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MDEC partners to bridge local tech startups

Image Credits: Digital News Asia, Article

The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and its industry partner have announced a virtual investor-matching initiative for local startups that are seeking capital injection amid the current economic slowdown.

The Japanese-backed KK Fund is a familiar name among startups in Malaysia having made several investments since 2014 in the country.

Dubbed ‘Meet Your Match Malaysia’, the initiative is a collaboration between Singapore-based venture capital fund with investment interest in the Internet and mobile startups across Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and MDEC’s Global Growth Acceleration Division.

To date, MDEC and the firm have secured nearly 60 global investors who are ready to match virtually with startups in Malaysia that are actively seeking funding but are constrained by the Movement Control Order (MCO) in the country.

‘Meet Your Match Malaysia’ kicked off on 3 April 2020 and will run until 17 April 2020. Startups that are keen to be matched with potential investors may apply through the website.

All profiles and applications of the startups will be screened by MDEC and the firm before being shared with the prospective investors. Upon successful matching, a virtual connection will be initiated by the investors to delve into deeper discussions with their chosen startups.

Echoing the findings of a recent COVID-19 survey by the SME Association of Malaysia, the CEO of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation agreed that local startups face the same fate as many small and medium-sized enterprises in Malaysia that are struggling with sufficient cash flow to even sustain until end April 2020.

She stated that given the very challenging economic situation, MDEC’s Global Growth Acceleration Division has been relentlessly seeking funding avenues for startups that have been dependent on physical meetings and networking events to connect with potential investors.

The Vice President of MDEC’s Global Growth Acceleration Division expressed gratitude on behalf of MDEC to the firm for this timely partnership and for playing a pivotal role in driving this online investor-matching initiative.

MDEC is also scouting more funding opportunities to aid vulnerable companies in these challenging times, he added.

According to the Founder and General Partner of KK Fund, ‘Meet Your Match Thailand’ was launched recently and the response was exceptionally encouraging, drawing more than 40 global investors and 30 Thai startups.

This prompted the firm to expand its online investor-matching initiative to the rest of Southeast Asia and beyond.

For Meet Your Match Malaysia, the firm decided to partner with MDEC and BEAMSTART that have been contributing prominently to the Malaysian startup ecosystem.

It is believed that startups should not cease engaging investors in light of a market slowdown. Startups should be perfectly ready for fundraising when the market momentum changes again.

As such, it is hoped that Malaysia-based startups will take full advantage of this opportunity and move to greater heights.

Given the extension on the MCO, MDEC has developed a dedicated microsite for its #DigitalVsCovid campaign. Consumers, businesses and investors are advised to regularly visit the website to learn more about MDEC’s initiatives and relief services offered by a wide range of organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OpenGov Asia previously covered the #DigitalVsCovid campaign, reporting that the campaign aims to rally local tech and digital companies to extend their services and create incentives for those affected by the nationwide Movement Control Order (MCO).

So far, 80 local tech-centric companies have joined the campaign and are offering a multitude of solutions and services on a pro-bono basis to help businesses and consumers through the challenges resulting from the MCO.

Whether it is an attractive discount or strategic collaborations, the companies expressed sincere interests to help buffer the impact of the MCO at large.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

PARTNER

CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

PARTNER

Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

PARTNER

HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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