KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced that a convention for technology-based start-ups will be held soon in order to produce more technopreneurs. In his speech during the tabling of the 12th Malaysia Plan mid-term review in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Sept 11), the Prime Minister cited the success of start-ups like EasyParcel, TheLorry, Swipey, and iStore iSend as examples to follow.
Anwar mentioned that a total of RM266mil has been allocated this year as grants for local start-ups to establish more companies that can achieve “unicorn” status. So far, RM63.9mil has already been channeled for this purpose. The Prime Minister also highlighted the support from major players in the telecommunications and information sector, including Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, and start-ups, who have voiced their support for Malaysia to produce more local digital talents.
In his speech, Anwar emphasized the critical and urgent need to develop start-ups to accelerate the nation’s economic transition. He stated that start-ups are more democratic in attracting talent and young people who are willing to explore related fields despite the associated risks.
Furthermore, Anwar announced that an initiative will be introduced to gather resources from government-linked companies, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, and Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP), specifically for the purpose of supporting start-ups. The focus of this initiative will be on investors and start-ups in their early stages to help them emerge as technology innovators and developers.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
