SMA, TEGAS & Curtin to hold first ever university pre-accelerator in Sarawak

• To spur the growth of early-stage startups/social enterprises to be in the MVP stage
• Aims to provide access to potential investors via the Sarawak Digital Ecosystem network

SARAWAK Multimedia Authority (SMA), Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Bumiputera Sarawak (TEGAS) and Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin) will collaborate to hold the first ever university pre-accelerator programme in Miri, called Launch Campus (LC).

LC is a six-week programme (September to October 2019) to help university students (early-stage startups/social enterprises) kick start their business ideas and take it to the next level, from validating ideas into creating a minimum viable product (MVP) and a go-to-market strategy.

The main objective of LC is to spur the growth of early-stage startups/social enterprises to be in the MVP stage and provide access to potential investors via the Sarawak Digital Ecosystem network.

The content will be delivered by experienced mentors and entrepreneurs, covering topics such starting up, business modelling, going to market, financial modelling, and pitching.

The programme prepares participants for the Demo Day (pitching competition) to select the top three winners and a chance to pitch to angel investors and various funding agencies.

Participants will also have the opportunity to advance to well-known entrepreneur development/growth accelerator programmes such as the TEGAS Startup Lab, Sarawak Shell LiveWIRE and Watch Tower & Friends Accelerator.

Demo day winners are set to receive a package that includes company incorporation support from TEGAS and three-month access to SMA-TEGAS Digital Innovation Hub (DIH).

“We’re really excited to collaborate with SMA and Curtin to launch this university pre-accelerator programme. This could be a great springboard to inspire students and take their ideas to the next level,” said TEGAS chairman Len Talif Salleh, who is Assistant Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment.

“Our mission is to provide growth opportunities for early-stage startups and social enterprises, and to build a strong tech and social innovation community across Sarawak. This initiative is in line with Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg’s agenda to increase the number of successful technopreneurs and subsequently drive the state’s digital economy,” said Len.

The programme is supported by the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) and is one of the key programmes in the Sarawak Digital Village Ecosystem. TEGAS is also collaborating with SMA in operating the DIH in Kuching, Miri and Bintulu.

DIH serves as an inclusive growth platform for startups and social enterprises in Sarawak. Funded by SMA and managed by TEGAS, the DIH offers access to affordable co-working spaces, incubation and acceleration programmes as well as access to Sarawak Digital Village Ecosystem network.

“Together with all our partners within the digital ecosystem, we know that this initiative will create success stories that will be the pride of our state, and our nation,” said Dr Zaidi Razak, general manager of SMA.

LC is open to all Curtin students. The programme will be delivered by TEGAS and The Founders Club – a startup currently under the TEGAS Startup Lab incubation programme.