What Kakiseni does

Kakiseni is a Malaysian non-profit organization operating kakiseni.org as an online cultural directory covering music, film, dance, theatre, literature, and visual art. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Puchong, Selangor, with approximately 11 employees, the organization runs a portfolio of interconnected programs: the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards (Malaysia's only awards judging live music, dance, theatre, and musical theatre, running annually since 2002 and now in its 21st edition); complementary directories for grants, festivals, arts residencies, and production companies; a Tax Deduction Kit guiding producers through Section 34(6)(k) of Malaysia's Income Tax Act 1967; and youth/educational initiatives including Kelab YSD-Kakiseni Junior, BootcampSENI, and the National English Drama Competition, reaching over 100 schools.

The platform is built on standard web infrastructure serving as a daily-updated cultural directory and administering the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards online submission and judging system, with PricewaterhouseCoopers providing independent ballot verification. Kakiseni serves four distinct stakeholder groups: individual arts practitioners seeking funding and opportunities, production companies needing visibility and collaboration, schools integrating arts curricula, and corporate sponsors pursuing tax-deductible CSR alignment.

As a non-profit, Kakiseni does not charge fees for directory services or award participation. Revenue is sourced from corporate sponsorships — most notably BOH Plantations as flagship partner for the awards — alongside grants and donations from bodies such as Yayasan Sime Darby and CENDANA. The organization does not disclose financials, has no recorded funding rounds or M&A activity, and operates as Kakiseni Sdn Bhd under President Low Ngai Yuen and co-founder Kathy Rowland.

Name

Kakiseni

Legal name

Kakiseni Sdn Bhd

Website

https://kakiseni.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kakiseni is a Malaysian non-profit that runs an online cultural directory (kakiseni.org) and the annual BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, serving individual arts practitioners, production companies, schools, and corporate sponsors across Malaysia's performing arts ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Support Services

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Fan Conventions Organizers (THAHABAN), Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI), Cultural Heritage & Traditional Festivals (Folk, Ethnic, Indigenous) (MPAGAEAB)

Keywords

• Arts directory services
• Performing arts awards
• Arts grants information
• Artist residency listings
• Arts education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Puchong

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Non-profit arts organization: Kakiseni is a non-profit organization funded through partnerships with corporate sponsors, primarily BOH Plantations for the annual awards, and donations. Revenue supports programs that enrich artists and develop audience appreciation for arts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kakiseni operates Malaysia's dedicated online cultural directory and resource hub (kakiseni.org) covering music, film, dance, theatre, literature, and visual art, providing daily-updated listings of grants, residencies, festivals, and production companies. It is the organizer of the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, Malaysia's premier performing arts awards running annually since 2002, and runs additional programs including school workshops, youth arts initiatives (Kakiseni Junior, SeniKidZ), storytelling workshops (Hikayat Series), community festivals (The Other Festival, Ipoh), and the ASEAN Puppetry Conference.

Product overview

Kakiseni is a non-profit organization operating kakiseni.org as an online arts platform dedicated to building a sustainable arts industry in Malaysia. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected services: the flagship BOH Cameronian Arts Awards (established 2002) recognizes excellence in Malaysian performing arts; complemented by a Tax Deduction Kit to help producers secure corporate sponsorship; an Arts Residency Directory for artist opportunities; a Grants Directory aggregating funding sources; a Festivals Directory for artist participation; and a Production Companies Directory for networking. The platform functions as a cultural directory and listing service for music, film, dance, theatre, literature, and visual art activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BOH Cameronian Arts Awards: Malaysia's premier award for music, dance, theatre, and musical theatre, established in 2002 in partnership with BOH Plantations.
• Kakiseni Junior
• Hikayat Series & Workshop
• SeniKidZ
• SeniMAD (Seni Making A Difference)
• The Other Festival, Ipoh
• Asean Puppetry Conference

Products and services

• BOH Cameronian Arts Awards Annual awards ceremony celebrating outstanding performances in dance, music, theatre, and musical theatre performed in Malaysia. The only awards in Malaysia that judges live performances across these four categories, with 21 editions running since 2002.
• Tax Deduction Kit Resource kit guiding producers through the process of obtaining tax deductions for sponsoring arts, cultural and heritage activities under Section 34(6)(k) of Malaysia's Income Tax Act 1967. Includes application procedures and downloadable forms.
• Arts Residency Directory Comprehensive listing of artist residency programs worldwide, enabling Malaysian artists to find and apply for residency opportunities across different countries and disciplines.
• Grants Directory Aggregated information about funding opportunities available to Malaysian arts practitioners, including grants from CENDANA, Yayasan Sime Darby, Culture Moves Europe, and other funding bodies.
• Festivals Directory Curated listing of local, regional and international festivals where artists can participate and showcase their work.
• Production Companies Directory National directory connecting artists and event organizers with Malaysian production companies across various arts disciplines.
• 21st BOH Cameronian Arts Awards 2026 Latest edition of the annual BOH Cameronian Arts Awards covering dance, music, theatre, and musical theatre performances during the 2026 judging period.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 years of supporting Malaysian arts industry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, minor and regional.

