MBAN - Malaysian Business Angel Network’s Post

Happy Independence Day! As we celebrate Indonesia's 78th Independence Day, we reflect on the nation's progress and our role in driving it forward. Just as our forefathers fought for freedom and independence, we at Living Lab Ventures are committed to unlocking the potential of Indonesian entrepreneurs. At Living Lab Ventures (LLV), we aspire to be a gateway to innovation by leveraging our strategic ecosystem to identify and support visionary startups across Southeast Asia. Our investment goes beyond just capital; it includes a comprehensive ecosystem, powerful connections, and an ongoing mentorship. By bridging global markets with local innovation, we empower businesses to expand and thrive. Our investments in high-potential startups are not merely about financial returns; they are about building a stronger, more resilient Indonesia. Let's continue to inspire and be inspired by the spirit of independence as we work together to shape a brighter future. Kindly share your version of independence below. #LivingLabVentures #IndependenceDay #GatewaytoInnovation #BeyondCapital #Entrepreneurship #IndonesianStartups #TechEcosystem

💾 Save the date! ACE.SG (Action Community for Entrepreneurship) and our partners are excited to bring back Kampung Spirit to LaunchPad on 3 October 2024. Following our nostalgic journey with the inaugural ‘Blast from the Past’ in July, we now invite you to look forward and explore the future of Singapore's startup ecosystem. A strong community is essential to drive our startups towards success. Kampung Spirit: The Journey Forward 📅 3 October 2024 🕠 5.30pm – 8.30pm 📍 LaunchPad@one-north, Blk 67 (Level 1 corridor) We welcome all friends from the startup community and ecosystem, including investors, corporates, and venture partners, to join us on this incredible journey! RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gUqdksbU Let’s come together to have an evening of networking, feasting and get together with everyone from the ecosystem! 💪🏼 About Kampung Spirit: Kampung Spirit, organised by ACE.SG and its partners, is set to be a significant networking occasion for Singapore's startup community. These no-agenda sessions are perfect for mingling, exchanging ideas, and reconnecting with old friends, all while embodying the communal spirit reminiscent of traditional kampung life. #Startups #Entrepreneurs #Founders #Innovation #Cofounders #Investors #Enterprises #Ecosystem #Community #GetTogether #AllAreWelcome #CommunityBuilding #ACEsg #Singapore

Yesterday, our Co-founder, Mohd Iskandar Shafi'i had the incredible opportunity to be featured on BuletinTV3 Detik Niaga. “As the fund grows and evolves, it highlights how the valuation of companies can increase over time, maintaining relevance and consistency. This is the vision Malaysian startups should aspire to – not just being local champions (jaguh kampung), but striving to scale globally and seize opportunities in new markets.” This is an important reminder for startups to broaden their perspective, focus on solving real-world challenges, and develop solutions that can scale beyond Malaysia. Let’s adopt this mindset and drive our startups to new heights globally!✨ #GrowthCharger #StartupMalaysia #DetikNiaga

Excited to be back in the bustling Krungthep, engaging in a series of dynamic meetings this week. Yesterday evening I attended the Thai American Chamber of Commerce panel discussion on the future of Thailand's startup ecosystem. It's clear that Thailand is emerging as a significant hub for startups, following closely behind Singapore. While the startup infrastructure continues to evolve, the optimism surrounding Thailand's potential as the next startup hub is palpable. The country offers ample opportunities across various sectors, fostering greenfield innovation and growth. Yet, realizing this potential requires more than just seizing opportunities—it demands breaking down cultural barriers, expanding perspectives, and instilling belief in founders that they can build the next unicorn right here in Thailand. During my interactions, I was inspired by the growing number of individuals relocating to Thailand to establish businesses, including their own startups. This trend underscores the attractiveness of Thailand, not only from a cost perspective but also due to the readily available talent pool. It was a pleasure to connect with Ted Thetnaungsoe, Ankit Upadhyay, Dmitry Borisov and Mika Pyhämäki who, like myself, have embarked on diverse career journeys. Exciting times lie ahead as we navigate the entrepreneurial landscape in Thailand and work together to foster growth, innovation, and community building. Looking forward to more meaningful collaborations and contributions on this journey of evolution and empowerment. #ThailandStartups #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #StartupEcosystem

