Sunway Innovation Labs (Sunway iLabs) have launched the Super Accelerator programme. The four-month programme is for early-stage start-ups. Supported by Sunway Group, SunSEA Capital and Gobi Partners, a regional Venture Capital firm, the programme will provide the start-ups with capital, mentorship and market access.
Led by Sunway Group chief innovation officer and Sunway iLabs Director Matthijs Van Leeuwen, the Super Accelerator programme focuses on delivering value within five key verticals – Smart Cities, Edutech, Digital Health, Food and Agritech and eCommerce.
The programme will provide selected start-ups up to RM100,000 of seed funding and assist them in getting a follow-up funding after graduation.
Embracing and leading the new normal due to COVID-19, the programme will be mostly delivered virtually through iLabs Dojo – a newly developed online learning and training platform.
Interviews, pitching, mentoring and business meetings will be conducted via video conferencing. Participating start-ups can also look forward to academic support from Sunway University in talent recruitment and research and development opportunities.
“The first month of the accelerator will see us filtering start-ups to find the right fit with our programme,” Van Leeuwen said.
Evan Cheah, Executive Vice President of President’s Office, Sunway Group, said, “As Sunway iLabs is closely connected to the start-up ecosystem around the region, start-ups can gain direct access to our large network of investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts.”
In the post-COVID-19 period, according to Gobi Partners Chairman and Founding Partner Thomas Tsao, “Gobi is helping early-stage Malaysian start-ups embrace innovation and compete in this new environment”.
Jamaludin Bujang, Gobi Partners Managing Director, Malaysia, reckoned “It is important for start-ups to adopt a global mindset when building their businesses and we have the resources to help open doors for companies to enter new markets”.
“Gobi Partners will also support the subsequent financing through the Malaysia SuperSeed Fund II to give select start-ups the necessary funds they need,” Jamaludin added.
More than 25 start-up companies graduated from Sunway iLabs in a previous accelerator batch, including Red Dino, Ezyspark, Jobworks and JomRun.
JomRun has since grown to become the largest running platform in Malaysia, having also expanded regionally into Indonesia, Cambodia and Singapore. Its founder Chang Yi Hern, a graduate from Oxford University, was recently recognised as one of Malaysia’s top entrepreneurs by Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in 2020.
Malaysian start-ups with a minimal viable product or market-ready products or services are strongly encouraged to apply for the programme.
Registration is currently ongoing until the 21st August 2020. To register, or for more information, visit https://innovationlabs.sunway.edu.my/accelerator/
