KUCHING: Artefact Studio from Swinburne emerged the top three winners of the recently concluded Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (Tegas) Digital Pre-Accelerator 2020 programme.
Ten out of 20 startups from all over Sarawak were selected to present their business ideas to investors, funding and government agencies, and strategic partners at the programme’s Virtual Demo Day conducted via Zoom meeting.
The 10 startups were Artefact Studio, Jam Sea, GoHet, NO Q, Call Aladdin, urmalaysia.com, BabyBaru, Head Stream, Limessential and Darmadia. BabyBaru and Darmadia were the other two winners.
The top three winners from the Virtual Demo Day received an attractive package that includes company incorporation support from Tegas, green lane to participate in Tegas Startup Lab and Sarawak Shell LiveWIRE, as well as access to SMA-Tegas Digital Innovation Hub located in Kuching, Miri and Bintulu.
Artefact Studio comprised Bachelor of Business (Management and Digital Media) final-year students Helend, Soo Ker Yee and Yvonne Tsai, as well as Bachelor of Design (Multimedia Design) final-year student Jaslyn Tan.
The team developed a 3D storytelling adventure game ‘Away’ that uses a first-person POV to enhance the immersive player experience.
With the aim to increase interest in the history of Sarawak and raise awareness on the significance of the Batu Lintang Camp as a valuable historical site, the game centres its story around the Batu Lintang Camp, a Japanese internment camp in Kuching built during the Japanese Occupation.
According to project supervisor and multimedia design lecturer John Hii, the goal of Capstone Project was to produce industry-ready talents.
Deputy Head of School of Design and Arts, Augustus Raymond Segar, said this achievement was a testament to the quality of the School where its students continue to excel not just within a classroom setting but also at industry level.
The Tegas Digital Pre-Accelerator 2020 is a one-week programme designed to take early-stage startups to the next level.
The content was delivered by industry experts and seasoned entrepreneurs, covering topics such as starting up; team and product; going to market; fundraising and pitching.
The programme was organised in partnership with Sarawak Multimedia Authority, WatchTower & Friends and pitchIN. It was run virtually for the first time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
