Cari Internet

Cari Internet Sdn. Bhd. is a Malaysian internet company founded in 1996 by Liew Chew-Keat. Its principal consumer-facing property is Cari.com.my, an early Malaysian search engine and web portal whose name comes from the Malay word cari, meaning “search.” The company emerged during the formative period of Malaysia’s commercial internet, when local portals served as gateways to online information, discussion, commerce, and community services. A notable feature of Cari’s early strategy was its trilingual orientation. The company provided services in English, Malay, and Chinese, allowing it to address Malaysia’s linguistically diverse internet audience rather than focusing on a single language community. This helped Cari develop a broad local identity and contributed to its growth into one of Malaysia’s leading web portals during the early internet era. The Cari Forum became one of the most visible parts of the service. It provided multilingual user-generated discussion and developed a particularly strong following, making Cari more than a conventional search or directory site. Cari’s business scope expanded beyond portal publishing. Its documented offerings included online florist Flowers.com.my and Onnet, a web-hosting service. In 2003, the company announced an internally developed electronic-commerce platform in cooperation with Commerce Payment Sdn. Bhd., a local payment-services provider. The initiative reflected the company’s attempt to extend its portal presence into transactions and online retail infrastructure. In 2008, Cari also announced a partnership with FoodStreet, a Malaysian restaurant-search startup founded by technologist and food enthusiast Aidan Lee, connecting Cari’s audience with locally relevant food-discovery content. The company attracted outside investment during the dot-com period. In 2000, AKN.com invested RM2.5 million for a 15 percent stake; the interest was later transferred to Swansoft Technologies. Cari was reported to have maintained close control of operating costs. After the dot-com bubble burst, the company sharply reduced advertising expenditure, from RM450,000 in 2000 to RM50,000 in 2001. The reduction helped its cash flow, although Cari was still reported as unprofitable in 2001. These details illustrate the financial pressure faced by local web companies during the transition from speculative internet growth to more disciplined operating models. Cari also became involved in disputes associated with the responsibilities of online platforms. In 2000, it had a copyright-related dispute with Catcha.com and considered legal action. In 2008, the High Court at George Town ordered Cari to disclose the identities of forum users whose postings were alleged to have defamed a manager of the Malaysian Chinese newspaper Kwong Wah Yit Poh. The case concerned the platform’s refusal to respond to three letters requesting disclosure and alleging defamation; the court also ordered Cari to pay the complainant’s costs. By March 2018, Alexa Internet data cited for Cari.com.my placed it as the 144th-most popular website among Malaysian visitors, with the cited measurement referring to 74.6 percent of visitors. Cari Internet’s historical importance lies primarily in its role as an early, locally adapted Malaysian portal. Its combination of multilingual publishing, search, community discussion, commerce, and supporting digital services made it an example of the integrated portal model that shaped Malaysia’s first generation of consumer internet businesses.

Cari Internet was established in Malaysia in 1996 by Liew Chew-Keat, during the country’s early commercial-internet period. Its main service, Cari.com.my, combined search functionality with the broader role of a web portal. The Malay word cari means “search,” giving the service a name that directly described its central purpose and anchored the brand in the local language. From its early development, Cari differentiated itself through trilingual services in English, Malay, and Chinese. This approach reflected Malaysia’s multilingual population and enabled the company to serve users across several language communities. Cari became one of the country’s top ten web portals during the early growth of online services. The Cari Forum was especially important to the brand’s identity. As a multilingual discussion area, it attracted substantial user participation and helped Cari function as an online community as well as a search and information service. The company pursued a broader internet-services portfolio. It operated Flowers.com.my, an online florist, and Onnet, a web-hosting service. In 2000, Cari received RM2.5 million in venture-capital funding from AKN.com in exchange for a 15 percent stake. That investment was subsequently transferred to Swansoft Technologies. Cari was also described as maintaining tight control over expenditure. When the dot-com bubble burst, the resulting market change helped the company reduce advertising spending from RM450,000 in 2000 to RM50,000 in 2001. Although the lower spending supported cash flow, the company was not profitable in 2001. Cari continued seeking ways to extend its portal into commercial services. In 2003, it announced an electronic-commerce platform developed in-house and linked to Commerce Payment Sdn. Bhd., a local payment-services company. In 2008, Cari announced a partnership with FoodStreet, a restaurant-search startup founded by Aidan Lee. The partnership broadened Cari’s local discovery proposition beyond general web search and discussion. The company’s history also includes disputes concerning content and platform responsibility. In 2000, Cari had a copyright dispute with Catcha.com and considered suing. In 2008, a manager of the Malaysian Chinese newspaper Kwong Wah Yit Poh alleged that comments posted in Cari’s forum were defamatory. After Cari did not respond to three letters seeking disclosure of the posters’ identities, the matter reached the High Court at George Town. The court ordered Cari to provide the requested information and pay the complainant’s court costs. The available historical record continued to identify Cari.com.my as a significant Malaysian website. Alexa Internet data cited for March 2018 ranked it 144th among Malaysian websites under the stated measurement. Cari Internet’s documented legacy is that of an early Malaysian portal company that combined local-language access, user forums, search, online commerce, hosting, and specialist services in a single internet-business portfolio.

