Startup founders in Malaysia, mark your calendars because here’s a week of events you don’t want to miss out on.
From November 18 to 24, Startup Week Malaysia (SWM) will be hosting a whole range of events at Asia School of Business (ASB), a joint host of the event. The week also comprises other jointly organised events at different locations.
Returning for the second year, Startup Week Malaysia brings together a diverse range of entrepreneurs, investors, and startup enthusiasts from all corners of the world.
Daniel Lim, founder of one of Malaysia’s biggest entrepreneurship groups, NextUpAsia, and the organiser of Startup Week Malaysia shared, “This is a joint effort of many partners and especially ASB for hosting this event to nurture entrepreneurs and founders in Malaysia.”
Partners include notable names like UOB and ZUS Coffee, as well as up-and-coming businesses such as Penang’s Click & Brew Cafe who will be giving out 100 custom SWM keycap keychains, first come, first served.
Here are some highlighted events that you should consider joining.
1. TMRNOW AI
If you’re still ignoring AI, this is your sign to stop and actually learn how this new world of technology can change your business for the better.
One starred event that’s a part of Startup Week Malaysia is the TMRNOW AI conference, an event dedicated to exploring the transformative role of Generative AI in the business world.
This conference is designed for professionals eager to understand and harness the power of AI to drive innovation and efficiency in their organisations.
Date and time: November 19 (Tuesday); 9AM to 5PM
Price: RM300 for Standard tickets | RM149 for Early Bird tickets
Venue: Asia School of Business
2. ExitNOW
ExitNOW is a half-day event designed to demystify the process of business exits for both founders and investors in the startup ecosystem.
The lineup of speakers includes notable industry players such as:
- Yeoh Chen Chow, who co-founded Fave and sold it;
- Melissa Lim and Daniel Lui, legal experts who can provide essential guidance for entrepreneurs to protect themselves legally when structuring and selling businesses;
- Bikesh Lakhmichand, the Founder of 1337 Ventures who can share an investor’s perspective on what they look for when considering exits;
- Elain Lokeman, the founder Ata Plus who has insights from the equity crowdfunding (ECF) world and its implications for business exits.
Date and time: November 20 (Wednesday), 2PM to 5PM
Price: RM80 for Standard tickets | RM50 for Early Bird tickets
Venue: Asia School of Business
3. Finding Balance in Partnership–Trust, Contract & Negotiations
Finding the right business partner can be very challenging. That’s why Startup Week Malaysia has an event tailored exclusively for that.
This is a panel session talking all about shareholding and partnerships, especially for F&B entrepreneurs who are navigating the often challenging terrain of partnerships with their investors and co-founders.
The speakers include:
- Jenifer Kuah, a successful serial restaurateur that boldly swapped her legal career for the dining and wine industry almost 20 years ago. She currently operates Studio Restaurant, Alta Cafe, Alta Pizza, and online store Food Foundry.
- Melissa Lim of Melissa Lim & Associates, who runs an SME and startup-friendly digital law firm that goes beyond legal matters by providing business advisory and support for the growth of the business.
- Theri Burhan, the founder of Set the Tables will be moderating the panel. Set the Tables is an independent food and drinks media created to inspire the hospitality community in Asia.
This event will also include a complementary legal toolkit tailored for F&B entrepreneurs about shareholding and partnerships.
Date and time: November 18 (Monday), 2.30PM to 4.30PM
Price: RM45
Venue: Asia School of Business
4. Fundraising Bootcamp in Kuala Lumpur
Organised by Taiwan-based startup AppWorks, this fundraising bootcamp will involve three parts. First is to know your investor and understand who you can raise from. The second part involves setting your terms and valuation.
Lastly, there’ll be a sharing session from a series B founder—Ting-Kuan Chen from FunNow.
FunNow is a B2C platform for consumers to book restaurants, massages, or fun activities in the city. Originating from Taiwan, they expanded to Malaysia in 2019 and acquired TableApp in 2020 and eatigo in 2023.
Date and Time: November 21 (Thursday), 10AM to 12PM
Price: Free
Venue: Asia School of Business
5. SEMAI X Social Enterprise Day 2024
If you’re involved in social enterprises, you’ll want to tune in to SEMAI X Social Enterprise Day 2024 (SE Day) happening on November 21.
SEMAI is Social Enterprise Malaysia Amplifying Impact, a collaboration effort driven by Purpose Malaysia and Chamber of Social Entrepreneur Development (CSED) Malaysia.
SE Day is organised to celebrate and advance the social enterprise ecosystem in Malaysia, bringing together changemakers, corporate leaders, and advocates passionate about creating social impact through sustainable business models.
Highlights of the day include a roundup and recap of social entrepreneurship during the year, a networking luncheon, and a corporate impact engagement session.
Date and time: November 21 (Thursday), 9AM to 4:30PM
Price: N/A
Venue: Asia School of Business
6. HERizon 2024: Beyond Definition
On the horizon of Startup Week Malaysia is HERizon, which is happening in December.
By fostering a community of support, inspiration, and collaboration, HERizon is a summit that aims to expand the horizons for women everywhere.
“HERizon, as part of the Startup Week Malaysia umbrella, believes we’re not lacking talent; we’re lacking the voice, representation, and platform to amplify our vision and promote local startups and solutions,” Jesyka Hiu, the organiser, said.
To do just that, this HERizon summit will be focusing on four pillars.
- Transforming ambition into impact
- Courage in leadership
- Changemakers
- A community of visionaries
Date and time: December 7, 9AM to 5PM
Venue: UOB Plaza 1 KL
Price: RM170 for All Access Pass | RM140 for Conference Pass
7. Invictus: Empowering Leaders, Igniting Change
Invictus is an exclusive, curated networking event designed to bring together current and aspiring leaders from diverse industries.
Interested participants will need to submit an application to join this intimate and curated gourmet dining experience. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and selected attendees will receive a formal invitation.
The event will involve a fireside chat with an esteemed guest speaker, as well as curated networking opportunities.
Date and time: November 27 (Wednesday), 12:30PM to 3:30PM
Price: RM249
Venue: Ignis Kuala Lumpur
8. Pickleball Meet
In a pickle about how to network with fellow entrepreneurs?
Well, here’s an event that might help, especially for the sporty ones. Held at Pickle World in PJ, it’s organised with notable entrepreneurs such as RenYi Chin, the founder of my Burger Lab, as well as former national badminton player Daphne Ng and pickleball coach Ian Ng.
Date and time: November 23 (Saturday), 8PM to 10PM
Price: RM30 for Standard tickets | RM25 for Early Bird tickets
Venue: Pickle World
Connecting the community
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely and isolating journey. But it doesn’t have to be.
With events like these hosted by the community for the community, startup founders in Malaysia can now better connect with not just each other but also to new information and insights that can supercharge their growth.
- Learn more about Startup Week Malaysia here.
- Read articles we’ve written about Startup Week Malaysia 2023 here.
Featured Image Credit: Kachi / Vulcan Post
