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Programmes

Innovation Twin Cities
Innovation Twin Cities
A program that promotes strong collaboration and integration within Malaysia and other major economies' startup and technology ecosystems via a twin city approach. These partnerships enable each market to serve as a gateway to its respective region, expanding opportunities for all ecosystem players: (i) Facilitating seamless cross-market operations for startups to expand their Total Addressable Market (TAM). (ii) Simplifying sourcing and investment avenues for investors across the region. (iii) Enhancing talent mobility across regions, leveraging a wider array of opportunities. Areas of collaboration include: (i) First wave collaborations (1-2 year timeframe), which cover dual business registration, dual visas, express immigration, and increased connectivity (ii) Additional collaborations (multi-year timeframe), which cover joint startup data repositories, free movement of goods and services, free movement of data across borders, and stock exchange connection Requirements: Ideal partners are countries with strong political and cultural ties to Malaysia, and possess either large domestic economies or access to large regional economies. Example regions to explore include: (i) GCC: Islamic region with ambitious innovation plans and cultural ties with Malaysia (ii) East Asia: Large, developed domestic markets with strong geopolitical ties to Malaysia (iii) Southeast Asia: Geographically close countries with a strong history of cooperation #All #Mid-late stage
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KL Innovation Belt
KL Innovation Belt
A program establishing vibrant innovation hubs that unite startups, investors, academia, and corporates around a central startup hub and key sectors: (i) Energy & Greentech, focusing on clean, renewable, and alternative energy technology innovation and commercialization, located in Bangsar South. (ii) Manufacturing & Automation, centered on automation and Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) technologies, situated in MRANTI Park to leverage its IR4.0-ready infrastructure. (iii) Agriculture, targeting technologies benefiting the agriculture industry, ideally positioned in land-rich areas like Bangi near Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), outside the KL city center. (iv) Islamic Financial Services, catering to FinTech startups with a focus on Islamic finance, strategically located in KL’s Jalan Dato’ Onn area near BNM, MIFC, and the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB). Requirements: Requirements apply solely to the physical space, tailored to the unique needs of each hub and co-created with pioneer participants. At minimum, the space must fulfill the following criteria: (i) Adequate office space for a minimum of 20 companies (scalable to 100 companies). (ii) Sufficient public space for food and beverage (F&B) outlets, events, etc. (iii) High-speed Internet connections of at least 100 Mbps, with additional specifications such as 5G for IR4.0 applications. (iv) High accessibility from the Klang Valley, with close proximity to public transport stations or major highway access points. #All #AllStages
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Innovation Passport
Innovation Passport
A programme establishing a comprehensive visa scheme, providing incentives for founders, tech talent, and VC professionals to relocate to Malaysia and enrich its startup ecosystem. (i) Founders aiming to establish or expand businesses in Malaysia, requiring time, expertise, and resources to lead startup initiatives. This builds on the existing Malaysia Tech Entrepreneur Programme (MTEP) and is capped at 100 founders annually for high-potential startup and tech founders. (ii) Senior Management, including C-suite executives or individuals at Head of Department level, offering a special version of the Residence Pass Talent (RP-T) visa for 200 candidates annually with deep startup and technology experience, crucial for scaling startups and VCs. (iii) Highly-Skilled Talent, comprising experienced professionals with sought-after expertise, such as in AI or specialised programming. This builds on Malaysia’s Employment Pass Category 1 visa and is capped at 1,600 expats annually with in-demand skillsets. The updated visa provides a longer grace period to recipients who will contribute specialised skills like AI engineering, bioscience, and investment analysis to startups and VC funds. (iv) General Talent, including individuals with offers from Malaysian digital companies and those working in VC firms, offering a special version of Malaysia’s Employment Pass Category 2. Capped at 2,400 expats annually working in general tech and VC companies. The new version of the visa allows recipients a longer grace period of 90 days in the event of job loss, responsible for the day-to-day operations of startups. Requirements: 1. Founders Visa (in addition to MTEP requirements): (i) Clear business plan and execution timeline ready for startup OR (ii) Secured at least US$100K41 in funding from a recognised VC OR (iii) Invitation from a local incubator, accelerator, or MRANTI 2. Senior Management Visa (in addition to RP-T requirements): (i) Minimum 7 years of work experience in management or leadership roles in •established tech companies or VCs, OR •startups with valuation of at least USD500M or raised at east USD30 M, OR •managed/developed an application with at least 100K users 3. Highly-Skilled Talent Visa (in addition to Employment Pass Category 1 requirements): (i) Visa application submitted by a Malaysia Digital-status company (ii) Minimum 3 years work experience in roles that fall under the Malaysia Critical Occupations List 4. General Talent Visa (i) Visa application submitted by a Malaysia Digital-status company (ii) Minimum total annual compensation of RM60k (including bonus, ESOP etc.) #All #AllStages