• 2018

  Cari.com.my cited in Malaysian web rankings

  [1]Cari Interneten.wikipedia.org

  Alexa data cited Cari.com.my as the 144th-most popular website among Malaysian visitors under the reported measurement.

• 2008

  FoodStreet partnership announced

  [1]Cari Interneten.wikipedia.org

  Cari announced a partnership with restaurant-search startup FoodStreet.

• 2003

  Electronic-commerce platform announced

  [1]Cari Interneten.wikipedia.org

  Cari announced an in-house e-commerce platform developed with Commerce Payment Sdn. Bhd.

• 2001

  Advertising expenditure is reduced

  [1]Cari Interneten.wikipedia.org

  Cari reduced advertising expenditure from RM450,000 in 2000 to RM50,000 in 2001 as it focused on cash preservation; it was still unprofitable in 2001.

• 2000

  Venture investment from AKN.com

  [1]Cari Interneten.wikipedia.org

  AKN.com invested RM2.5 million for a 15 percent stake, later transferred to Swansoft Technologies.

• 1996

  Cari Internet is founded

  [1]Cari Interneten.wikipedia.org

  Liew Chew-Keat founded Cari Internet in Malaysia, establishing the company behind Cari.com.my.

A locally focused Malaysian internet portal built around multilingual search, community discussion, and adjacent online services.

• Search engine and web portal · 1996

  Cari.com.my

  Cari.com.my is Cari Internet’s principal web property. It began as a Malaysian search engine and developed into a broader portal carrying locally relevant internet services and content. Its multilingual orientation in English, Malay, and Chinese helped it reach Malaysia’s diverse online audience. The portal also served as the home for Cari Forum and other services associated with the company.

• Online forum

  Cari Forum

  Cari Forum is the multilingual community-discussion component associated with Cari.com.my. It became one of the most popular parts of Cari’s service and gave the company a user-generated content and community role beyond search. The forum’s prominence also placed Cari in legal disputes concerning allegedly defamatory user postings and the disclosure of poster identities.

• Online florist

  Flowers.com.my

  Flowers.com.my is Cari Internet’s online florist service. It extended the company’s portal model into online retail and gift ordering, adding a specialist commerce property to its search, forum, and hosting activities.

• Web hosting

  Onnet

  Onnet is Cari Internet’s web-hosting service. It represents the company’s infrastructure-oriented business alongside its consumer portal and content properties, offering a route into hosting and web-presence services.

• Electronic commerce platform · 2003

  Cari electronic-commerce platform

  In 2003, Cari announced an internally developed electronic-commerce platform created in cooperation with Commerce Payment Sdn. Bhd. The initiative was intended to connect Cari’s portal audience with online transactions using a local payment-services partner.

• 2008FoodStreet partnership

  Malaysia

  Cari partnered with FoodStreet, a Malaysian restaurant-search startup, to expand local food-discovery content and services within its broader internet portfolio.

  Source

• 2008

  Partnership with FoodStreetStrategy

  Background

  Cari aimed to broaden its local-content and discovery offering beyond general portal functions.

  Action taken

  Cari announced a partnership with FoodStreet, a Malaysian restaurant-search startup.

  Source

• 2003

  Launch of an in-house electronic-commerce platformProduct launch

  Background

  Cari sought to extend its web-portal business into online transactions and worked with Commerce Payment Sdn. Bhd., a local payment-services provider.

  Action taken

  The company announced an internally developed electronic-commerce platform.

  Source

1. 1Cari Interneten.wikipedia.org