🏆Business is crucial, yet not everyone is eager to delve into it. But guess what? Absolutely thrilled to announce that on May 19, 2024, my team (M. Aqil Drajat Ramadhan & Yusuf Iskandar) and I secured 🏅the 1st place Winner in the Business Plan Competition at Founder Academy 2024, hosted by Universitas Negeri Jakarta (UNJ) Entrepreneur Club. The competition theme was "Pioneer the Future: Unleashing Digital Entrepreneurship with Sustainable Business." I had the honor of presenting our project during the pitching session in front of a panel of judges from esteemed venture capital and business incubation institutions: Smeshub Indonesia, Sevenpreneur, and Indigo Telkom. This victory is incredibly special to us. We can't wait to bring many more exciting innovations to life in the future!🚀 #BusinessCompetition #BusinessPlan #Achievement #CareerGrowth #Teamwork #StartUp #UNJ

🚀 Singapore Climbs to 5th in Global Startup Ecosystem Index, Doubling China's Score! 🌟 According to StartupBlink’s latest rankings, Singapore continues to shine as a leading hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. #StartupNews #InnovationHub #GlobalRankings #SingaporeStartups

✨Shining the spotlight on the Land of Smiles – Thailand! 🇹🇭 In recent years, Thailand has emerged as a dynamic player in Southeast Asia’s burgeoning startup ecosystem. With its vibrant culture, strategic location, and a growing pool of talent, Thailand offers a fertile ground for innovation and #entrepreneurship. Thailand’s resilient economy and political stability provide a conducive environment for #startups to thrive, and the influx of venture capital (#VC) and angel #investors injecting capital into the startup ecosystem further helps startups to scale and expand rapidly.   👉 Here are 5 more good reasons why you should look into expanding your business to Thailand.   💡 Interested to learn more about doing business in Thailand and #SoutheastAsia? There are a lot more reasons why Thailand remains the top destination for businesses to expand into. But for startups, we know it’s not always all smiles when venturing into a new market. Challenges still abound. 🚀 Learn from our expert #mentors, who have been there and done that, and connect with our vast network of partners and investors through the Southeast Asia Market Discovery program: https://2ly.link/1vwdW  

Oh, what an exhilarating week to be in Romania! This emerging market is a treasure trove of potential that everybody wants to mold and hone its edges to match the European zip code. 🌟🇷🇴 🗞️ ☕ Reading the news today, we're gearing up to sharpen our voting skills this Sunday. The business market is proudly sharing a survey where, for the first time, entrepreneurship is the top choice for many when envisioning success, followed closely by research and medicine. The secret sauce for innovation appears to be a delicate balance between boosting SMEs and streamlining the often-anxious mid-management levels in larger companies. On another note, this week, we had the privilege of taking the stage at ROPEA (🙏 DANIELA ILIESCU and Madalina Nitu) to discuss accelerating growth in VC-backed companies. We were joined by dynamic duos of VCs and tech startups: Early Game Ventures (Cristian Munteanu) & OxidOS Automotive (Alexandru RADOVICI), GapMinder VC (Dan Mihaescu) & FintechOS (Sergiu Negut), Catalyst Romania (Alin V. Stanciu) & SeedBlink (Andrei Dudoiu), and Impetum Group/ROCA X (Andrei Cionca) & Medicai (Mircea Popa). Key Insights 🗝️ - The panel showcased diverse perspectives on companies experiencing their first "1M VC marriage," where synergies bloom and market value blossoms, up to those reaching the "100M level" milestone. - Unlike Private Equity, which is more structured, the Venture Capital market thrives on the push & pull of collaboration. It’s all about the people, the leadership behind the numbers, trust, and the powerful network effect. - Of course, with this "freedom", come also the challenges typical of the underdog: uncertainty, long investment horizons with limited control "prenups", market volatility, and competition. - VC-backed companies have the acceleration pedal pressed to the floor, but it's the entrepreneurs who steer the wheel, driving innovation and adaptation on their unique paths to success—be it through M&As, exits, or IPOs. Every line of code, entrepreneur, startup, and investor plays a crucial role in this transformative journey. And there's no way but onwards and upwards! 🚀 #Innovation #RomaniaRising #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #TechStartups #Leadership