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VC Golden Pass
VC Golden Pass
A programme aimed at attracting regional venture capitalists (VCs) to establish a presence in Kuala Lumpur. These VCs will subsequently invest in local startup rounds, assist them in scaling up, and eventually exit, delivering investment returns, while also hiring and training a local pool of VC investment talent. Incentives offered include: (i) Ensured substantial LP funding within a fund of funds structure for SEA/APAC funds, with a minimum allocation to Malaysia assets. (ii) Customised cheque sizes, tailored to the VC's scale, typically falling within the range of RM350 million (approximately ~10% of the total fund size). (iii) Funding opportunities from government agencies with VC allocations like KNB and EPF, alongside international SWFs participating in KL20, such as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and QIA. (iv) Access to secure office space at subsidised rates for two years within the KL Innovation Belt, fostering networking opportunities with startups, incubators, and fellow investors. (v) Expedited license approval, reducing the timeframe from six weeks to two weeks for marquee VCs. (vi) Elimination of the minimum capital requirement of RM100,000, aligning with Singapore standards. Requirements: 1. Top 100 global, marquee VCs with existing funds totalling over US$500M and with a presence in Southeast Asia 2. VCs with a deeper focus in one or more of Malaysia’s previously established priority sector industries, i.e. Energy & Greentech, Manufacturing & Automation, Agriculture, and Islamic Financial Services 3. Total investments into Malaysian startups (registered in Malaysia, regardless of nationality of founder) should equal at least 20% of total fund size 4. Physical office with at least 1 senior-level (VP equivalent) executive to be based in Malaysia 5. At least 50% of investment staff (business analysts, talent sourcing) should be local #Investor #Growth-stage
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VC Launch Fund
VC Launch Fund
A programme aimed at catalysing the domestic venture capital market and establishing five first-time local venture capital firms, thereby broadening and diversifying funding avenues for Malaysia’s seed and early-stage startups. This initiative entails the creation of a fund of funds (FoF) programme specifically targeting investment in first-time Malaysian fund managers. The initiative offer both funding and capability-building support to first-time fund managers through: • A FoF programme for first-time local fund managers in Malaysia, featuring: (i) Cheque size: Expected to range between RM5-6 million (up to 25% of the total fund size). (ii) Source of funds: Financing provided by government investors with VC allocations such as KNB, EPF, and MAVCAP, with potential participation from foreign SWFs on a voluntary basis. (iii) Required asset allocation: Over 50% of the fund size to be invested in Malaysia-based startups. • Subsidies for qualifying administrative expenses from an approved list of company secretarial services for legal, tax, and administrative matters. • Upskilling and capability development programme, including: (i) A mentor panel comprising former VC investors (local and global). (ii) A "VC Academy" training programme conducted in partnership with higher-learning institutions. Requirements Eligible first-time Malaysian fund managers must meet the following criteria: • Focus on Malaysia with a target asset allocation of over 50% in Malaysian ventures. • Successful completion of their inaugural fundraise. • Headquarters located in Malaysia and registered with the Securities Commission. • Preference given to founders who are Malaysian citizens. In return, these VCs must commit to expanding their local presence in Malaysia and nurturing the local VC investment ecosystem. The minimum conditions to ensure this commitment are: • Raise an equivalent amount from investors outside this programme, maintaining a minimum 1:1 matching ratio. • Allocate at least 50% of their total fund size to investments in Malaysian startups (registered in Malaysia, regardless of the founder's nationality). • Ensure that at least 50% of their investment team, including business analysts and talent sourcing personnel, are Malaysian nationals. #Investor #Early-stage
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VC Academy
VC Academy
A programme designed to create “Venture Capital Academy” (VC Academy), a centralised resource offering upskilling programmes and an online library for aspiring VC analysts and investors, aimed at equipping them with essential knowledge for success. Objectives include providing comprehensive insights into Malaysia's startup and VC industry, educating participants on VC operations within a Malaysia-specific context, and offering reusable templates for all VCs investing in Malaysia. Course modules cover various topics such as the Malaysian startup landscape, venture capital fundamentals, startup formation and funding, venture deals and legal aspects, due diligence, venture modelling, and networking opportunities. The VC Academy collaborates with leading educational institutions and VC players like Penjana Kapital and Sunway iLabs. Requirements; (i) First-time fund managers (ii) New VC analysts from local VC funds (iii) Young professionals looking to enter the industry #Investor #Early-stage
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