (formerly KLCCD, a Downtown KL initiative with 10 flagship projects), the Kita-untuk-Kita (K2K) public housing programme co-developed with the World Bank, the Penang Nature-based Climate Adaptation Programme (PNBCAP) with UN-Habitat and the Adaptation Fund, Coronation Avenue in Johor Bahru, Arts on the Move, and the Northern Region Archaeotourism Network (NRAN), a RM10 million project initiated in 2022.
Think City does not sell commercial technology products. Its intellectual property consists of urban regeneration methodologies, strategic masterplans (KLCCD), and research publications including the From Roof to Resilience study (2,884 households across 10 Klang Valley public housing sites) and the Social Resilience Assessment and Action Plan. The organization also administers multiple grant vehicles — Warisan KL Grants, PNBCAP Urban Greening Grants (up to RM100,000), Seberang Perai Small Town Grants, Downtown Johor Bahru Grants (up to RM50,000), and K2K Community Grants — distributed to individuals, collectives, and community organizations.
The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue flows from Khazanah Nasional Berhad as parent/anchor funder, supplemented by multilateral sources such as the Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol/UNFCCC, World Bank co-funding, and Ministry of Finance Malaysia support. Distribution is partnership-based: Think City works directly with government agencies (MBPP, MBJB, DBKL, MPSP, IRDA, JPS), international bodies (UN-Habitat, World Bank, Adaptation Fund), academic partners (USM, UTHM), and corporate collaborators (Maxis for the Explore with Maxis heritage bus tour, Airbnb for heritage publications, AECOM/EDAW for masterplanning). The go-to-market motion is community-led rather than sales-driven, with reach built through grant programmes, events (KL Festival, Pentas Seni Merdeka, Arts on the Move), publications, and government co-delivery rather than traditional channels.
Think City firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Think City
- Legal name
- Think City Sdn. Bhd.
- Website
- https://thinkcity.com.my
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Think City is a Malaysian urban impact organization and wholly owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, operating grant-funded programmes in heritage conservation, climate adaptation, public housing empowerment, and creative economy across Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, and northern Malaysia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Think City industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Regeneration Services
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (81341)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD), Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD), Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)
Keywords
Where Think City is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- George Town
- HQ country
- Malaysia
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Think City business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Grant Funding Model: Think City operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, functioning as an impact organization funded through grants and government-backed initiatives. The organization does not generate commercial revenue from products or services but instead distributes funding through various grant programmes to support urban regeneration projects across Malaysia.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Think City product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Think City is a Malaysian urban impact organization that delivers inclusive, place-based urban regeneration programmes across Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Johor Bahru. It works with government agencies, urban planners, NGOs, businesses, academia, and communities on heritage conservation, climate adaptation, public housing improvement, and creative district development, channeling institutional grant funding into these place-based initiatives and discrete community grant schemes.
Product overview
Think City is an impact organization (wholly owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad) that functions as a platform of urban solutions rather than a single software product. Its portfolio includes multiple thematic programmes: Warisan KL for heritage-based urban regeneration in Kuala Lumpur; the Kita-untuk-Kita (K2K) Programme for public housing community empowerment (co-developed with World Bank); the Penang Nature-based Climate Adaptation Programme (PNBCAP) for climate resilience; Laneways Improvement Programme for placemaking; Coronation Avenue for streetscape enhancement; Arts on the Move for creative district activation; and the Northern Region Archaeotourism Network (NRAN) for cultural heritage development. Think City also manages multiple grant programmes including Warisan KL Grants, PNBCAP Urban Greening Grants, Creative KL Grants, Seberang Perai Small Town Grants, and Downtown Johor Bahru Grants. These programmes collectively aim to create sustainable, equitable places through data-driven insights, community engagement, and nature-based solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 2,884 households surveyed across 10 public housing sites in Klang Valley for From Roof to Resilience study
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Think City
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Think City technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Think City partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.
- MaxisflagshipPartnership for 'Explore with Maxis' initiative featuring an interactive heritage bus tour in Kuala Lumpur with AI-powered digital storytelling at historical landmarks including Dataran Merdeka, Masjid Jamek, and Stadium Merdeka.
- World BankcoreCo-developed the Kita-untuk-Kita (K2K) Programme with the World Bank, aiming to facilitate poverty exit and reverse social, economic, and physical decay in public housing schemes.
- UN-HabitatmajorStrategic partner for the Penang Nature-based Climate Adaptation Programme (PNBCAP), collaborating on nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in Penang's urban areas.
- Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA)majorCollaboration on Downtown Johor Bahru Grants Programme for arts, heritage, and culture initiatives to rejuvenate Downtown Johor Bahru and complement the Sungai Segget revitalisation project.
- Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (MBJB)coreCollaboration on multiple Johor Bahru projects including Coronation Avenue streetscape improvement, Coronation Avenue project, and Laneways Improvement Programme, under the Johor Bahru Transformation Programme.
- Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (MBPP)coreStrategic partner for PNBCAP and various George Town regeneration projects. MBPP integrates the Penang Climate Board within its structure.
- Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL)coreCollaboration on Kuala Lumpur projects including Pentas Seni Merdeka arts platform and Laneways Improvement Programme in Downtown Kuala Lumpur.
- Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP)majorPartner in Levelling Up Seberang Perai Programme and PNBCAP stormwater management initiatives.
- UTHM (Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia)minorAcademic partnership for the 'Back to Back Lane' programme in Muar, collaborating on transforming back alleys into safe, healthy, and walkable spaces.
- Jabatan Warisan NegaramajorCollaboration on the Kuala Lumpur Creative and Cultural District (KLCCD) Strategic Masterplan development.
- EDAW (now AECOM)majorGlobal master planners supporting the George Town Transformation Programme, providing expert guidance on urban regeneration.
- Badan Warisan Malaysia (Heritage of Malaysia Trust)majorLocal subject experts collaborating on the George Town Transformation Programme for heritage conservation.
- AirbnbminorPartnership on Heritage Guide To Kuala Lumpur publication, promoting heritage tourism in the city.
- Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS)majorPartner in PNBCAP, adopting the Sungai Ara Linear Park pilot project under a taskforce for blue-green corridor development.
- Penang Green CouncilminorPartner in PNBCAP environmental initiatives for Penang's climate adaptation efforts.
- USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia)minorAcademic partner in PNBCAP for research and knowledge management on climate adaptation.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Think City competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: Network of global cities focused on climate action and urban resilience. Comparable to Think City in partnering with cities on nature-based climate adaptation, public housing resilience and policy advocacy.
- Aga Khan Trust for Culture: Mission-driven foundation that drives heritage-based urban regeneration and cultural revitalization in historic cities (e.g., Cairo, Zanzibar, Delhi). Highly comparable to Think City's combination of heritage conservation, cultural economy and place-making across Malaysian historic centres.
- The Prince's Foundation: UK-based charity focused on placemaking, traditional skills and built-environment education. Comparable to Think City as a non-profit, mission-driven organization working on heritage conservation and community-led regeneration of urban places.
- World Resources Institute (Ross Center for Sustainable Cities): Research-to-action organization working on sustainable, equitable cities in emerging economies. Comparable to Think City in combining data-driven urban research (similar to From Roof to Resilience) with place-based implementation programmes.
- ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability: Global network of local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Comparable to Think City in mobilizing municipal partnerships, climate adaptation programming and capacity-building for cities, including in Southeast Asia.
- Gehl Architects: Urban planning and design consultancy focused on people-centred public spaces. Comparable to Think City's Laneways Improvement and Coronation Avenue programmes that transform underutilized urban space into vibrant, walkable places.
Emerging players
- Habitat for Humanity International: Global non-profit addressing housing poverty and community development. Compares to Think City's K2K Programme, which similarly targets poverty exit and physical/social/economic revitalization in public housing schemes, though with a regional rather than global operating model.
Broad incumbents
- Arup: Global engineering and urban development consultancy with deep practice in sustainable city design. Comparable to Think City in providing integrated urban solutions across climate, mobility, heritage and community resilience, though on a commercial fee basis.
- AECOM: Global infrastructure and urban planning consultancy. AECOM (which absorbed EDAW, Think City's master-planning partner on the George Town Transformation Programme) is comparable as a large-scale provider of urban regeneration masterplanning services, though it operates commercially rather than as an impact NGO.
- UN-Habitat: United Nations agency for sustainable urban development. Think City is an active partner of UN-Habitat on PNBCAP; UN-Habitat operates a much broader global mandate but shares Think City's focus on inclusive, climate-resilient urban regeneration.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Think City social profiles
Digital presenceThink City compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Think City financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Think City leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Think City funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Think City M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Think City
What does Think City do?
Think City is a Malaysian urban impact organization that delivers inclusive, place-based urban regeneration programmes across Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Johor Bahru. It works with government agencies, urban planners, NGOs, businesses, academia, and communities on heritage conservation, climate adaptation, public housing improvement, and creative district development, channeling institutional grant funding into these place-based initiatives and discrete community grant schemes.
Is Think City a public or private company?
Think City is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Think City founded?
Think City was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Think City based?
Think City is headquartered in George Town, Malaysia, in the Asia region.
How does Think City make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant Funding Model.
Who are Think City's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, Aga Khan Trust for Culture, The Prince's Foundation, World Resources Institute (Ross Center for Sustainable Cities), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and Gehl Architects. Habitat for Humanity International is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Arup, AECOM and UN-Habitat.
Does Think City have an API?
No public API is recorded for Think City.
What industry is Think City in?
Think City's product category is Urban Regeneration Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADALAL, Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAD, Urban Planning & Master Planning. Its NAICS code is 81341 and its SIC code is 8300.