New startup ideas and business models are key engines of economic growth. They not only create new jobs but also foster competitiveness and innovation, which is why the Malaysian government’s MyDIGITAL initiative is looking to attract two unicorns and launch 5,000 startups in the next five years.
In line with this initiative, 1337 Ventures is looking for local tech creators and aspiring entrepreneurs to participate in its award-winning Alpha Startups™ Digital Accelerator (ASDA) Cohort 43. The Venture Capitalist has nurtured over 1,000 entrepreneurs in the idea, pre-MVP and pre-seed stages, including startups in Malaysia like BloomThis, ParkEasy, EatCakeToday and MaidEasy.
The six-week fully virtual programme is highly flexible to suit a variety of schedules. The Alpha Startups™ Digital Accelerator (ASDA) Cohort 43 is vertical agnostic. That is to say, participants may join from any industry and any location.
“I’d like to extend an open invitation to anyone who wants to start their own startup, whether you’re still only just mulling an idea, or if you have something specific you want to solve,” said Kavidha Natarajan, Head of Education Programmes at 1337 Ventures.
“The programme will take you through ideation to MVP, and beyond the promise of funding through us and other VCs, you will get invaluable consultation from industry experts and mentors to help accelerate your business, plus RM 100,000 in digital infrastructure” she added, going on to say that teams tended to appreciate the market access, startup playbook, and mentoring space more than they did any other aspect of the programme.
The accelerator programme will close with a virtual Demo Day where the best teams will present their concepts to an audience of highly accredited investors, venture capitalists, and others.
Past notable judges include Suresh Thiru, former CEO of SEEK Asia and prominent angel investor; Dato Syed Haizam, Managing Director of The Hive Southeast Asia; and Tony Yeoh, CEO of Digital Penang.
Promising startups will receive up to RM50,000 as pre-seed funding and up to RM100,000 in digital credits on infrastructure on Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud credits, Airtable, Digital Skills Training, and Job Portal credits, and more.
Supported by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Digital Penang, the application for ASDA is currently open until August 4th, 2022.