• BOH Plantations (BOH)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Primary partnership since 2002 for the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, Malaysia's premier performing arts awards. BOH Plantations provides sponsorship and co-branding for the annual awards covering dance, music, theatre, and musical theatre. The partnership includes limited edition tea canisters and corporate involvement in the awards ceremonies.
• PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)coreOthersOfficial Ballot Partner for the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards. PwC tabulates scores and keeps results confidential in sealed envelopes until announced at Awards Night. Provides independent verification and credibility to the judging process.
• European Union (Culture Moves Europe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndividual Mobility Action grant program for artists and cultural professionals to carry out projects with partners in Creative Europe countries. Kakiseni shares information about these opportunities with Malaysian practitioners.
• CENDANAregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding programmes created to increase quality and opportunities of Malaysian arts works. Kakiseni provides information about CENDANA grants to Malaysian practitioners.
• Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner venue for arts activities and residencies. Gangsapura Contemporary Malay Gamelan Group operates from KLPAC's Gamelan Studio.
• Goethe-Institut MalaysiaregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIR Frankfurt-Kuala Lumpur Exchange residency program for emerging artists. Joint artist residency initiative supporting international exchange between Frankfurt and Kuala Lumpur.
• George Town FestivalregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerGTF2024 Artist-in-Residence Programme listed on Kakiseni. Residency programme for artists from any creative discipline, inspired by George Town's cultural heritage.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arts Council England: UK national development agency for arts and culture. Comparable as a large-scale national body distributing grants and supporting artists; useful analog for what a fully-resourced national arts aggregator can achieve, contrasted with Kakiseni's nonprofit-led model.
• National Arts Council (Singapore): Statutory body promoting arts in Singapore through grants, capability development, and the Singapore Arts Festival (now Singapore International Festival of Arts). Comparable as a national arts-development organization that funds and aggregates opportunities for practitioners, though operating as a government entity rather than an independent nonprofit.
• Australia Council for the Arts: Australian government's arts funding and policy body. Comparable as a national arts-development organization aggregating grants, residencies, and opportunities for practitioners — analogous in function to Kakiseni's directory role but at government scale.
• The Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay: Singapore's national performing arts centre presenting year-round programming across multiple genres. Comparable as a Southeast Asian performing arts institution with rigorous live-performance evaluation processes and a multi-genre mandate similar to BCAA's four-category scope.

Direct peers

• MyDance Alliance: Malaysian nonprofit dance advocacy and networking organization. Comparable as a Malaysian nonprofit serving performing arts practitioners through advocacy, resources, and community building, though narrower in scope (dance-only vs Kakiseni's multi-discipline coverage).
• Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC): Malaysian nonprofit performing arts venue and resident company host. Comparable as a Kuala Lumpur-based nonprofit arts institution; Kakiseni and KLPAC are direct partners (Gangsapura Gamelan operates from KLPAC's studio), making them close ecosystem peers rather than distant competitors.
• Five Arts Centre: Malaysian nonprofit established in 1984 producing interdisciplinary performing arts and community programs. Directly comparable as a Malaysian nonprofit producing theatre, dance, and community arts programs while supporting practitioners through workshops and outreach.
• The Actors Studio Malaysia: Malaysian nonprofit theatre company founded by Joe Hasham, producing English-language theatre and running an arts venue. Comparable as a long-running Malaysian nonprofit cultural institution focused on live performance and audience development.
• CENDANA (Cultural Economy Development Agency): Malaysian government-linked agency funding arts and cultural projects. Comparable as a domestic arts funding intermediary; Kakiseni actually distributes CENDANA grant information to its audience, making them adjacent ecosystem partners in the same funding pipeline.

Emerging players

• George Town Festival: Annual Malaysian arts and culture festival held in Penang with an embedded artist residency program. Comparable as a Malaysian arts festival that lists residency opportunities through Kakiseni's directory; similar nonprofit festival operating model serving practitioners and audience development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kakiseni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kakiseni