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FireFlyz | 27
to participate. However, CEO Michael
Kwan is all praises for Hideout:
Hideout is cool and relaxed so
you don’t feel like you’re work-
ing in a box, yet it’s still a work
environment,soyouactuallyget
stuffdone. Peopleherepossess
the startup mentality, which is
great for bouncing ideas and
working together, across all
levels of experience– there are
nopolitics, everyone’s ‘real’.”
Chin Xin-Ci of SecQme (pronounced
‘SecureMe’) appreciates the opportunities
afforded:
It’s been great connecting with
otherstartupsandfoundersand
sharing our journey together.
It’s a great space to work out
of, andmy teamhas beenmore
productive thanever.”
On theMalaysianstartupscene
Mentor Khailee Ng believes that the
potential of Malaysian startups is great.
Aspiring startups can build on Malaysia’s
strong history of producing top tech IPO
companies in the region such as IProperty
and Icar, as well as top acquisitions like
Jobstreet and GrabTaxi.
The key to success, is to keep working
smartly, focus on the end, and not buy
into hype.
STARTUP
Startups @ Hideout:
Unlike formal accelerator programmes, the MDec-Hideout Accelerator Programme is
simply not about structured programmes, curricula or formal mentorship. FireFlyz finds
outwhat it is all about and the startups that are already there.
A
n
a l t e r n a t i v e t o
traditional startup ac-
celerator programmes,
Hideout is not merely
a co-working space – it
is a place for creative
ideas to bloom. The
MDeC-Hideout Accelerator Programme’s
philosophy is achievable as it is a shared
workspace andmastermind support group
forMalaysian startups focusing strongly on
structured peer support with events every
week. Additionally, office space costs are
kept affordable - great news for growing
startups.
Who’satTheHideout?
Firstly, there’s BillPlz, a simple billing
and payment solution; LendingStar, a
peer-to-peer financing marketplace where
people can directly lend to business owners
worldwide; and tinyBIG Studios, a web
design startup specialising in UX-, SEO-
and mobile-optimised websites for SMEs.
Other startups include SecQme with
its Watch Over Me app, a personal safety
service that rates the safety of streets and
tracks you when needed. According to
Mentor Khailee Ng, SecQme had impres-
sively hired and cultured their own team
and released a new
street safety alert feature
in Chicago – all within
threemonths of being at
Hideout. BuzzElement,
the global startup, is
also here – and raring
to go with its newest
product, Grabit, the
proximity marketing
solution for retailers.
How’ s t he MDec-
Hideout Accelerator
Programme like?
Under this programme,
startups engage in a monthly ritual of
reporting progress to each other and
provide peer to peer support. Additionally,
it also provides also a meeting point for
venture capitalists, mentors and the press
to meet a selection of startups.
LendingStar’s CEO Viacheslav
Artamonov is happy that the MDeC-
Hideout accelerator programme helps
his team be involved and on track with
the happenings surrounding the MDeC
environment, which in turn helps with
focus and execution. The great environ-
ment and peers at the Hideout is great as
there is idea sharing and a very supportive
environment that helps to ease the tough-
ness all startups face.
For Hajime Hirose, CEO of BuzzElement,
it’s all about the community:
The best thing about working
out of Hideout is that there are
smart, like-mindedgeeksaround
that you can exchange ideas
with.”
tinyBIG joined Hideout after the pro-
gramme ended and did not have a chance
A Special Feature on the MDeC-Hideout Accelerator Programme