Loop Foods, Rent Guard, Singular, Trabble and Wise Crafters were chosen against a total of 23 start-ups by a panel of judges

by AZALEA AZUAR / Pic Source: innovationlabs.sunway.edu.my

SUNWAY Group’s innovation arm, Sunway Innovation Labs (Sunway iLabs) has shortlisted its top ve start-ups for the one-month pre-accelerator phase of its 2021 Sunway iLabs Super Accelerator programme.

The candidates hail from various sectors specifically agri-food technology, fintech and travel, and hospitality technology. They are Loop Foods, Rent Guard, Singular, Trabble and Wise Crafters which were chosen against a total of 23 startups by a panel of judges.

The pitch competition was held last month with the Pan-Asian venture capital firm Gobi Partners.

The shortlisted candidates, who are the start-ups’ founders, would have the opportunity to connect with Sunway’s global network of partners, industry experts, mentors and investors in the next three months.

They would also be working closely with the Sunway iLabs team to run a pilot project to validate their product with one of Sunway’s business divisions.

Moreover, these five start-ups are able to tap into Sunway’s regional market access of small and medium enterprises, residents, students and employees, among others.

The founders will also receive mentorship and guidance from industry and technical experts while they are also required to present their innovations and traction to potential investors through a final Demo Day at the end of the programme.

Sunway Group chief innovation officer and Sunway iLabs director Matt Van Leeuwen expressed excitement to work with the shortlisted start-ups as this shows great growth potential and alignment with their Sunway business divisions and environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.

“One of the key criteria we adopted in selecting the top startups included social impact and sustainability, which we continue to measure as a metric of success.

“We look forward to supporting these founders in their entrepreneurial journey to grow their company with our mentors, market access and funding as part of our iLabs Super Accelerator Programme,” he explained.

Head of Sunway iLabs Ventures Dr Melissa Foo said Sunway’s goal is to create more strategic collaborations between corporates and startups to drive innovation across Sunway iLabs’ six focus verticals.

“I am honoured to be able to work with the start-ups for the pre-accelerator stage,” she added.

Meanwhile, Gobi founding partner and chairman Thomas G Tsao said the chosen founders are poised to take Malaysia and South-East Asia by storm with their innovative ideas and unique ways of solving everyday problems.

To date, Sunway iLabs has facilitated more than 60 hours of introductions to Sunway’s business divisions, coaching and mentoring sessions for the start-ups throughout the one-month pre-accelerator phase.

Among the mentors who shared their experiences and advice to the 23 participating start-ups included local entrepreneurs and business experts like Naluri Hidup Sdn Bhd CEO and founder Azran OsmanRani, Dropee CEO and founder Lennise Ng and LAW Partnership Partner Raphael Tay.