Join hands with startups to foster innovation, agencies, companies told

KUCHING: The Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development has called on government agencies and corporations to collaborate with startups to foster innovation, drive growth, and capitalise on emerging opportunities.
 
Its minister Datuk Len Talif Salleh emphasised that partnering with these emerging enterprises would not only fuel corporations’ transformation but also ensure long-term sustainability in a rapidly evolving business landscape.
 
“It is my hope that governmental interventions will further support our local technopreneurs in accelerating their business growth.
 
“With this, Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (TEGAS) is committed to empowering startups and social enterprises, and we will continue our collaboration with Shell Malaysia to drive Sarawak’s economy forward in terms of entrepreneurship, innovation, and employment,” he said.
 
He said this during the Shell LiveWIRE Sarawak 2023 National Awards ceremony at TEGAS Digital Village here today (July 15).
 
Len, who also serves as the TEGAS chairman, underscored the importance of the public-private partnership in realising Sarawak’s Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
 
“We don’t believe in working in silos, and we shouldn’t be reinventing the wheel.
 
“If we want to nurture talent and build an inclusive digital ecosystem, we need to collaborate with a diverse range of ecosystem partners,” he stressed.
 
He also commended Shell Malaysia for expanding its LiveWIRE programme to Peninsular Malaysia for the first time, which serves as a testament to their commitment to uplifting social investment initiatives.
 
In addition, he revealed that the strategic partnership between TEGAS and Shell Malaysia via the Shell LiveWIRE programme has seen participation from more than 300 Sarawakian entrepreneurs to date, and among those, 35 recipients have received over RM100,000 in grants from both parties.
 
Also present at the award ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Dr Hazland Abang Hipni, Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk Abdullah Saidol, and Shell Malaysia’s National chairman Siti Hurrairah Sulaiman.