Attended a startup roasting session in Dubai, organised by 24SIX9 and facilitated by Jamil Shinawi and his team, who run a series of initiatives aimed at boosting startups in the UAE. For founders, presenting in such an environment where every aspect of their business idea is critically evaluated is both daunting and essential. These sessions offer candid, direct feedback, pinpointing key areas for improvement in business models and product designs, which are invaluable for aligning startup visions with market realities, enhancing investment readiness by clarifying what attracts investors, and improving founders’ understanding of competitive positioning to achieve market readiness. The process is voluntary, so kudos to those who had the courage to present their biz ideas! 👏 We should have more of this in Malaysia to help prepare our local startups. According to MYStartup, Malaysia's startup ecosystem has an abundance of funds but is lacking the quality to make them investable and sustainable. So, the question is: What are we doing to help our local startups become more investable and sustainable? I would also love to hear more from the perspective of our local startup about what is hindering them in this aspect, despite the existing and multifold domestic initiatives that are in place. Please also let us know how think our firm, Peter Ong & Nair (PON) could better assist you. You may connect with me directly. Zooming in on the legal perspective, these roasting sessions enable me to identify startups focusing on industries or areas of interest to our clients or business connections, assess key legal challenges to be addressed, anticipate key risks for risk mitigation and management, and provide effective assistance to VCs and startups in Asia to facilitate smoother and more successful partnerships and collaboration opportunities between Asia and the UAE. #BridgingLegalExcellence #startup #entrepreneurship #strategies #crossborder #legalpractice #technologylaw #commerciallaw #ventures #malaysia #uae

🚀 We're Back with Episode 7 of Our Weekly Series, IGNITE INTERVIEW 🚀 Join us in exploring the heart of innovation in Malaysia as we continue our weekly showcase of the most influential leaders and thinkers in the nation’s burgeoning startup scene. 🌟 🔍 This Week's Spotlight: Nick Chin of CapBay Meet Nick Chin, the dynamic Investments Team Lead at CapBay, a pioneer in Malaysian-born-and-bred fintech focusing on supply chain financing. With a background in consulting and a deep passion for finance and tech, Nick has seamlessly transitioned into the startup ecosystem, where he now plays a crucial role in fundraising and managing investor relations. Thoughts on the Malaysian Startup Ecosystem? 🚀 "I truly believe that we already have the groundwork laid out for a much more vibrant ecosystem here in Malaysia." Favourite Startup? "Grab as SEA’s (read: Malaysia’s) champion." Best Book/Article on Startup? "The Hard Thing About Hard Things’ by Ben Horowitz” Top Food Recommendation? "Chocha Foodstore and Fifty Tales!" 🔍 Tune in to discover how Nick is spearheading financial innovations at CapBay and shaping the future of fintech in Southeast Asia. Learn about his role, his aspirations, and his perspective on the evolving startup landscape in Malaysia. Don't miss out on this exclusive interview and many more to come. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, an investor seeking the next big thing, or simply intrigued by the startup world, these stories are bound to inspire and enlighten. 🔔 Follow Us to stay updated on the latest interviews and take a deep dive into the journeys of Malaysia's brightest pre-seed and seed-stage founders, savvy operators, and visionary venture capitalists. #IgniteAsia #IgniteInterview #MalaysiaStartups #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #StartupJourney #FounderStories #TuneInWeekly