KUCHING: Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (TEGAS), through its TEGAS Digital Village (TDV), has selected 25 local startups, social enterprises, and MSMEs for the second batch of the TEGAS Fundraising Accelerator (TFA) programme.
TFA is a programme aimed at accelerating the growth of local startups and social enterprises in line with the Sarawak Post Covid 19 Development Strategy and Sarawak Digital Economy Blueprint 2030.
The participating companies are About Kuching, Arrazaleigh Holding, Azifa Eighty Eight, Benak Raya, Borneo Outdoor & Eco Adventure, Flos Esto Flowers & Foods, Fly Technology Agriculture, Helix Save Life, Hornbill Agriculture, Intraverse Software, Kempzee, Lcc Ventures, Majeur, Metadise, Miscberry, MyScripts, P.X.S, Perkasa Mewah, Photouneed, Supreme Indah, Sustainable Technology Advanced Research & Consultancy, Thirsty Craftsmen Asia, Toclan Agrotech, Translution IT, and Majeur Group.
The four-day programme at TDV Kuching is organised by TEGAS in partnership with Pitch Platforms Sdn Bhd (pitchiN) and MYStartup.
pifchiN is Malaysia’s leading equity crowdfunding (ECF) platform, while MYStartup is a national project initiated by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) and developed by Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd set to improve the competitiveness of local startups towards achieving a Top 20 ranking in the Global Startup Ecosystem by 2030.
Sam Shafiee, who is the CEO and co-founder of pitchiN, is among the mentors for the programme, along with other prominent early stage investors, funding agencies, and venture capitalists (VCs).
“We have been working with TEGAS since 2019, and the ecosystem here has indeed grown. Going into the second year of running the fundraising accelerator in Sarawak, we believe this programme could be a great avenue for local businesses to get into their best fundraising shape.”
The programme is open to registered businesses with at least one Sarawakian co-founder and must be in operation for at least 12 months (with traction).
“The TEGAS Fundraising Accelerator is specifically designed to help entrepreneurs with little or no experience in raising capital from external investors.
“Startup founders will be fully equipped with the right techniques to raise capital for their businesses, and it is a deep dive into learning about the technicalities of fundraising,” said Deputy Minister for Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment, Datuk Len Talif Salleh, who is also the TEGAS chairman.
Established in 2012, TEGAS is a charitable trust dedicated to promoting digital innovation and entrepreneurship in Sarawak, in line with the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030.