Shah Alam, 27 April 2018 — The top 30 qualifiers of the Selangor Accelerator Programme 2018 (SAP2018) were revealed at its Opening Ceremony at the Selangor Digital Creative Centre in i-City, Shah Alam earlier today.
The ceremony was officiated by Dato’ Teng Chang Khim, Chairman of Standing Committees for Investment, Industry & Commerce, Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) and Transportation of the Selangor State Government, and Chief Operating Officer of TusStar Incubator Malaysia, Wil Chan. It was followed by a 60s elevator pitch by all 30 teams, and ended with mentor speed-dating and networking sessions.
The inaugural accelerator organised by the Selangor Information Technology & E-Commerce Council (SITEC) is the first in Malaysia to partner with Beijing-based incubator TusStar, the investment arm of China’s famed Tsinghua University. TusStar is the largest professional incubator in China, with over 5,000 alumni and 100 incubators under its belt, whereas SITEC is a state government initiative tasked with boosting digital economy efforts in Selangor.
“These young startups signal a nation’s desire for innovation and progress through entrepreneurship. The Selangor State Government remains committed to bringing initiatives of value to our people”, said Teng.
From February to April, over 70 Malaysian startups vied for a top 30 spot in the competitive programme, which pushes startups to refine their products and entrepreneurial skills through mentorship, learning sessions, pitching clinics and field trips. The top 10 will visit China’s leading Tsinghua University, as well as pitch and network in Beijing and Hangzhou, considered the hallowed grounds of e-commerce in China.
The top 5 startups are automatically qualified to pitch against 50 competitors for a massive RM 100,000 prize at the Selangor International Pitch as part of the Selangor Smart City & Digital Economy Convention on September 14 this year.
“We are very pleased to have been able to work with SITEC on this venture, as we think Malaysia has a very promising startup scene. This working relationship also further bolsters the dynamic relationship China has with Selangor, and we look forward to hosting SAP2018’s cream of the crop at Tsinghua University in July”, added Chan.
“We’re encouraged by the variety and quality of our applicants. We have startups in sectors like retail, tech, tourism and education,across industries like AI, IoT, machine learning, healthcare, beauty, e-commerce, fintech and even real estate”, said SITEC Chief Executive Yong Kai Ping.
Source: Sitec News