#1 Developing talent in the land below the wind
Head’s Up speaks to Viviantie Sarjuni on the initiatives and efforts taken on by the newly minted Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre to aid startups in the land below the wind.
Hello! This is the first post on Head’s Up, a weekly newsletter that comes out every Monday and Friday on all things SME, Startup, and Social Enterprise in Malaysia (and maybe in the region in time to come). If you enjoy our very first edition, do subscribe and share it to as many people as you want.
Thank you!
“We started our operations unfortunately during the Movement Control Order (MCO) and we had the choice to stay idle and see how it might unfold. Starting a government initiative requires huge resources and manpower to begin with. However, we decided that the centre [Sabah Creative Economy & Innovation Centre] should be leading despite the pandemic, to live up to its name and promote changes to inspire the rakyat,” Viviantie Sarjuni, General Manager of SCEIC tells Head’s Up.
The centre, like everyone else, started with online initiatives such as webinars and training sessions, which was then broadcasted on every possible channel and collaborated with as many local, federal agencies, higher learning institutions and entrepreneurs.
“It was not easy leading during the pandemic, and we learnt by carrying out our plans and experimenting.”
Having begun during an unprecedented time, the Centre faced severe challenges but at the same time was able to learn and adapt quickly with all things changing. Sarjuni says some of the key takeaways for her included the need to be agile towards changing circumstances.
This she says is vital for any player in the ecosystem due to the changing business landscape. “I realised that we need to be constantly agile to the changing circumstances around us. We got comfortable between July and September and I thought things will get better all the way through.”
Little did Sarjuni expect for the 2nd wave to hit Sabah in September due to the elections that were held. “We had to put everything on hold and re-strategise again. But with this experience, in 2021, we should be able to adapt very quickly and be alert all the time,” she says.
The centre’s general manager also urges businesses to embrace technology, innovation, and creativity. “Combine all three to accelerate your business and find a strong support system around yourself and the network and be sure to step out of your comfort zones,” she says.
This year, the SCEIC has had three collaboration with MaGIC, MDEC and Cradle, respectively. “These collaboration has impacted more than 500 people all together with our startups receiving approximately RM 700,000 investment. It will be impossible to do it alone as a new entity with very limited budget in hand,” Sarjuni tells Head’s Up.
“Collaboration is also in our DNA. You can create more impact by collaborating with stakeholders in the ecosystem.”
She also hopes for government agencies at the Federal Level to be able to bring more programmes and initiatives to Sabah but curate programmes according to Sabah’s landscape as it is very different compared to the Peninsular’s.
“We need to do more for talent development initiatives here in Sabah and be able to measure the impact.”
In 2021, the centre hopes to produce and nurture more innovative startups that offer groundbreaking solutions. Sarjuni says Sabah is a huge state with a comparable amount of talent that needs to be polished, uncovered and their stories need to be heard.
“We also hope to uncover more creative talents from Sabah be it from music, film making and animation, among others. There is an urgent need to reduce dependency on commodities and see how the state can create more income for startups through the tech and creative industries,” she says.
The SCEIC looks after three pillars – technology, creative industry, and startup (both tech and social enterprise). The centre has impacted more than 800 individuals in Sabah and around 300 startups through their capacity building programme.
Sarjuni also points out that collaborations with federal agencies like MaGIC, MDEC and Cradle has made a huge difference in the startup ecosystem in Sabah. A total of RM 700,000 investments has been received by startups that had been impacted by the centre this year.
News Highlights
The Cyberjaya Malaysia Autonomous Vehicle (MyAV) Testing Route that was developed together with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) under the National Regulatory Sandbox (NRS) initiative for the future development of autonomous vehicle project has been approved.
11 startups from Malaysia have been selected to be part of the Microsoft Emerge X program. As an Emerge X startup, they will participate in a year-long mentorship programme with Microsoft for Startups which is designed to help them scale and accelerate their growth.
Local startup investment company NEXEA Angels Sdn Bhd and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has renewed their partnership agreement for the Entrepreneurs Programme (EP), a platform for entrepreneurs to form journey-enriching connections with peers and like-minded individuals to gain fresh perspectives and learn from one another.
The Sabah Creative Economy & Innovation Centre (SCEIC) is collaborating with the Malaysian Global Creativity & Innovation Centre (MaGIC) in developing an online mentorship programme, Co-ETIC.
Five startups from the Cyberview Living Lab Accelerator (CLLA) 2020 programme have pitched their innovative solutions on Demo Day to investors and venture capitalists.
Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (“Huawei”) has kick-started a series of SME programmes, in collaboration with the SME Association of Malaysia (“SME Association”), SME Corporation Malaysia (SME Corp. Malaysia), and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), to drive digital transformation among SMEs and create a sustainable ecosystem for SME growth.
Thank you for reading this edition of Head’s Up and if you enjoyed it, please share the piece with your friends and family! See you on Friday!
Head’s Up looks to feature more stories of Startups/SMEs/Social Enterprises in Malaysia and the region. To connect, get in touch with us at headsupnewsletter@gmail.com
Thanks! it is good to have more local voice in the business community. Looking forward to more future content.