Supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, LaunchX, the first University Startups Accelerator Programme in Malaysia, has recently unveiled the top ten university startups selected from its pre-accelerator phase.
Hosted by Sunway Innovation Labs at Sunway University (iLabs Foundry), LaunchX aims to cultivate a synergistic and holistic entrepreneurial ecosystem that empowers student entrepreneurs to unlock their potential and foster sustainable growth for their ventures. This equity-free, no-strings-attached 3+2-month program focuses on empowering budding entrepreneurs to achieve key milestones and take their startups to the next level.
It provides a comprehensive suite of resources and mentorship to guide participants on their entrepreneurial journey. The program equips pre-seed startups with the necessary tools and knowledge to form a winning team, develop a marketable Minimum Viable Product (MVP), complete pilot testing, and even register their companies.
A total of 64 applications were received from 27 universities in Malaysia, representing 169 student entrepreneurs. Out of these, 24 startups were selected to participate in the initial 3-month LaunchX program.
Throughout the first 3-month of LaunchX (March to June 2023), participants benefit from a series of workshops conducted by industry leaders and experts in various fields. These workshops cover critical aspects of entrepreneurship and provide invaluable insights into building successful startups, such as: Goal Setting Workshop by Dato’ Syed Haizam Hishamuddin (The Hive SEA); Build a Winning Team by Rusydi Khairul (Reactor School); Product Development Clinic by Michael Smith & Pradeep Menon (Microsoft for Startup); Acquiring Your First Paying Customer by Dr. Siti Munerah (Sunway University); Revenue Modelling by Abdullah Hidayat (Ficus Capital); Branding Your Business by Richard Ker (Richard Ker Digital); Financial Planning by Roy Heong (Alliance Bank); Structuring the Pilot Plan by Dr. Melissa (Sunway iLabs Venture); Investor Pitch by Joshua and Joel Lim (BeeBag); Funding Option and Valuation by Dr. Sivapalan Vivekarajah (ScaleUp Malaysia); Lunch Power Talk on Innovation Shift by Ken Singer of UC Berkeley, and lastly, Commercialising Deep Tech Innovation – From Idea to Global Business by Miles Kirby (DeepTech Labs).
In addition to these workshops, each university startup has also undergone approximately six mentoring sessions with industry leaders, venture capital analysts, investors, and many others. These sessions provide startups with personalized guidance and insights from seasoned professionals, helping them refine their strategies and navigate challenges.
The top 10 university startups who are selected from the pre-accelerator phase (the first 3-month of LaunchX) are:
- Veinwatch – Offers vein finder with revolutionary wristband design, making it easier to be used by healthcare professionals.
- Unilah – The Ultimate Student Lifestyle App for Savings, Experiences, and Career Success! UniLah is a student lifestyle app that aims to enhance university experiences by helping students save money, participate in university events, and secure job opportunities before graduation.
- Ulalive – Ulalive is a video-based SaaS offering AI-powered feedback prompts for lead generation and customer acquisition. It enables teams and businesses to receive instant responses from clients in under a minute.
- SDG Energy + – Sustainable Thermal Comfort Regulation for Betterment of Human Livelihood.
- RapidBarber – RapidBarber connects customers with skilled and professional barbers, providing personalized grooming services in the convenience of their homes, while promoting sustainable practices and supporting local economic growth.
- Plantenesis – A natural biostimulant startup dedicated to providing solution for sustainable agriculture by improving plant health and increasing crop yields
- Caressy – A babysitting application that connect parents with trusted and certified babysitters for on-demand personalize childcare service.
- Auritma – Auritma offers a life-saving earbuds that is simple, convenient, and accessible to all, enabling preventive measures against cardiac arrest.
- Athena – Tolong² creates awareness about pollution’s impact on endangered animals in Malaysia. The immersive game with augmented reality helps users form emotional connections with animals’ struggles.
- Artmeet – Artmeet revolutionizes the creative job market by connecting talented professionals with companies on demand. It also serves as a platform for high-quality creative output production, accelerating the realization of creative work to life.
Over the course of the next two months, the selected top ten startups will shift their focus towards piloting their Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) with potential business partners, aiming to validate their offerings and generate substantial commercial traction. During this crucial phase, LaunchX will continue to provide unwavering guidance and support to these startups, helping them navigate challenges and refine their strategies. As the program advances, these pre-seed startups will have an exciting opportunity to showcase their progress and pitch their innovative concepts to potential investors during the highly anticipated demo day scheduled for August 2023. This pivotal event will serve as a platform for them to secure the funding needed to take their ventures to the next level and propel them towards long-term success.
LaunchX enjoys robust support from various partners and stakeholders within the startup ecosystem. MRANTI serves as the innovation partner, facilitating the program’s smooth operation. Other key stakeholders include ecosystem partners such as MDEC, Cradle, TEGAS Digital Village, Digital Innovation Hub, and Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC).
The programme also benefits from the involvement of esteemed venture capital partners like MAVCAP, Kejora, The Hive SEA, Ficus Capital, Nexea, Scale-up Malaysia, Gobi Partners, Bawatana, Artem Venture, Sunway Corporate Venture Capital, Nanyang Angelz, Ignite Asia and Reactor School. Additionally, LaunchX has formed strategic partnerships with industry partners, IPTA, and IPTS across Malaysia, and collaborates with renowned organizations including Microsoft, AWS, Stripe, and BossBoleh as perk partners.
For further information about LaunchX – The University Startup Accelerator in Malaysia: LaunchX – Sunway iLabs