In the new normal, there is a distinctive lack of ability for different parts of the Southeast Asia tech ecosystem to reach out to each other. We used to have thousands of offline activities happening monthly, connecting various local and regional ecosystems, connecting startups, corporates, governments, and investors. Even our very own Echelon used to bring in more than 10,000 people over two days to achieve these meaningful, often serendipitous, connections.
This is a real pain especially if you are new to the ecosystem and do not have existing networks that can introduce you to new connections. Online webinars and conferences seem to alleviate this issue temporarily, but we find the ecosystem to be craving for more.
e27’s vision has always been to assist startup founders in their journey and we have to go back to our roots, starting from fundraising. Building up the e27 Pro onto the existing e27.co platform to achieve this, today, we have served over 3000+ connections between startups and investors, starting new conversations, and updating on each other’s progress.
To further accelerate this process and keep it as a permanent fixture of the Southeast Asia ecosystem tools, we have partnered with accelerators to further assist the startups’ in their engagements and conversations with regional investors.
How e27 and ScaleUp Malaysia are collaborating
ScaleUp Malaysia portfolio companies are expanding their presence in new markets beyond Malaysia, with many actively raising capital from investors across the region. Using e27’s Pro capabilities, early-stage VCs can access a diverse group of emerging startups from Malaysia who are looking to scale up and take their business to the next level.
“When I was running my last startup, e27 provided a truly valuable platform for me to connect with investors and partners from around the world. And over the last year, we have met several great companies from all over the world through e27 Pro. This is the same aspiration that we have for our companies at ScaleUp — to build their networks and be ready to expand beyond our shores,” said Aaron Sarma, Co-Founder and General Partner of ScaleUp Malaysia.
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“Through this partnership we aim to help investors and partners connect with some amazing scaleups without having to board a plane!”
ScaleUp Malaysia’s partnership with e27 helps bring together the global technology ecosystem so companies and investors can efficiently collaborate, connect, and crystalise opportunities.
Backing the best entrepreneurs in Malaysia
In 2019, ScaleUp Malaysia saw a gap in the Malaysian technology ecosystem. Many startups were unable to get beyond ideation and initial product market fit to the next stage of growth. Founded by 6 entrepreneurs and industry veterans, ScaleUp Malaysia formed to help companies build businesses with strong fundamentals towards a path to profitability, raise follow-on funding, and expand geographically.
To date, ScaleUp Malaysia has announced investments in 21 companies within various industries from smart farming, education, services, logistics, and impact-driven scaleups. ScaleUp aims to help 100 companies through their programmes with a target to invest in 50 by 2023.
ScaleUp Malaysia recently launched Cohort 3 of their programme targeting high growth scaleups in partnership with two venture capital firms, Singapore-based Quest Ventures and US based Indelible Ventures. Collectively these firms bring access to partners, investors and other networks in Southeast Asia and the United States of America, accelerating targeted growth in new times. For Cohort 3, ScaleUp Malaysia is looking towards working with more scaleups eyeing the regional and global stage.
ScaleUp Malaysia continues to champion Malaysian entrepreneurs and aims to uncover more underrated, untapped, and unknown startups in the ecosystem who deserve a shot at building high growth, sustainable businesses.
ScaleUp Malaysia’s portfolio companies
With its commitment to fostering a strong ecosystem, ScaleUp supports a diverse array of companies hoping to push for business growth. With that, here is a list of companies from ScaleUp Malaysia’s first and second cohorts
ATX – A pioneering digital payments service provider with 8 years of track record that provides a solution to help micro SMEs participate in the digital economy.
Auto Craver – A cloud-based end to end management software called “Turbo” for car dealers to automate processes and facilitate car sales.
Batik Boutique – A premier Malaysian gift brand with an artisanal story that creates social impact by empowering the B40 segment through education, training and job creation.
Iimmpact – An out-of-the-box technology solution that enables digital payments to over 100 billers inclusive of mobile top-ups, utility bills, entertainment portals, local councils and many more.
Kwikcar – A peer-to-peer car-sharing platform that aims to change the future of mobility and car ownership.
AOne – An educational platform for learning centres to manage their classes, teachers and students through scheduling, fee collection and process automation.
BiiB – A community platform that creates gamified virtual events for runners and transforms running into a team sport.
Agiliux – A cloud-based core insurance platform with extensive policy and claims management capabilities.
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Tripcarte – A travel technology company that provides a distribution platform for travel activity and attraction tickets.
Recqa – A platform that preserves collective knowledge so that organizations can connect and align people, processes, and best practices.
ERTH – (e-Waste Recycling Through Heroes) is an award-winning social enterprise that specialises in collecting and recycling electronic waste (e-waste) from households and businesses.
Fefifo – Fefifo is pioneering digitalised, standardised farming in ready-to-farm modern farmspaces called co-farms, to make sustainable, profitable smallholder farming commonplace in South East Asia.
Hauz – Hauz is a data-driven enterprise solution that manages and monitors mobile workforce operations in the service industry, be it in Malaysia or regionally.
Homa2u – Homa2u is an online to offline (O2O) building materials and interior finishes marketplace where you can find a wide range of high quality, branded and bargain materials for your house project.
Kiddocare – Kiddocare is an online platform that connects parents with trained Malaysian baby sitters and early childhood education providers for personalised, on-demand services.
Load2Go – Load2Go offers an on-demand logistics platform for booking big trucks for large freight, construction and manufacturing industries.
MMC – MMC is a food-based company that operates several different businesses, including a central kitchen, food mart, cafe and vending machines. Their businesses are tracked and run on a proprietary technology solution.
MyBump – MyBump media is a car wrap advertising company that matches brands with drivers (Brand ambassadors) for data-backed creative execution outdoor advertising.
Pomen – Pomen is SaaS automotive maintenance platform that specialises in fleet companies and vehicle owners to connect with workshops and service providers to benefit them with the valuable vehicle and financial insight.
Quadby – Quadby is the Nextdoor for universities. They are a community app for students to find and chat with peers on campus.
About ScaleUp Malaysia
ScaleUp Malaysia is an accelerator that focuses exclusively on growth-stage companies in Malaysia – helping them position their business for exponential growth. ScaleUp Malaysia is founded by a team of experienced entrepreneurs, professionals and seasoned investors.
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Championing the concept of building “Pegasus” companies of building fast-growing profitable businesses, ScaleUp Malaysia companies go through a program that includes in-class training, one to one coaching, and equity investment for selected companies. You can visit them at their official website at www.scaleup.my or their official social media pages, Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.
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