Issue #01 | November 2022
Sivavenayakam Velayutham Managing Director, 25 Startups
2022 has been a year of awakening for many in the startup ecosystem. After two turbulent years in survival mode, both VCs and founders have experienced changes that have influenced the way they operate, invest and work.
While some did not survive, the pandemic has definitely built our perseverance and resilience towards facing challenges. We not only saw the birth of stronger leaders in the ecosystem but newer and younger ones too. With this in mind, a group of people from not only different backgrounds but also locations and skill sets came together to form a team with mutual purposes to empower these groups of founders and push the ecosystem in Malaysia forward.
The formation of 25 Startups was made with a simple aim in mind, to assist, empower and grow the startup ecosystem in Malaysia as it experiences the next step of evolution with the rise of 5G, AI and Web 3.0, to name a few.
In our inaugural newsletter, 25 Media, the team aims to keep you abreast of our initiatives to close gaps, ensure opportunities are spread equally and empower founders across Malaysia. In this issue and upcoming ones, you will also find efforts led by myself and my team as we engage with ecosystem authorities, both locally and internationally to bring opportunities to founders not only to established startup hubs in Malaysia but rising ones with potential as well. Our commitment in ensuring opportunities is spread equally across the nation is well reflected by our recent expansions and collaborations with authorities from various locations, such as Johor Bahru, Penang, Kuching and Cyberjaya.
As we move forward, we will be unveiling more initiatives and exciting announcements that we are confident that you will benefit greatly from. I would also like to request you to join us in the journey not only as a reader, but also as a fellow member of 25 Startups as we pave a new path for the ecosystem.
Enjoy this issue and do get in touch with us at [email protected].
About
25 Startups
A startup community builder under Karuna Khoshee Venture Capital Sdn Bhd which offers digital startup incubation, investment, acceleration, mentoring and soft-landing space to help entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses.
25 Startups hosted an exclusive networking reception for Penang based high net worths, LLCs, MNCs and leaders within the digital space.
This network session is one of the many that serves to bridge funding gaps within the startup ecosystem and introduce leaders from different backgrounds to founders in Malaysia.
25 Startups hosted an exclusive networking reception for Penang based high net worths, LLCs, MNCs and leaders within the digital space.
This network session is one of the many that serves to bridge funding gaps within the startup ecosystem and introduce leaders from different backgrounds to founders in Malaysia.
David D. Doerrier, Founder and Facilitation Skills Coach of Present Your Way To Success! held a sharing session on ways to incorporate storytelling techniques in everyday business use. Audiences were also treated to a session on engaging audiences with tools and questions.
The Startup Launcher Programme – November Edition brought forth experts from several different backgrounds to hold sharing sessions with founders on ways to boost visibility, why cybersecurity matters and the opportunities presented by creative, innovative and design thinking.
We are on the lookout for creative minds and risk-takers. If you have innovative business ideas and want to materialise them, this is the place to be. Through 25 IDEAS, you will have the opportunity to showcase your business idea and stand a chance to be part of a 4-month programme where you will benefit from the workspace & mentorship to turn your inspiration into action.
Pingspace is an e-commerce startup on a mission to provide fast delivery through a network of decentralised micro-fulfilment centers all over the region.
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Chuah Di Ken identified gaps within the warehouse industry that involve reduction in efficiency as the number of customers it serves increases. In order to solve this issue, Di Ken came up with a robotics storage system that aims to help warehouses achieve 3-4 times efficiency per person.
Founded in 2018, Pingspace has since then gone on to build a robotics warehouse with 10 mobile robots configuration in Kuala Lumpur to serve local e-commerce players. While the team faces supply chain issues to build up robot controllers, the team managed to forge strategic partnerships with chip suppliers to overcome this issue.
Pingspace’s first micro-fulfilment center was launched within early August this year in Subang Jaya. They have also expanded into the grocery sector in addition to their growing base in e-commerce.
Di Ken and his team are also looking to commercialise their product in the coming year and expand to Singapore.
So why should investors consider dipping their hands into Pingspace Robotics?
“We have a great technical team to develop our product and executives with diverse experience in the warehousing industry. We think that our timing in a post-Covid timeline is right for this market to expand as more people are buying online,” he shared.
To get in touch with Chuah Di Ken and his team at Pingspace, reach [email protected] or visit their website at https://www.pingspace.co/
MyPayment Gateway, an eWallet unified payment solution for vending/self-service machines that requires no app or downloads.
Founder Lim Chong How identified the struggles that many existing laundromat business owners and vending machine business entrepreneurs faced in finding a system that allowed their machines to accept payments online.
Other struggles he identified include payment issues that extended to cash rejection, shortage of coins and tokens as well as user needs for small change in order to exchange for coins and tokens. Additionally, he also realised that business owners spent too much time handling cash tasks such as collecting and counting cash from the machine daily. Furthermore, owners were also facing issues with attending customers physically whenever they faced payment issues. These challenges defeated the very purpose of self-service business models.
With this in mind, Lim and his team launched MyPayment Gateway in April 2022 in Penang. Since then, their payment gateway services have expanded across the nation and into Singapore through local partners.
By October this year, MyPayment Gateway further crossed the Malaysian borders into Jakarta , Medan, Solo and Bali. In Malaysia to date, their client base now covers Kelantan, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Johor and Sarawak.
The team, having built a base across the nation and into two countries, aims to keep gaining further market shares across their existing bases and into newer grounds such as Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines.
Future plans also include developing their very own integrator platform and client management platform instead of depending on 3rd party solutions.
So why should investors consider dipping their hands into MyPayment Gateway?
Lim says cashless payments are the future and all businesses need to have the option to accept ePayments regardless of being a brick and mortar or an e-commerce business.
“We see a huge market potential as 80% of the machines in the market are yet to be able to accept payments online. With a ready system and with the technology we have, we can easily fill the market gap,” he says.
Lim also shares that with combined experiences in management and technology, the MyPayment Gateway team is fast in penetrating the markets.
“Furthermore, our business model is sustainable and scalable. And we are confident that we can pivot to become a payment gateway service provider for all SMEs in the near future,” he shared.
To get in touch with C.H. Lim and his team at MyPayment Gateway, reach at [email protected] or visit their website at https://mypaymentgateway.com/
ITEBA – Institut Teknologi Batam
