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FireFlyz | 15
STARTUP
Whatqualifiesastartuporanentrepreneur
to joinMDeC’s startup initiatives?
A: For startups, they need to have products
/ services that fall under our emerging
sectors. At the very least they need to have
a prototype. It shows that the entrepreneur
has had his or her ideas realised but per-
haps maybe not yet refined. This is where
we come in to support in fine-tuning and
helping to turn it into a successful venture.
If I have an idea of creating a game which
noone inMalaysiahas,wouldSEEDhelp?
A: Yes. There are relevant programmes
that you can start with withinMDeC lead-
ing up to the GameFounders accelerator
programme.
Is there any particular idea that has gotten
youexcited thus far?
A: I’ve come across a lot of exciting ideas
but the truth of the matter is that it boils
down to the execution. I’ve seen good
ideas fail and some not-so-good ones do
very well. Getting those ideas validated
and executed in a timely manner makes
a whole lot of difference to its outcome.
What isyouradviceforMalaysianswhoare
‘waiting for the opportunity’, rather than
chasing it?
A: Opportunity is in abundance. Re-
cent global report on entrepreneurship
highlighted Malaysia as having the right
ingredients for a successful ecosystem.
So the time is now for you to take up the
“entrepreneurial journey”.
In this edition,
Fireflyz
shares a conversationwithMuhundhanKamarapullai, theHeadof
Startup & Entrepreneurship EcosystemDevelopment (SEED) of Malaysia’s Multimedia
Development Corporation (MDeC) on his opinions and perspectives on the latest tech
startups development inMalaysia.
The Seed To Spur Startup Success
What is MDeC’s role in advocating startup
development inMalaysia?
A: TheMultimedia Development Corpora-
tion (MDeC) was incorporated in 1996 to
strategically advise theMalaysian Govern-
ment on legislation, policies and standards
for ICT and multimedia operations as
well as to oversee the development of the
Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor
(now MSC Malaysia), the platform to
nurture the growth of Malaysian Small
and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the
IT industry whilst attracting participation
fromglobal ICT companies to invest in and
develop cutting edge digital and creative
solutions in Malaysia.
Entrepreneurship or what we used to
call Technopreneurshipwas a crucial com-
ponent since MSC Malaysia’s early years
and much of the work revolved around
building a strong local startup ecosystem.
Later, with the exponential growth in
internet-based businesses, our roles were
expanded to include nurturing and accel-
erating high-growth tech startups. Today,
we are more focused on helping startups
in the emerging sectors such as Games,
Big Data Analytics (BDA) and Internet of
Things (IoT) to grow and prepare them
to scale globally via what we call ‘niche
acceleration’ initiatives.
Can you elaborate a little more on these
startup initiatives?
A: Niche acceleration initiatives involve
two components; fast growth and exposure
to global ecosystems. Earlier this year,
under the Games sector, we launched
the GameFounders Asia programme
based in Malaysia. It’s a partnership
with GameFounders,
a global startup ac-
celerator programme
that focuses solely on
game studios and start-
ups which originated
from Europe. The pro-
gramme enables our
young game developers
to have access to global
support and expertise on how to build
a successful game business. With the
introduction of GameFounders Asia, the
Malaysian games ecosystem is expected to
see a significant boost in growth as more
regional startups are looking to set up shop
here. Imagine the potential networks and
cross-fertilization of different ideas from
all across Asia happening right here in
Malaysia!
Our Global Linkages programme pro-
vides opportunities to the creamof the crop
to go beyond borders and validate their
products on a global platform, understand
the global market needs, learn fromglobal
mentors, build networks with funders and
many more.
How do you envision these startup initia-
tivesbenefiting thepeopleofMalaysia?
A: Startups are a key pillar to innovation.
They push the boundaries not just in high
tech but in common techs as well by pro-
viding solutions that take away or reduce
our day-to-day pain points. For example, a
startupunder our programme is connecting
all medical practitioners under a platform
where patients can easily connect with
them instantly. Just search for the nearby
clinics, select and book appointments via
your mobile phone prior to your visit and
just like that, you would have saved so
much time from waiting and queuing up
at the clinics. Since the platformalso stores
your medical history, you’ll get better care
too with your medical info immediately
available to the clinic. They may not solve
all of our life’s problems, but they found a
model that certainly helps to improve the
quality of life.
*Stay tuned for the next article in STARTUP as we interview the co-founders of GameFounders Asia
Muhundhan...
“Getting those
ideas validated
and the speed of
execution makes
a whole lot of
difference to be
successful.”
With the MSC Malaysia
Global Linkages startups