In a strategic leap to supercharge innovation across Southeast Asia, Sunway iLabs, the innovation arm of Sunway Group, is partnering with Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd to launch the Startup Deep Tech Ventures Lab (DTVL) — a transformative six-month co-creation program dedicated to building and scaling high-impact artificial intelligence (AI) and deep tech startups.
Sunway iLabs said in a statement on Monday that the initiative aims to catalyze breakthrough solutions to some of the region’s most critical challenges, setting the stage for a new era of technological advancement and entrepreneurial excellence.
From July to December 2025, DTVL is tailored for early-stage startups operating at the intersection of science, engineering and impact.
Participants will undergo a rigorous and structured journey, including expert-led workshops, personalized mentorship through monthly office hours, investor-readiness sessions, and access to global capital networks, geared towards turning ambitious ideas into market-ready solutions.
The program is backed by a strong coalition of global and local innovation leaders.
Core partners include Cradle, Malaysia’s focal point agency for early-stage startups under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) of Malaysia; Deep Tech Labs, a United Kingdom-based accelerator and venture capital fund backed by the University of Cambridge, ARM, and Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC); Investible, a venture capital firm based in Australia and Singapore focused on climate-tech early stage investment; and CloudMile, an AI and cloud technology company with a strong presence in Malaysia, enabling digital transformation across industries.
These partnerships ensure startups benefit from world-class technical expertise, commercial guidance and international exposure.
Further strengthening the program is a robust ecosystem network of collaborators and enablers.
These include prominent venture firms such as Gobi Partners and The Hive Southeast Asia, alongside a consortium of Malaysia’s leading academic institutions, including Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), and Sunway University.
Additional support comes from national innovation and commercialisation agencies such as Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) and a diverse bench of industry mentors from Malaysia and the United Kingdom.
Together, this multidisciplinary coalition is building a launchpad for the region’s next generation of transformative deep tech ventures.
Following a competitive selection process, 20 startups were selected from a pool of 69 applicants, resulting in a 29 percent acceptance rate.
These startups are tackling urgent global and regional challenges across seven key verticals: AI and deep tech, food and water security, health and wellness, intelligent autonomy, semiconductor applications, energy transition, and decarbonization through carbon capture, innovation, and storage.
The program will culminate in a pre-demo Day this September, where all participating startups will present their progress to a curated audience of regional venture capitalists, corporate partners, and policymakers.
A shortlist of five to ten standout ventures will be invited to the final demo day showcase in October or early November, providing a public platform to spotlight breakthrough technologies and Malaysia’s deep tech leadership globally.
“DTVL embodies our vision to drive deep tech innovation that delivers both commercial success and meaningful societal impact,
“By empowering science- and engineering-led startups, we’re not just investing in technology — we’re investing in solutions that can shape a better future for Malaysia and the region,” said Matt van Leeuwen, Chief Innovation Officer of Sunway Group and Chief Executive Officer of Sunway iLabs.
Meanwhile, Norman Matthieu Vanhaecke, Group Chief Executive Officer of Cradle, said this is exactly the kind of bold, future-forward initiative our ecosystem needs.
“Deep tech is about solving real, complex challenges at scale. DVTL reflects the spirit of collaboration we need between government, academia and industry to push Malaysia’s innovation frontier,
“Cradle is proud to be part of this momentum, and we’re excited to back founders who are ready to turn breakthrough ideas into global impact,” he added.
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