Arni Laily, Head of PETRONAS Ventures
Market trends may come and go, but one industry that remains relevant and is gaining ever-increasing importance is the energy sector. While some industries go through occasional dips, especially with the global health crisis upon us, the important role of energy has only been magnified by the unpredictable global events that shape how we live.
The energy sector now faces the crucial responsibility of spearheading innovations in many key areas and emboldening startups and companies from other relevant verticals to initiate growth and innovation within their own industries.
PETRONAS, a global energy and solutions partner with a presence in over 50 countries, recently launched the second edition of its technology accelerator programme, PETRONAS FutureTech 2.0, as part of the company’s initiative to move towards a culture of open innovation within the startup landscape.
What is FutureTech 2.0?
FutureTech 2.0, led by PETRONAS via its corporate venture capital arm PETRONAS Ventures in collaboration with government-linked companies (GLCs) Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) and Sime Darby Plantation Berhad (SDP) as well as global venture capital firm 500 Global, complements PETRONAS’ commitment in delivering cleaner energy solutions to achieve its net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050.
The accelerator programme, which is held from 30 August 2021 to 19 November 2021 also supports Malaysia’s aspiration to spur growth among local startups and venture capital ecosystem builders by working closely with the National Technology Innovation Sandbox programme — an initiative sparked by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
FutureTech 2.0 revolves around three key areas: Facilities of the Future, Future of Energy, and New Chemicals/Advanced Materials. These particular focus areas are aligned with PETRONAS’ technology agenda.
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Serving PETRONAS’ business needs as it explores new growth opportunities, the 12-week accelerator programme empowers both participating startups and PETRONAS’ business units to find best-fit use cases to address current pain points, catalyse growth and future-proofing.
FutureTech 2.0 offers its cohort a blend of global and local learning experiences, which includes masterclasses from 500 Global, mentors and local industry experts. The bigger value proposition of the programme is that the participants are able to have access to the expertise and networks of PETRONAS and its corporate partners, where mentors share relevant pain points within specific business segments.
Other programme benefits include fire-side chats with successful founders and global/local ecosystem builders, access to 500 Globals’ programme perks and networks, potential investors, GLCs, and partners.
FutureTech’s non-traditional approach
Apart from the intrinsically non-traditional framework of the accelerator programme which offers a unique two-way engagement between participating startups and corporate partners, FutureTech 2.0’s unique approach to present industry problems also manifests in PETRONAS Ventures’ drive to disrupt existing markets.
Head of PETRONAS Ventures, Arni Laily Anwarrudin explained, “We need to go beyond just oil and gas, which means we have to move towards a broader energy sector. So partnering with startups is the way to go because it provides PETRONAS with the insider intelligence and insights needed to accelerate in areas we may not currently see [from the perspective of] a traditional oil and gas company.”
Through this framework, all participating parties gain value from each other’s wealth of knowledge and experience, harnessing key contributors that help accelerate each other’s journey towards a healthy market strategy.
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The partnership, therefore, changes the corporate innovation landscape and trend by encouraging the innovation culture using agile approaches. By leveraging on the non-traditional thinking embedded in startup culture and the industry know-how of corporates, both stakeholders stand a better chance at fostering smarter, stronger, and more resilient forms of innovation.
Moreover, PETRONAS also believes in internalising important processes in approaching how startups operate. Through FutureTech 2.0, participating startups are able to extend their services and commercial offerings with PETRONAS and its corporate partners in ways that are lean and agile while still conforming with corporate governance standards. In a nutshell, this helps fast-track their ability to commercialise within PETRONAS and the partners’ ecosystem.
Focusing on energy, industry, and digital innovation as key areas
Following the success of the first FutureTech programme in 2019, PETRONAS recognised bigger prospects towards nation-building and saw collaborating with major corporations such as SDP and TM as the way to further nurture the ecosystem.
FutureTech 2.0 also seeks to create socio-economic impact for the community through various channels, including education and skill investment. The programme also aims to foster tech-driven innovations that support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Arni said, “Technology as a differentiator is the central thrust of our technology agenda. We are steadfast in advancing selective technologies whilst accelerating pace of delivery via critical and strategic collaborations that add to our resource and reserve.” On top of improving efficiencies and operational excellence, she added, PETRONAS strives to differentiate their offerings to gain a competitive and resilient advantage in the energy market.
Diversity in participating startups
FutureTech 2.0 prides itself on prioritising startups with breakthrough technology or innovative business solutions — “disruptors” that can exhibit exemplary talent in improving how we observe, strategise, and execute deployment in PETRONAS as well as its corporate partners, TM and SDP. As such, this year’s participants encompass a diverse slew of startups coming from a wide array of verticals.
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The FutureTech 2.0 cohort of 20 promising startups include Aerodyne, a drone-based enterprise solutions provider; Poseidon, a digital monitoring technology to assess onshore/offshore structural integrity in real-time; and Boom Grow, a 5G-connected vertical farm. They are only some of the most innovative tech-driven startups in Malaysia today.
Selected startups will receive continued support from PETRONAS, TM, and SDP after the programme, should future partnerships be deemed necessary.
PETRONAS Ventures’ reputable global stamp
PETRONAS’ commitment to raising the bar doesn’t end at inculcating global standards to local startups. Through PIVA Capital in San Francisco, PETRONAS Ventures has a strong partner to tap into the Silicon Valley ecosystem which boasts the largest pool of quality resources in terms of capital, talent, investors, mentors, and scaling experience. The company has also successfully pursued networking opportunities with the symbiotic ecosystem comprising universities, startups, large tech companies, and venture capitalists among others.
With its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework, PETRONAS is able to create value upon investing in nine companies to date and help to redefine trillion-dollar markets such as agriculture, manufacturing, chemicals, transportation, and energy.
Startups chosen to participate in FutureTech 2.0 become part of the same legacy of excellence that the company has built. As PETRONAS moves toward revolutionising the energy sector not only in Malaysia, but also across the world, the FutureTech 2.0 cohort of startups and their innovations become instrumental in shaping the future.
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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by PETRONAS Ventures
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